Chapter 270: Third Night: Hunt

He didn't answer me. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said to me, "Follow me!" and immediately ran outside.

I looked at the sun, which had sunk a bit lower, and thought, This is going to kill me. I followed at once. He ran to where our tent had been pitched, found a waterproof bag from one of the tents, then ran back, grabbed a few toothbrush cups sitting on a rock, picked up a mining lamp, and dashed into the woods.

I stumbled after him. In a few strides he reached the swamp at the edge of the jungle, jumped in, and used the cup to scoop mud from the bottom of the swamp, dumping it into the waterproof bag and smearing it on himself. I stood there stunned. He waved at me. I nodded and jumped in too, but before I could steady myself, a cupful of mud was slapped onto my face. Seconds later, the two of us were covered head to toe in mud, exactly like Wenjin when we had seen her earlier.

I had intended to wait until the fog came before smearing on the mud, and being wrapped in it was really uncomfortable. Annoyed, I asked him why. He said, "To catch Wenjin."

"Catch Wenjin?"

"She's looking for food. Her supplies have run out, so she's bound to come again tonight. We're going to set an ambush."

"At night? An ambush?" I immediately shook my head. "No way. If I lie down, I'll never get up."

Poker-face looked at me and suddenly said, "Then why did you come here?"

I was taken aback. He shot me a cold glance, climbed out of the swamp, and walked away without looking back.

I stood in the swamp, feeling extremely uncomfortable. I thought, What are you glaring at me for? I came here because you all keep things from me. Why did I come here? Damn it—

Just then, I figured it out. I knew what he meant: it was too late to be afraid! I swore and climbed out too.

When I went back and told Fatty, he hesitated a bit. Yesterday's scene had been too terrifying; he wondered if it was too risky. But after a detailed discussion, Fatty agreed.

The nature of the whole thing changed. Suddenly, instead of trying to survive the night, we were actively courting death. But Fatty said that wasn't the case. Wenjin wasn't stupid. She would probably appear before the fog got thick, or just as it started rising, maybe even when we weren't near the camp. She would likely come as soon as it got dark. If Xiao Ge's guess was right—that she was looking for food—then she must be starving.

Poker-face told Fatty to reheat half a pot of soup so it looked like leftover soup base. Fatty immediately got to work, stoking the fire until it burned even brighter. Soon, another mixed stew was boiling, giving off a rich aroma. Poker-face picked up the mud and went to Panzi, smearing it all over him until he was covered, then did the same to Fatty.

When everything was done, Poker-face picked up the pot and signaled for the two of us to follow. I asked, "What about Panzi?" He answered, "We'll be back before the fog rises. Going three-strong gives us a better chance of catching her."

The three of us walked to where the tents had been. Poker-face set the pot of stew down at the spot where our campfire had burned yesterday.

It was still early. The three of us crouched in a hidden spot. I felt like laughing—this whole thing was absurd. Using a pot of soup to lure Wenjin? Wenjin wasn't a cat.

We crouched there, watching the sun disappear below the treeline. Darkness gathered around us like ghosts. Nothing came. Even the soup went cold. Fatty couldn't stand it any longer and was about to ask something, but Poker-face waved his hand to stop him, then pointed at his ear, signaling us to listen carefully.

We held our breath, straining to hear any sound. The mud all over me was stinking and sticky, making me extremely uncomfortable. Especially on my face and waist—those areas dried faster, pulling at my skin and itching terribly, but I couldn't scratch. Scratching would only make it itch more and dry faster.

We waited like that, gritting our teeth, until the sky was almost completely dark with only a sliver of light left. I was in a daze when suddenly the person next to me moved. I instantly snapped awake, tensed up, shook my head, and followed them to peek out from behind the rock. In the dim light, I saw a figure covered in mud carefully emerging from the woods. From the silhouette, it was clearly a woman.

"It really is Wenjin!" My throat tightened. I thought, so it actually worked. Before I could think through the whole situation, Poker-face's hand pushed against my shoulder, pulling me back.

I looked at him. He made a gesture to Fatty and me, meaning: as soon as he moved, the two of us should flank the camp from both sides and cut her off.

By now, I had no idea what Poker-face was up to. We nodded and waited patiently. The thrill of the ambush was intense; my heart pounded. We waited until we heard a sound from the soup bucket.

Fatty wanted to go, but Poker-face didn't move. Since he didn't move, we didn't either. After about ten minutes, Poker-face closed his eyes, then suddenly rolled out from behind the rock. At almost the same moment, we heard a startled cry, followed by the sound of someone turning and running.

Fatty and I immediately took off, charging from left and right, circling around the camp and dashing between the tents. All three of us reached the spot at the same time, surrounding her.

Wenjin was clearly panicked, spinning around frantically among us, terror written all over her face.

By the firelight, I got a clear look at Wenjin's face. The mud made it hard to see the real details, but I could tell she was extremely young—looked like a girl of eighteen or nineteen. Even under these circumstances, I could see she was remarkably delicate, far more so than in the photo.

This was almost like a meeting across time. Under normal circumstances, I would have felt she had stepped right out of that photograph. But right now, I had no leisure to think about such things.

Wenjin was obviously terrified by us. At a loss, she kept looking around, trying to find a gap to escape.

"Don't be afraid, Aunt... Chen." I tried to calm her down, but as soon as I spoke, I found it very hard to get the words out.

Wenjin suddenly looked at me and rushed toward me. I opened my arms, intending to grab her and subdue her. But unexpectedly, she ducked low, twisted my arm, and spun me around. I yelled in pain as she shoved me, sending me crashing onto a tent, nearly flattening it. She then sprinted into the thick fog.

I scrambled up and saw Fatty and Poker-face already chasing after her. Cursing myself for being useless, I ran after them.