Chapter 23: The Wild Boar Terror

Shen Yiming hesitated for a moment. But seeing the encouragement in Zhang Yang’s eyes, he raised his machete again and continued digging deeper into the pit.

"Don't use the blade."

Zhang Yang began digging with his bare hands, getting the dry, dusty soil all over his gloves and knees. Touched by this, Shen Yiming followed his lead and started digging as well.

He blinked, and to his surprise, a patch of fur really did appear in the soil! It was the same color as the large rabbit they had caught earlier, but its size…

"Isn't this a bit too small?"

Shen Yiming pulled the fur-ball out and realized it wasn't even as big as his palm. Disappointment was written all over his face again.

Zhang Yang kept digging. "If this were just a temporary shelter for a rabbit, there wouldn't be these bits of dry grass. I suspect this is their nest; there should be more than just this one."

While he spoke, he dug out two more fur-balls. All three together didn't even equal the size of one adult wild rabbit. They were dusty and gray, and if not for those identical long ears, one would hardly recognize them as rabbits.

Zhang Yang stuffed all three fur-balls into Shen Yiming’s hands. "Hold onto them well. Don't look down on them for being small. Take them back and raise them for a few days, and they'll grow."

Shen Yiming couldn't bring himself to smile. "In this day and age, people are struggling to find enough to eat. How are we supposed to raise rabbits?"

"Even if you don't raise them, they survive just fine in these mountains in the middle of winter. Rabbits are herbivores and easy to keep. If you’re diligent and just collect grass seeds from the ground, raising these three will be no problem at all." Zhang Yang teased him, "If you really don't want them, give the three little runts to me. When they grow up, I’ll share a rabbit leg with you."

Shen Yiming was too embarrassed to accept that. He quickly tucked the three terrified little rabbits into his thick cotton jacket. "It’s fine, we can raise them too. We’re just inexperienced, but I’ll have to learn more from you in the future." Shen Yiming finally came around.

The group continued their trek through the mountains. Zhao Dong noticed Shen Yiming trailing behind, carefully protecting the three little ones against his chest, and couldn't help but tease him.

"You don't have to coddle them so much; these little things are easy to look after. Don't the girls at your educated youth dormitory have nothing to do all day? Taking these rabbits back is the perfect way to give them something to occupy their time!"

Zhao Dong offered more advice. "Last time I was there, I saw you had a chore rotation schedule. I think rabbit-raising could be added to that list. Doesn't that fit right in with that sense of 'fairness' you all love to talk about?"

Shen Yiming perked up a bit. "You’re right. They’re meticulous with their work; it would be quite suitable to hand this over to them." He then nudged Zhao Dong to lend a hand. "You have more experience with labor; they’ll listen to you. When the time comes, could you teach them how to raise rabbits and boost their enthusiasm?"

"Sure thing!" Zhao Dong was more than happy to help.

The two of them were chatting away so happily that they didn't realize they had fallen behind. When they looked ahead, there was no sign of Zhang Yang and the others in the pitch-black depths of the mountains.

"Yangzi? Yangzi!"

Zhao Dong called out tentatively, but there was no response. Jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards haunted these mountains, and he didn't dare shout too loudly, yet his heart was already beginning to panic.

Shen Yiming was also alarmed. "How did they disappear in such a short time? Dongzi, what do we do now?!"

What could they do? Zhao Dong wanted to know the answer to that too. He suddenly recalled the details Zhang Yang usually taught him and made a quick decision.

"If we run into any trouble on our own, we won't be able to defend ourselves or hide... Maybe we should head down the mountain first!"

Shen Yiming looked ahead and then behind, hesitant. The others had caught big rabbits, and if they kept going deeper, they might catch something else. If he went back with just three fur-balls... wouldn't the other educated youths laugh at him once they found out the truth?

Shen Yiming grabbed Zhao Dong. "We’re a temporary team, but we came here together, so we should go back together. Besides, if they realize we’re missing, they might come looking for us. How about we just wait here?"

Zhao Dong was worried about that too. Once Shen Yiming suggested it, he was persuaded. "Alright, let's both be careful and wait here."

Separated from the main group, the surroundings felt even quieter. Zhao Dong wasn't particularly brave to begin with, and now that everything around them was pitch black, he felt a chill in his heart. He wanted to strike up a conversation with Shen Yiming, but before he could, Shen Yiming suddenly grabbed his sleeve like a startled bird.

"What is it?!"

"I think I just saw a green light!" Shen Yiming exclaimed.

Zhao Dong’s eyes widened. "Where?!" He looked left and right but saw nothing. "Don't shout! You must have seen it wrong..."

Shen Yiming couldn't be sure either, but he huddled close to Zhao Dong, not daring to move. "I, I might..."

The two of them gripped their weapons tightly and scanned the area again, but still found no sign of any living creature.

"Don't scare yourself, it's fine—"

Before he could finish, a crunching sound echoed! A round, bulky shape, as if it had been waiting for them to be alone, charged at them fiercely.

"What is that?!" Shen Yiming was so terrified his soul nearly left his body.

"Run!" Zhao Dong was agile and scrambled up a nearby tree. Shen Yiming couldn't climb, but he used the tree as a shield, dodging the first charge of the mysterious black beast!

From his position in the tree, Zhao Dong finally saw what it was. Long, coarse bristles, and a pair of tusks about eight centimeters long! Short, clumsy limbs, a pig’s snout with two large, round nostrils, and a massive frame that revealed its hindquarters as it turned around...

"A wild boar! It's a huge wild boar!"

Zhao Dong gripped his crossbow, unable to help himself, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Yangzi! Yangzi! There's a wild boar here!"

Hearing Zhao Dong’s scream, the boar seemed agitated and let out a furious roar! Then, before either of them could react, it launched a second charge.

The area was dense with trees and the ground was uneven. If they ran blindly, they wouldn't just fail to outrun the boar—they might fall into a pit.

Shen Yiming thought of his spear. He had a weapon, surely he could fight a pig? With that thought, he steeled himself. Instead of hiding, he raised his spear and thrust it at the charging beast!

*Clang!*

The aim was true enough, and the spear struck the boar’s head. However, Shen Yiming stood frozen in place. He felt as if he had stabbed a steel helmet! The spear was sharp, but it lacked the sensation of piercing flesh he had expected.

"Grunt!"

The wild boar let out an even more ferocious roar!