Chapter 72

After searching for nearly an hour, around 9:00 AM, Shin Yamayama lost track of the team, and even the direction of the supplies on the vehicle was a mystery.

He couldn't understand why so many elk and roe deer had gathered on the mountain ridge, using their hooves to dig the ground as if searching for insects they didn't eat.

He didn't know that in the northeastern forests, elk and roe deer were infested with a parasite called a botfly. This parasite burrows into the skin of the elk and roe deer, and as it grows in June, it moves under the skin, causing intense itching and restlessness. In severe cases, the animals might even rub their skin against tree bark to relieve the itching. The only solution is salt, which can suppress and kill the parasites, thus alleviating the intense itching.

However, salt is rare in the northeastern forests, so the elk and roe deer have to go to salt flats to dig for it. Their sense of smell is extremely sensitive, and they can detect the life-saving salty smell from several kilometers away, and they will pass this information to the entire forest through their calls.

Thus, herds of elk and roe deer would rush to the salt flats, eating the life-saving substance and destroying all traces on the ground in the process.

This was Dong Ku's method to cover their tracks. He scattered sea salt all over the mountain ridge during the transportation of supplies. The strong smell of sea salt attracted the elk and roe deer, but they dared not get too close due to Dong Ku and his team moving around nearby. They waited anxiously in the surrounding forests, listening quietly, and even stayed awake all night.

Once Dong Ku and his team left, the elk and roe deer, upon tasting the salt, rushed to the area, licking leaves and digging the moist soil to consume the salt that had seeped into the ground. A loud noise eventually frightened them away.

Shunzi and his team were unaware of this. They hadn't even had salt to eat, so how could they have studied such things? This information came from a poacher Dong Ku caught during his training in the northeast. They used this method to attract elk and then select and kill the males, harvesting valuable parts like antlers, hearts, and penises.

As Shin Yamayama looked at the chaotic scene on the mountain, he was at a loss. Dong Ku and his team had already passed through a position about ten kilometers diagonally opposite, heading west, directly toward the road from Qitaihe to Baoqing.

Shin Yamayama looked at the chaotic scene on the mountain, pondered for a long time, and then ordered, "All search teams, fifty meters apart, advance westward in a line. Notify me when you find any traces."

Currently, this might be the only way to find new clues. Reluctantly, he had to use this method to track them. He believed that the destruction of the tracks was limited to this area, and they would eventually find new clues.

The Japanese search teams, except for the two wolf dogs, spread out in a line, visible to each other, and began searching westward toward Qitaihe.

Half an hour passed, and they found nothing. The wolf dogs were unable to find the necessary scent amidst the scattered hoof prints.

By now, the two teams had already entered deep into the forest. In another one or two hours, they would meet in the mountains and begin a coordinated search, narrowing the search area from north to south.

An hour passed, and suddenly, one of the wolf dogs, which had been quietly moving, lowered its head and sniffed, seemingly discovering something. Shortly after, the wolf dog began to pull the Japanese soldier forward, tracking the scent.

The man holding the wolf dog whispered something, and a soldier quickly ran to Shin Yamayama, who was in the middle of the formation.

"Found the tracks!"

Shin Yamayama's expression relaxed. As long as they found the tracks, it wouldn't be difficult to follow them.

"You, you, and you, notify the teams on both sides. Maintain the original direction. You lead thirty men in the opposite direction to search, and the rest follow me."

Following Shin Yamayama's orders, the two wolf dogs separated. One ran to the Japanese soldiers standing at the tracks, while the others followed Shin Yamayama diagonally toward the direction where the tracks were found.

The wolf dog that found the tracks lowered its head and sniffed, quickly pulling the Japanese soldiers forward, clearly following the scent.

At that moment, the dry leaves on the ground suddenly flew up, and a mechanism triggered, followed by a sharp cry from the wolf dog's mouth.

"Ahh..."

The sudden, tragic cry made all the Japanese soldiers instinctively point their guns in that direction.

"What's going on?!"

Shin Yamayama was startled, drew his pistol, and looked in the direction he was heading.

The wolf dog, after a sudden howl, began to whimper. Its front paw was caught in a small iron trap, the jagged edges of which had deeply pierced its skin and tightly clamped onto its leg bone.

"Damn! It's a hunting trap!" the soldier exclaimed, comforting his beloved dog. He held the trap with both hands and forcefully pried it open, freeing the dog's front paw.

Shin Yamayama arrived at the scene and saw the wolf dog sitting on the ground, its front paw bleeding profusely. He knew the dog was no longer useful.

"Bandage the dog and send it back. Follow the tracks."

Shin Yamayama was not angry but rather excited. He knew that only the person he was looking for would set such a trap specifically for wolf dogs, calculating the exact spot where the dog's paw would land to injure the tracking dog.

"It seems our opponent is not simple. They even anticipated the use of wolf dogs, and the tracks were deliberately disturbed by elk and roe deer, not by chance."

Shin Yamayama looked back at the other team that had already moved in another direction, then turned and ordered, "Continue the search!"

After a brief disturbance, the search team continued forward. Shin Yamayama instructed the soldier holding the dog not to step on the path the dog was following. He occasionally squatted down to examine the dry leaves, looking for footprints.

However, after walking for several hundred meters, there were no footprints under the dry leaves, which puzzled him. The dog's nose shouldn't have been wrong, but why were there no footprints? The soil under the dry leaves was moist, and even a child's steps would leave marks. What was going on?

He held a handful of dry leaves, trying to figure out why the dog could smell the scent but there were no footprints.

At that moment, the wolf dog walking in the front of the bushes suddenly jumped. Before the soldier holding it could react, a thick branch, as wide as a shovel handle, whipped through the air and struck the wolf dog's belly just as its hind legs left the ground.

"Ahh! Ahh..."

The wolf dog howled and was thrown several meters away, lying in the grass, unable to get up.

"What's happening?!"

Shin Yamayama was startled, dropped the dry leaves, and stood up, shouting.

A soldier reported, "Sir, it's a trap. The dog was injured..."

"Trap!!"

Shin Yamayama walked over angrily and saw the thick branch still trembling, with a row of wooden spikes tied to it, still covered in dog hair.

"Send the dog back, and the rest continue the pursuit, watch out for traps!"

Seeing another dog injured, Shin Yamayama was not angry but smiled and ordered a change of dogs to continue the pursuit. He knew that the closer they got to the target, the more such traps would appear.

This time, he didn't check the ground. He instructed the soldiers to walk on either side of the dog, carefully watching the ground to avoid any more traps specifically designed for wolf dogs. He made this judgment because the height of the branch was exactly at the dog's chest, which is below a person's knee, clearly not intended for humans.

Just as he gave the order to continue, two soldiers ran over from both sides.

He stopped and waited for the two soldiers to approach, and the search dog also stopped to wait.

The two soldiers quickly ran over, and one reported first, "Sir, three tracks were found on the left. The enemy has split up."

"Split up?"

Shin Yamayama thought for a moment without speaking, then looked at the other soldier.

The other soldier, seeing him, stood at attention and reported, "Four tracks were found on the right. The dogs have locked onto them. No tracks were found in the opposite direction. They seem to have branched off from here."

"Eight tracks? Do they intend to disperse and hide in the forest?"

Shin Yamayama narrowed his eyes. He judged that the enemy, being so calculating, must have split up to confuse the search and escape the encirclement.

"Cunning bastards! Do you think our wolf dogs are not enough?"

Shin Yamayama muttered and ordered, "Follow all the tracks, don't miss any!"

"Hai!"

The two messengers ran back to the search teams to relay the orders.

Shortly after, the Japanese army split into eight columns, each following the scent locked by the dogs.

All the teams started almost simultaneously. The wolf dogs, given the order to proceed, pulled the Japanese soldiers forward to track the scent.

Less than a minute after the teams started, several explosions rang out almost simultaneously. In the explosions, the leading wolf dogs and Japanese soldiers were thrown into the air and fell to the side like wooden stakes.

The Japanese soldiers behind were startled. Most of those not hit by shrapnel quickly lay down and raised their guns to search for the target.

Shin Yamayama, in the middle of the formation, bent down and drew his pistol, looking around under the protection of the soldiers.

"Damn!"

He kicked the soldier in front of him, "You disgrace the Japanese Empire!"

"Hai!"

The soldier, trembling with fear, quickly stood up and stood rigidly in front of Shin Yamayama.

The other soldiers, who had lain down, naturally didn't wait to be told and quickly got up, raising their guns to search.

Shin Yamayama ignored the soldier and, hearing the wolf dogs' whimpers, deduced that this was another trap, but this time with landmines.

"Report the casualties!"

He stood up and shouted.

"Eight dogs dead, three severely injured, two lightly injured, and one unharmed..."

"Damn!"

Before the soldier could finish reporting, Shin Yamayama cursed and ordered, "Send a message to the road between Qitaihe and Baoqing to be strictly guarded, and light bonfires at night! Do the same for the road between Mishan and Baoqing! Order the search teams to hold their positions, watch each other, and wait for reinforcements!"

After giving the orders, he said darkly amidst the radio signals, "You calculated the distance to hit the wolf dogs together. I'll see how a hundred of you can take down a division!"

He didn't know that they were only chasing eight people, not a hundred.

And Dong Ku and his team, only one or two kilometers away from Shin Yamayama, didn't know that they could no longer cross the road to Qitaihe and enter the Lao Tuzi Mountain range...

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