The Red Lands

"Chu, what do we do?"

"Should we hide in the cellar?"

"They might smell us and try to dig us out!"

"Then run? I heard stories that no one is faster than wolves on the open grasslands."

"Maybe we should climb up to the lookout and wait it out?"

"But if they stay, we would starve. No way we can carry food and all fit up there."

Chu didn't pay much attention to the conversations around him.

It was normal for children to panic.

Even children who endured the hardship of being forced to live a tough life in the slums.

Right now, the most important point on the agenda stood at staying calm and focused.

This advantage he held over the whispering children derived from age.

His experience as an adult allowed him to calm down and assess the situation faster than the others. Taking a few deep breaths to clear his mind, Chu focused his thoughts. Burying his fears, he searched his memories while flipping through a sheet of parchments bound by a string.

From the experience shared by Ming, Chu expected a confrontation with wolves at home. Within the barn, he prepared specifically for this foe he personally faced.

He had planned for a scenario of a raid, such as this, but like the first time on a new job, he felt like an excited virgin.

The most important rule one of his seniors on the job ever offered him was to never allow himself to be overwhelmed.

He intended to tread carefully, step by step, until he deemed the task complete.

The preparations and modifications of the barn were all for this moment. The sheer number of wolves made him nervous, like the others. The only flaw in his defenses depended on facing animals that could climb. If not, then this dangerous situation quickly turned into a huge opportunity in front of them.

"Sakura, take your time and climb up to Miki. I want you to count how many wolves there are."

"Miki! Look around and see if there are other beasts besides wolves lurking around. Any that can climb like wildcats."

Chu had read about Tree-cats in the guide. They were smaller versions of leopards with green and brown coats. Their skills focused on speed and ambush attacks. The only consolation came from the fact that they moved as year-round lone hunters who rarely ventured from the forest. Beasts like those were presently his bane of existence.

Miki had keen eyes, which was one of the reasons she was chosen as a lookout. Sakura was a silent girl, but was the only one besides Chu who excelled at counting. If not for the education classes, most of these children would only know what eight coppers looked like. And that was only because it was the amount needed to buy bread.

"Sue, secure any food we have below back into the cellar and bring out some of the emergency rations. I want them placed in a corner of the deck. Dyna, help her get it up here."

They could access the deck from the new trapdoor that led to the space under it via a ladder. The modification placed it near the back of the barn, away from the fence. This distance separated it enough to avoid attacks near the fence. Even someone wielding a long spear couldn't reach them.

"Clod, make sure the fence under the platform looks good and get the ropes for the latch and swing doors ready."

"Ming, you and Lucy get two spears, the crossbows, and bolts. Leave the rest of the weapons in the cellar. Bring them up to the platform."

Chu calmly issued the orders to the others. He didn't forget to shout for all to hear. One of the first things he learned on the job was the importance of taking control. If he showed his fear and uncertainty at this time, the situation would spiral into chaos.

Even if he wet his pants within his mind, a manager needed to display an unyielding character.

He shouted to the scurrying children,

"Why should you guys panic? We have been practicing for this for a month. Take some deep breaths and just do as I say."

On the grasslands, what he sensed was a different story. Out in the open plains, he appeared like a juicy steak laid out in front of a hungry dog. When Griz relayed the information on the wolves, he felt as unprotected as the people in the slums. He considered himself stupid for not highlighting the risk involved in traveling to the village as highly as he should have.

If they had delayed by one day, there was no doubt he would have died on the grasslands.

'I am such an idiot. Like I wanted to test if this world also offers the chance at reincarnation! I was a fool for not reading the situation properly!'

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Chu's main wildlife experience came from documentaries watched from the comfort of his couch. He retched a few times when he strained the waste fat in making the pellets. He vomited after their first kill, but comforted himself by classifying it as an eat or be eaten situation. Maybe the memories and lifestyle of the former host helped reinforce his mentality on the crude lifestyle of this world.

With the mind of a working man within this child's body, he already told himself to suck it up. From first-hand experience, he learned a few characteristics of this foe.

A wolf on Earth from television and a wolf here looked the same.

Albeit the ones here trumped the other through size and viciousness.

They were cunning and vindictive in planning.

They were ferocious when attacking as a group.

They were deadly and overwhelming if they caught you on open ground.

But they couldn't climb.

He had proven it before in the forest, and he would use the useful knowledge he had risked his life to earn.

He was going to use it now.

Because he had to face beasts during the winter stood as one of the reasons he chose this barn.

It was the reason behind the contraptions built during the last month.

"Ming, bring up the large jar with the mushroom pellets."

Chu stood up with his hands behind his back as he supervised them scurrying around. He portrayed the picture of a team leader issuing instructions to his subordinates.

"Chu, all I see are the wolves. Most of them are standing just outside the forest. There are two of them circling the barn and getting closer."

Sakura climbed down to the platform, her face flushed.

"I counted twenty-three. Miki said she didn't see anything else in the shadows of the forest. It is getting dark, so we can't be sure if I am correct."

Chu patted the little girl's head.

"Good job. You did well."

It didn't take long for the orders to be completed. Despite the low temperature, everyone stayed covered in sweat. He didn't know if it resulted from the hustling or fear.

"Miki, Ming, Lucy, and I will remain on the deck. The rest of you will hide in the cellar. Keep the trapdoor closed until we reopen it. If anything happens, move to the passageway. Holding a spear horizontally in the narrow passageway will block any wolf attacks."

"Don't worry, we will be ok. By tomorrow morning, things should be back to normal."

Chu provided some words of comfort and had Ming go down to get the trapdoor closed. They had the torches and candles for light and enough food to last for weeks down there. The food on the deck served as a precaution in the event that something unexpected happened.

"Miki, how far are they now?"

"I can't see too well because it's getting dark, but every now and again, a wolf would keep coming closer and then run back into the darkness."

"Ming light four of the torches on the walls. Don't bother with the bonfire. Lucy, get two pellets into the holding bay for now. You and Miki are responsible for throwing the pellets into the cage."

On the wall of the barn, Clod constructed holding racks for the torches. If they ever ran low on firewood, Chu would use them for a light source during the late evening and early night. Using a small portable ladder, Ming lit them all. The torches were secured on a metal plate and ring to avoid burning down the barn.

Chu gave Lucy about forty pellets. She scattered them as instructed by Chu. Once completed, she returned to the platform with the remainder.

"Miki, have the wolves reached up to the barn?"

"No, but they are moving closer, in a few moments they will be really close."

Chu snorted.

"Let them come, we are not the same frightened slum children as before."

Don't forget the reason for living far away was not only to get away from the slum ruffians. Since he came to this world, he had to survive by hunting. He had no idea how to hunt, much less to track animals. He could only rely on those who were bold enough to approach him. Wild birds, hares, and even deer were not feasible because he had zero skills in tracking and trapping.

He had long realized he could only target those willing to approach him. He could only attract predators.

And the easiest animal for him to hunt was a wolf.

"Ming, get the rope for the door ready. Double-check to make sure the doors are unblocked. Get up here as soon as you're done."

Chu modified the doors to the barn during the construction. Clod worked on it for nearly a month until completion. The barn had two entrances.

A hidden entrance, designed to resemble the barn wall when closed.

The other resembled a door from the outside, framed with wood. When opened, however, the height measured only four feet. The other strange feature lay in that it opened like a sluice gate, controlled by a rope running from the deck.

When not in use, stout planks barred it to prevent it from being lifted open by unwanted guests. During his risk assessment and planning, Chu included the visits by bandits.

Once the door was raised, a person found themself in a small fenced four-by-eight square feet area. The only exit from here was another sluice gate or to climb over the seven-foot wood fence. This obstruction impeded any human enemy, giving them a chance to flee or counter from the deck or the wooden fence below.

Ming unbarred the doors last and made sure the ropes hung on the platform. He then clambered up a portable ladder to reach Chu. Together, they raised the ladder up onto the deck.

"Lucy, get some more bolts up to Miki. I want her to remain there to keep a lookout and help us escape if, by chance, a wolf makes it onto the platform."

"The rest of us will remain here. Ming and I will have the spears, Lucy will keep a crossbow for emergencies. We need to get all the wolves inside. None must be allowed to escape."

If they knew what eyes that reflected dollar signs looked like in this world, they would have finally seen it in real life. The aura seeping from Chu was not the kind that even a guard would emit on learning he was surrounded by a hungry wolf pack.

They did know what it felt like with their little experience from living in the slums.

It was akin to a slum resident spotting a free loaf of rock bread discarded on the ground.

Ming shifted away as he glanced at Chu warily.

"Then what, boss?"

Chu looked at the idiot grinning sheepishly on the side. He very well knew the answer to his own question.

"Ask me a stupid question like that again, and the next time we need something from the village, its gonna be you making that trip alone."

The grin quickly turned into a pitiful expression.

"Shhhhh! They're coming!"

Ming and Chu hoisted the outer door. The inner one remained closed.

Chu and the others sat on the platform watching the entrance. Miki kept her eyes roaming between them and outside.

Low growls and sounds of running could be heard outside. After a wait that seemed like ages, a low growl came from the entrance. First, the snout, then the head, then the entire body, slowly, very slowly, walked through.

Chu could never get accustomed to the fear this animal brought. If caught in the open by this beast, the fearsome aura reeking from it was enough to throw a person into despair. He silently berated himself again for the risk he had taken, unaware of this danger on that simple journey yesterday.

The growls continued as the wolf sniffed around. It raised its head constantly trying to peer behind this fence, but the children remained partially hidden. The growls deepened as if trying to scare them into moving.

No matter the world, this was a horrifying sight.