Chapter 53: Eating the Tail Snake

The night watchmen didn't even dare to blink.

Yan Er was nervous too.

Lately, he had constantly felt someone prowling around them. Sanbao could identify that someone was nearby, but couldn't discern their intentions.

Yan Er felt that if this continued, he was going to have a nervous breakdown.

Here it comes again—that damn sharp sixth sense.

"Who, who, who? I saw you pulling something! What are you doing there? Get over here, quick!" This routine of Yan Er's worked every single time.

Every time he said this, he felt as though the person hiding in the shadows had been scared off, allowing him a moment of peace.

"Uncle Yan Er, it's me! How are your eyes so sharp? You saw me from so far away?"

A figure suddenly darted out from the pitch-black darkness.

"Aiya mama!" Yan Er let out a cry, startling the boy so much he nearly tripped.

"Uncle Yan Er, why are you shouting? You gave me a fright." Er Tie patted his chest, looking genuinely shaken.

Yan Er took a few heavy breaths before finally forcing his racing heart back down.

"You brat, where have you been? Why did you come from that direction? Jumping out like that, you nearly scared me to death!"

Er Tie mumbled, "Didn't you see me..."

Could Yan Er really tell him that he couldn't see very well at night and was relying entirely on his sixth sense?

"What are you doing running around in the middle of the night?" Yan Er decided to send him back; he couldn't let the boy wandering around aimlessly.

"Uncle Yan Er, San Tie said something felt off in the back, so I went to scout it out."

Luo family's Er Tie wasn't as clever as San Tie, but he was brave.

San Tie had merely made a passing comment, and this boy actually dared to sneak off in the middle of the night to investigate.

"You little brat!" Upon hearing this, Yan Er grabbed him by the ear in anger. "How can you be so reckless! Running around by yourself without telling an adult—what are you trying to do? Start a revolution? Leave the worrying to us adults!"

"Ouch, Uncle Yan Er, Uncle Yan Er, let go first! Let me finish what I'm saying." Er Tie felt aggrieved; he hadn't expected Uncle Yan Er to have such a move. Before he could even see what was happening, his vital spot had been seized.

"Speak. What did you see or hear?"

Actually, Yan Er had wanted to go check the back for a long time, but unfortunately, he didn't have Er Tie's guts.

"It's scary back there!" Er Tie shrank his neck. "The people right next to us look familiar, but the people further back look like strangers. The further back you go, the less human they look—like they haven't eaten for days, their faces are just like that."

He pulled his chin down hard and rubbed his own cheeks, checking to see if he looked thin enough.

"Just talk, don't do all that useless stuff," Yan Er said with a stern face.

Er Tie continued his imitation: "There's a group of people at the very back. It looks like they've gathered everyone's rations together; they've piled up several carts' worth."

"What kind of people are they? Did you see clearly?" Yan Er pressed.

"I didn't dare get too close. They lit several fires, so I was afraid of being discovered and watched from a distance. That group has old people, women, and children all gathered together. There aren't many men guarding the outside. It's so strange; there are too few men in their village."

No matter how Yan Er thought about it, something was wrong.

The number of elderly, women, and children in a village shouldn't differ that much from the number of men.

"Let me ask you, were those emaciated people you saw all men?" He hoped it wasn't what he suspected.

"Seems like it!" Er Tie scratched his head. "Should I go take another look?"

"Stay put!" Yan Er instructed him repeatedly. "Since you have so much energy, why don't you take my place and stand guard? Listen well, you hear? No running around!"

Er Tie was delighted. "Don't worry, Uncle Yan Er. I'm here. You go get some sleep."

Why wouldn't they let a growing boy stand guard? Who were they looking down on?

With his energy, wasn't he better than the adults in the village? Well, at least better than Yan Er.

...

Yan Er figured he had to see it with his own eyes.

He called for Qi Si and Qi Wu.

Without a word, the two brothers followed him in a wide arc, approaching from the side and rear.

Just as Er Tie had said, several fires had been lit, and they were indeed very bright.

Once he had a general idea of the layout, he made a silent decision to teach the villagers how to count properly in the future.

Was the difference between the number of elderly, women, and children and the number of men large? It was an enormous difference.

Looking closely, the fires were positioned to encircle all the elderly, women, and children in the middle.

There weren't many men guarding the outside, but under the light of the fires, any movement from the people inside was clearly visible.

Rations were placed nearby, and many people were lying around the perimeter, seemingly sleeping while guarding the food.

They crouched and moved forward bit by bit.

They had to; Qi Si and Qi Wu were too tall and would be easily spotted.

As they got closer, Yan Er simply dropped to the ground and began to crawl.

Qi Si and Qi Wu followed suit.

As the three of them gradually approached, they could clearly see the faces of the elderly, women, and children in the center.

Yan Er squinted, scanning everyone he could see.

The night was deep, yet some elderly people and women were still awake.

Their gazes constantly drifted toward the men on guard, yet they seemed to fear being discovered.

More gazes were cast toward the distance.

It was pitch black, but one could vaguely see another group of people?

He began to crawl and turn around bit by bit, moving away from that direction and heading to the other side.

Yan Er now knew who those elderly people and women were looking at.

It was those emaciated men Er Tie had described.

However, Er Tie's description was a bit exaggerated; they weren't that terrifying.

Their faces were a bit gaunt and they lacked energy, but they were alright.

It was likely exactly as he suspected.

Those elderly people, women, and children belonged to the same families as those thin men. As for the ones on guard—they were likely not good people. They had somehow found a way to control the families and were stealing their food.

It was almost certain.

...

The village elders were woken up. After hearing Yan Er's report, Village Chief Luo spat and said with hatred, "That's like eating a snake starting from the tail, swallowing all the way to the head."

"Those people find ways to subdue a whole family and cast the men out alone. Not only do the men have to find ways to feed themselves, they also have to find food and drink for their families. If they can't find any or refuse to hand it over, their families go hungry."

One elder said, "Families who travel alone or get separated from their group are the easiest targets. At first, they only grab a few families, then they use the controlled people to help them scout for more, making it easy to catch even more people."

Another elder added, "Once they finish eating the food those people brought, they'll say they'll let a family go if they help them surround the people in front. Sigh! Those people will have no choice but to fight for their lives."

"Once the food is gone and the family is left on the road, how can they survive? It's wicked!"

"If these people gain momentum, it will be disastrous."

"Those people in the back are also something else—are they stupid? Why isn't there any sound at all?"

"They probably haven't experienced it; they can't imagine it."

"What are we going to do? Having such black-hearted people trailing behind us is dangerous!"

"They might come for us at any moment."

The elders spoke all at once, trembling with agitation.