As dusk settled, a tiny candle flame flickered in the mournful wind.
Sasha's treehouse is made by building a platform on a tree trunk seven or eight meters above the ground, then using branches to form a cone shape, and covering it with felt and waterproof cloth. The interior space is very narrow.
Although we could barely squeeze in, I always felt that the treehouse was shaky and I was afraid that it would collapse or that I might fall off while I was sleeping. I just couldn't fall asleep.
"Awoo!"
A loud wolf howl rang out from the wilderness, immediately eliciting a response from the pack.
Sasha was startled awake by the howling of wolves. She listened intently for a while, her expression growing increasingly serious.
I noticed that Zhou Peng next to me wasn't asleep either, so I nudged him: "Sasha doesn't look well, ask him what's wrong!"
Sasha sighed, unscrewed the thermos, and drank the hot water she had boiled that night: "The wolf howls came from upwind, and that's an area I haven't explored yet."
Seeing that everyone else was fast asleep, I asked Sasha, "Do you think our trip won't go smoothly?"
"Our journey ahead is likely to be fraught with danger. Wolves have an exceptionally keen sense of smell and a strong sense of territory. If we enter their territory, their cunning will cause us a lot of trouble."
Sasha didn't say anything that would dampen morale. He leaned against a tree trunk with his hunting rifle and said, "Go to sleep early. Wolves are nocturnal animals. We must try to find a suitable habitat before tomorrow night."
I saw Sasha close his eyes, pick up his shotgun and say to Zhou Peng, "You go to sleep first, I'll keep watch."
Zhou Peng also picked up his gun: "Let's go together."
I offered him a cigarette: "Scared? Or can't sleep?"
"I'm so scared I can't sleep."
Zhou Peng smiled wryly and said, "When I first took this translation job, Mr. Song told me about the dangers I might encounter, but I didn't pay attention. It wasn't until I experienced these things firsthand that I realized how impulsive my previous choice was. Mr. Duan, there's actually a question I've always had. Could you answer it for me?"
"you say."
"After a few days of contact, I found that you are very generous and do not seem to be short of money at all. So why did you come to the Far East to search for an ancient tomb? Is it really for profit?"
When I heard Zhou Peng's words, I suddenly remembered the day the Wei family set a trap for the monkey with a high-footed bowl and kidnapped me.
Thinking back on everything that has happened so far, he gave a wry smile: "Just like you said, once people make a choice and move forward, it's very difficult to turn back."
I chatted with Zhou Peng for a long time until I was so sleepy that I could barely keep my eyes open, and then I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Sasha was the first to wake up. He observed the area with binoculars for a long time to make sure there were no wild animals around before he started feeding everyone. At the same time, he told us, "My hunter friend just called me. The person who fell into the water yesterday has been found. He had several broken ribs and one leg was frozen in the ice. He may need to have it amputated."
Song Laosan's expression relaxed a bit: "We will give you the compensation you are due, as long as no one was killed."
I haven't commented on this matter. After all, we hire security guards to share the risks, and that's what they earn money from. Although this statement may seem cold-blooded, it's also very realistic.
Sasha is an exceptionally experienced hunter. After leading us into the jungle, he didn't follow the terrain but instead searched for animal tracks along the way, avoiding areas where they roamed.
Because we could see traces of wolves along the way, Sasha was on edge all day and wouldn't let us rest except for a half-hour lunch break.
My cold hadn't gotten better yet, and yesterday I fell into the river. I was so exhausted that by the time the sun went down, I felt like my legs weren't even mine anymore, and I could barely lift them.
Sasha found a natural cave with a narrow entrance, explored the surrounding terrain, and said to us, "We'll rest here tonight. Everyone get moving and cut down trees as thick as an arm to build a door to block the entrance. We'll rest here tonight."
As he spoke, he looked at me, Monkey, and Zhou Peng and said, "The three of you are too weak. Gather some dry branches to start a campfire, then gather some stones to roast by the fire, and then carry them into the cave to keep them warm."
The monkey sniffed: "Wouldn't it be better if we just lit a fire in the cave?"
“Wolves have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. Once we enter the cave, we need to seal the gaps with mud. Lighting a fire inside would be tantamount to suicide by burning charcoal.” Sasha waved his hand. “No one is allowed to urinate or defecate nearby. We must walk at least 500 meters away and bury ourselves on the spot.”
Having learned from the previous brown bear attack, everyone knew that Sasha wasn't exaggerating. In order to get some rest as soon as possible, I could only drag my tired body to continue working.
The moment the cave was sealed off, I felt as if I had fainted. I pressed myself against the still-warm stone and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
I slept incredibly soundly that night, and for the first time in my life, I felt that sleeping was a luxury.
Perhaps it was because I had been eating so badly these past few days, but I had a very long dream.
In my dream, Song Laosan and I returned to Shenyang and feasted in a particularly luxurious hotel.
But when I picked up a roast suckling pig, I couldn't bite it no matter what I did. Just then, a monkey came over with a knife and started cutting the roast suckling pig. After a few cuts, he couldn't even cut through the skin.
Finally, Song Laosan found an axe somewhere and chopped it down hard.
"Bang!"
The axe struck the roast suckling pig with a dull thud.
Thump!
Immediately afterwards, another loud noise rang in my ears, making my eardrums ache and waking me from my sleep.
The cave was filled with shouts and noise, followed by another gunshot.
"roar!!"
The roars of wild beasts followed, echoing for a long time within the cave, unsettling everyone present.
When we fell into the water, Monkey and I lost all our guns, and neither of us had any weapons with us. I grabbed my flashlight and pulled out my military knife, yelling, "Can anyone tell me what happened?"
Song Laosan's shouts rang out: "Bear! We've been attacked by a bear! It tore down the cave door!"
Then came Zhou Peng's voice: "Back up! Back up now!!"
Still half asleep and not quite clear-headed, I instinctively backed away, shining my flashlight towards the cave entrance.
A huge brown bear had entered the cave, its face contorted with rage as it stared at us.
Sasha switched his flashlight to strobe mode, aimed it at the brown bear's eyes, and roared, "Agon (fire)!"
"Thump thump thump!"
In an instant, the shotguns in the group all pulled their triggers, the sound of gunfire like thunder.
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