Chapter 22: You must step up and win some pride for me; you have to get your hands on that Type 81 assault rifle.

Lin Yang wore a self-assured smile, a glint of cunning hidden behind his eyes. He gazed at the old village chief, deliberately drawing out the suspense. "Uncle, aren't you even a little curious how I came to know so much about what’s going on at the logging site?"

He paused, as if giving the old man time to react, but pressed on before the chief could respond.

"To tell you the truth, it wasn't that Sun Fugui who told me. Just think about it—his daughter is already tangled up with someone else and is even carrying his child. No matter how low I’ve sunk, I’m not about to pick up someone else's discarded goods."

"I’ve finally seen the light now, and my only goal is to make sure my family lives a good life."

"And think about this: if I become a mountain patrolman, I might even have a chance to become a formal member of the forestry team one day!"

"Wouldn't that be a source of pride for our whole village?"

As he spoke, he watched the village chief’s reaction closely. Seeing the old man still furrowing his brows, he abruptly shifted his tone. "Uncle, you must know Zhou Liang from the county seat, right?"

The village chief nodded instinctively, the image of Zhou Liang surfacing in his mind.

Zhou Liang used to be the deputy director of the county grain station. He had dealt with the village quite often and was considered a man of status and influence in the area.

Seeing the nod, Lin Yang’s face lit up with a triumphant look. "All this information came from Brother Liang. He even gave me a tip: in a couple of days, the forestry team is going to distribute a new batch of equipment."

"And guess what? There are twenty Type 56 semi-automatic rifles and ten Type 81 assault rifles!"

"Think about it. If we have those in our hands, even if we run into that majestic beast they call the 'Mountain God'—the Siberian tiger—a volley of fire would make it think twice before acting rashly."

The old village chief’s eyes widened in disbelief, his gaze toward Lin Yang filled with shock and suspicion.

He stared at him intensely and said sternly, "Are you telling the truth? Don’t go spinning tall tales with your uncle; this isn't a game. If word gets out and it’s a lie, that’s no small matter."

Lin Yang looked sincere, nodding vigorously with a determined gaze. "Uncle, how would I dare lie to you? I might lie to anyone else, but never to you!"

"Think about it—if I lied to you and my folks found out, they’d break my legs for sure! Why would I joke about something like this?"

The village chief paced back and forth in the room, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

This was no trivial matter. If Lin Yang was telling the truth, it was an opportunity for the village. But if it were a lie, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After a long while, he reached a decision. He stopped, looked at Lin Yang, and said with a serious expression, "If it’s as you say, then I’ll take care of this for you. But you’d better make me proud and try to get your hands on one of those Type 81s."

"However, if you dare to lie to me... hmph! Don't blame me for being heartless when I come to break your legs!"

"It's a deal!" A radiant smile bloomed on Lin Yang’s face.

He had expected that the village chief wouldn't agree so easily, which was why he had revealed the news in advance.

He knew that within two days, there would be another bear attack at the logging site, which would certainly bring even more attention to the matter. He needed to make thorough preparations for what was to come.

There were many villages around the Greater Khingan Range, and for generations, the people had lived off the mountains. Though there were a few hunters in their village, most were mediocre, and their hunting skills were nothing to boast about.

Under these circumstances, quality weapons would naturally be prioritized for the truly skilled hunters.

As a young punk like him, he would have to use some ingenuity and tricks to get his hands on a Type 81.

After leaving the pack of unopened 'Da Qianmen' cigarettes at the chief’s house, Lin Yang hurried home. Once inside, he rummaged for a hammer, pliers, and a coil of wire before heading into his room.

Winter was fast approaching. The biting cold wind was already wreaking havoc around the village, and the tributaries of the Songhua River were soon to be covered in thick ice.

In Lin Yang’s eyes, the endless stretch of mountains was a natural treasure trove, hiding countless opportunities.

Having lived two lifetimes, he was quite skilled with a bow and arrow, but its power was limited. Within twenty meters, it was barely enough to hunt small game like pheasants or rabbits. Beyond that, hitting a target was purely a matter of luck.

But the wild animals that managed to survive in those mountains were experts at staying alive; their vigilance was extreme, and they would vanish at the slightest disturbance. To hunt them from a distance, the bow was simply inadequate.

At this stage, the snow wasn't too deep, making it relatively easy to find game. But once the heavy snow sealed the mountains, everything would change. Sometimes a single step would sink into snow up to one’s knees. In such an environment, to avoid being detected by prey, one had to strike from at least fifty meters away.

As for a Mosin-Nagant, while its effective range could reach eight hundred meters, Lin Yang knew his own limits—he was no marksman and lacked the skill for long-range precision shooting. Hitting a target once in a hundred meters would be a stroke of luck. As for the Arisaka Type 38, that antique was slow to fire and inaccurate; Lin Yang had no interest in it at all.

Therefore, for the sake of his own safety, he set his sights on the Type 56. Of course, if he could snag a Type 81, that would be even better.

Lin Yang also kept Li Xiaowan’s mother in his thoughts. She had been in poor health, and if he could get his hands on bear gall, Li Jianhua’s attitude toward him might change, and he might stop opposing his relationship with Xiaowan.

Lin Yang had already made up his mind: since he was living a second life, he would ensure Xiaowan’s happiness, make up for the regrets of his previous life, and never let her suffer any grievance again.

As he pondered, his hands kept moving, skillfully manipulating the wire to craft animal traps.

"What are you doing?"

Zhao Guixiang walked into the room, seeing Lin Yang focused on his tools and wire, and asked with a puzzled look.

Lin Yang looked up, his face immediately lighting up with a smile as he explained patiently, "Mom, I’m planning to use these serrated iron plates and some thick wire to make a few traps. Once they're done, I might be able to catch plenty of game!"

Zhao Guixiang frowned, worry flashing in her eyes. She looked him up and down as if trying to see through him. "I'm warning you, don't look at me like that. I don't want you taking risks. If you dare to go deep into the mountains, see what I do to you!"

"You don't know how dangerous it is in there. Those bears and tigers don't have eyes. If something happens to you, your father and I won't be able to go on."

Lin Yang quickly put on a flattering smile. "Mom, don't worry. I definitely won't go deep into the mountains; I'll just stay on the outskirts and catch a few rabbits or pheasants."

"You know I haven't even taken a wife yet, and I'm still planning to give you a chubby grandson. Why would I take such risks? I'm not stupid."

Zhao Guixiang was half-convinced, but she knew that her son was grown up and there were many things she couldn't stop him from doing. She had given him a sound thrashing that morning, yet here he was, already running off to do his own thing again.

Still, she had to give him a stern warning. "If I find out you've gone deep into the mountains, see if I don't break your legs! I’d rather support you for the rest of your life than have you licked clean by a bear."

"You little rascal, you’ve never given me a moment's peace since you were a child. Always fussing about with something!"

Listening to his mother’s nagging, Lin Yang almost couldn't resist being cheeky, but he held it in. If he provoked her anger any further, she would surely grab a firewood stick from the yard, and that was a taste he didn't want to experience.

"Mom, you can put your heart at ease—a hundred and twenty percent. Your son isn't a fool. I haven't even married yet, nor have I given you that grandson, so why would I take risks? Just set your mind at ease!"

As he spoke, Lin Yang went over and hugged his mother’s arm, acting like a child.

Hearing this, the corner of Zhao Guixiang’s mouth couldn't help but twitch upward. She pretended to be angry and said, "You know that, do you?! You're twenty already. Look around—how many guys our age in the village aren't married yet?"

"As long as you stop obsessing over that Sun Xiaorong girl, which girl in our village wouldn't be a good match? Can't you lower your standards and stop chasing the impossible?"

Hearing this, Lin Yang immediately tossed his tools aside, leaned in close to Zhao Guixiang, and said with a grin, "Mom, I was blinded by greed before, and that woman was all I could see."

"But now I’ve finally realized that after casting her aside, I’ve found that I was like someone who dropped a watermelon to chase a sesame seed. Actually, I’ve already found a perfect candidate for a wife right by my side."