"Isn't it just a deer? Why are you so cautious?" Jiang Hai asked Mayor Wallis with some confusion as everyone was about to leave. Deer? He had been hunting in the mountains before. Deer are timid but curious. "Uh, that's a roe deer, but isn't a roe deer still a kind of deer?"
To Jiang Hai, it seemed like the deer had just come down from the mountain. Was there really a need to mobilize so many people and block off the streets? Could this actually be dangerous? He'd never heard of deer attacking people! No matter what others thought, Jiang Hai felt they were making a big fuss.
"Hey, Jiang, you haven't experienced a deer riot. It's terrifying. Hundreds of deer, heads down, will crash into anything in their path—people, cars, even armored vehicles get flattened. It's extremely dangerous," Mayor Wallis said with a sigh in response to Jiang Hai's words. Jiang Hai was still young and sometimes thought too simply.
After hearing this, Jiang Hai imagined the scene. If it were true, it would be quite frightening...
"Yes, I remember when I was a kid, the town often had deer disasters. Back then, we'd destroyed much of the vegetation in the Appalachian Mountains, so the deer had nothing to eat and came down looking for food. But at that time, our solution was simple—we just shot all the deer with a machine gun. Problem solved," Morris Smith said, touching his chin and sighing as he recalled.
"Then why not do that now?" Jiang Hai was a little puzzled. If there was a solution, why not just take action?
"That was fifty years ago, when I was a kid," Morris explained. "Since the federal government banned random hunting of wild animals two or three decades ago, no one dares to do it anymore. If you do, animal protection groups will take you to court. And such acts are almost guaranteed to land you in prison. It also causes huge international outrage. Look at the controversy over whaling and dolphin hunting by island nations—huge international backlash. If the U.S. hadn't stood behind them, they might have become worldwide pariahs again."
Mayor Wallis sighed when he saw Jiang Hai's doubtful look. Though deer aren't whales or dolphins, if this issue blew up, it wouldn't just cost him his job as mayor or Morris his livelihood. Tourism would vanish, and most importantly, whoever fired the gun would probably spend the rest of their life in prison.
There's no life imprisonment in the U.S., but sentences can be effectively lifelong. Illegal deer hunting—without a proper license—is punishable by three years in prison per deer. Kill ten, and you're looking at thirty years. Morris mentioned there were hundreds, maybe thousands of deer—that could mean thousands of years in prison...
Even Jiang Hai, if caught, would likely spend all his money and still be locked up for decades. Twenty or thirty years in prison is already considered a lenient sentence under the law. Hearing this, Jiang Hai couldn't help but sigh. It was harsh...
It seems that even in the U.S., the rich can get away with many things. Fortunately, Jiang Hai had no interest in such reckless hunting.
"Since the Federation banned deer hunting, every time the deer riot, all we can do is use shotguns to defend ourselves. Our defenses aren't as strong as before. Many people get injured or even killed every time. We don't know if it'll be safe this time, but at least the government covers the damages caused by the deer," Morris said.
"Alright, Jiang, you should head back. Though we can only protect ourselves with shotguns, you aren't restricted on your manor grounds. Be careful at night—if you see any deer, kill them!" Morris warned seriously.
Jiang Hai nodded in understanding.
After talking with Mayor Wallis and Morris Smith, the two men went back to work. Jiang Hai gathered a few who were still confused, explained the situation, and everyone prepared to leave.
Today, nearly everyone from Jiang Hai's manor had come. Only Burke Dahler, Connor Peters, Dulles Gerard, and O'Connor Murphy remained behind. After receiving their payment, they planned to leave on the 24th to return to Europe for Christmas.
Jiang Hai had given them until January 15th—a long holiday. Aside from these four, everyone else had come. Since two were bachelors—one disinterested in festivities and the other a boxing enthusiast who preferred not to watch the show—it was better they stayed behind. The rest came.
Counting everyone: Jiang Hai, Darlene, Marian, Bernice, Xiaoya, Azalina, Aphra, Dinah, Hilda, Becky, Sheila, Oshilia, Bridget, Janice—fourteen people; Robbins Garcia; Philemon Turner's family of five; Harriman Fells; Bell Lester; Edward Anderson—one person; Tommy Charles—two; Enol Cece—three; Andrew Christie—two; Maren Rupert—one. That made seventeen more, for a total of thirty-one people.
Leaving would be a bit troublesome, but luckily, Jiang Hai and his family had plenty of vehicles.
Two F750s, one F650, and one Berlech War Shield. Though each standard vehicle seats five, they could hold more. Without traffic police enforcement, the F750s had one driver, one co-pilot, and at least five in the back row. If the passengers were slimmer women, six could fit comfortably, thanks to the wide seats and extra space.
That's how they came. In Winthrop, no traffic police would stop Jiang Hai for this.
To accommodate Jiang Hai's girls—Aphra, Dinah, Hilda, Becky, Sheila, Oshilia, Bridget, and Janice—six sat in the back of an F750, one in the co-pilot seat, and one in another F750.
Bell Lester, Harriman Fells, Robbins Garcia, and Edward Anderson, unbothered by the cold, sat in the back bucket seats. The three vehicles were packed. Jiang Hai, Xiaoya, Bernice, Darlene, Marian, and Azalina prepared to leave in Jiang Hai's shield. Once everyone was settled, they headed toward the manor.
But just as they neared the manor, Bernice suddenly shouted from inside the car, "Where's Xiaoya?"
Jiang Hai immediately realized there should be four people in the back, but there were only three. He used the car intercom to check the three cars ahead—they hadn't seen Xiaoya either. Panic rose. Bernice wanted to turn back immediately to find her.
"Call her right now and find out where she is!" Jiang Hai ordered.
Bernice quickly dialed Xiaoya's number. Thankfully, Xiaoya answered, easing everyone's nerves.
It turned out Xiaoya was still at the town hall. She'd accidentally scratched her clothes at the waist during the performance. True to her personality, she didn't change and eat with the others after the show. Instead, she went backstage to find Cindy Clive and was mending the clothes with needle and thread—albeit slowly.
She hadn't noticed the earlier commotion. The banquet had been chaotic at first.
"Should we go back to get Xiaoya?" Bernice asked, relieved but still worried.
"No need. It's enough to know where she is. We'll be at the manor soon. After I drop everyone off, I'll go back and get her," Jiang Hai decided. Looking at the distance, the manor was less than a five-minute drive away. Turning back now would be too much trouble. Bernice agreed.
The five-minute drive was swift. Jiang Hai parked outside the manor but didn't enter immediately. Bernice and the others were anxious, so after dropping them off at the gate, he turned around and sped back alone.
As Bernice had said, with five people in the car, Jiang Hai drove cautiously. But alone, his speed picked up dramatically—his reflexes four times faster than a normal human's. Within twenty minutes, he was back at Liyuan. The auditorium was empty except for Xiaoya, who sat quietly, lost in thought.
"Huh, finally found you," Jiang Hai sighed in relief.
"Sorry for troubling you..." Xiaoya stood up apologetically.
"What trouble? Let's go... um, wait, didn't you eat just now?" Jiang Hai rolled his eyes and tried to pull her away, but noticed the food in front of her was untouched. It seemed she hadn't eaten at all while waiting.
"No, I was thinking and didn't have time," Xiaoya said quietly, sticking out her tongue.
"Really..." Jiang Hai looked in her backpack and saw her costumes. If not for those, she wouldn't have stayed behind. He packed some cold food—mainly meat wrapped in plastic bags—into her bag, then pulled her up and got into the car, tossing the backpack on the back seat.
He started the engine and headed back to the manor. But as the car moved, the snowstorm worsened.
Every household in town had turned off their lights. Even the police station wasn't sending anyone out tonight—nobody could stand the fierce snowstorm. As for the deer... that would have to wait until tomorrow.
Jiang Hai drove through the storm, heading quickly toward the manor. But as he approached, his headlights revealed a large group of creatures blocking the road.
"Damn it, are you kidding me? I'm so unlucky," Jiang Hai muttered, switching from low to high beam. He braked lightly and stopped the car, sweat forming on his forehead. These creatures were exactly what Mayor Wallis and Morris had warned about—deer.
Jiang Hai counted them at a glance: dozens, maybe hundreds. Mostly females, with some males leading, and a few fawns scattered among them. There were white-tailed deer, reindeer, llamas... a mixed herd.
Deer lack night vision and were gathered in a circle, likely preparing to sleep. But Jiang Hai's headlights startled them. The deer, already agitated from running wild, became even more restless. Several adults lowered their heads in a classic charging posture.
Jiang Hai swallowed nervously.
He remembered the warnings—these rampaging deer could topple cars and people, even armored vehicles. And this was just a civilian armored car. The situation was extremely uncertain.
"What do we do now?" Xiaoya, holding Jiang Hai's hand, asked cautiously, sensing his tension.
(To be continued.)