Chapter 20

  "It's been snowing lightly since yesterday afternoon until this morning. Although it's not heavy, the tracks into the mountains are gone." Daniu stood at a fork in the forest road, unsure of which way they had gone.

  After a moment's thought, she said to Li Li, "Let's split up. You go along this mountain path, and there's another fork ahead where you can split again. Just remember to follow the birch trees, and you'll find your way back." Li Li and his team weren't very familiar with the deep mountains, and she didn't want them to get lost while searching.

  "I'll send a few soldiers with you," Li Li said.

  Dayu shook her head. "The paths here are a bit confusing. It's better if I go alone. If I find them, I'll bring them back."

  Li Li nodded, seeing her determination. "This morning, when we realized the educated youths hadn't returned, Zheng Sen went into the mountains alone."

  Dayu nodded, "I understand. Let's hurry into the mountains." She looked up at the sky, which was gloomy. "We need to find them before the heavy snow comes. If you got trapped in the mountains, you should find a pce to shelter from the storm."

  Li Li also gnced at the sky, his heart heavy.

  Daniu parted ways with Li Li and his team, moving quickly. Although she couldn't confirm their exact route into the mountains, her familiarity with the forest allowed her to move swiftly. Those people had been trapped in the mountains for a night. If they had found shelter, it would be one thing, but if they had encountered wild beasts, especially that pack of wolves, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  She moved quickly, her senses heightened, capturing any suspicious signs around her.

  After more than two hours, she finally found a mark on a tree—an arrow. She looked around; it must have been left by that Zheng Sen. He was quite clever. The path ahead was lined with birch trees, and upon closer inspection, one could see that some were older and some younger. Years ago, the outer forest had been burned, and since then, hunters and forest rangers had pnted trees in the clearings, along with naturally sprouted saplings, forming a new forest.

  Those who often traveled through the forest knew that by observing the changes in the trees, they could find patterns and navigate the forest. Clearly, Zheng Sen had realized this, so he hadn't left many marks. But further ahead was the deep, old forest, where one could easily get lost, so he had left more marks.

  Daniu followed the marks. Zheng Sen had set out several hours before her, but she was familiar with the route and moved quickly. He was likely slower, so she would catch up soon.

  As she thought this, Daniu suddenly noticed a half-footprint on the ground. The person who left it was tall. She recalled the two times she had seen Zheng Sen, finally remembering the rge, wool-lined leather boots he wore. It was him.

  The wind in the northeastern forest was like a knife, unbearable for those unaccustomed to it. It could also blow snow, covering all traces.

  Daniu pressed on but suddenly heard howls—wolves. There was a pack of wolves.

  Daniu sped up, her shoulder-mounted rifle already in hand. Soon, she saw snowfkes swirling in the forest, and upon closer inspection, Zheng Sen was using his rifle to fend off a wolf, and then another wolf lunged from the side. Zheng Sen dodged and struck the wolf hard with the butt of his rifle.

  Daniu leveled her rifle and fired without hesitation, rescuing Zheng Sen.

  Zheng Sen paused and gnced in Dayu's direction, but then he raised his rifle and began shooting at the surrounding wolves. There were too many wolves encircling him, and two more lunged at him.

  Daniu fired with her rifle again, and a howl came from the pack, followed by the wolves retreating.

  Zheng Sen cracked a smile.

  "It's you," Zheng Sen said, astonished. He had imagined that the person on the other side was an old hunter who could handle a rifle with skills honed over years. But when the person stepped forward, he realized it was Ma Shun, a young woman of seventeen or eighteen.

  "Are you okay?" Daniu looked at him. His military coat was torn in many pces, and there were rge bloodstains on his body, making it hard to tell if he was injured.

  Zheng Sen shook his head. "I'm fine. It's not my blood."

  "Are you alone? Have you seen the others?" Daniu asked.

  Zheng Sen leaned against a tree, exhausted from the intense situation. "I came across the wolves from the surrounding area and was about to go around them when they spotted me."

  "With the snow and the north wind, your position was upwind. Wolves' sense of smell is even sharper in this weather. It's no surprise they found you."

  As they spoke, a voice called out from ahead, "Zheng Sen, is that you?"

  Zheng Sen straightened up and looked back. "It's me."

  Li Hongda saw the wolves carcasses littering the ground and Zheng Sen's bloodstained coat. He rushed over, "Zheng Sen, are you okay? If something happened to you, how would I expin it to my aunt?" He began patting Zheng Sen down.

  Zheng Sen swatted away his hands. "Didn't I tell you not to go into the mountains alone? Where are the others?"

  Li Hongda scratched his head sheepishly. "They're in a cave up ahead. Hong Jianguo broke his leg, and with the light snow yesterday, we got lost. This morning, we noticed wolves around, so we didn't dare move. I came out when I heard the gunshots."

  Zheng Sen frowned. "You came out alone?"

  Li Hongda nodded, "I figured it must be you coming to find us. They thought there were too many wolves and we should come out ter." At this, Li Hongda's face also paled.

  Zheng Sen pointed with his hand but didn’t say anything. He turned to look at Daniu. "We’ve found them. Do you have a signal fre? Send a signal."

  Dayu shook her head. "We can’t use signal fres in the forest. It might accidentally start a fire." She was about to say something else when she saw four young men emerge from the trees, two of them supporting a limping companion.

  The young man who ran ahead looked at the pile of wolf carcasses on the ground, his eyes gleaming, "Wow, Zheng Sen, you’re amazing! You got so many!" He even patted Zheng Sen on the shoulder.

  Daniu gnced at him. This guy, Fang Xiaoguang, seemed like a slick character. She turned back to Zheng Sen, "You all stay here. I’ll go find help."

  Zheng Sen nodded, "Alright, you know this area well. We will have no problem." He tightened his grip on his rifle. Daniu turned and left, not retracing her steps but cutting straight through the forest. About an hour ter, she found Li Li and his team.

  "Wow, you two took down so many!" Li Li carefully examined the carcasses on the ground. Daniu’s kills were almost all headshots, while Zheng Sen’s were a mix of headshots and shots to the chest or heart. Both were top-notch, but Daniu was more skilled and experienced than Zheng Sen.

  "Ptoon Leader Li, with this much meat, we can have a good feast, right?" It was Fang Xiaoguang who spoke.

  Li Li gred at him, "You all are going to write self-criticism reports when we get back. You went into the mountains without permission. No one leaves the house until you’ve written ten thousand words."

  "Hey, Ptoon Leader Li, it’s not just us. Zheng Sen went into the mountains before to hunt rabbits. Why can’t we?" Fang Xiaoguang retorted.

  Zheng Sen shot a gnce at Li Hongda, who immediately flushed red. "Damn it, Fang Xiaoguang, you trait—"

  "Enough! If you had Zheng Sen’s skills, I wouldn’t care if you went into the mountains either," Li Li said, pointing at the wolves on the ground.

  The game had already been gathered. Zheng Sen had taken down twelve wolves, three of which were killed with his bayonet. Daniu had shot thirteen.

  Zheng Sen looked at the wolves on the ground, then at Ma Shun. Before the close combat with the wolves, he had shot three and then killed three more before Daniu arrived. She had managed to shoot thirteen wolves in an incredibly short time. He couldn’t match her speed. This girl was remarkable.

  Li Li pointed at the thirteen carcasses. "How do you want to handle these?" he asked Daniu. He knew that local hunters had the right to dispose of their game after a hunt. If they have a rge haul, they only need to hand over half, and since Daniy had taken down most of the wolves, the distribution will be among her fellow vilgers.

  "I’ll take eight pelts and six carcasses. The rest can go to the forestry center. You have more people," Daniu said without hesitation. These were no small animals.

  "What about you? What do you want?" Li Li asked Zheng Sen.

  "Me?" Zheng Sen pointed at himself, "I’ll just take two pelts. The rest of the meat can be shared when we get back."

  Li Li nodded, "Alright. I’ve already sent someone back to report. Let’s process these before they freeze, or the innards will be hard to handle."

  After he finished speaking, no one knew how to start. Daniu, seeing this, took a rope and hung one of the wolves to a tree branch. Then she pulled a dagger from her boot and made a quick cut down the wolf’s body. With a few swift movements, she skinned the wolf, gutted it, and removed the innards in one smooth motion.

  Everyone was stunned.

  Daniu first set aside the pelts she wanted, then worked even faster. Her dagger never seemed to pause. The soldiers could only assist.

  By the time reinforcements arrived, they had already finished processing the wolves. Zheng Sen approached Daniu. "Ma Shun, do you know anyone who can tan pelts?" he asked.

  Daniu looked at him and nodded without saying a word. She went to the pelts hanging on the tree and picked out two, adding them to her pile. Zheng Sen didn’t say anything more. Everyone tied up the wolves and carried them out on poles, two persons a load.