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Chapter 35: Cries of Sorrow
A gentle breeze swept through the trees on the opposite bank, curved over the river, and blew toward the lakeshore. The forest by the riverbank rustled softly. Though the light wind carried away the oppressive heat in the woods, it could not dispel the murderous aura emanating from a certain honey badger.
"Boss... it’s all a misunderstanding..."
Strictly speaking, this was just an accident. But the awkward part? Even Gu Lang felt like he’d gone too far.
Think about it—a little honey badger had risen before dawn to catch fish in the river, only managing to snag a measly palm-sized one by the time the sun was fully up. Never mind the effort; it’d been counting on a decent breakfast. Sure, it wouldn’t have been braised or steamed, but at least it would’ve been a warm meal, right? And yet, he insisted on dragging it to the river and even volunteered to help clean the fish.
And then—the fish was gone.
Wang Ping was absolutely livid.
At that moment, Gu Lang was crouched on the slope by the water’s edge, his upper body turned toward Wang Ping. His hands flailed awkwardly, unsure where to rest.
"I’ll catch you another one! I promise! It’ll be quick! I—I’ll get it right now! Let me tell you, I grew up in the countryside. Our place was full of green hills and clear waters, and I used to catch fish in the river all the time as a kid. This is my specialty!"
Perhaps realizing his words sounded hollow, Gu Lang decided to prove himself with action instead.
"The key to catching fish is having the right tools! Look, we’ve got a bucket here. I can turn it into a makeshift fish trap."
As he spoke nonstop, trying to distract Wang Ping, Gu Lang submerged the bucket in the water. Once it was fully filled, he tilted it slightly and placed it on the sandy riverbed, positioning the opening to face the current.
"I’ll secure the bottom first, then grab some worms to put inside. Since the water keeps flowing into the bucket, the worms won’t escape…"
The angrier Wang Ping got, the more ridiculous Gu Lang looked, squatting there with his butt sticking out. All of sudden, an idea popped into Wang Ping’s head.
Circling behind Gu Lang, Wang Ping stood upright on his hind legs, comically stretching his tiny 20-centimeter arms. Then, raising his paw, he smacked—
Slap!
"Ouch!" Gu Lang felt a sharp sting on his rear end and yelped in surprise, instinctively reaching back to cover it. But as his center of gravity shifted forward, he realized too late what was happening. Before he could react, his entire body tumbled headfirst into the river, landing directly into the bucket he’d just set up.
Splash!
“Gurgle gurgle gurgle… Ack! Cough cough…”
Having accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water, Gu Lang flailed around for a moment before feeling the riverbed beneath him and flipping over. Finally, he sat up, still wearing the bucket like a helmet as water poured down his neck, splashing everywhere before finally settling.
The river wasn’t even a meter deep here, so sitting in it only reached Gu Lang’s chest. Fortunately, he’d fallen straight into the bucket—if he’d hit the rocks on the riverbed, he might’ve had quite the headache.
Glancing at the culprit onshore and then looking at his now-soaked bandages, Gu Lang sighed helplessly.
This was self-inflicted trouble, and no one else’s fault.
Just then, a distant elephant call echoed faintly from the northwest. Judging by the sound, it wasn’t a single elephant calling—it was an entire herd.
"Woooaaaaaahhh!" One cry followed another, startling both Gu Lang in the water and Wang Ping onshore. Without thinking, they both turned their gaze toward the northwest.
Normally, humans can’t hear elephants’ calls because these animals communicate using infrasound waves beyond human hearing range. If the distance exceeds the reach of infrasound, elephants resort to another method: stomping their feet. With massive footpads, elephants transmit vibrations through the ground, which travel via bone conduction to their inner ears. Given their immense strength, this form of communication can carry as far as 32 kilometers—farther than cell phone signals.
What humans perceive as "elephant calls" isn’t actually vocalized sounds but rather trumpet-like noises produced by their trunks. An elephant’s trunk contains nearly 100,000 muscles, allowing it to perform tasks like smelling, breathing, drinking, grabbing objects—and yes, trumpeting. When air rushes out of their long trunks, it creates a sharp, piercing sound akin to someone playing a trumpet. That’s why elephant calls stand out distinctly from those of other animals.
Right now, however, the distant herd seemed to be collectively trumpeting. These cries carried a haunting, penetrating force unlike anything Gu Lang had ever heard on TV or at zoos. There was a sense of grief and helplessness, almost as if the elephants were mourning something profound.
If forced to describe it, Gu Lang could only compare it to the annual air-raid sirens that blared across cities every September.(Note 1.)
Exchanging a glance with Wang Ping, Gu Lang said, "It sounds like it’s coming from the same direction as last night’s gunshots, and the distance seems similar."
I need to check it out. Wang Ping thought immediately.
This was an ingrained professional habit. Whenever unusual animal calls were heard in the wild, poachers were always the first suspects. Wang Ping had already planned to investigate the site of last night’s gunfire after breakfast anyway.
But should he bring Gu Lang along?
Looking at Gu Lang still sitting in the water clutching the bucket, Wang Ping hesitated.
Rosette had wandered off into the woods to forage, and her return time was unpredictable. Wang Ping wasn’t worried about Rosette attacking while he was gone—he trusted her instincts. What concerned him more was whether Gu Lang might cause trouble.
If push came to shove, Wang Ping doubted Gu Lang lacked ways to handle Rosette, especially since she was unguarded.
Looks like I’ll need to teach Rosette a lesson before I leave.
Raising his claw and pointing northwest, Wang Ping turned to look at Gu Lang.
"Huh? Want to go see?" To be honest, Gu Lang was curious about what could make the elephants sound like that. But without explicit instructions from Wang Ping, he wouldn’t dare venture out alone.
Curiosity killed the cat—and people too.
Though Wang Ping didn’t exactly look formidable, Gu Lang instinctively felt safer staying close to him, perhaps due to being saved by him once. So if Wang Ping decided to go, Gu Lang wouldn’t hesitate either.
Still, maybe change clothes first...
Grabbing the bucket and filling it with water, Gu Lang and Wang Ping returned to their base. Gu Lang peeled off his soaked bandages, wrapped fresh ones around his wet wounds, and changed into dry clothes. Meanwhile, Wang Ping hopped into the car, retrieved Gu Lang’s knockoff tiger-tooth combat knife, and tossed it at his feet.
This was the first time Wang Ping had actively instructed Gu Lang to bring a weapon. Even Gu Lang himself paused, staring at him for a few seconds before picking up the knife.
The knife was merely a precaution. Wang Ping didn’t believe the shooters from last night were still around.
It was simple logic: if they were poachers and encountered the herd, shots would’ve already been fired by now.
After preparations were complete, Wang Ping and Gu Lang left the base and headed northwest in a straight line.
They bypassed the small lake 200 meters away and continued walking for two kilometers. By then, the elephants’ cries were unmistakably clear, seemingly just a few hundred meters ahead.
Instinctively, Gu Lang crouched lower, slowing his pace. One hand gripped the knife tightly, his whole body tense.
What exactly he was nervous about, even Gu Lang couldn’t say.
In such wooded terrain, Wang Ping moved much faster than Gu Lang, leaping effortlessly over bushes and fallen logs.
After walking another 300 meters, the view suddenly opened up. Gu Lang and Wang Ping stopped behind a cluster of saplings near the edge of the forest, peering ahead.
Here, the forest seemed naturally sliced apart.
On the opposite side stretched an endless plain, sloping gently into the horizon. Vast grasslands dotted with scattered trees spread out before them. From the treeline, they could see animals scattered across the savanna.
But at that moment, their attention was entirely captured by the scene 100 meters away.
Nearly a hundred elephants formed a circle on the grassland, their atmosphere restless. Occasionally, one would raise its trunk and emit a mournful cry—the exact same sound they’d heard earlier.
Through gaps in the herd, Wang Ping spotted a splash of crimson red.
……………………..
TLN: The air-raid sirens that blare across cities in China every September are part of National Defense Education Day, which is observed on the third Saturday of September each year. This day is dedicated to raising public awareness about national defense and civil protection, as well as commemorating historical events related to wartime experiences.
Why September?
The timing coincides with significant historical events during the Second Sino-Japanese War, such as the Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931), which marked the beginning of Japan's invasion of Manchuria. Many cities choose this month to hold commemorative activities and siren drills to align with these dates.
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