"Brother Cheng, what's that outside?" A few more people walked over in the dark.
Si Cheng remained silent, offering his seat to them to see for themselves, and then a series of gasps could be heard.
"Let's light the firewood in the cave first. We really don't know what kind of animals are outside. They haven't made any noise, so it's hard to make a judgment for now." Si Cheng told everyone to relight the firewood, because everyone would feel more at ease if there was light.
"Could it be a wolf? Those eyes are a bit scary." Si Cheng shook his head, indicating that he wasn't sure.
"Will they leave on their own if we don't go out?"
"A pack has come, but we don't know if they are wolves or wild dogs. If they are one of them, they will not leave on their own. We can only wait for dawn and then figure out how to deal with them."
"Why don't we stay here and wait until they get hungry and leave on their own? We still have enough food for a few days." Yun Haitian's voice grew softer as he spoke, perhaps realizing that his idea wasn't a good one.
"Let's all rest a bit more. They can't push these rocks apart. Let's conserve our energy while we have this time. If you're hungry, you can eat something first."
"Yes, let's eat first, otherwise how will we have the strength? It would be best if everyone could also prepare tomorrow's rations, so we won't have to stop along the way." Everyone agreed with Uncle Bing's suggestion, and soon the cave was bustling with activity again.
As time passed, the sound of scratching rocks outside grew louder and louder. Si Cheng ignored it and instead gathered all the young men from Pinghe Village who had participated in the training. They had brought out almost all the machetes in the village this time. Si Cheng had them stretch their bodies, but due to the limited space in the cave, they could only practice in small groups.
When the time was almost up, he had all the women and young men under the age of 18 who had come with him gather in a corner of the cave and build a high wall with the tea seeds they had collected. This way, they wouldn't have to worry about taking care of them anymore. However, they were also told to always carry their weapons with them, in case any escaped, they would have to rely on themselves.
Although Yunqi really wanted to stand by Sicheng's side and fight alongside him, she knew this was not the time for her to act impulsively, and she could only obey orders.
After this arrangement, the cave suddenly felt more spacious.
He then divided the remaining people into several lines of defense, with the older ones guarding the last line, while he himself stood in the first line.
He stepped onto a rock and peered through a crack in the stone. Only then did he realize that what he saw outside wasn't a pack of wolves, but a pack of hyenas—more than a dozen in total. Hyenas are creatures that will relentlessly pursue a scent they've caught; it seemed a battle was inevitable.
"They're hyenas, what everyone calls wild dogs. There seem to be more than ten of them. These things are said to be just as tough as wolves, so it's best if everyone goes in groups and doesn't go to fight them alone." Si Cheng had only heard of hyenas, but had never directly fought one. He knew that if they were to encounter them, they would be a tough bunch, and there was a risk of injury or death.
“They’re just some stray dogs. We may not be good at fighting wolves, but we’re quite skilled at fighting dogs.” Sun Zhimiao relaxed completely when he heard they were just stray dogs.
"You think they're just those stray dogs that used to roam the village? The old hunters call them hyenas, and you can tell how difficult they are to deal with from that name alone." Uncle Bing decided to give this group a lesson to prevent them from carelessly losing their lives later.
"Everything's ready, let's begin." Si Cheng finished speaking and turned to look outside. Suddenly, he raised his fist and punched the topmost rock. As he threw the rock, the screams of hyenas echoed outside. Before anyone could react, they pushed the rocks in front of them one after another, opening a passage just wide enough for one person to pass through.
The hyenas outside were probably starving and were about to charge into the cave. At that moment, Si Cheng, holding a knife in his left hand and a hammer in his right, struck the two hyenas that had charged in twice. Perhaps because it was the first time he had used his own strength to fight, he did not control his strength well and smashed the brains of both hyenas, causing them to fall to the ground and not get up.
The newly relocated young people were stunned by the violent scene before them. Meanwhile, the villagers of Pinghe Village seemed to have suddenly been injected with adrenaline; their eyes blazed with fighting spirit, and they stared intently at the cave entrance, paying no heed to the young people.
Perhaps Sicheng's fierce attack intimidated the hyena pack outside, causing them to involuntarily retreat a little.
At this moment, they could not show the slightest sign of fear. Taking advantage of their retreat, Si Cheng turned and walked to the outside of the cave, with the monkey and the bear following closely behind.
What surprised them most was that the young man named Wu Yong also came out.
As more and more people came out, the hyenas on the other side became restless and started barking incessantly.
As they called out, more than a dozen more came running in. They probably didn't expect that there were so many people hiding in the cave.
They were anxiously swaying back and forth on the opposite side, as if discussing how to attack or whether they should retreat as soon as possible.
Just as everyone was keeping a close eye on them, the hyena pack launched an attack.
Si Cheng was the first to rush forward, swinging his machete and hammer left and right, instantly knocking down both of them, truly demonstrating that brute force can overcome any skill.
Perhaps intimidated by Si Cheng, the hyenas bypassed him and attacked the villagers behind him. Si Cheng also wanted to take this opportunity to train the young people in the village, so he stood by with his weapon and watched them fight. Whenever he saw someone in danger, he would go to help.
Gradually, some people knocked down the hyenas in front of them and stood beside him to watch. What surprised Si Cheng the most was that the new villager named Wu Yong also quickly dealt with the two hyenas surrounding him. He couldn't help but take a second look at him. Wu Yong felt his gaze and smiled at him.
The ensuing battle was predictable. Although some people fought together to kill a single hyena, their fearless spirit was evident on their faces when they finally defeated their opponent.
This time everyone was very united, so no one was seriously injured. Only Yun Haitian and Chen Rongtian's arms were scratched by claws. Everyone squeezed out the blood and washed them repeatedly with clean water before sprinkling disinfectant powder on them.
At this point, this is the only way to handle it. As for whether or not it will cause rabies, we can only leave it to fate.
However, after this incident, I believe everyone will be fully prepared to go out in the future.
Si Cheng searched the area again to make sure no one had escaped before returning to the cave entrance and saying to everyone, "Hurry up and pack your things. The stench of blood here is too strong. We need to leave quickly and get down the mountain before dark today."
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