I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Discovering a Stronghold

Xiaobai took off, running quickly out of the ravine, and Zhao Wendong hurriedly led Zhao Wenwu to follow.

A rope was tied to Xiaobai, so it could only run a few steps before having to stop and wait for Zhao Wendong and his brother. The two men and the fox proceeded in fits and starts for about four or five hundred meters until they reached a cliff face.

”Whine whine!”

The fox, Xiaobai, kept whining at the cliff face, rearing up on its hind legs to paw at the rock with its front claws.

’Here! The gun’s in this cave.’

Zhao Wendong’s eyes lit up. He scanned the cliff face, which was concealed by branches and snow. ’This must be the place!’ he thought.

”Heheh. Second Brother, come on. Let’s clear this area out.”

After speaking, Zhao Wendong tied Xiaobai to a nearby tree, pulled out a shovel, and got to work. Zhao Wenwu quickly grabbed a machete to help clear the brush.

The two worked fast, and before long, they had cleared away most of the debris. Their work revealed a stone slab, not particularly thick, leaning against an opening in the cliff. A crack was visible at the bottom—that must have been how Xiaobai had squeezed through.

Zhao Wenwu walked up and effortlessly lifted the slab aside with one hand, revealing a cave entrance about half a man’s height.

”Whoa, incredible! Third Brother, Xiaobai really led us to treasure!”

Zhao Wenwu stared at the newly revealed cave, his expression one of utter shock. He looked over at Xiaobai, his eyes filled with excitement and exhilaration.

Zhao Wendong nodded, also feeling a surge of excitement. After first making sure the entrance was clear of any immediate danger, he bent over and peered inside. It was pitch-black. He turned to Zhao Wenwu.

”Second Brother, get a torch!”

”You got it!”

Zhao Wenwu opened the pack they were carrying and pulled out a resin-soaked torch. They had made these themselves before winter. They would bind strips of cloth, cotton, and other absorbent materials to one end of a stick, soak it in grease, and finally wrap it with some dry grass and pine resin. The result was a simple torch that could burn for a long time.

They left the entrance open for ventilation. Zhao Wendong went first, stooping as he led Xiaobai, his hunting rifle held level, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

Zhao Wenwu followed behind, carrying the sapper’s shovel and holding the torch aloft. The entrance was so low he had to squat to get in. Cautiously, the two of them entered the cave.

Xiaobai, clearly not here for the first time, confidently led them forward. The more Zhao Wenwu watched, the fonder he grew of the little fox.

”Third Brother, this Xiaobai is really neat. Can we keep him?”

In the flickering firelight, Zhao Wendong pursed his lips.

”Keep him? That little fox is so smart he could sell us out and we’d be helping him count the money. Besides, we can barely feed ourselves. You want to keep him? He’d be starving right along with us. You think he’d want that?”

”And another thing, Second Brother. If you were the one being tied up all day, would you be happy?”

Zhao Wenwu took his brother’s words to heart. His expression fell as he shook his head.

”No, I wouldn’t be. I get it, Third Brother. So... let’s eat him!”

”Huh? PFFT!”

That complete one-eighty from Zhao Wenwu made Zhao Wendong burst out laughing.

The stone tunnel grew taller the deeper they went, and soon Zhao Wenwu could stand up straight. Zhao Wendong carefully examined their surroundings. This wasn’t a natural cave. The walls were smooth, showing clear signs of artificial excavation. Every few meters, the tunnel made a sharp ninety-degree turn, designed to be both windproof and bulletproof.

After about ten more meters, the tunnel suddenly opened up. They had reached a stone chamber. It was roughly thirty to forty square meters and about four or five meters high. In the torchlight, they could clearly see it was filled with various items.

Zhao Wendong’s eyes flew wide when he saw the rectangular, straw-filled boxes on a stone platform inside, along with everything else around them.

”Holy shit! Second Brother, stay right where you are! Don’t come any closer!”

Zhao Wendong’s voice trembled with tension. Though Zhao Wenwu had no idea why his brother was acting this way, he obediently stood at the tunnel mouth and didn’t enter the chamber.

’Human, hurry! The gun’s over here! I found it!’

Xiaobai stopped in front of one of the boxes Zhao Wendong had seen. It looked back at him, whining, its big tail wagging so fast it kicked up little clouds of dust.

Zhao Wendong hurried over to the box and looked down. Nestled in the straw were several Type 38 rifles, lying there silently.

At the foot of the stone platform were several crates of brass-colored bullets, numerous ammo clips, and a few pineapple-shaped Japanese Type 97 grenades.

He glanced back to confirm that his brother was still standing obediently at the entrance, and only then did he relax a little. ’I can’t believe it,’ he thought, ’this little White Fox actually led us straight to a small Japanese bunker.’

Before they surrendered, the Japanese had built countless such micro-fortifications all over the Northeast. He never thought he’d actually find one.

Zhao Wenwu, watching clearly from a distance, saw Zhao Wendong reach into the box and pull out a rifle. He let out a joyful shout.

”A gun! It’s a gun! Hahaha! Third Brother, Xiaobai really did lead us to a real treasure!”

”Heh, it’s treasure alright,” Wendong muttered. ”It’s just that this ’treasure’ is a little too dangerous. One wrong move and we’ll be going straight to heaven.”

The rifles were Type 38s. After placing the gun back in the box, Zhao Wendong carefully inspected all the grenades. He moved them to the farthest corner, but after a moment’s thought, he still felt uneasy. He walked over to Zhao Wenwu.

”Second Brother, give me the torch. Go outside, next to the entrance, and dig a deep pit. Then leave the shovel out there.”

”You got it!”

Zhao Wenwu took the shovel and went out.

Listening to his brother’s footsteps fade, Zhao Wendong sighed inwardly. ’Thank god Second Brother is here to help. I’m not sure I could’ve handled all this by myself.’

”OW!”

A sudden cry from Zhao Wenwu outside made Zhao Wendong jump, his hand shaking in alarm.

”Second Brother, what is it?!”

”Fuck, I hit my head!”

’Okay,’ Wendong thought, ’so he’s a good helper, just not a very reassuring one.’

While Zhao Wenwu was digging the pit, Zhao Wendong stood at the mouth of the chamber and surveyed it several times. In addition to the weapons and ammunition, there were some living supplies. Some of it looked usable, but other things, like the bedding, were clearly rotted through.

In another corner stood a simple stove with a military-issue pot on top. Zhao Wendong’s eyes lit up when he saw it. Iron goods were incredibly scarce right now; many families were still using pots with chunks missing from them.

”Alright, Third Brother, it’s dug!”

After a good while, Zhao Wenwu returned, panting. As instructed, he had left the sapper’s shovel outside. The top layer of winter soil was hard as rock; it was a testament to Zhao Wenwu’s strength that he’d dug a deep pit so quickly. Anyone else would have found it impossible.

”Okay. Second Brother, take the torch and go stand in that far corner.”

Zhao Wendong waited until Wenwu was standing in the opposite corner before he carefully began placing the grenades into his pockets one by one. There were twelve in total. Wenwu saw what his brother was doing, and his eyes went wide.

”Third Brother, what are those?”

”Grenades.”

The torchlight flickered. For once, Zhao Wenwu’s hand was shaking. The man who feared nothing under the sun still knew the destructive power of a grenade.

”Wait here for me. Don’t touch anything. I’ll deal with the rest when I get back.”

”Okay, Third Brother. I won’t move.”

Seeing that his brother’s pockets were filled with grenades, Zhao Wenwu stood stock-still, not daring to move an inch.