The Camel Hunter's Deception

Choker was once a hunter, but after contracting a farm, he put down his rifle and picked up a hoe. However, the first year brought a severe drought, and the farm yielded nothing, leaving him in a dire financial situation.

One day, his friend Martin approached him and said, "Recently, the government is recruiting hunters to kill camels, offering a reward of fifty yuan for each camel killed. How about joining me?"

Choker curiously asked, "Isn't it said that we should protect wildlife?"

"Yes, but in recent years, the wild camel population has multiplied rapidly, competing with humans for water sources, causing a crisis in the city's drinking water supply. That's why the government came up with this plan," Martin explained.

Upon hearing this, Choker immediately agreed.

Early that morning, the two set off in a pickup truck towards the outskirts, knowing that there was a semi-dry lake where camels often went to drink. The truck sped along the deserted path when Choker suddenly noticed an old man standing in the middle of the road, waving at them. Choker slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding the old man, and angrily shouted, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Seeing the car had stopped, the old man ran to the window and apologized, "My car broke down, and no one stopped when I waved. That's why I stood in the middle of the road." The old man looked at their equipment and asked, "You must be going to hunt camels, right?"

Without waiting for Choker to respond, Martin enthusiastically welcomed him aboard, "No problem, get in!" The old man, named Newman, quickly thanked them and got in the car with his luggage.

Upon reaching their destination, the three parked the car and split up. Choker headed north and soon spotted a waterhole. The area around the waterhole was overgrown with weeds, making it an excellent hunting spot. He stopped, hid in the waist-high grass, and waited for the camels to arrive.

Half an hour passed, and the camels had not shown up yet. Disappointed, Choker lit a cigarette to relax. Suddenly, he heard a faint noise from the waterhole. Upon closer inspection, he saw a camel slowly approaching the waterhole, cautiously drinking water while keeping an eye on its surroundings.

Choker quickly raised his gun, aimed at the camel's head, and held his breath. With a "bang," the camel let out a cry and fell.

Choker was elated; his first shot was spot on. He went to the camel, ready to call Martin for help. At that moment, he noticed someone lying on the ground not far from the camel. Choker approached and was shocked to find it was Newman, who had somehow ended up in the same spot as him. Newman's head was bleeding, and Choker, feeling for his breath, realized he was dead.

Choker felt a chill run down his spine. He knew he was using a shotgun that fired multiple pellets in a fan-like pattern, covering a wide area. It was clear that some of the pellets had hit Newman. Although it was an accident, it was still a crime that could land him in jail. Panicking, Choker thought about finding Martin and fleeing the scene.

Fortunately, they weren't far apart. Martin, seeing Choker return so soon, asked curiously, "Did you get one? I heard a shot."

"No, I didn't... I'm not feeling well. Let's go back," Choker replied weakly.

Martin, holding his gun, said, "Alright, rest here while I get one, and we'll leave then!"

Choker nodded and sat down, lighting another cigarette.

Soon, Martin signaled to Choker and whispered, "A camel is coming!" He then carefully crouched down and raised his rifle.

The scene was eerily similar to when Choker had hunted earlier. Looking at the honest and simple Martin, Choker suddenly had a bold idea.

Another "bang" echoed, and the camel fell. As Martin was about to check the prey, Choker called out, "I just saw a camel run south. You should chase it; I'll watch this dead one for you!" Martin looked in the direction Choker pointed and said, "Really? I didn't see it."

Choker urged, "You scared it off with your shot. If you don't chase it now, you might lose it."

Martin hesitated and then said, "Alright, I'll look for it. If you can catch that camel, it's yours since you haven't had any luck today!" With that, he headed south with his gun.

As soon as Martin left, Choker rushed to Newman's body, which was still warm. He dragged the body to where Martin had killed the camel, hid it in the nearby grass, cleaned the blood off himself at the waterhole, and waited for Martin to return.

After a while, Martin returned, panting and clearly having found no camel. Before he could speak, Choker said fearfully, "Martin, you've killed someone!"

Martin, puzzled, asked, "Choker, what are you talking about?"

Choker pointed to Newman's body and stammered, "I can't believe it, but it's true!" Martin, shocked, went to Newman's side, saw the gunshot wound on his head, and checked for breath, realizing the gravity of the situation.

Choker sorrowfully said, "From the first moment I saw Newman, I thought he was off. He didn't look like a hunter at all. But you, being the good Samaritan you are, had to give him a ride. Now he's run around and ended up like this!"

Martin's face turned pale as he crouched down in despair, "Oh God, how did this happen?"

Choker comforted him, "It's manslaughter, not a serious crime. If you turn yourself in, you might get a lighter sentence."

Tears fell from Martin's eyes as he said hopelessly, "You know my family's situation. If I go to jail, they'll have no one to support them. How will they survive?"

Choker promised, "Don't worry, I'll take care of your family."

After much persuasion, Martin turned himself in. With Martin gone, Choker felt relieved, knowing someone was taking the blame, and he could go on with his life.

Soon, Newman's death sparked outrage among wildlife protection associations, leading to large-scale demonstrations demanding an end to the camel cull to prevent further casualties. The government, under pressure, stopped the hunting. Naturally, Choker was out of a job again.

When Martin was released from prison, Choker had found a job as a waiter in another city to make ends meet.

One day, while serving coffee, Choker noticed a documentary on the restaurant's TV—"With Camels: The Photographer—Newman." His heart raced at the familiar words, and he stopped in his tracks.

The documentary told Newman's story: he was a photographer who had been tracking and photographing wild camels for years. Overworked, he developed liver cancer. When he learned of the government's plan to recruit hunters to kill camels, he tried to negotiate with the government to stop the slaughter, but to no avail. So, he decided to use his remaining life to save the camels from the hunters, orchestrating a tragedy where he was mistakenly killed by a "camel hunter."

After Newman's death, his lawyer received his will. In it, he requested that the lawyer contact friends from the wildlife protection association to use his death to force the government to change its mind. He also stated that since he had no wife or children, if the hunter who killed him turned himself in, the million-dollar inheritance would go to him as compensation for his wrongful involvement.

The film ended with a photo of Newman with camels. Choker stood there, filled with regret—the million dollars could have been his!