I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: King in the Deep Mountains

As he walked, Zhao Wenwu kept looking around for Xiaobai, but it was nowhere to be found. He sighed, his spirits sinking considerably.

The two brothers wandered the mountains for most of the day. When they got hungry, they ate bites of flatbread and washed it down with snow, hoping to find any sign of prey. But luck wasn’t on their side. Snowflakes as large as goose feathers fell relentlessly, quickly burying any tracks. Even with his decades of experience from a future life, Zhao Wendong was powerless.

Zhao Wendong looked up at the dark, heavy sky and sighed.

"Looks like this snow won’t stop for another day or two. Wenwu, let’s pack up and head home."

"What? But we haven’t bagged anything yet!"

Zhao Wenwu wasn’t ready to give up.

"We’ll come back after our trip out to sea. Now that we have the stronghold, it’ll be easier to come into the mountains. There’s no point in staying up here now. With the snow falling like this, we won’t find any prey. We might as well head home while we still have daylight."

"Alright, then."

Zhao Wenwu didn’t fully grasp what Zhao Wendong meant and was still disappointed they hadn’t caught anything. But he knew that listening to his little brother was always the right call, so he started heading back to the stronghold with him.

"Don’t worry, it’s not like we’re leaving empty-handed. Now that we have the stronghold, plus guns and ammunition, hunting will be much easier from now on. Besides, we still have that case of canned beef and all those mushrooms!"

Zhao Wendong’s words of comfort immediately cheered Zhao Wenwu up.

"You’re right, you’re right! The trip wasn’t a waste. And I got to meet Xiaobai."

’Heh, still thinking about Xiaobai, huh? That little thing is far more cunning than you,’ Zhao Wendong thought with a private chuckle.

Back in the cave, the brothers began packing their things, preparing to descend the mountain and return to their village.

The sound of light footsteps approached, and a moment later, the little White Fox darted into the cave.

"Haha, Xiaobai!"

Zhao Wenwu rushed forward excitedly, trying to hug it, but the fox nimbly dodged him.

’Stupid human, stay away from me! Is the bad human leaving? I wanted more of that delicious mushroom soup he made yesterday.’

Xiaobai looked a little disappointed. Its two small, dark eyes darted about, and the corners of its mouth curled into a foxy smile.

’Oh well, if they’re leaving, they’re leaving. I’ll just go back to watching the show. That big dumb pig is about to kill itself! Hahaha, this is hilarious!’

The fox turned to leave but suddenly found itself unable to move.

It twisted its head around and saw that Zhao Wendong had its hind leg in a death grip. It immediately started yelping.

"YELP! YELP! YELP!"

Zhao Wendong ignored the fox’s frantic cries. He hauled it up by its hind leg, found a dog chain, and fastened it around its neck. The little fox tried to bolt twice only to find itself tethered again. It was so furious its fur stood on end.

’Damn it! I was careless. Next time, I’m definitely staying far away from this evil human.’

Zhao Wenwu looked completely confused.

"Wendong, why’d you catch it? Didn’t you say we weren’t going to keep it? Wait... you’re not going to eat it, are you?"

"Eat it? Of course not! It’s going to lead us to more treasure."

Zhao Wenwu’s eyes lit up.

"Right, right! Let’s find some more of those cans."

He was even more eager than Zhao Wendong. He was still upset that they were heading back after just over a day on the mountain without having bagged any game.

Zhao Wendong was still thinking about what the little fox had thought. ’So the "big dumb pig" is a wild boar. "About to kill itself"... what the hell was that about? Could something that absurd really happen?’

"Go on, find it!"

Zhao Wendong commanded the White Fox.

The White Fox turned its head away, pretending it couldn’t see Zhao Wendong.

"SMACK!"

Zhao Wendong smacked the little fox across the face again. It let out a pained howl and scurried to the side, its eyes filled with resentment.

’Damned evil human, he hit me again! I’ll let you off the hook this one time, but next time I’ll get my revenge!’

Its body, however, had other ideas and started running outside. Zhao Wendong’s slaps were real, and the fox was genuinely scared.

Seeing the White Fox take the lead, Zhao Wendong quickly told Zhao Wenwu to grab the rope. Shouldering their gear, the two of them followed it out.

This time, Xiaobai ran incredibly fast, as if deliberately trying to lead the two brothers on a wild chase. Zhao Wendong didn’t mind; the sky was getting dark, and he was hoping it would go even faster. A little over ten minutes later, Xiaobai stopped. Zhao Wendong looked where it was facing and his face lit up with surprise.

’Holy shit, a pig really did run into a tree!’

"OINK... OINK... OINK..."

There, under an incredibly thick pine tree, lay a massive wild boar, unable to move. Only its heavy, labored breathing echoed through the mountains. At the base of the tree, a broken boar’s tusk was embedded in the trunk.

"Wendong, it’s a huge wild boar!"

Zhao Wenwu roared with excitement.

At the same time, two separate thoughts echoed in his mind.

’Humans.’

’Damn that tiger. If it weren’t for him, this stupid pig would’ve been mine by now.’

Zhao Wendong’s heart tightened. ’The boar attracted something else!’

"Wenwu, fire a warning shot!"

"Huh? Okay!"

Zhao Wenwu obediently raised his Type 38 rifle, and Zhao Wendong held his own gun steady.

"BANG!"

The crisp gunshot echoed through the forest, setting off an immediate chain reaction. Two bestial roars sounded simultaneously before rapidly fading into the distance.

"AWOOO~"

"ROAR!"

"Wendong, what was that?"

Zhao Wenwu asked quickly upon hearing the sounds, fumbling a bit as he worked the rifle’s bolt. Zhao Wendong had only taught him how to do it in the last couple of days, so he wasn’t very skilled with it yet.

"A tiger and a leopard!"

Zhao Wendong said with a grave expression. He had heard the cries distinctly. ’Just as I thought, you can find anything in these deep mountains.’ The Northeast Tiger and the Northeast Leopard, the two kings of this forest, had appeared at the same time.

Perhaps startled by the gunshot, the large wild boar stopped panting and breathed its last.

Zhao Wendong hurried forward, drew his Type 30 bayonet, and began to bleed the boar. The Japanese blade was incredibly sharp, much more effective than the hatchet they’d brought.

Once the boar had bled out enough, he had Zhao Wenwu stand guard with his rifle. Zhao Wendong then took the rope and began the artful process of trussing up the animal. He had just finished when the fox suddenly started crying out.

"YELP! YELP! YELP!"

The tethered Xiaobai was agitated, barking frantically in one direction.

’Something big is coming! Let me go, quick! I’m scared!’

’Damn fox. When did it start running with humans?’

The fox’s thought came first, followed by another. Zhao Wendong guessed that one of the creatures from before had returned, but he didn’t know if it was the tiger or the leopard.

"Wenwu, you start dragging the boar back to the stronghold."

Zhao Wendong raised his rifle, facing the direction the thought had come from, positioning himself for the best possible shot. He then told his brother to start pulling the huge boar back. It wasn’t safe yet, and this was no time for pleasantries. Wenwu would have to do the hard work for now.

Without a word, Zhao Wenwu wrapped the rope around his body and began to drag the massive, three-hundred-plus-pound wild boar.

Fortunately, the boar’s bristles were smooth, and Zhao Wenwu truly possessed god-like, natural-born strength. The boar was slowly dragged away. Zhao Wendong kept his rifle raised, walking sideways as he vigilantly watched their rear.

They continued in this formation for nearly half a mile when a faint CLICK came from behind them. Zhao Wendong’s back instantly tensed. He raised his Type 38 and aimed toward the source of the sound.

About thirty meters behind them, a ball of golden-brown fur on the snow slowly unfurled. It was an adult Northeast Leopard, standing nearly a meter tall at the shoulder, its body as large as a young calf. Its tail, like a steel whip, hung low to the ground. Its amber pupils narrowed into slits, and its lips peeled back to reveal ghastly white fangs.

The leopard lowered its forelimbs, its shoulder blades bulging like two small hills. Its spine arched like a drawn bow, poised to strike. A low growl rumbled in its throat. Xiaobai shrieked in terror, and Zhao Wenwu also nervously raised his Type 38.

At that moment, the outside world ceased to exist for Zhao Wendong. He forced his breathing to remain steady, his right index finger resting on the trigger. He focused his mind, his eyes locked on the leopard, determined not to give it a single opening.

A leopard was incredibly fast. If it charged, he would only get one shot. If he missed, it would come down to a fight for his life.

Man and beast, two pairs of eyes filled with killing intent, stared each other down, neither willing to yield.