Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chen took out a paper package from his game backpack. Inside were several pieces of cooked meat that he had deliberately set aside, with hardly any seasoning. Da Huang sniffed it, rolled its tongue, and swallowed it. It licked its lips and continued to watch Wei Chen quietly.

The sky had completely darkened. The streetlights in the factory area gradually came on, casting a dim yellow glow that could only illuminate a small area beneath them, leaving most of the area shrouded in darkness. In the distance, a few lights still shone from the blast furnaces and workshops, where workers remained on duty. The cold wind was even more biting than during the day, whipping up dust and scraps of paper from the ground with a howling sound.

Wei Chen put a sturdy leather leash on Da Huang, tightened the collar of his cotton coat, and put on his cotton hat and gloves. He checked his belongings: a powerful flashlight—a product of the game world, much brighter and more durable than flashlights of this era, but with an aged finish, a brass whistle, and a sturdy short wooden stick.

There was also a Type 54 pistol, which Wei Chen checked and then put into his gun holster. This was a gun issued to him by the factory, and he had a gun license. He usually kept it in his backpack, but he took it out specifically because Wei Chen was going to participate in the operation today. He didn't bring any extra equipment, traveling light.

At 8:50, Wei Chen, leading Da Huang, left the equipment warehouse and headed towards the east gate of the factory area. The factory area at night was completely different from the daytime; the tall factory buildings were reduced to silent and blurry silhouettes in the darkness, and the pipes, like the veins of a giant beast, meandered and appeared.

The footsteps were particularly clear on the empty road. Occasionally, night birds would flutter by, or an iron gate would be blown by the wind, making a muffled "bang," adding to the desolation and loneliness. Da Huang followed closely beside Wei Chen, his steps light and quick, his ears constantly twitching, catching the subtle sounds carried by the wind.

The lights were on in the duty room at the east gate. Zhang Dayou was already waiting there, along with two patrol team members: one named Liu Jianguo, tall and thin; the other named Wang Hai, sturdy and honest, a key member of Zhang Dayou's team. All three were wearing thick cotton overcoats and cotton hats, with red armbands bearing the word "Patrol" on their arms, and carrying long-handled flashlights and batons.

"Comrade Wei Chen! We've been waiting for you!" Zhang Dayou visibly relaxed upon seeing Wei Chen and Da Huang, and greeted them. "This is Liu Jianguo, and this is Wang Hai, both top performers in the team. This is Comrade Wei Chen from the equipment depot, and this is Da Huang he brought. As everyone knows, it has an incredibly keen sense of smell!"

After a brief introduction, Zhang Dayou began to explain the situation: "The scrap yard is over there by the east wall, about a kilometer from here. It's a large area, piled with steelmaking waste slag, scrapped machine parts, and some unusable scraps. Usually, apart from the trucks that haul it away regularly, very few people go there."

Over the past week, the night patrolmen have heard noises in that area several times, like moving things or hammering metal, but each time they go over, either there's nothing there, or a stray cat darts away. We've increased the patrol frequency, but that area is like a maze, with too many blind spots, and we don't have enough manpower to cover it all. The department leadership has also taken notice and instructed that we must investigate thoroughly.

He pointed at Big Yellow: "Tonight, it's all up to Big Yellow. If it can smell a stranger or find any clues, we can follow the trail!"

Wei Chen nodded: "Captain Zhang, Da Huang has received tracking training and is quite sensitive to the scent of strangers. What are our arrangements?"

Zhang Dayou clearly had a plan in mind: "Here's the arrangement: the four of us will split into two groups. Wang Hai and I will search from south to north. Comrade Wei Chen, you take Da Huang and search from north to south with Liu Jianguo. We agree that the dirt road in the middle will be the boundary. Whichever side discovers something, immediately blow the whistle, and the other side will provide immediate support! Don't wave your flashlights around randomly; keep them as low as possible so as not to alert the enemy."

"Understood." Wei Chen and Liu Jianguo replied simultaneously. Liu Jianguo was a man of few words; he simply nodded to Wei Chen and Da Huang as a greeting.

The four men checked their equipment, mainly flashlights and whistles. After confirming that everything was in order, they split into two groups and silently disappeared into the darkness on the east side of the factory area.

Wei Chen and Liu Jianguo led Da Huang north along a relatively secluded path. There were hardly any people on the road, only the sound of the wind and the faint hum of machinery in the distance. Da Huang seemed to understand the importance of the mission; without Wei Chen's prompting, it lowered its head, its nose pressed against the ground or the air, carefully sniffing, its tail held straight up, its body slightly tense, and entered working mode.

Liu Jianguo followed beside him, looking at Dahuang with some curiosity, and said in a low voice, "Comrade Weichen, your dog... is really obedient, just like a military dog ​​in the army."

"Yeah, I saw how to train them before from my hunter mentor, and I learned a couple of tricks from him." Wei Chen replied vaguely, his eyes warily scanning the dark corners around him. The companions produced in the game world were far more intelligent and obedient than dogs of this era, but he couldn't explain it.

The closer you get to the waste site, the more desolate the environment becomes. The road surface becomes uneven and overgrown with weeds. A faint, strange smell, a mixture of metallic rust and slag, begins to permeate the air.

Soon, a huge, chaotic pile of debris appeared ahead. By the faint starlight and the afterglow of the distant streetlights, it could be seen that it was filled with all sorts of industrial waste: dark red iron slag like small mountains, rusted and oddly shaped old machine parts and gears, twisted steel bars, discarded refractory bricks... like a silent graveyard made of metal and slag.

The various waste materials created countless narrow passages and hidden corners, making it an excellent place to hide and move around.

"This is it, watch your step," Liu Jianguo warned in a low voice, gripping his baton tightly.

Wei Chen gently patted Da Huang's back and whispered, "Da Huang, search!"

Big Yellow made a soft gurgling sound in its throat, indicating that it understood. It stopped clinging to the ground and raised its head, its wet nostrils twitching as it carefully discerned the air. It first moved slowly along the perimeter, stopping occasionally to take a deep breath. A cold wind blew, carrying with it the smells of coal smoke from the distant boiler room, the smell of machine oil from the workshop, and the complex odors of rusted metal and dust from the waste site itself.

Suddenly, Big Yellow's ears perked up, its body turned towards the depths of the junkyard, its nostrils flared rapidly, and it let out a very low, warning growl. It glanced back at Wei Chen, then gently tugged at the leash, indicating that it had made a discovery.

"Something's up!" Wei Chen whispered to Liu Jianguo immediately, while gripping his flashlight and short stick tightly.

Liu Jianguo perked up and quickly followed.

Big Yellow began to lead them silently into the maze formed by the waste pile. It moved slowly and steadily, stopping occasionally to check the direction of the smell. Wei Chen and Liu Jianguo followed closely behind, trying to tread lightly to avoid stepping on scraps of metal or empty cans and making a sound. The beam of their flashlights was kept low, illuminating only a small area ahead.

The scrap heap was dark and damp, exuding a musty, metallic smell. Overhead, crisscrossing scrap steel bars and twisted pipes resembled the skeleton of a monster in the night. An eerie silence reigned, broken only by the sharp whistling of the wind cutting through the cracks, adding to the sinister atmosphere.

After walking for about five or six minutes, Big Yellow stopped in front of a huge "mountain" made up of abandoned boilers and pipes. It lowered its body, pressed its ears back, and stared intently at a dark hole at the bottom of the "mountain," half-covered by several twisted iron plates. It stopped moving forward and only emitted a continuous, low, warning growl from deep in its throat.

Wei Chen and Liu Jianguo exchanged a glance, both seeing the tension and wariness in each other's eyes. Liu Jianguo pointed to the cave entrance, gesturing for them to flank it. Wei Chen nodded, indicating that he should move to the side. The two slowly separated, Wei Chen remaining at the front, while Liu Jianguo cautiously moved to a position on the side of the cave entrance where he could hide and observe.

Just as Liu Jianguo moved his feet and accidentally kicked a small piece of iron, a soft "ding" sounded particularly jarring in the quiet night.

"Who?!" A panicked shout suddenly came from inside the cave, spoken with a heavy local accent.

Immediately afterwards, a flurry of rustling sounds and the clanging of metal came from inside the cave, clearly indicating that the people inside had been alerted and were trying to escape or hide.

"Attack!" Although Zhang Dayou and Wang Hai were in the south, they seemed to have noticed the unusual commotion. A loud shout came from afar, and at the same time, beams of flashlights swept towards them.

In the blink of an eye, Wei Chen stopped hiding and suddenly turned on his high-powered flashlight. The bright beam of light, like a sharp sword, pierced the dark cave entrance and illuminated the scene inside clearly!

Inside the cave entrance was a space of about two or three square meters that had been cleared out by human hands, with some tattered burlap sacks and straw spread on the ground.

Three ragged, emaciated men were frantically trying to crawl deeper into the rubble. Beside them lay some "good stuff" that had clearly been scavenged from the junkyard: several pieces of brass of varying sizes (possibly discarded valves or connectors), a pile of copper wire bound with hemp rope (likely salvaged from an old motor), and a few short steel spikes of decent quality. Nearby were several dirty burlap sacks and a few rudimentary tools—a crowbar, a hacksaw, and broken scissors.

"Don't move! Security guards!" Wei Chen shouted sternly, simultaneously loosening the leash on Big Yellow and giving a low command, "Big Yellow, guard!"

Big Yellow darted out like a black lightning bolt, but instead of rushing towards the cave entrance, it positioned itself in a standard guard position, blocking a possible escape route on the side of the cave entrance. It bared its gleaming white teeth and let out a low, menacing growl. Its amber eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness as it stared intently at the people inside the cave.