Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui stared at the wheat ears that had been knocked down by the night wind along the edge of the field for a long time, then turned around and went into the warehouse, lying straight down on the straw.

He knew tonight wouldn't be peaceful, and every minute he closed his eyes now would give him more strength later.

The others followed one after another. The young men were wide awake and huddled together, arguing in hushed tones, their conversation revolving entirely around the outcome of the wolf hunt by the bandit leader's team.

Only a few old hunters leaned against the wall, their breathing already subsided.

Big Yellow stood guard outside the door. Hearing the commotion behind him, he only opened his eyes slightly before closing them again.

It wasn't like those restless domestic dogs; its days as a stray in the wild had taught it that pointless excitement was the most dangerous thing to do.

Gu Jiacheng lay down next to Zhou Rui, and the moment he closed his eyes, he was cut off from Gu Shaofeng and Zhou Rui's murmurs.

In the middle of the night, Zhou Rui's arm was suddenly shaken hard twice: "Zhou Rui, let's go to the farm's breeding base. The pigsties and sheep pens there are in danger."

He sprang up from the straw, rubbed his face hard with both hands, and the lingering drowsiness instantly vanished.

Looking up and scanning the warehouse, the once crowded place now only had eleven figures moving about in the dim light of the kerosene lamp. Gu Dayong was patting each of the dozing people awake.

"What's going on? Isn't the breeding base a key patrol area? How could there be danger?" Zhou Rui's fingertips quickly checked the rifle's magazine, each bullet securely loaded.

"The wolves are wicked tonight, leaving traces everywhere. The entire militia has been mobilized for patrols, and we can't even spare anyone for shift changes."

Gu Dayong tightened the straps of his backpack, his tone laced with suppressed anger: "We haven't heard from the team that went out, and two more teams of hunters have followed. Now, all we can mobilize are the eleven of us."

"Holy crap, they've conjured up soldiers from beans! Is there such a large wolf pack? Are these wolves some kind of supernatural being?" Zhou Rui was stunned.

Ninety-three people, and even after eighty-two went out, it wasn't enough; the number of wolves was far more terrifying than expected.

"Don't overthink it. Before we see any trace of the wolf, any guesses are useless."

Gu Dayong didn't let him continue thinking. He raised his hand and patted Gu Jiacheng hard on the back. The half-asleep young man instantly jolted awake and became completely alert.

Eleven people quietly slipped out of the warehouse, not even daring to reveal the beams of their flashlights, and followed Gu Dayong out of the field by the moonlight.

In the afternoon, he memorized every field ridge and every ditch by looking at the topographic map. He didn't need to look down to find his way, and his steps were as steady as if he were walking in his own yard.

The pigsty and sheepfold are about three or four miles away from the farm headquarters. The two places are on the left and right sides, forming a triangle with the office area.

Halfway there, the group naturally split up. Gu Dayong led Zhou Rui and three others toward the pigsty, while the remaining six hunters turned and headed down the path toward the sheepfold.

As soon as you approach the wooden fence of the pigsty, a stench mixed with the smell of blood wafts in on the wind, relentlessly assaulting your nostrils on this cool autumn night.

Gu Dayong yanked open the gate, and nine hunting dogs practically darted out, their neck fur standing on end. They didn't bark once and went straight into the depths of the pig farm.

Gu Dayong, Zhou Rui, Gu Shaofeng, Gu Jiacheng, and Liu Qingguo followed closely behind, wading through the mud that reached their shoes as they rushed into the rest area.

Unlike the headquarters office area, which is a solid red brick building, this place is made of adobe bricks on the lower half and loose wooden planks on the upper half. It creaks and sways in the wind and doesn't even have a decent security fence.

Gu Dayong waded through the puddles mixed with pig manure to the edge of the pigpen and yanked open the heavy wooden door.

The place was unusually quiet, with only the occasional muffled grunts of a few domestic pigs. Even the hunting dogs had fallen silent and rushed to the farthest corner of the shed.

Several people quickly surrounded it and saw a fat sow weighing about 200 pounds lying straight in the mud in the compartment. Its throat had been bitten open and a bloody hole was visible, with dark red blood flowing across half the ground.

"Investigate," Gu Dayong uttered only one word.

Gu Shaofeng and Gu Jiacheng immediately stepped forward. Instead of rushing into the cubicle, they turned on their flashlights and traced the footprints and drag marks from the outside towards the center.

Liu Qingguo had no experience in wolf hunting, so he stood there stunned for two seconds before obediently following behind Zhou Rui without moving.

Zhou Rui didn't go into the cubicle; instead, he turned the beam of his flashlight and fixed it on the earthen wall, which was more than a meter high.

A large piece of the wooden plank there was broken, revealing a hole about half a person's width, with a few strands of blood-stained gray fur still hanging from the edge, just big enough for a wolf to squeeze in.

"Brother Qingguo, go around to the outside and take a look." Zhou Rui pointed to the hole with his fingertip.

"This hole was either a pre-existing ventilation opening, or it was dug by wolves on short notice. If it was a temporary opening, there must have been something underneath to step on."

Liu Qingguo responded and turned to run off the field. This man was straightforward and honest, but he was also very obedient and would never disregard orders.

Zhou Rui didn't stop, slowly pacing around the rest area while holding a flashlight.

The place is divided into two parts: an open, free-range pen outside and a rest area inside that is over a thousand square meters, crammed with about a hundred pigs. It is so stuffy at night that even a breeze can't get in.

"This pig farm is huge. Our whole village only raises about ten pigs." Gu Shaofeng squatted on the ground, digging at the mud, and chatted with Gu Jiacheng without looking up.

"Our village can't even gather ten heads," Gu Jiacheng said casually, his eyes glued to the marks on the ground.

A short while later, Liu Qingguo ran back panting, and Gu Shaofeng and Gu Jiacheng also straightened up from the cubicle, their trouser legs stained with half of blood and mud.

"How's the situation?" Gu Dayong glanced at the two of them.

Liu Qingguo, holding his knees, gasped for breath: "There's a pile of branches and straw outside the cave, all freshly brought over. It's piled up really high, just enough to reach the cave entrance."

Gu Dayong nodded and turned to look at Gu Jiacheng.

Gu Shaofeng gave him a push from behind, pushing him forward.

"It was an old sow that died. A wolf bit her throat and sealed her trachea, and she died on the spot."

Gu Jiacheng pointed to the marks on the ground, "But there was definitely more than one wolf that came in. The sow's ears were covered in teeth marks, which means that two wolves grabbed her from both sides at the same time and pinned her to the spot so she couldn't move."

Gu Dayong and Zhou Rui both frowned at the same time.

This is a common tactic used by experienced hunters when hunting wild boars with their hounds: first, they bite the prey's ears from both ends to control its position, and then they circle around and lock its throat from behind.

Unexpectedly, these wolves in the wild have learned human tactics perfectly.

"The sow's back and legs were covered in claw marks, but she didn't bite off a single piece of meat, or even tear off a piece of skin." Gu Jiacheng added the details and looked up at the two of them.

Gu Dayong hesitated for two seconds, then turned to look at Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui stepped forward, swept his flashlight across the cubicle where the crime occurred, and then circled around the adjacent enclosures.

"This corner is specifically for raising cubs." Zhou Rui paused for two seconds, waiting for the others to process the information before continuing.

"There couldn't have been only one sow in the pen; there must have been several piglets lying there, but now they're all gone."