In the barren mountains, apart from the occasional bird calls or the cries of unknown animals, the silence was eerily quiet.

A group of people were gathered inside a natural cave.

"Ah Kun, could you go and find out how much longer we're going to have to stay here?" Liu Qing, who was guarding the cave entrance, asked Ah Kun in a low voice as Ah Kun came out for some fresh air.

Ah Kun shook his head. "I dare not go over there. The boss is furious right now. Going over there now would be like walking into a trap."

"Are you stupid? Why don't you just ask Sister Meidi? You're her cousin, she should be able to tell you something," Liu Qing whispered, giving him the idea.

Ah Kun rolled his eyes at him. "You make it sound so easy. My cousin is practically inseparable from the boss these days. If I just barge in like this, wouldn't I be asking for a scolding?"

No matter how others tried to persuade him, Ah Kun wouldn't go in. He knew that his cousin had been good to him in private, and he couldn't take advantage of her and cause her trouble.

Seeing that Ah Kun was completely unmoved, Liu Qing was at a loss. He looked at the endless mountain range and muttered to himself, "He's been hiding in the mountains for so long, is he really planning to live like a savage here?"

Ah Kun pulled two pieces of dried meat from his pocket, handed one to him, and said, "Screw those hollow ones. Even if you want to live like a savage here, you'll have to see if the big bosses up there agree."

Upon seeing the thumb-width piece of jerky, Liu Qing thanked Ah Kun and carefully put it into his inner pocket. This could be a lifesaver sometimes, so he couldn't just squander it now.

“We’ve been here for months, we can’t stay like this forever, our bones are getting stiff.”

Liu Qing couldn't understand why, after failing to capture Pinghe Village before, the leader had been leading them to hide here all this time, and there was still no sign of them taking any action.

Ah Kun glared at him and said, "What's wrong with staying here like this? At least we don't lack food or clothing, and we don't have to go around robbing and plundering."

If it weren't for the need to survive, Ah Kun wouldn't be able to get over his conscience. Although he has his cousin's help and his hands haven't been stained with blood yet, he still feels guilty after every meal.

"Don't you think our food has been getting worse lately? We've probably used up most of our stored grain, and now we have more wild vegetables than rice. If we don't go down the mountain soon, we'll have to rely on these wild vegetables and hunting to survive." Liu Qing wasn't as optimistic as him.

"Actually, hunting is not bad. We've caught quite a lot of game lately. It's been a long time since we've had such a good meat feast."

Hearing him say that, Liu Qing looked at him with some envy, "Sister Meidi is really good to you, letting you eat meat as much as you want. We all have a quota, so even if we want to eat, we can't."

When Ah Kun heard him say that, he realized that he had accidentally let something slip. "That's because my cousin gave me her share. Actually, my share is the same as yours."

Liu Qing nodded to indicate that he understood, but only he knew what he was really thinking.

Inside the cave, Dong Ge was discussing with his brothers that it was time to go out and get some exercise, otherwise their fighting ability would be completely ruined if they stayed in the mountains for too long.

After resting and receiving treatment, the bones that Lao San (Seventh Month) broke when he fell from the wall have recovered.

Despite suffering greatly, Qiyue had no intention of seeking revenge. After all, the strength of both sides was undeniable, and she could only grit her teeth and accept it.

"So where are we going this time? Are we going back to our old base camp, or are we finding a new place to stay?" Liu Zheng glanced around, and then everyone asked.

Dong Ge leaned against the stone wall, also pondering this question.

“Our food reserves are running low. If we go back to our old camp, we won’t last long. I think we should find a new place.” Old Fang, who was in charge of everyone’s livelihood, was most concerned about the dwindling food supplies.

The third brother, Qiyue, was a little worried. "The troops at the foot of the mountain are asking about us everywhere. If it weren't for avoiding them, we wouldn't have been hiding here all this time. If we make any big moves now, it will definitely attract their attention."

Old Fang, however, was somewhat dismissive. "Third brother, I think that fall last time made you timid. If we're afraid of this and that in this line of work, we might as well learn from those villages and honestly go and farm."

"Farming isn't so bad, at least you don't have to live in constant fear." Ever since her injury, Qiyue has been afraid of being abandoned as a burden, so she's been thinking a lot lately.

Before the disaster, he was an honest and upright person, but since joining Dong Ge's team, they have done many things that shattered his worldview. Sometimes he regrets that he started taking shortcuts to make his life easier.

Dong Ge noticed that Qi Yue was considering backing down, and he narrowed his eyes to warn him, "Third brother, your idea is very dangerous. You should know that we are all in the same boat."

The third brother then realized that he had just blurted out his thoughts. He quickly smiled at the brothers around him and said, "I just let it slip. There's no turning back for us. I know that."

After hearing what he said, everyone stopped focusing on the topic and started discussing where they would descend the mountain and where they would go next.

As the only woman present, Medi sat silently to the side, even appearing somewhat distracted.

After discussing for most of the day, the group finally decided to send someone down the mountain to gather information, but it was difficult to decide on the person to go down.

Although they were all on the same line, they were all on guard, so no one could feel at ease filming anyone coming down the mountain.

“I’ll go,” Medi spoke up at this moment. “I won’t be such a big target, and I’ve shaved my head now, who will recognize me?”

Dong Ge was the first to object, "No, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. Not to mention the people down the mountain, the animals along the way alone are enough to give you a hard time."

"How about I go instead?" Liu Zheng also felt it was a bit unreasonable to let a woman go scout ahead at this time, so he simply took on the task himself.

Medi persisted, explaining her reasons: "Actually, you could have taken me to the foot of the mountain, and then I could have found a quiet spot to come down. It would have been easier for me to gather information that way; people wouldn't be so wary of a woman. Sometimes women are more adept at chatting than you are at getting information."

Everyone fell silent after hearing what she said. Upon reflection, what she said did make sense, but at this moment, no one nodded in agreement; they all looked at Dong Ge, waiting for him to make a decision.