Chapter 153: Going Back
The atmosphere between them was warm and affectionate.
Xia Lu Nong enjoyed this feeling, his eyes always curving into a smile.
The two older brothers had gone hunting. There was quite a bit of prey in the snow, enough to sustain a large group of bears.
Over the past few days, every time they went hunting, they returned with a good haul.
They caught all kinds of animals—deer, wolves, foxes, rabbits. With the right seasoning, each one became a delicious dish.
Each type of game had its own unique flavor, and when prepared correctly, they were all delicious.
Xia Lu Nong had always enjoyed cooking, and with these fresh ingredients, he took the opportunity to showcase all his culinary skills.
The four of them were living in the wilderness, but they were living better than they did back at the base.
There were more than just the two of them in the armored vehicle.
The two shared a few intimate moments, though they didn’t go too far.
Otherwise, it would have been awkward if their two brothers returned and found them trapped in the vehicle.
Even in this innocent closeness, Xia Lu Nong was alert, keeping his ears and eyes open, worried his brothers might return suddenly, which would make things awkward.
His heightened attention paid off when he noticed some unusual noises outside.
Something outside seemed to be softly bumping into their armored vehicle.
The vehicle was reinforced with special steel plates, strong enough to withstand bullets.
Whatever was outside wasn’t a large beast, so there wasn’t much danger.
Xia Lu Nong perked up his ears and glanced toward the outside.
Seeing his reaction, Kong Zhi gave him another kiss, then let go and turned to look outside. “What’s out there? Snowflakes?”
“Doesn’t sound like it. The noise is dull, like something knocking on the armored vehicle,” Xia Lu Nong replied, leaning toward the window to take a look. What he saw stunned him.
Outside, there was a large group of wild cats—at least twenty or thirty of them.
The cats were carrying various items in their mouths, and leading them was a familiar large orange tomcat.
These cats were gently tapping the armored vehicle with their soft paw pads.
Xia Lu Nong had a bit of a connection with these cats from before.
Seeing this scene, Xia Lu Nong was taken aback. “I wonder what they’re here for.”
Kong Zhi, beside him, also looked out the window and said, “Let’s go down and see.”
The outside world wasn’t safe, and even though they had a friendly relationship with these cats, they weren’t going to recklessly open the windows and step outside.
Xia Lu Nong, holding a gun in his hand, cracked the window slightly and asked the group of cats, “What do you want from us?”
The cats all lifted their fluffy heads in unison, gazing up at him.
The sight made the group of wild cats look surprisingly well-behaved and even quite cute.
Xia Lu Nong, being a cat himself in his beast form, was mostly immune to cat cuteness.
But seeing so many fluffy creatures sitting on the ground with their front paws on their chests and their heads tilted, his heart softened a bit.
The large orange tomcat at the front let out a rough “meow” and dropped the bag it was carrying into the snow, signaling them to look at it.
The other cats followed suit, placing down the items they had brought.
The items they carried varied in size.
Some were larger, like bags, clothes, and notebooks.
Others were smaller, like clocks, parts, and various trinkets.
Seeing this, Xia Lu Nong immediately understood.
These cats had brought these things as offerings, likely trying to curry favor with them or make a trade.
Xia Lu Nong chuckled and shook his head. “You’re pretty sharp, coming to us right away.”
“Meow.” The orange cat stared at them, pushing the black bag at its feet with its paw.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t hesitate to deal with the cats. He turned to Kong Zhi and said, “Stay in the vehicle for a bit. I’ll go down and see what they’re up to.”
Kong Zhi didn’t object. “Be careful. If anything’s wrong, I’ll be ready to shoot.”
“Got it.”
Xia Lu Nong opened the door and stepped outside. The cats politely made way for him.
He checked the items they had brought.
After inspecting everything, Xia Lu Nong realized that many of the items were quite valuable.
It seemed the cats had done some careful selection.
He looked up at the cats, appreciating the effort they had made to bring these items from so far away.
The fluffy crowd all stared at him, as if analyzing his micro-expressions.
When they saw him smile, the cats visibly relaxed.
One small kitten even ran up and rubbed against his leg.
Xia Lu Nong scratched the kitten under its chin and tapped it on the forehead with a smile. “No need to act cute.”
The kitten let out a soft “meow.”
When Xia Huo Qu returned, he saw a large group of cats surrounding his brother, seemingly trying to be affectionate.
His brother was scratching one cat, petting another, his face full of joy.
It had been a long time since Xia Lu Nong had petted a cat. Usually, others petted him.
He was happy when people petted him, but nothing compared to being surrounded by fluffy creatures.
Seeing his brother, Xia Lu Nong greeted him cheerfully, “Hey, you’re back?”
“What are these cats doing here?”
“They want to work with us. They know where some valuable stuff is hidden,” Xia Lu Nong replied happily. “We’re not busy these days, right? Why don’t we go take a look?”
Yan Xi Nian walked up from behind, stroking the fluffy back of a kitten, his eyes filled with delight. “Sure, if we’re not afraid of the bears, there’s no reason to fear these cats. Where do they want to take us? What valuable stuff do they have? We can head out this afternoon.”
Xia Huo Qu threw the dead deer he had dragged behind him onto the ground. “Let’s eat first, then we can discuss it. Afterward, we’ll have Kong Zhi fly overhead to see if these cats are reliable. If they are, we can give it a try.”
Kong Zhi nodded, “I have no objections.”
The little cats, having already arrived, certainly wouldn’t pass up the perfect opportunity for a free meal.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t mind either and even prepared a special dish just for them.
In these times, it was incredibly difficult for cats to get a proper cooked meal.
Xia Lu Nong specifically selected various types of meat, cooked them, and made a platter of cat food for them.
The large, muscular orange tomcat wasn’t easily swayed by the cat food, still eyeing him cautiously.
The smaller cats, less experienced, were already diving into the food bowl, completely absorbed in their feast.
The tiny kittens were licking their lips, their bellies full and round, happily rubbing against their legs and occasionally letting out joyful meows.
That afternoon, both the group of people and most of the cats were very content.
After their meal, they set out, driving their truck and armored vehicle, following the golden eagle flying overhead as it guided them forward.
They had been fighting the bears for several days. At first, the bears would try to chase and bite them on sight, but now the bears retreated whenever they saw them.
The bear population had dwindled and no longer posed a threat, and there were no other dangers in the area.
With Kong Zhi flying overhead to keep watch, they weren’t worried and simply drove behind the cats.
The cats hadn’t lied; there were still many valuable items left in this area.
As they followed the cats, they continued driving and collecting items, significantly increasing their supplies.
The armored vehicle that had been damaged by the bear attack was beyond repair, but the cats led them to four more armored vehicles.
These four vehicles were still in perfect condition.
Compared to the one armored vehicle and truck they already had, these new ones were even better.
However, there were only four of them, so they couldn’t drive all the trucks and armored vehicles back.
Reluctantly, they decided to leave one truck and one armored vehicle behind in the cats’ territory.
In the end, they tied the empty armored vehicle and truck to the back of their vehicles with ropes, driving forward in a convoy.
The bear population was no longer a major concern.
The wild cats had managed to carve out their own territory on this snowy plain.
That’s why the cats were grateful and wanted to curry favor with them—the cats needed their strength to intimidate the bears and other wild animals.
They had radios and were skilled fighters.
Xia Lu Nong and Xia Huo Qu each had one vehicle attached to the back of their armored car, driving in the middle, while Yan Xi Nian led the way and Kong Zhi took up the rear.
They safely drove out of the snowfield.
With so many armored vehicles, there was no way they could make it all the way to the Black Gold Base without attracting attention.
If word got out, the supplies they had would make many people envious.
The risk was too great. Even if they were skilled fighters, they couldn’t fend off a large number of people. They needed to minimize the risk and avoid any unforeseen accidents.
That night, as they rested, Xia Lu Nong looked at the distant Black Gold Base and said, “If we don’t go back, there’s no way to convince Mai Dong and the others to join us. Haven’t we failed in achieving our goal?”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “People are an external resource. Right now, these armored vehicles and other supplies we’ve collected are more important. If we get another chance, we can come back and convince them.”
His tone was calm. “Can’t we communicate with them through radio? We can contact them once we’re back at the base.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “There’s no need to regret it. They’ve already established themselves here. Unless something significant happens, it will be hard to convince them to follow us back to the base. Even if some are willing, it’ll only be a handful.”
Xia Lu Nong thought about it and agreed, but still felt a bit melancholic, sighing after a while.
Seeing this, Yan Xi Nian chuckled, “There’s no need to sigh. We’ve already planted the seeds. When the time is right, it’ll grow into a roaring fire.”
Xia Huo Qu chimed in, “Not just the people from the Black Gold Base, but also the group of dogs we encountered, the cats we met today, the honeysuckle plants, and other mutated creatures. If something happens, they’ll follow that seed in their hearts and come to our base.”
Xia Lu Nong immediately caught on and asked, “Like how He Shu Hui’s group knew about the Fireseed Plan? When they encountered difficulties, their first thought was to find Fireseed?”
Yan Xi Nian nodded. “Exactly. Right now, everything’s calm, so they don’t think about us. But if something happens, they’ll remember to seek out Fireseed.”
Kong Zhi quietly stoked the fire, listening in silence.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at his brother, then at Yan Xi Nian. “Isn’t there still one problem?”
Yan Xi Nian smiled, “Oh? What is it?”
Xia Lu Nong said, “The base isn’t big enough to accommodate all these people. The timing isn’t right either. But once our base is stronger, we could all move to the plains below the mountain and build a large settlement, right?”
As Xia Lu Nong spoke, he suddenly looked up. “Brother, did you and Xi Nian start planting the seeds long ago? Is the current operation of the base the result of that plan?”
