Song Wei was in need of both meat and money. Worried that the smell of blood might attract other predators, she covered the bloodstains with soil.

While she could handle it, she didn’t want to risk Heidan’s safety.

She also smeared some mud over the wound on the boar’s head before hauling the two smaller boars on her back and dragging one of the larger boars by its hind leg. Together, they weighed close to half a ton, and although it was a strain, she managed to move them.

One day, she thought, she’d get her strength back to its former level—after all, she’d once been able to lift an entire elephant with one hand.

Ahead, Heidan’s jaw nearly hit the ground as he watched. Song Wei had once again blown his mind.

His small brain couldn’t quite comprehend it. Was it really possible for a person to be this strong?

“What are you doing, Heidan? Let’s go!”

Turning back, she saw Heidan staring at her and the boars with a dazed expression.

After a second, he ran up to her, glancing between Song Wei and the wild boars, his mouth open in awe.

“Sister Song… are you always this strong?”

Song Wei shrugged. “I just have a bit of extra strength, nothing too amazing.”

And she truly believed that. In the post-apocalyptic world, everything—plants, animals, even humans—had mutated. Compared to people with elemental abilities, physical strength alone was fairly basic.

Her strength made her life more manageable, but it was nowhere near as impressive as those who could manipulate fire or water.

“This is incredible!”

Heidan’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “You’re the strongest person I know! No one in the village could move a boar this size, but you just dragged it off like it was nothing!”

As he got more comfortable with her, Heidan’s awe for Song Wei grew. Like a little chatterbox, he couldn’t stop praising her, his childish admiration filling Song Wei with satisfaction.

Who wouldn’t like having their own little fan?

Even if the kid was a bit grubby, he was kind of cute in a scrappy way.

As they wandered the valley with the boars, they eventually found a hidden exit obscured by thick bushes. Without sharp eyes, you’d never spot it.

By now, it was almost dark. But that suited Song Wei just fine.

It would be much easier to sell the boars unnoticed after dark.

After finally making it out of the valley, they realized they’d crossed over into the neighboring village’s territory.

Stealthily, they found a secluded spot in the mountains to hide the boars.

With surprising strength, Song Wei lifted the boars into the trees, hiding them in the thick branches.

“I’ll head down and scope things out,” she told Heidan. “Think you can guard the boars?”

Heidan’s face lit up as he puffed out his chest. “Don’t worry, Sister Song! I’ll guard these boars with my life!”

His determined look made Song Wei chuckle as she gave his cheek a playful pinch.

The boy didn’t have much flesh on his bones; she felt a sudden urge to fatten him up a bit.

“This time of day, everyone’s already gone home from the fields, so no one will be coming up here,” she said, reassuring him.

By now, everyone would be home for dinner, and any kids would be kept inside by their parents.

Song Wei went down the mountain, eventually finding an elderly man who looked like a local.

She approached him with a polite smile. “Excuse me, sir, is this Fuxing Village? I was trying to visit some relatives but I think I took the wrong path.”

The elderly man squinted at her, studying her clothes and face. “No, this here is Hongshan Village. Were you looking for someone in Fuxing?”

Song Wei had given herself a quick disguise before coming down, tying her hair up like a married woman and smudging some dirt on her face. With the evening light dim and the man’s eyesight not the best, her act passed easily.

“Oh, I see,” she replied. “I’m newly married into Ping’an Village, and my mother-in-law asked me to visit my sister-in-law, who’s sick. But since it’s my first time visiting her, I must’ve taken a wrong turn. My husband’s off working in town, so he couldn’t come with me. I was really worried about finding my way.”

The old man’s suspicion faded, replaced by a look of understanding. “Ah, no wonder. Well, if you’re from Ping’an Village, you’d need to take that main path out to the left.”

“Thank you so much, sir. I think I’ll just return to Ping’an for now and come back tomorrow in the daylight.”

The old man gave her some more directions and then went on his way. Song Wei memorized his instructions, thanked him, and turned back toward the mountain.

When she returned, Heidan immediately leaned out from the tree to greet her. “Sister Song!”

“Good job, kiddo,” she said, helping him down and then quickly retrieving the boars from their hiding place in the trees.

“Let’s go.”

The sky had fully darkened by then, and using her sharp senses, Song Wei managed to avoid the few passersby as they dragged the boars to a small forest near the outskirts of the town.

There were no wild animals in this forest, so she wasn’t worried that the wild boar would be eaten.

“Let’s go to the town.”

It was Heidan’s first time in town, and he looked around wide-eyed, peppering Song Wei with questions.

“Are all the houses here tall?”

“They’re taller, but the rooms are often small.”

“Sister Song, do they eat meat every day here? Do they wear new clothes every day, too?”

“No, they have to use money and tickets to buy meat and vegetables. There is so little meat that many people can’t afford it.”

Song Wei patiently answered him as they made their way toward the town’s center, the dim street lights casting long shadows.

While she had initially planned to sell the meat in the black market, she quickly realized that butchering the boars and transporting the meat piece by piece could draw unwanted attention.

Instead, a new idea came to mind as she thought of the large factories on the town’s outskirts.