PFC Chapter 337 Weasels in Captivity
Chapter 337 Weasels in Captivity
Enraged, the black cat charged toward the haystack like a black lightning bolt, about to disappear into the hole in pursuit.
"Little princess, come back!" Li Xiangyang called out to it in time.
The black cat stopped and glanced back with displeasure, but obediently retreated.
Li Xiangyang crouched down, carefully examining the opening under the haystack, his brow furrowed. "This hole is quite large," he said in a deep voice, "and there are definitely many connecting passages. It would be too dangerous to chase after them directly."
"Then what should we do?" Yang Youcai asked anxiously.
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Use smoke! Smoke it out!"
"Good idea!" Wang Ergou nodded repeatedly. "I'll go find some firewood."
“Wait,” Li Xiangyang stopped him, “ordinary firewood produces enough smoke, its effect is limited.” He looked around and asked, “Does the village have sulfur? Or chili powder?”
“I have dried chili peppers at home, which can be ground into powder!” a villager raised his hand and said.
“The production team has sulfur; we pull it out to prevent wheat rust!” another older villager quickly added.
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "Great! Quickly bring them all! Also, get a bucket of water to wet the grass; the smoke will be thicker."
Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately split up and set to work. Soon, chili peppers, sulfur, and various other materials were brought to the site.
Li Xiangyang directed the group to find several possible exits around the haystack, piled them up with the same materials, and prepared to ignite them simultaneously.
“These rat holes might be interconnected,” Li Xiangyang explained. “We need to block all the exits to force it to show itself.”
After preparations were complete, Li Xiangyang solemnly addressed the group: "Everyone, step back. The sulfur fumes are harmful to people, so don't stand too close. Spread out, watch your surroundings, and don't let it escape."
Following Li Xiangyang's instructions, the group split into several groups and stood guard vigilantly in different directions.
At Li Xiangyang's command, several bonfires were lit simultaneously.
As the firewood burned, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou sprinkled chili powder and sulfur into the fire.
Immediately, several plumes of pungent smoke rose up and seeped into the various openings.
The smoke grew thicker and thicker, enveloping the entire area and causing even the villagers standing some distance away to cough.
"Watch out! It could come out from anywhere!" Li Xiangyang shouted a warning, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
The black cat nimbly leaped onto a high rock, its amber eyes gleaming in the night, intently watching every movement on the ground.
As the smoke seeped into the underground passage, rustling sounds began to emanate from the surrounding ground.
Immediately afterwards, swarms of rats emerged from the ground and fled frantically, a truly horrifying scene.
"Don't get distracted!" Li Xiangyang reminded them. "These are just ordinary rats. Focus on the red-haired one!"
Just then, the ground shook violently, and a new opening was blasted out a few meters away from the main cave, followed by one, two more...
In the blink of an eye, several holes emitting thick smoke appeared on the ground.
Swarms of rats kept pouring out of each new hole, their dense, gray forms rolling and scurrying across the ground, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
"Over there!" Wang Ergou suddenly shouted, pointing to a cave entrance in the farthest distance.
Just as everyone turned their heads, a red figure darted out of the smoke with astonishing speed, disappearing in a flash from the ridge outside the village.
"It's a big red-haired rat!" Yang Youcai exclaimed.
The black cat leaped down from the rock in an instant, like an arrow released from a bow, chasing after the red shadow.
"Little Princess!" Li Xiangyang exclaimed in surprise, and immediately shouted, "Er Gou, grab your gun, let's go after her!"
Although the two were incredibly fast, they were no match for the four-legged cat and mouse, and were quickly left far behind.
"They've gone up the mountain!" Wang Ergou said breathlessly, pointing to the distant mountain silhouettes.
Li Xiangyang nodded, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes: "We can't let them get too far. If we don't wipe out these red-haired rats this time, they'll retaliate, and life in the village will be unbearable."
The two quickened their pace and ran along the ridge towards the mountainside.
Under the moonlight, they could vaguely see two small dots at the foot of the mountain ahead—one black and one red—rapidly climbing upwards.
"We need to hurry!" Li Xiangyang said as he ran. "The mountains are very dangerous. If we encounter wolves or other wild beasts, we'll be in big trouble."
Wang Ergou, panting heavily, caught up: "Do you think those red-haired rats running up the mountain might have come from there?"
“Very likely,” Li Xiangyang frowned. “After this, we need to thoroughly investigate the surrounding mountains to see what attracted so many rats.”
The two jogged all the way and finally reached the foot of the mountain.
Looking around, the mountain road is rugged, vines are entwined, and the shadows of trees sway, making it appear particularly dark in the night.
"Listen!" Li Xiangyang suddenly stopped and pricked up his ears. "There's a sound."
A low growl and a sharp cry came from afar, clearly indicating that the black cat and the red-haired rat were engaged in a fierce battle.
"Over there!" Wang Ergou pointed to a thicket of bushes on a hillside. "See that? The grass is moving!"
The two immediately ran in that direction.
As they got closer, they finally saw the scene before them clearly.
The black cat and the red-haired rat were locked in combat on a flat rock.
Despite the black cat's agility and fierce attacks, the red-haired rat was exceptionally cunning, escaping from the black cat's claws time and time again.
Just as the black cat was gaining the upper hand, the red-haired rat suddenly turned its head and let out an extremely sharp screech. The sound was so piercing that Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou involuntarily covered their ears.
"It's calling its companions again!" Wang Ergou exclaimed, gripping his gun tightly.
Li Xiangyang frowned: "I don't think so. We should have killed most of the rats in the village, and besides, there's this mountain..."
Before he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the bushes.
Li Xiangyang immediately went on alert and raised his gun.
Under the moonlight, a pair of eyes gleaming green silently appeared in the bushes not far away, followed by a second pair, a third pair...
"What is that?" Wang Ergou asked nervously in a low voice.
Li Xiangyang squinted, carefully examining the area: "It's a weasel!"
As soon as he finished speaking, three sizable weasels darted out of the bushes and nimbly surrounded the black cat and the red-haired rat who were fighting.
"How could this be?" Wang Ergou exclaimed in shock. "The weasel not only doesn't eat the mouse, but it's actually helping it?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Li Xiangyang's eyes, then he suddenly realized, "So that's it! This big red-haired rat was probably kept by a weasel, which is why it grew so big!"
"A weasel keeping rats as pets?" Wang Ergou exclaimed incredulously. "Is that even possible?"
"While it seems unbelievable, it's not entirely impossible," Li Xiangyang explained. "The weasel may have discovered a large number of rats in an area and decided not to kill them until food became scarce. This unintentionally created a situation similar to captivity."
The situation is urgent. The three weasels and the big red rat have surrounded the black cat.
Although the black cat was brave, it instantly realized that it was outnumbered in the face of such a sudden situation.
Taking advantage of the brief moment when the red-haired rat and the three weasels were making adjustments to surround and regroup, it suddenly pushed off with its hind legs and, like a black meteor, sped off towards Li Xiangyang's location.
Along the way, a weasel tried to intercept them, leaping high into the air and its sharp claws reaching for the black cat's back.