Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Big Yellow immediately wagged its tail excitedly, then crouched down, disappearing silently through the crack in the door as if blending into the shadows of the night.

Instead of wandering aimlessly in the yard like an ordinary stray dog, it began its nighttime "patrol" along the base of the wall and in the shadows, like a well-trained sentry.

Its footsteps were so light they were almost silent, and its ears twitched alertly, picking up the slightest sounds coming from every corner of the courtyard.

Its eyes, glowing a ghostly green in the darkness, were like two moving searchlights, sweeping over corners piled with clutter, past chicken coops, and even catching a glimpse of a stray cat flashing by in the next alley through the gaps in the low courtyard wall. No unusual movement escaped its perception.

Wei Chen sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), his eyes slightly closed. The mental cultivation method of the "Nine Heavens Shooting the Sun Technique" flowed slowly within his body, his true essence as heavy and concentrated as mercury.

Although one cannot cultivate and absorb spiritual energy in the real world, the process of cultivation is also a process of accumulation. The fierce battles of hunting during the day, the use of precise shooting skills, and the manipulation of spatial power—all the experiences and insights gained are accumulated, digested, and absorbed at this moment, like refined steel, integrated into his bones and flesh, accumulating into a deeper foundation of power.

Outside, the courtyard was filled with scheming, gossip, and the smell of medicine. Inside, Wei Chen was calm and composed, his breath steady as he continuously strengthened his foundation. Outside the window, his loyal guards moved silently through the night, their senses sharper than ever before.

He knew all too well that in these years of increasing scarcity and unrest, only this ever-growing strength and this hidden wealth were the cornerstone to withstand all storms and safeguard the peace of the region. As for the gossip in the courtyard and the petty squabbles of the neighbors? They were nothing more than a few wisps of wind skimming the surface of a deep pool, unable to even stir up a ripple.

Time slips away unnoticed.

Although the disaster was severe, with the country's all-out rescue efforts, the affected areas gradually stabilized, and the situation at the relief station basically stabilized. Wei Chen and his team from the steel rolling mill's security department completed their mission and returned to the steel rolling mill.

A group of roving thieves have been committing crimes near the steel rolling mill, causing widespread panic!

The meeting room of the steel rolling mill's security department was filled with smoke. The pungent smell of cheap tobacco mixed with the smell of sweat and anxiety weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

The rectangular conference table was filled with people, mostly security officers in dark blue uniforms with solemn expressions, and a few workshop directors as representatives, all with furrowed brows.

Deputy Section Chief Jin Aiguo stood in front of the main seat, his knuckles tapping heavily on the table, producing a dull "thump-thump" sound that silenced the buzzing discussions below.

"Quiet down, all of you!" Jin Aiguo's voice was like a broken gong, hoarse from being smoked and filled with barely suppressed anger. "Do I need to repeat how bad the situation is again? Huh?" He slammed his hand on the table, making the enamel mug on it jump and spill water everywhere.

"Old Wang's family in the East District! They'd saved up cloth coupons and grain coupons for half a year, locked them at the bottom of a trunk, and last night they even took the trunk! His wife cried herself unconscious!"

"The two bags of cornmeal and half a piece of cured pork that Old Li had left in the shed next to the boiler room on the west side are all gone! He was saving them for his son's wedding!"

"And then there's Xiao Chen, the new technician from the south. He just got his paycheck, barely had it in his pocket, and someone stole it on his way home! Now the young man's eyes are bloodshot!"

Jin Aiguo roared out each point, each one like a whip lashing at the nerves of everyone present. He glanced around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "This isn't just petty theft! This is defecating on the necks of tens of thousands of workers in our steel mill! This is a slap in the face to our security department! The higher-ups slammed their fists on the table and gave us a deadline to solve this case! If we don't catch these sons of bitches of thuggery, I, and you, are all fired!"

The conference room was deathly silent, save for the sound of heavy breathing.

The term "fugitive" is like a venomous snake coiling around everyone's mind.

Their movements were elusive, a hit-and-run tactic, never lingering or getting bogged down, stealing and disappearing without a trace. The entire security team was mobilized, patrolling and searching in three shifts, their legs nearly worn thin, but they couldn't even catch a glimpse of the thief. It was as if the thief possessed precognitive abilities, always managing to slip through the gaps in their net.

"Jin Ke," a senior officer broke the silence with a muffled voice, "These bastards are too cunning! We've been investigating for several days, sifting through all the vagrants and habitual thieves in the neighborhood, but we haven't found anyone who matches up."

The footprints were messy and the method was clumsy; it didn't seem like the work of a local thief. It was more like… a desperate, starving outsider, stealing wherever he could find something, without any discernible pattern. At this rate, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack!

"We have to find them, even if it's like looking for a needle in a haystack!" Jin Aiguo scratched his spiky short hair in frustration. "If the old methods don't work, then come up with a new one! We have to dig three feet into the ground to find these rats!" His gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on a composed figure in the corner—Wei Chen.

Wei Chen listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knees, his eyes calm and revealing little emotion.

"Wei Chen!" Jin Aiguo called out, "You're full of tricks, kid. Think of something for me! Don't be such a silent coward!"

All eyes instantly focused on Wei Chen. Wei Chen raised his head, meeting Jin Aiguo's anxious gaze, and slowly spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Jin Ke, everyone. This group is highly mobile, targets randomly, and relies on sheer numbers to cast a wide net, which is indeed inefficient and makes it easy for them to exploit loopholes."

He paused, tracing a name on the table with his finger: "The area outside the factory and the staff dormitory area is too large. My idea is to turn passive into active, and to shift from casting a wide net to focusing on key areas."

"Key control?" someone repeated in confusion.

"Yes." Wei Chen nodded, tracing a rough map of the factory area and its surroundings on the table with his finger. "First, based on the time and location of the theft, combined with the surrounding terrain and roads, analyze their most likely infiltration routes and escape routes. These places are our key areas."

He glanced at the crowd: "Secondly, divide the entire outer area into several grids. Each grid will have a fixed group of people, implementing a 'responsible stakeout' system. Instead of running around aimlessly, they will stay within their own grid, familiar with every brick, every tree, and every nook and cranny of their territory! If any suspicious persons are found, they will be immediately questioned, and at the same time, the adjacent grids and the mobile team will be notified via walkie-talkie."

"Finally, establish several elite mobile patrol teams, equipped with bicycles or even motorcycles, responsible for rapidly moving between designated key areas, while also serving as support for each stakeout point. Once a situation is detected at a point, the mobile teams can arrive immediately and form an encirclement!"

After Wei Chen finished speaking clearly and logically, the conference room was quiet for a few seconds, and then a murmur of discussion arose.

"This method...sounds promising!" "A grid-based stakeout? Staying pinned down in our own territory? That's better than running around aimlessly!" "Mobile team support, that's a great idea! We used to fight alone, our reactions were too slow!"

Jin Aiguo stroked his stubble, his furrowed brows relaxing slightly, a glint of light in his eyes: "Hmm! Wei Chen's idea is reliable! Turn the ocean into a small pond, then divide the small pond into squares, and explore each square one by one! Add to that a fist with quick reflexes! Okay!" He slammed his hand on the table, "That's it! Divide the areas and allocate manpower immediately! Wei Chen!"

"arrive!"

"You're quick-witted, kid. You take the lead on this grid division and selection of key control points! Need manpower? Just pull some!" Jin Aiguo waved his hand, then, as if remembering something, a sly and expectant glint flashed in his eyes. He leaned closer to Wei Chen, lowered his voice, and said in a slightly consultative tone, "By the way, Wei Chen, bring your big yellow dog! That dog... it's incredibly intelligent! Its nose is brighter than our searchlights! Let it sniff around for a bit; maybe it can catch a mouse by the tail!"

Wei Chen looked at the undisguised, almost superstitious expectation in Jin Aiguo's eyes for Dahuang and understood. He nodded: "Understood, Director Jin. Dahuang's sense of smell is indeed far superior to that of ordinary dogs. I will take it with me to patrol key areas."

"Alright! It's settled then!" Jin Aiguo's spirits soared, as if victory was already in sight. "Meeting adjourned! Everyone to your positions! Set up the net according to Wei Chen's plan!"

……

Night, like thick ink, once again soaked into the massive steel mill and the sprawling, chaotic residential area surrounding it. The daytime hustle and bustle subsided, leaving only the faint rumble of the boiler room in the distance and the hissing of unknown insects.

In the northeast corner of the factory area, there is a low-lying area right next to the wall, piled with discarded building materials and coal slag. The roads here are narrow and muddy, the streetlights are sparse and dim, and several rows of low and dilapidated bungalows are crammed together. It is one of the high-incidence areas for theft and also a key area that Wei Chen has designated for surveillance.

Wei Chen leaned against the shadow of a half-collapsed brick wall, his figure almost blending into the darkness. Da Huang lay quietly at his feet, its head resting on its front paws, its ears twitching slightly like radar, its eerie green eyes like two small lamps in the night, silently scanning the ruins and chaotic alleys shrouded in darkness ahead.

He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his powerful spiritual energy had already spread out silently like an invisible tide, covering a fan-shaped area with a radius of nearly two hundred meters centered on him. Within this field of spiritual perception, every subtle movement was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating clear ripples:

Thirty meters to the east, in a row of bungalows, a baby cried softly in its sleep, which was quickly replaced by its mother's gentle soothing words and the soft rocking of the cradle. Fifty meters to the west, behind a pile of rusted iron pipes, two wild cats fought over a fish bone, emitting threatening growls and brief squeals, accompanied by the slight scraping sound of metal.

At the base of the north wall, a fat rat scurried into a hole. From the depths of the alleyway leading to the main road to the south, the weary footsteps and low voices of two workers finishing their night shift drifted in, approaching before slowly fading away…

These sounds, breaths, and even the faint energy fluctuations generated by biological activity were clearly projected onto the "screen" of Wei Chen's mind, forming a dynamic, silent nightscape. Like an experienced hunter, he patiently filtered through this "background noise," waiting for the abnormal signal to appear.