Chapter 53: “Ouroboros”

The night watchmen of each family didn’t even dare to blink.

Yan Lao’er was nervous, too.

Lately, he’d had the unsettling feeling that someone was lurking nearby. Sanbao could detect people around them, but he couldn’t discern their intentions.

If this kept up, Yan Lao’er felt like he’d develop a nervous breakdown.

Again, that damned sharp sixth sense.

“Who’s there? I see you! What are you doing over there? Get over here, quick!”

This line of his worked every time.

Whenever he said it, it always felt like the person hiding in the shadows got scared off, letting him relax for a while.

“Second Uncle Yan, it’s me! Damn, how did you spot me from so far away?”

A figure suddenly emerged from the darkness.

“Ahhh!” Yan Lao’er let out a startled cry, nearly making the young man trip and fall.

“Second Uncle Yan, what are you yelling for? You scared me!” Er Tie patted his chest, looking frightened.

Yan Lao’er took a few deep breaths, forcing his heart—about to leap out of his chest—back into place.

“You little brat! What were you doing? Why are you coming from that direction? Jumping out of nowhere like that, trying to scare me to death?!”

Er Tie mumbled, “Didn’t you already see me…?”

What was Yan Lao’er supposed to say? That he actually couldn’t see well at night and was relying purely on his instincts?

“What are you running around for in the middle of the night?” Yan Lao’er decided to send him back. He couldn’t have the kid wandering around.

“Second Uncle Yan, San Tie said something seemed off at the back, so I went to check it out.”

Luo Family’s Er Tie wasn’t as sharp as San Tie, but he had guts.

San Tie had just casually mentioned something, and this guy actually dared to sneak over in the middle of the night to investigate.

“You reckless brat!” Yan Lao’er was furious and grabbed him by the ear. “How can you be so fearless?! Running off on your own without telling any of the adults—what are you thinking? Planning to overturn the heavens? We grown-ups handle these things. You don’t need to worry about it!”

“Ouch, ouch! Second Uncle Yan, let go! At least hear me out first!” Er Tie felt wronged. He hadn’t even seen it coming before his weak spot was grabbed.

“Speak! What did you see? What did you hear?”

Truthfully, Yan Lao’er had wanted to check things out himself for a while, but he didn’t have Er Tie’s courage.

“It’s creepy back there!” Er Tie shivered. “The people closest to us all look familiar, but the ones farther back are strangers. The farther you go, the worse they look—like they haven’t eaten for days. Their faces are like this—”

He tugged his chin downward and pinched his own cheeks, checking if they felt thin enough.

“Just talk! No need for theatrics!” Yan Lao’er scolded.

Er Tie continued, “There’s a group at the very back, and it looks like they’ve gathered everyone’s rations into piles—several cartloads.”

“What kind of people are they? Did you get a good look?” Yan Lao’er pressed.

“I couldn’t get too close. They had several fires lit, and I was afraid of being spotted, so I kept my distance. The old folks, women, and children were all huddled together inside, while the men standing guard outside weren’t many. It’s strange—why does their village have so few men?”

Something about this didn’t sit right with Yan Lao’er.

A village shouldn’t have such a huge disparity in the number of men compared to women, children, and the elderly.

“Tell me—those skeletal-looking people you saw—were they all men?” He hoped he was wrong.

“Now that you mention it… yeah!” Er Tie scratched his head. “Want me to go take another look?”

“Stay put!” Yan Lao’er sternly warned. “Since you’re so energetic, take over my watch duty! No wandering off, understand?”

Er Tie was thrilled. “Don’t worry, Second Uncle Yan! I got this. You go get some sleep.”

Why shouldn’t teenage boys take night shifts? Looked down on, just because of their age?

His energy was way better than the adults’—well, at least better than Yan Lao’er’s.

…

Yan Lao’er figured he had to see it for himself.

He called for Qi Si and Qi Wu.

The two brothers didn’t say a word and followed him as they took a wide detour to approach from the rear.

Just like Er Tie had said, there were multiple fires burning brightly.

Once Yan Lao’er got a good look, he made a mental note to properly teach the villagers how to count in the future.

The difference in numbers between the women, children, and elderly compared to the men—was it just “a difference”? No, it was a massive gap.

Looking closer, the fires conveniently encircled all the women, children, and elderly in the middle.

The number of men standing guard outside was indeed small, but under the firelight, their movements were clearly visible.

Food was piled to the side, with many people lying around it—likely sleeping while keeping watch.

Yan Lao’er and his men crouched and slowly inched forward.

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

As they got closer, Yan Lao’er finally lay flat on his stomach, crawling forward.

Qi Si and Qi Wu followed suit.

Gradually, they got close enough to make out the faces of the women, children, and elderly in the middle.

Yan Lao’er narrowed his eyes, scanning every face he could see.

The night was deep, yet some of the old women and children were still awake.

Their gazes constantly flickered toward the men standing guard—but with a hint of fear, as if afraid of being caught looking.

More of their attention, however, was directed farther away.

Beyond the darkness, barely visible, was another group of people?

Yan Lao’er carefully crawled backward, then circled around to another angle.

Now he understood.

The people those women and children were watching—the ones Er Tie called “skeletal men”—were their actual family members.

But Er Tie had exaggerated—those men weren’t that terrifying.

They were thin, yes, and lacked energy, but it wasn’t too extreme.

It was just as he suspected.

The women, children, and elderly were with those emaciated men.

And those standing guard outside?

They were likely no good people—probably controlling the families through some method, hoarding food.

That was most likely the case.

…

The village elders were awakened.

After hearing Yan Lao’er’s report, Village Chief Luo spat in disgust and cursed, “That’s an ouroboros—starting from the tail and eating all the way to the head.”

“They capture entire families, throw the men out alone, forcing them to fend for themselves and bring back food. If they fail or refuse to turn it in, their families starve.”

Another elder said, “Families who get separated or stray from their groups are the easiest prey. At first, they only take a few families. Then, using those hostages, they gather information and easily capture more people.”

A different elder added, “Once they’ve consumed all the food these captives bring in, they’ll say, ‘Help us trap the next group, and we’ll let your family go.’ What choice do those people have? They have to fight desperately.”

“When the food runs out, they abandon the families on the road. How can they survive? Despicable!”

“If we let them grow stronger, it’ll be a disaster.”

“And those people in the back—are they stupid? How come they don’t make a single move?”

“Probably never experienced it before—didn’t expect it.”

“What do we do now? With these scoundrels trailing behind, it’s dangerous!”

“Who knows when they’ll try to devour us next.”

The village elders argued heatedly, trembling with rage.