Bang! Seeing the deer about to flee, Jiang Hai fired a shot from a distance. Unfortunately, not a single deer was hit—not even a single hair fell. The ground was covered in snow and mud, making it tricky. Even with a .650 caliber, it was difficult to get a clean shot, especially since the deer moved naturally and swiftly in their element.
"Damn it!" Jiang Hai cursed silently as he stared at the white-tailed deer in front of him, its tail still flicking nervously.
"Our main goal isn't to hunt them down, but to drive these guys back into the mountains," one of the policemen called out from a nearby vehicle. "Of course, if they refuse to leave, then don't hold back. But you're so far away, are you sure you can even hit them?"
The police car rolled over, and the officers inside chuckled at Jiang Hai's frustrated expression.
Jiang Hai's relationship with the townspeople was complicated, but with the police station, it was rock solid. After all, when Jiang Hai's manor had been attacked, the police had stepped in and helped a great deal. Plus, Jiang Hai had donated generously to the station. That made the joking easy and good-natured — and Jiang Hai didn't mind at all.
"If you've got the guts, kill a few and show me!" Jiang Hai shot back with a sneer.
"We're supervisors, not hunters," one of the officers replied, grinning without a hint of offense.
Soon, Jiang Hai got his chance for redemption. After driving a few hundred meters, they came across another herd of deer—this time much larger than the previous one. Over thirty deer in total, nearly half adult males.
The herd included white-tailed deer, reindeer, and moose. Instead of fleeing at the sound of the engine, the deer raised their heads to observe the humans. Once they recognized the threat, they lowered their heads, ready to charge.
Jiang Hai couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't afraid of them fighting back—he just didn't want them to run away before he could get a shot. Without hesitation, he rolled down the window and leaned halfway out of the car.
Just like in the movies, when villains shoot at the heroes while chasing their car. Jiang Hai's stance was identical—and it looked damn good. Bell Lester, sitting beside him, also leaned out, ready. The other three in Bell's car weren't up for handling firearms—Connorson Peters didn't know how, John Turner was still in college and too young, and Louis Turner, the driver, hadn't brought his guns.
Only Jiang Hai and Bell had weapons ready. The police and people in the other pickup couldn't help but think, Jiang Hai's crazy! They worried he'd fall out of the car, but Jiang Hai and Bell had their legs secured, so no worries there.
"Moo!" The dozen male deer didn't dodge. Instead, they lowered their heads and charged directly at the three cars.
Deer were generally timid, but there's an old saying: even rabbits will bite when cornered—let alone deer. These animals were desperate, driven by the humans to retreat to the mountains, where survival was tough. But humans didn't care if they died in the mountains; they just wanted them off human territory.
If animal protection activists had been here, they might have risked everything to protect these deer. But unfortunately, there was no one here but Jiang Hai and his men.
With a loud grunt from the largest male, the deer charged forward. The two other cars stopped, doors flung open, ready for a fight.
Jiang Hai and his team rushed forward. When they were about fifty meters apart, Jiang Hai pulled the trigger first.
Bang! The leading male deer shuddered, then its legs gave out and it collapsed to its knees, screaming.
Bell fired as well. Another deer went down. Seeing their leaders fall, the other deer hesitated, wide-eyed with shock. The female deer and fawns behind were terrified.
Jiang Hai and Bell quickly reloaded and fired again—two more deer fell in pools of blood. Panic struck the remaining males, and they turned and fled, the females and fawns running after them.
"Don't run if you dare, you bastards!" Jiang Hai cursed silently, but it was no use. Once the deer decided to escape, Jiang Hai's cars couldn't keep up—except for a few fawns, which he couldn't hunt.
The gun's effective range was fifty meters, and beyond that, the bullets were useless. He cursed under his breath and stopped the car.
"Alright, Jiang, I think they've learned their lesson. It's better for them to go back and fight the Canadian deer for territory. The outside world is dangerous, after all," a middle-aged policeman joked as he watched Jiang Hai's frustration.
In truth, the town of Winthrop hated these deer even more than Jiang Hai did—but they were used to them.
Jiang Hai and his team continued to search for the deer scattered around town, but luck was not on their side that night. According to a stout policeman, about 300 deer had entered Winslow. After a sweep, half had left; the remaining hundred-plus were scattered throughout town.
Deer were animals after all, and like all animals, they feared the cold. Without clothes like humans, they huddled together to keep warm.
If Jiang Hai hadn't intervened that night, the deer would have gathered and stayed until the next day, then dispersed.
Despite a long search following tracks, Bell found no more deer. Darkness began to fall.
"Hey Jiang, we have to head back. Hunting deer isn't a one-night job, and it's tough to do at night," one of the police officers urged.
Reluctantly, Jiang Hai nodded and everyone turned back toward town.
Just as they were about to leave, Jiang Hai spotted a massive figure in the forest.
His eyes burned red.
Following his gaze, everyone saw a gigantic reindeer munching on leaves still clinging to the trees near town.
It had massive antlers—about eighteen forks—a sign of an incredibly strong male. Its size alone made it fearless of North America's top predators like bears and mountain lions. But it was limping slightly.
"Damn it... I found you," Jiang Hai growled. Others admired the size of the beast, but Jiang Hai's teeth clenched. This was the very deer that had attacked him earlier and fled into the woods rather than retreat to the Appalachian Mountains.
Without hesitation, Jiang Hai ordered Louis Turner to stop the car and rushed into the forest, gun ready.
The huge reindeer had heard the engine. It planned to hide, but when it saw Jiang Hai, it recognized him as an enemy. It lowered its head and charged.
Jiang Hai knew a head-on clash was suicide—the reindeer was nearly two meters long, about 1.6 meters tall at the shoulder, with massive antlers that brought its height to about two meters. It was a monster.
With a bang, Jiang Hai fired at its chest. The bullet pierced through, and the giant reindeer stumbled weakly but still barreled forward with tremendous momentum.
Jiang Hai sidestepped quickly, sliding to safety as the beast tumbled down the hill.
"Wow, that's one hell of a big guy," one of the policemen said in awe as they pulled up behind. "If it weren't for those antlers, I'd swear it was a moose."
Jiang Hai slid down after it, grinning despite his exhaustion.
"You're finally dead, you bastard," he muttered with a mixture of anger and satisfaction.
This deer had put him in a humiliating spot earlier, but now, Jiang Hai stood victorious.
They dragged the massive carcass behind the pickup truck, then headed back to town to count the day's haul.
Jiang Hai himself had killed five deer. Thanks to his good relations with the local Iroquois, he donated three of them, distributing the meat to the townsfolk. The antlered heads of those five bucks were mounted as trophies, all his prized collection—though the process would take some time.
Back in town, Jiang Hai told Xiaoya about the big kill. She was genuinely happy—not because they were bloodthirsty, but because these deer had nearly killed them first. It would have been foolish to show mercy.
Jiang Hai wasn't an animal conservationist. Compared to protecting wild animals, he believed the real good animals were the ones on the dinner table.
Over the next few days, the team kept hunting, but the deer population steadily dwindled. Most had been driven back to the Appalachian Mountains to clash with Canadian deer. A few were killed in town.
In three days, the town culled 37 deer. Jiang Hai's family alone accounted for ten. The old folks joked that Jiang Hai should be called the "Deer Nemesis."
By December 31st, the last day of the year, the deer near Winthrop were no longer a threat. The few remaining did not endanger the townspeople.
Mayor Wallis officially declared the hunting season over.
Jiang Hai reclaimed his trophies from the Iroquois—ten mature male deer heads, each with at least twelve forks, all mounted in his study on the second floor. They made the room feel truly intimidating.
After hanging the trophies, Jiang Hai descended the stairs, catching a delicious aroma.
"What's for dinner? It smells amazing," he asked, following the scent to the kitchen.
Xiaoya smiled. "Since you brought back so much venison, I made a venison hot pot. It's really nutritious."