Whooosh… whooosh…
The howling cold wind was like a brutal tyrant, mercilessly tormenting the pirates ambushing on the slope. Their teeth chattered, bodies trembled, hands went numb, and they could barely hold their weapons.
*Gurgle… gurgle…*
At the Zhejiang army’s temporary camp in the pass, rows of large pots simmered, sending the aroma of meat wafting up the slope. This fragrance, drifting for miles, was more savage than the wind, ruthlessly assaulting the pirates’ spirits. The scent seemed to morph into a giant hand, yanking at their tongues, squeezing their stomachs, leaving them ravenous, drooling, and consumed by envy, jealousy, and hatred.
“Damn it, you’re all dead men!”
“We’re up here shivering in the cold wind, and you’re eating meat and drinking soup in cozy tents? You’re truly damned!”
Watching the Zhejiang soldiers line up to ladle steaming meat stew and vegetables, pairing it with hot, greasy flatbreads, chowing down with gusto, the pirates’ envy and hatred reached a boiling point. They wanted nothing more than to slaughter the soldiers, snatch their soup and bread, and devour a huge bowl themselves—it must taste heavenly!
“Damn it, the Zhejiang army won’t be coming anytime soon. At least not until they finish eating or even take their nap! Are we just supposed to wait like this?! Boss, send someone to ask the leader if we can sneak attack their camp while they’re eating and sleeping!”
“Yoshi, I say it’s a go! Look at them, heads down eating or napping in tents. We sneak down, kill, set fires—we’ll wipe out their camp and take that dog official’s head!”
“Do it, boss! If we don’t act soon, my hands won’t move!”
“Seeing them eat meat, drink soup, and sleep in tents, I want to rip their guts out!”
The pirates pleaded in hushed tones, their mental state teetering on the edge, unable to bear it any longer.
“Baka!”
“Shut up!”
The squad leaders hissed at their men.
“The leader ordered us to wait until the Zhejiang army passes, then hit their rear, cut off their retreat, and join the main force for a pincer attack to crush them! If you ruin the leader’s plan, how many heads do you have for him to chop off?!”
“You want to die? Even if their camp’s full of pigs, charging down from this slope would alert them! Ruin the leader’s strategy, and you’re all dead!”
The squad leaders berated their men, strictly ordering them to stay hidden until the Zhejiang army passed to launch the attack.
The pirates had no choice but to endure the freezing wind, huddling on the icy slope, watching the Zhejiang soldiers eat and drink with burning envy…
Suddenly, a gust of wind brought a chilling sensation to one pirate’s forehead. His heart sank. Reaching up, he felt a drop of water on his fingertip. His pupils contracted as he looked skyward—raindrops mixed with snowflakes, carried by the wind, fell densely from above.
“It’s raining, with snow! It’s sleet!” the pirate cried out in a low, horrified voice.
“Nani?!”
“What? Sleet?! Damn, it’s really sleet! This… this is gonna kill us!”
“No, no! We don’t have raincoats. This sleet will soak our cotton clothes, which are barely keeping us warm. Wet clothes in this wind—it’s a death sentence!”
The pirates erupted in panicked curses, despair spreading like wildfire.
But no matter how they cursed, the sleet fell relentlessly, growing heavier.
Raindrops gradually soaked their cotton clothes, and snowflakes sapped what little warmth they had left.
Cold!
Bone-piercing cold!
Their faces and lips grew paler, their trembling intensified, and the light in their eyes dimmed.
“Look! Damn Zhejiang army—they’ve got raincoats and tarps! They’re wearing raincoats, eating and drinking under tarp shelters, and they’ve got the nerve to admire the snow! Damn them!” a sharp-eyed pirate noticed that, at some point, the Zhejiang army had set up simple shelters—wooden poles topped with tarps. Underneath, soldiers continued eating heartily.
The sentries, wood gatherers, and water fetchers outside all wore raincoats, some even playfully roughhousing!
*Damn it! Why are we always the ones suffering?*
The pirates’ mental balance collapsed further, especially as the sleet intensified, soaking their clothes. Each gust of wind felt like a thousand cuts.
“Boss… we’re half-frozen to death. Can we ask the leader to… adjust the plan? Either we pull back and skip the ambush, or we go now! If we keep waiting, we’ll all freeze to death!” a pirate stammered, teeth chattering, barely able to speak.
“Go to hell! You’re cold? I’m not?! But the leader gave strict orders to wait and ambush them! If we ruin his plan, we’re all done for!” the squad leader shivered, snapping back.
“Boss, I… I think I see my great-grandma… she’s coming with a blanket…” a pirate pointed at the sky, delirious.
“What the hell, Ergouzi?! You’re spouting nonsense! Your head’s burning—damn, you’ve got a fever and hallucinations?!” Another pirate touched his forehead—scorching hot, feverish, and delirious. He slapped Ergouzi three times hard.
“Black… Black Wolf, why’d you hit me?” Ergouzi mumbled, dazed.
“You’re burning up, idiot! If I don’t slap you, you’ll pass out!” Black Wolf cursed.
“No… I can’t… my head’s spinning. I need to sleep. Wake me… when the Zhejiang army comes…” Ergouzi collapsed onto the ground.
“Ergouzi! Wake up! Don’t sleep—you might not wake up!” Black Wolf shook him, even slapping him again, but Ergouzi wouldn’t stir.
His face grew redder, his breathing heavier…
“Stop shouting, stop moving! Damn it, if you alert the Zhejiang army, I’ll chop you to pieces! Let him sleep. He’s grown—a fever’s no big deal. He’ll wake up fine,” the squad leader glared, snarling.
“He might not wake—” Black Wolf started, but the leader’s glare silenced him.
