Seeing that everyone was carrying large and small bags, and even brought the specially prepared jackets, Si Cheng didn't give any further instructions and led everyone into the mountains in a grand procession.
In order to find the traces of the snakes that had crawled there before, they did not open up a new path, but walked in the opposite direction along the tracks.
The clear scratches showed how heavy the bodies of those pythons were; the grass on the ground was so flattened that it couldn't stand up again.
But the further they went, the more they realized that the direction they had come from was actually towards Xinjiu Village. Yunqi asked with some concern, "I wonder if Xinjiu Village has been affected. The snake is crawling in the direction it's heading towards."
Si Cheng said, "I don't know yet, but since we haven't heard from them for so long, it shouldn't be from their side. If they were really attacked by snakes, they would definitely come to us for help."
Wu Tianxiang also agreed with this statement, "There are several forks in the road leading to their area, and our village has not yet explored many of these areas, otherwise they would not have developed into such a large entity."
As Yunqi watched the winding snake path slide along the dense grass, seemingly heading nowhere, he prayed in his heart, "I really hope that the few snakes in our village are all of them."
Wu Yong said, “Logically speaking, the snake should live not far from us. The time interval between the first and second times was very short. It even made a round trip on the first day. So everyone should be careful ahead.”
After hearing his analysis, many people felt it made a lot of sense. If the first time was just eating wild boar in the ditch, and the second time was being injured by the powder and leaving in a hurry, everyone could estimate the distance between the two times.
Even if the giant snake was moving very fast, the distance shouldn't be that far.
Hou Yunhai, however, had a different opinion: "That's not necessarily true. You've forgotten that there was a gap of several days between the third time and the time we brought those pythons. So the grotto should still be some distance away from us."
Looking up at the increasingly gloomy sky, Si Cheng ignored all possibilities and started walking quickly ahead, shouting to the group behind him, "Everyone needs to speed up, or it won't be so easy to find it once this rains down."
Having walked this uneven path for so many years, everyone has adapted well and begun to catch up with those ahead.
When they were thirsty, they would stop to drink some water; when they were hungry, they would take out their dry rations and eat a couple of bites. No one complained, and no one asked to stop and rest. Everyone was focused on finding the snake den as soon as possible.
Things might really turn out as Hou Yunhai predicted. The snake cave must be very far from here. They've already gone through two forks in the road, but they still can't see the bottom.
Moreover, the distance from Xinjiu Village has deviated somewhat, but this deviation has relieved everyone, as it seems that Xinjiu Village should still be safe.
After navigating countless mountains, we still hadn't found it as darkness fell.
Because of these giant snakes hunting in this area, we didn't encounter any animals along the way. Everyone was relieved that they had listened to their elders and brought more dry food up the mountain, otherwise they would have had to dig for wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.
After finding a sheltered spot, everyone tidied up quickly and prepared to rest.
Looking up at the pitch-black sky, we couldn't even see the stars or the moon today, and we could even feel the chill of the wind blowing by.
"It looks like the weather is about to change, but I wonder if this winter will be cold?" Gu Mili wrapped her clothes tighter around herself and squatted by the fire to warm herself.
"It's going to be very cold. The weather has returned to normal, and this winter will definitely be colder than usual." Hou Yunyang added a piece of dry wood to the fire, making the fire burn more fiercely.
Gao Baiyun squatted down next to his cousin. "As usual? Wasn't there a drought a while ago? You mean before the disaster, right?"
"That's a mistake," Hou Yunyang immediately admitted his slip of the tongue, "but it's definitely much better than the two years of freezing."
Seeing the villagers gathered in twos and threes around the fire, Yun Qi shivered. Seeing this, Si Cheng quickly added more firewood.
Yun Qi moved closer to the fire source. "It should be almost winter. Without a date, it's really hard to tell what's going on with the weather."
Si Cheng said, "Don't worry, someone will definitely create a new calendar based on the changes of the four seasons soon, and the elders in our village will also remind everyone what to do based on the climate changes."
"I wonder if the cotton seeds we brought back this time will survive? So many years have passed already?" Yun Qi looked at everyone's thin clothes and thought about the cotton seeds that they had brought back as payment for this mission. He began to worry about the survival rate of those seeds.
Si Cheng said, "If their storage is fine, then these seeds won't be a big problem. What we should be worried about then is how to turn that cotton into cloth."
Yunqi glanced at him. "Then we really need to head further south. There are old-fashioned looms there, but I don't know if we can find them there."
Although the coastal areas were severely damaged, the inland areas generally still have some remaining. If you really look hard enough, you can find them.
Si Cheng looked at her meaningfully and said, "If you really can't find yourself, would it be alright if you could find a book that records related information?"
Yun Qi nodded. "Once the cotton is grown, we'll look carefully and maybe we can actually find a solution."
The two did not hide their conversation from those around them, and several villagers not far away began to say, "If we all search together, we will eventually find a solution."
"If all else fails, let's go dig through the ruins again. Those bookstores should have some relevant books, but I don't know if they've all rotted by now." Someone thought of the bookstores, but then, remembering how fragile books are, their voice trailed off.
Hou Yunhai cracked his neck. “No need to go to great lengths. We’ll ask at the base later. Since we’ve made some preparations, books are definitely the most important thing.”
Sitting next to him, Wu Qingquan patted him on the shoulder. "You're really quick-witted. You even thought of this. But will the base give us this technology so easily? What if they add some conditions later?"
Hou Yunhai glanced at him and said, "Don't think of everyone as so materialistic. This is something that benefits the country and its people. I believe they won't refuse, and they have no reason to refuse."
Hou Yunhai spoke so righteously now, but he was soon slapped in the face by the very team he trusted most.
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