Chapter 72: Chapter 66: The Battle Begins Early
That was Aunt Linâs voice.
"I have half a bowl of old rice at home. Take it to make some porridge for the baby," a stooped-over old man said.
"My rice is fresher. Iâll go back and get it for you," a gray-haired grandma leaning on a cane chimed in.
"I have some too!"
"I have some cornmeal. Let your daughter-in-law have some too. Itâs not easy for a woman whoâs just given birth..."
One voice rose after another.
Even in their final moments, everyone here still held the greatest goodwill toward life and their companions.
This was what moved Tang Mo the most about this place.
After the crowd dispersed, Tang Mo didnât go home. Instead, she knocked on Aunt Linâs door.
"Oh, itâs Tang Mo. Come in, quick."
Seeing Tang Mo, Aunt Lin warmly welcomed her inside. By now, she was quite familiar with this polite newcomer.
Perhaps rural people are born with a certain resilience, even when they know fate is about to deal them a fatal blow.
They would still live out their remaining days with a calm and level head.
"Do you want to come in and see my precious grandson? Heâs so handsome, you have to see him."
This was the first time Aunt Lin had invited Tang Mo into the room. Before, the baby wasnât yet a month old, and a mother in postpartum confinement wasnât supposed to see outsiders.
Tang Mo smiled, nodded, and followed Aunt Lin into the room.
Aunt Linâs daughter-in-law was just as she had seen before. She looked to be only eighteen or nineteen, with a baby face, though she seemed a bit gaunt.
She looked like a child herself, holding another child in her arms.
When the babyâs mother saw Tang Mo walk in, she kept smiling at her.
âAunt Lin probably didnât tell her what we heard at the village chiefâs place,â Tang Mo thought.
"Hold the baby. His journey into this world wasnât easy. Besides his mother and grandmother, youâre the only other person heâs seen."
Tang Mo froze for a moment at those words.
Then, she quickly took the one-month-old baby from his motherâs arms.
It was a boy.
His big eyes were wide open, and he was drooling while smiling at Tang Mo.
Aunt Lin hadnât been lying; the child was indeed very handsome, looking much like his mother.
After holding him for a while, Tang Mo returned the baby to his motherâs arms, then took off her backpack and pulled out a large bag.
"Thereâs a can of milk powder and two bottles of mineral water in here. Make some formula for the baby to drink."
In these times, people couldnât even feed themselves. How could a mother produce any milk?
The adults were suffering, and the children were suffering right along with them.
"Milk powder?"
Both Aunt Lin and the babyâs mother stared at the items on the table with wide eyes.
"This is too precious..."
Aunt Linâs lips trembled. She had managed to borrow a tiny bit of old rice, thinking she could make a thin porridge for the baby.
She had never imagined that anyone could still have milk powder nowadays.
"Mom..." The babyâs mother turned to her mother-in-law with a pleading look. A motherâs instinct made her heart ache for her child more than anyone.
In the end, the two women accepted Tang Moâs gift. Just as they were about to shower her with thanks, Tang Mo fled from Aunt Linâs house as if escaping.
But she had barely been back home for a moment when Shen Xiaodongâs urgent voice came from outside.
"Tang Mo, this is bad! The wolf pack is here!"
"Theyâre here already?" Tang Mo opened the door and hurriedly ran after Shen Xiaodong.
"Theyâre already at the gate! It wonât hold for long. Tiegen and the others are already there."
By the time Tang Mo ran to the village entrance, the Black Wolf was already leading its pack to ram the gate.
"What do we do? This gate wonât last much longer."
Shen Xiaodong was stomping his feet in anxiety.
Tiegen watched his Brother Xiao Dong anxiously, even more clueless about what to do.
His limited brain capacity only allowed him to pace in circles, frantic and unsure of what to do.
âI canât let them in!â
Only one thought was in Tang Moâs mind. âOnce they get in, itâs all over.â
The houses in the village all had wooden doors, and the yard fences were practically useless against mutant beasts.
Once the wolf pack got in and scattered, their small group of two or three people wouldnât be able to save anyone.
She had underestimated the intelligence of an Intermediate Beast. It could think and strategize to win, and it didnât play by the rules.
âHalf an hour left.â Tang Mo glanced at the time.
Qin Ling had said his people would arrive in two hours. There was still half an hour to go. She had to hold them off.
"Tiegen, if I ask you to go out there now, are you afraid?"
Tang Mo asked the big man beside her.
"Not afraid! I canât let them in to hurt Xiao Tang!" Tiegen puffed out his chest, looking ready for orders.
"Good. Then youâll go out with me."
Tang Mo rolled up her sleeves, preparing to climb the wall. The gate couldnât be opened, so to get out now, they still had to go over the wall.
"Iâll go too," Shen Xiaodong said anxiously.
"You stay here and stand guard. If any slip through, youâre responsible for taking them out," Tang Mo shouted back.
That was a wolf pack. For someone with a low attribute value, going out there was a suicide mission. It would be meaningless.
Tiegen stepped on a chair and climbed over the high fence alongside Tang Mo.
The wolves ramming the gate were startled to see two people suddenly drop down from the wall to the side, and they immediately retreated.
Tang Mo was now about 200 meters away from the Black Wolf. She squinted and saw it sitting at the very back of the pack like a commander.
The two sides faced off for about thirty seconds. Suddenly, five figures shot out from the opposite side in a blur.
"Tiegen, go!" Tang Mo shouted.
Hearing Tang Moâs command, Tiegen didnât hesitate for a second, immediately charging out and getting entangled with several wolves.
Whether it was due to the Wolf Kingâs command or some other reason, all five wolves charged straight for Tiegen without exception.
They didnât attack simultaneously, probably intending to pick them off one by one for a quick and decisive victory.
However, this played right into Tang Moâs hands. She immediately pulled her pistol from her Space.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three of the wolves surrounding Tiegen collapsed, each shot hitting a vital spot.
Tang Mo now had enhanced vision, and with the massive boost to her perception from her powerful Spiritual Attribute, she was a self-taught genius when it came to aiming and shooting.
She didnât even need to practice; she could hit any target she wanted within her weaponâs effective range.
Her pistol held a total of 20 bullets. She had just used three, and with the one sheâd used before, she now had 16 left.
Tang Mo gripped her Wind Breaker and joined Tiegenâs fight. Within a few exchanges, the two of them finished off the remaining two wolves.
Her bullets were limited. If possible, Tang Mo planned to use her remaining 16 bullets to deal with the remaining 8 wolves.
She couldnât afford to waste a single bullet.
As for the Black Wolf, bullets wouldnât do much damage to it.
Watching its five wolves get wiped out by these two humans in an instant, the Black Wolf narrowed its eyes dangerously and slowly rose to its feet.
Tang Mo knew it was preparing to enter the fray itself.
"Leave the black one to me. Tiegen, you handle the rest. Remember, focus on defense, attack second. Stall for time and stay safe!"
Tang Mo tucked the pistol into her waistband and tightened her grip on the Wind Breaker. She had a feeling the Black Wolf was coming for her.