"Boss, do you look familiar?"

These past few days, the little ones at home have not only attracted the children's attention, but the old man also dotes on them, especially the wolf cub who changes every day. He sees his granddaughter every day and cuddles him with great affection. Naturally, he is familiar with them, but they are small, and the footprints are chubby and not very clear in shape.

However, with such a discerning eye, it's no wonder they could see it.

"This is... damn it, isn't this a wolf hoof print?"

"Yes, sir. Look, there are a few more nearby. They look like they're new, even though they're not deep."

It hasn't rained for the past few days, so the ground is dry, but wolves still leave noticeable marks when they scratch the ground, and that's how they found them.

The old man was also very uneasy. That night, that incident had just happened. Why did this wolf take his granddaughter away again?

After calming myself down, I gave them some instructions.

"You guys, you guys go and check in this direction again, see if there's anything else ahead, especially uphill."

Oh, right, and there should be similar hoof prints inside the wall at this location, if nothing unexpected happens.

After all, the only way for the little brat to get out of this wall is with external help.

The old man was also unsure. He knew his daughter-in-law had connections with wolves, but he had never heard of any relationship with his granddaughter. Could it be that he really did see his granddaughter that night?

After a lot of work, the two guards climbed out from under the wall and confirmed the old man's guess. There were indeed hoof prints, but the yard was very clean, so they were even fainter. You couldn't find them at all unless you crawled on the ground and checked every inch.

The old man was pretty much certain.

At this moment, Platoon Leader Xu came down, relayed a message to Regiment Commander Lin, and then came to find the old man.

"Greetings, sir. Our patrol team encountered Comrade Jian, the political commissar's sister-in-law, while we were patrolling the mountain. This is a letter she brought for you. She told us to give it to you as soon as we came down the mountain."

The old man, “…”

He quickly took it and read it in three lines. The old man wasn't highly educated, but it was enough for his daily use. It was written simply and clearly, so he naturally understood it at a glance.

Okay, it's the same as what I found on my end.

While he breathed a sigh of relief, he was also worried. If it were man-made, he could still put in some effort. But both sides of the evidence pointed to that lawless wolf. Even though he had fought for half his life, deep mountains and forests were really not his forte!

"Oh! Young comrade, thank you, I understand."

Two guards were immediately recalled.

"Alright, no need to look anymore. Third brother's wife has already gone into the mountains and confirmed that the child was indeed taken away by that wolf."

Although they had a close encounter with wolves that night, the two were still somewhat surprised.

"Boss, why is it grabbing Yan Yan? Is she in danger?"

"Could it be that sending the wolf cub here was to switch Xiao Yan Yan with him?"

Xiao Shen couldn't help but glance at his companion. This was quite a wild idea. He had heard of wolf children, but everyone knew about the unity and xenophobia of the wolf pack. Who had ever heard of a wolf exchanging its own cub for a human child?

The old man was also taken aback; this interruption had prevented him from getting angry.

"Nonsense, there's no such thing."

Upon receiving the news, Commander Lin lifted the alert, and gradually, some sounds began to emerge from the family compound.

However, he was still extremely worried. He was at ease when no outsiders came in, but now he was even more anxious.

"Old leader, tell me, if it really is a wolf, how could it move so freely in our territory? Isn't that a bit... a bit..."

He couldn't find the right words to describe it, and he felt uncomfortable.

The old man didn't stand on ceremony.

"Isn't it shameful?"

"...Sort of. Our family compound is right next to the military camp. It's not exactly heavily guarded, but with so many people, including those training, patrolling, and on duty during the day, not to mention whether we can defeat the wolves, not a single person has noticed anything. Have we become so lax in our vigilance?"

The old man followed along towards the foot of the mountain, and upon hearing this, he gave a soft hum.

"So, what conclusion did you draw?"

He had no mind to think about anything else. Although his daughter-in-law's letter told them not to worry, how could he? After all, those were wild beasts. With so many people and the child in their hands, and his daughter-in-law going after them alone, they dared not act rashly, even if they wanted to help, they might end up making things worse.

The old man was quite frustrated, unable to say what he should have said.

"Hey, tell me, what kind of training do you guys do every day? Is there no one who can get into this deep mountain?"

Commander Lin gave a wry smile.

"Old man, this is really putting me in a difficult position. Most of the soldiers here do regular training. In fact, a few years ago, they did mountain training, but then there was an accident, and none of them came back. So there's a gap in the number of people who are experienced in the mountain conditions."

We also want to continue training, but as you have seen in the past few years, most of these new recruits are sent to the army because their families can't afford to eat. In the years before the political commissar came, the people in charge in Beijing were always a bit reluctant. There was either a shortage or delay in logistics supplies, and we had a problem getting food. At best, the soldiers could only eat half full, without any oil or fat. After training for a while, their stomachs would start growling.

At that time, we also thought about going up to hunt. The border area probably knew that our combat strength was not up to par, so they harassed us from time to time. There were originally several villages here, and a few old hunters. We originally asked them to come and lead these people.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!