The group walked for half the morning before stopping to rest; everyone, young and old, was exhausted.

Uncle Zhao's complexion improved slightly, but after eating some dry rations and drinking some water, he urged everyone to continue on their way.

Fortunately, after walking for more than an hour, the group found a cave halfway up the mountain.

The cave is only the size of a room, barely big enough to fit the elderly and children.

Uncle Zhao and the others looked around and decided to set up camp there.

Everyone was so exhausted that they slumped down and relaxed.

Uncle Zhao shouted at the men, "Don't let go of the knife! Don't go far!"

Some people thought Uncle Zhao was being too cautious and exclaimed, "Uncle, what are you afraid of? It's been quite quiet the whole way!"

Uncle Zhao glared and scolded, "What do you know? It's only scary when it's quiet! This forest is so big, there are pheasants, rabbits, birds, everything. It's normal for there to be movement. If there's no movement, it means there's something nearby, and the small animals are hiding because they're scared."

After thinking about it carefully, everyone realized that what he said made sense, and they all got up immediately.

"Fourth brother, bring more men and chop wood right here. The more the better. Tonight might not be easy."

Uncle Zhao gave a loud order and then went to call the women.

"Just have something simple for dinner, and keep an eye on the children so they don't run around."

The crowd responded loudly and immediately got to work.

Soon, the men chopped firewood and brought it back. Since there was no water source nearby, the women used the water they had stored to cook porridge. Once it was cooked, each person had a bowl for dinner.

The old people were busy cleaning up the cave. It was unclear whether some large wild animal had lived there before, as there were no insects or snakes, but there was a fishy, ​​foul smell.

After cleaning it up and laying out tarpaulins and bedding, it became habitable, at least much better than the previous shack.

The children, both young and old, were barefoot, laughing and playing on the bedding.

Jiayin was the youngest and, afraid of being stepped on, climbed up to the entrance of the cave and sat down.

Grandma Li, concerned that her granddaughter was thirsty, brought over a bowl of water, just as they reached the cave entrance.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from the edge of the nearby woods, startling the old woman so much that she dropped her bowl and rushed forward to hug her granddaughter.

"There are wolves!"

The camp immediately descended into chaos, with the men grabbing their machetes and preparing to charge.

It turned out that the village chief's donkey had secretly gone to the edge of the woods to graze, and was now surrounded by four or five wolves.

The donkey's neck, hind legs, and belly were all ripped open, and it cried out in agony.

Everyone instinctively tried to snatch the donkey back, but Uncle Zhao desperately stopped them.

"Come back, come back! Don't go! Watch out for wolves charging into the camp!"

The men snapped out of their daze and retreated, forming a tight circle to guard the camp.

"Light the fires, make more campfires!"

Uncle Wei and Uncle Wang also stepped forward to help, urging everyone to step back.

Soon, everyone retreated to the cave entrance.

The women, ignoring the heat, picked up the nearly cooked porridge and ran.

The men, holding machetes and sickles, shielded the women, the elderly, and the children behind them.

At this moment, none of the hundred or so people dared to breathe.

A hundred or so eyes stared at the village chief's donkey, then gradually fell silent as it was dragged into the woods by several wolves.

The village chief's aunt was in poor health and usually quiet, but now she was crying so hard she was limp.

The family has kept this donkey for five or six years. The elderly couple has no children, so they treat it like family.

Now it's been eaten by wolves!

Grandma Li hugged Jiayin, leaned close and patted her shoulder, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but she was so frightened that her lips trembled.

Jiayin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the hairs that had stood up all day on the back of her neck softened.

The fear of being threatened for no reason is the most frightening thing.

Now that we know the wolf pack lagged behind, it's not so bad.

After a long while, the woods fell silent. A villager wiped the cold sweat from his brow and asked in a low voice.

"Uncle Zhao, have the wolves left?"

Uncle Zhao's face was ashen as he shook his head and said, "They definitely didn't leave. Those few wolves were just the vanguard. There must be at least thirty wolves in the pack. One donkey is only enough for the wolf king and a few of the strongest wolves to share. The rest will go hungry and won't let us go."

Upon hearing this, the timid woman began to sob, clutching her child.

In the vast mountains and forests, being targeted by a pack of wolves is practically a death sentence.

The village chief brandished his pipe and scolded the crowd, "Cheer up! The wolves haven't even surrounded us yet, and you're already scared. You might as well just go and feed them to the wolves!"

"That's right, with so many of us, and we have machetes and sickles, plus Lao Si and Chief Escort Liu are experts, what's there to be afraid of when dealing with dozens of wolves!"

Uncle Zhao also shouted, and finally said, "These wolves haven't made a move yet. They're probably waiting until everyone is asleep before they start attacking. Let's eat and drink when we're supposed to, and save our strength. Tonight is when we'll fight to the death!"

Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou stepped forward. "Uncle Zhao is right. The two of us can take eight or ten, and there won't be many left. We can each take a knife and finish them off!"

“The elderly and children are all in the cave, so we don’t have to worry about being attacked by wolves. We just need to guard the entrance.”

"Yes, let's make a few more fires!"

"Sharpen your knives, and kill a few when they come tonight. We can even make wolfskin coats to wear in the winter."

They were all young and strong, and with machetes in their hands, they were encouraged by the old men and emboldened by the crowd, so they were in high spirits and responded loudly.

The camp gradually came alive again, with people taking turns eating, guarding the cave entrance, lighting the campfire, and adding firewood, busy but not chaotic.

After eating and tidying up briefly, Uncle Zhao and the village chief divided the able-bodied men into small teams of seven or eight, rotating every hour to guard the cave entrance.

At the entrance of the cave were women like Tao Yongying, who were also holding wooden sticks and even spatulas.

Further inside are the teenagers, and the innermost and safest place is where the elderly and little children are.

Jiayin guessed that the wolf pack wouldn't attack after dark, so she snuggled in her grandmother's arms and fell asleep early.

I was thinking of getting up in the middle of the night to help keep watch.

Although she was just a little baby, and everyone thought she was useless, and indeed she was useless, she was still worried.

Having finally found a new home and a family who love her dearly, she doesn't want to lose even the slightest possibility...

Unfortunately, she was too tired from keeping herself on edge all day.

She slept very soundly. In her dream, she was still feeding the chickens and ducks in the courtyard when suddenly a big gray wolf jumped out and snatched the chicks away, making her furious and cursing.

Big Bad Wolf?

She suddenly woke up with a shiver and crawled towards the cave entrance using both her hands and feet.

The old lady was startled awake. She reached into her arms and found them empty, which startled her.

She finally managed to spot her granddaughter crawling away by the faint light, so she chased after her. Just as she was about to pick up her granddaughter, she was stunned by a pair of green eyes outside the cave entrance.

"Wolf! Wolf! Get up! Wolf!"

The old woman screamed desperately, instantly waking everyone up.

The men on night duty were nearly scared out of their wits!

All the men jumped up, grabbed their machetes, and started hacking, without even seeing the wolf.

The wolves were furious. They thought they had found a good opportunity, but it was ruined by a little child and an old lady.

The wolf king howled, and the pack, upon receiving the command, opened their blood-red mouths and charged forward madly!

Wolves are not large, not as big as tigers or black bears, and not even as strong as wild boars.

But wolves are the most intelligent wild animals, and when it comes to teamwork, they are surprisingly terrifying.