Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System

Two minutes later, after those aggressive wild boars had all passed by underfoot, the group finally climbed down from the trees.

Old Zhao looked in the direction the wild boars had left, still feeling lingering fear: "In the mountains, the most frightening encounter is with these beasts. Once they go berserk, no one can stop them."

Qi Yun dusted off the snow that had smudged on his clothes, looking at the piece of jerky on the ground that had been trampled by the boars. He gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"It's getting late, let's continue on." Old Zhao called out, leading the way ahead.

The three continued forward. The forest was eerily quiet, with only the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow.

This time, they didn't stop, walking until dusk when they finally reached the first cabin on their journey.

This cabin was much more dilapidated than the one Qi Yun and the others had stayed in before. It looked like no one had been here for a long time, with snow piled high around.

Old Zhao went forward and pushed the door open. Inside the cabin was filled with the smell of mildew, with scattered rotten leaves on the floor.

"I've been to this place before, it's fairly safe." Old Zhao said, as he took his pipe from his waist and tapped it twice on the stove nearby, "We'll rest here tonight and continue on tomorrow morning."

Qi Yun looked around the cabin. Though rundown, it could at least keep out the wind and cold, so he put down his backpack and prepared to start a fire.

Chen Wei circled the perimeter to ensure safety, then entered the cabin, took out a pot from his backpack, and began preparing food.

At night in the mountains, the temperature drops quickly, but fortunately, the cabin wasn't large and there was always wood burning in the stove, so it could withstand the cold.

After a simple dinner, the three of them squeezed onto a wooden bed and slept with their clothes on.

...

On the third day, after walking for over an hour, Qi Yun was deeply shocked by the sight of a gigantic lake before him.

The lake lay like a huge blue gemstone, quietly embedded among the mountains.

The lake surface shimmered, dazzling in the sunlight. The snow along the lake's edge had yet to melt completely, contrasting beautifully with the lake water, creating an exceptionally exquisite scene.

This must be paradise on earth.

Old Zhao pointed at the lake and said, "This is the Celestial Lake. Further ahead, we will encounter a checkpoint. We need to take another small path around it and try to reach Erlong Ridge before dark."

No time to admire the beautiful scenery, the three set off once again.

As they reached the mountainside, Old Zhao didn't continue forward but turned right into a dense forest.

"Try to keep quiet, don't make any noise."

"Understood," Qi Yun replied with a nod.

The three carefully traversed the forest, with twigs and leaves underfoot making slight noises.

This path was indeed difficult, essentially making a large circle around the mountainside, climbing uphill and downhill intermittently, and if not cautious, one might slip and roll down the mountain.

So they didn't walk quickly, grabbing onto tree trunks with every step to ensure safety.

After walking for an indeterminate time, Old Zhao stopped, surveyed the area, and said in a low voice, "We should have bypassed the checkpoint."

"Let's rest here for a while. If we walk south for about ten more miles, we should reach Erlong Ridge."

With that, he sat down on a snow-bent tree trunk, took out his pipe, and started puffing.

Qi Yun and Chen Wei found a place to sit, taking out dry rations from their backpacks to replenish their energy.

After trekking in the mountains for two or three days, Qi Yun felt both physically and mentally exhausted.

This feeling was similar to when he had ventured into the desert before.

Just then, a few distant dog barks suddenly broke the quiet.

The originally relaxed trio immediately stood up, their gaze vigilant towards the front.

Old Zhao took the hunting rifle from his back and held it in his hands.

Chen Wei also gripped his machete tightly, ready to react to any sudden situation.

The barking grew nearer, seemingly heading in their direction.

Old Zhao quickly said in a lowered voice, "Hide!"

Upon hearing the command, Qi Yun swiftly hid behind a large tree, Chen Wei concealed himself within a bush, and Old Zhao hid behind the thick trunk of a tree, tightly clutching his hunting rifle, eyes fixed in the direction of the barking.

After a while, a dog ran over, sniffing around.

Soon after, several men dressed in camouflage appeared in sight, holding rifles, faces tense with alertness.

The dog came closer and closer, now less than ten meters away, discovery seemed inevitable.

Qi Yun's heart was in his throat, not daring to make a sound.

At that moment, Old Zhao suddenly emerged from his hiding spot behind the tree.

The camouflaged men immediately tensed, raised their guns, and aimed at him with grave expressions.

Old Zhao showed no panic, voluntarily lowered his hunting rifle, then raised his hands high, indicating he meant no harm.

He then shouted to the group, "Herb collectors, not bad people!"

The group remained wary despite his words, with their gun barrels still raised.

One who looked like the leader slightly furrowed his brow, suspicion reflected in his eyes, and asked, "Herb collectors?"

Old Zhao nodded and pointed to his backpack behind, explaining, "It has tools inside, you can see for yourselves if you don't believe."

The leader signaled someone to inspect the backpack. That person cautiously approached Old Zhao, opened the backpack and rummaged through it, indeed finding herb collecting tools inside, then nodded towards the leader.