Chapter 31｜The Hunt's Life-or-Death Standoff Escalates: Full-Scale Pursuit and the Ultimate Ambush

The wind through the woods grew colder as evening fell.

After the enemy withdrew, the entire hunting ground seemed suddenly drained of sound. No birdsong, no insect chirps—even the hounds held their breath, lying low on the ground, sniffing the air intermittently with their noses.

Li Xing stood beside a fallen tree, staring down at the trampled leaves and broken branches on the ground.

“Not fleeing.”

“Withdrawing.”

His assessment was quickly confirmed.

The footprints were not disordered—steady spacing, clear direction, even deliberately avoiding muddy patches that would leave traces. This was a group accustomed to moving with precision through the hunting grounds.

Zhao Yun approached him, lowering his voice: “They haven't gone far.”

Li Xing nodded: “They're changing tactics.”

Earlier was probing; now, they were repositioning.

“What do we do?” Li Yu asked.

Li Xing lifted his head, gazing into the forest's depths. His tone was calm yet unmistakably clear: “They think we'll defend.”

“Then let them be wrong once.”

The Pursuit Begins

The team didn't move immediately.

Li Xing first ordered everyone to rest in place for ten minutes—to hydrate and check ammunition. This decision surprised Zhao Yun, but he quickly understood why—

True hunters never pursue when their emotions are at their peak.

Zhou Xiaoyu repositioned herself at a new vantage point, lower and more concealed than before. Her gun barrel wasn't aimed at the distance, but locked onto several essential escape routes.

Zhou Yan moved slowly around the perimeter with the hunting dog, avoiding straight lines and instead circling in arcs to deliberately create “misleading paths.”

The dog's scent was crucial in this hunting ground. It didn't rush to track but repeatedly confirmed the direction of scent changes.

“They've split up,” Zhou Yan murmured. “At least two groups.”

Li Xing's expression grew composed upon hearing this.

“Split up? That makes them easier to handle.”

Reverse Strategy

Instead of pursuing directly, Li Xing led Zhao Yun and Li Yu to flank along a higher ridge.

This route was ill-suited for swift movement but offered natural vantage points.

“They'll assume we're following footprints,” Li Xing explained in hushed tones as they advanced. “But the real hunting ground isn't beneath our feet.”

Zhao Yun understood: “You're going to seize their observation point.”

“Correct.”

Allowing the enemy to occupy the high ground would trap them in passivity once more. But if they reversed the situation, even elite hunters would lose their greatest advantage.

Zhou Xiaoyu's voice crackled through the earpiece: “Southeast flank. Two targets slowing down. Seems like they're waiting for something.”

Li Xing didn't respond. Instead, he gave a simple hand signal.

Continue.

The enemy was waiting for them to enter range, unaware they'd already exposed themselves to another line of sight.

First Ambush

As darkness fell completely, the first ambush commenced.

Zhou Xiaoyu fired first.

Not a lethal shot, but a round driven into the ground at a hunter’s feet, forcing him to roll for cover.

Almost simultaneously, Li Yu’s Type 56 semi-automatic rifle cracked, its bullets precisely sealing off the enemy’s retreat.

“Suppression successful,” Zhou Xiaoyu reported in a low voice.

Zhao Yun leaned out from the flank, firing his Desert Eagle in rapid succession, forcing the target to fully expose himself.

The high-level hunter reacted with lightning speed. Though thrown off balance, he still attempted to counterattack. But the moment he raised his gun, a deep, hollow crack echoed from the high ground.

The sniper round grazed his shoulder, tearing away chunks of flesh.

He staggered to the ground but remained temporarily mobile.

This was the first time the enemy had truly fallen into their ambush perimeter.

The hunting ground erupted.

The gunshot ignited the entire hunting ground.

Another enemy group reacted swiftly, converging on the ambush site to provide support.

But they didn't realize they were walking into Zhou Yan and the Hound's territory.

The Hound burst from the bushes, lunging for the target's blind side.

The hunter reflexively spun and fired, but in that instant, he lost his focus on the front.

A blade flashed.

Zhou Yan made no unnecessary moves—just one swift, decisive close-range strike before retreating immediately.

The scent of blood spread through the woods, yet instead of causing panic, it only intensified the battle to a fever pitch.

Li Xing stood on high ground, calmly directing every movement.

“Zhao Yun, don't pursue too deep.”

“Li Yu, seal off the right flank.”

“Zhou Xiaoyu, pin down their retreat route.”

This was no longer defense.

It was the mastery of the hunting rhythm.

The Outline of the Ultimate Ambush

Within a mere twenty minutes, the enemy's operations were utterly disrupted.

They came to realize a brutal truth—

This squad was no longer prey.

They had become true hunters, adept at exploiting terrain, rhythm, and psychology.