When you’re in the wilderness with enemies around, don’t start a fire in the open because that campfire will make you a target in the darkness.
Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin were sitting on the crown of a large tree where the dense branches broke their shapes in the night.
“Here, have some.” Ren Xiaosu took out a piece of chocolate from the palace and handed it to Yang Xiaojin. “I don’t think there’s actually that many barbarians here in Mt. Dashi. It’ll only be a matter of time before P5092 and his men wipe them out.”
“Mhm.” Yang Xiaojin took the chocolate from him and had a bite. “What do you plan to do next? These barbarians look like they enjoy sneaking up on others. They seem very cunning. We had better not drop our guard in case we die here.”
“They aren’t cunning.” Ren Xiaosu shook his head. “Perhaps you haven’t had much contact with these types of people before, but I can sense a familiar aura from them…. It’s the aura of a hunter. They’re just like felines who’ll instinctively launch a sneak attack on you when you have your back turned to them. They won’t even consider if their sneak attacks will succeed or not.”
It was because the northern barbarians were instinctive hunters that they so often sneaked up on others.
After Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin left the forward operating base, they had pretended to head east. Only after walking for a long time did they finally detour and run toward Mt. Dashi.
Half a day after they entered the mountains, Ren Xiaosu picked up on the habits of the northern barbarians. They were treating the Central Plains people as prey to be slaughtered.
Perhaps a lot of people would think it was just a standard ambush. But Ren Xiaosu realized the barbarians were always hiding downwind.
When the opponents were humans, there was actually no need to hide downwind. After all, humans did not possess a good sense of smell. Only when hunting wild animals in the wilderness would they need to be so careful to prevent their prey from catching a whiff of their “human scent” in advance.
It might be a coincidence if it only happened once, but Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin had encountered such behavior on two occasions. This was a subconscious habit of the barbarians.
“What exactly is the North like?” Yang Xiaojin wondered, “Wouldn’t it be a little ridiculous for everyone to be a hunter?”
“Who cares what it’s like?” Ren Xiaosu sneered. When it came to hunting, the northern barbarians might not be his match.
Moreover, this was the South. This was Ren Xiaosu’s home field.
No matter how skilled they were at hunting, they would not understand the wilderness and mountain ranges in the South better than Ren Xiaosu.
Yang Xiaojin glanced at him. “You have a plan?”
Ren Xiaosu chuckled and said, “Let’s not talk about that. Why don’t we touch on a more sensitive topic instead?”
“A more sensitive topic?” Yang Xiaojin was puzzled. “… What do you think of the political situation in the Central Plains?”
Ren Xiaosu said, “That’s not what I meant!”
Yang Xiaojin glanced at him. “Alright, you’re getting bolder and bolder, huh? Not bad, not bad.”
“Ahem, I guess.”
The two of them were sitting side by side on a thick tree branch. They were looking up at the silvery sea of stars above them when Yang Xiaojin suddenly asked, “What would you like to do most after going back to the Northwest?”
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Ren Xiaosu looked at the starry sky. His thoughts were suddenly pulled away by this question. “I want to see the world outside of Fortress 178 before going back to do some farming. I might become a cardiac surgeon in Fortress 178 and earn a monthly salary to support our family. When I get home and take off my frost-encrusted scarf, I’ll tell you that I’m home and hear the bubbling sound of stew cooking on the stove.”
These words stunned Yang Xiaojin. For some reason, she could imagine the scene and was even looking forward to it a little.
And piecing together all of the little details Ren Xiaosu had revealed, it was just a stable home he hoped for.
Be it farming or being a normal surgeon, it was just a simple wish of his to see his wife upon returning home.
However, even a simple wish like this had become an extravagant hope in this era.
“Aren’t you planning on becoming the future commander?” Yang Xiaojin asked curiously.
“I’m not qualified to be a commander at all.” Ren Xiaosu leaned against the tree and said softly, “Actually, I don’t know why Mr. Zhang thinks that I can do it. I’ve been thinking a lot, but shouldn’t he find someone who’s more mature and experienced? I’m still too young for the position of commander, after all. Although I know that he’s not asking me to take the role right away, I feel like I’m too used to acting alone. I might not really be able to bear the responsibility that he’s hoping to pass on to me.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m fine with anything,” Yang Xiaojin said as she looked up at the vast starry sky.
“By the way, what do you want to do most in the future?” Ren Xiaosu asked.
Yang Xiaojin did not say anything for a long time. Then she slowly leaned on Ren Xiaosu’s shoulder and said softly, “I’ll let you know in the future.”
On this bloody battlefield, no one would have expected a young couple to be snuggled up with each other.
The world was enormous, but very few people could give warmth to their partner.
Life in this era was filled with darkness, betrayal, and transactions. So long as there was some warmth, everyone would appreciate it since it was not easy to come by.
…
In the morning, outside the camp of the main forces led by P5092 on Mt. Dashi, several dozen soldiers who were on chow duty were carrying metal buckets and walking towards the river. They were responsible for replenishing the food and water for the day.
There were tens of thousands of soldiers in the main forces, so they could not rely on transportation to solve the problem of their water source. So the troops would usually travel along a river as they advanced.
The soldiers carried the metal buckets in groups of two and walked around unsteadily. One of the soldiers even said mysteriously, “Did you guys hear from the recon battalion’s troops? Yesterday, they encountered some barbarians when they went into the mountains. One of the platoons nearly even got wiped out. Fortunately, they were saved by two snipers.”
“I heard about it.” The chow squad’s platoon commander who was in charge of fetching the water said, “I wonder where those two snipers came from. It’s quite exciting when you think about it. Back then, if it weren’t for my poor eyesight, I could’ve become a sniper too. Look at those snipers in our military. They’re so awesome they even get special privileges when it comes to their meals.”
In the military, receiving preferential treatment was a very prestigious thing.
However, just as they were about to reach the river, a wave suddenly billowed on the surface of the river as a gigantic axe slashed out through the water.
That axe cleaved through the water bit by bit and arrived at the Pyro Company soldiers!
Some people could not help but let out a scream. This axe strike had appeared out of nowhere. No one had expected that a barbarian would actually hide in the river nearby and wait to launch a sneak attack on them!
Amid the surprise, three more barbarians emerged from the river with extremely sharp axes.
But before the axes could strike any of the Pyro Company soldiers, they suddenly saw a bloody mist erupt from the head of the barbarian in front of them.
“It’s the snipers!”