He saw the footprints, but his first reaction was not to follow them and find the person. Instead, he wanted to sneak in first and look for food and warmth while the person was away.
However, the wall was too high, so he took out a dagger and tried to pry open a spot on the neatly stacked stone wall behind the house to climb over.
Wen Qian had built the outer wall very neatly, but the inside was uneven, allowing for footholds to climb up. Usually, Wen Qian just used a ladder.
Da Gang tried prying for a bit, but found it too troublesome. He looked around but couldn't find any stones or wood to use as a step.
Since he couldn't get in, he decided to follow the footprints and find the person first.
He thought subduing a woman would be easy. If his companion were here, they would have stopped him.
Even in peacetime, living here alone required courage. After the apocalypse, anyone still living here must have a weapon or two, right?
If it were Xiao Cai, he'd be more cautious, but Da Gang clearly wasn't that type.
Wen Qian watched as a man tried poking the wall with a knife a few times before giving up. He then followed the footprints around the back wall, heading towards her location up the mountain.
Wen Qian had already prepared as he came down from the mountain. She extended the footprints forward and even dropped a tent ahead.
Now she was deciding whether to use a gun or a crossbow. The crossbow made less noise, so she aimed it at him.
Her goal was to hit him with one shot and prevent his escape, but she lacked confidence in her shooting skills.
The target was also moving quickly. By the time Wen Qian hesitated, he had reached the forest.
Being uphill, Da Gang felt tired upon climbing up, but he noticed only forward footprints, so he continued ahead.
Soon, Da Gang was approaching the tree where Wen Qian was hiding.
Wen Qian held her breath, wanting him to come a bit closer.
Da Gang noticed the tree had been pruned clean of branches underneath.
As he looked up, their eyes met. Da Gang's heart sank - his target was a woman, but her gaze showed no panic.
Before Da Gang could aim his gun, a massive object dropped from above onto his head.
A huge concrete slab fell from the sky, pinning Da Gang down and leaving him unable to make a sound.
He fell to the ground, as if all his strength had vanished. Blood stained the snow a bright red color.
He didn't understand how such a large stone could drop from the sky.
When their eyes met, Wen Qian had finally executed the killing scenario she had rehearsed countless times, instantly incapacitating him.
She had noticed his gun, so she was extra careful.
After coming down from the tree, Wen Qian kept watching him as she approached from the side. She kicked his gun away, then pulled the object out from her Space.
The man pinned by the slab let out a groan. Wen Qian bound his hands, ensuring he couldn't move, then removed the slab and took away his dagger.
In excruciating pain, Da Gang realized he was doomed. His injuries were likely severe, leaving him as good as dead in these conditions.
Wen Qian didn't say anything, simply stuffing him into a body bag. Only when he saw the zippers did Da Gang realize it was a body bag.
His opponent must be an experienced hand - he was really done for.
Wen Qian tightly bound the body bag with rope, then used a shovel to scoop up the bloodstained snow and shove it into the bag.
Wen Qian asked him where his companions were. Her question wasn't asking if he had companions, but directly asking where they were.
This line of questioning didn't stop.
Every time Da Gang shook his head and said he was alone, Wen Qian jabbed him with the shovel.
His legs were numb, but his abdomen still felt pain, and any movement caused him agony.
The cold crept inwards from outside. Wen Qian was asking if he had companions to prepare herself - if he did, she'd handle it one way, but if not, she'd kill him to silence him.
His dagger and gun showed he had ill intent.
Not knowing Wen Qian's plan, Da Gang finally claimed he had several companions to scare her, implying they'd come looking for him if he went missing.
Wen Qian climbed a tree to observe. Even if his companions came running from the mountain base, it would take them time to get here.
But in reality, Xiao Cai had fled as soon as Da Gang said he was going.
Wen Qian kept pressing Da Gang on his companions' hiding place. Panicked, Da Gang tried to intimidate her by saying they'd definitely come for him if he was missing.
But Wen Qian calmly stated she could just kill him before they arrived.
Da Gang felt his wounds hurting more as his body temperature dropped. He started begging for his life, promising to leave and never return.
He admitted he had only lied about having multiple companions, only having one who wouldn't even come looking for him.
But Wen Qian no longer believed him, so she decided to proceed as if he did have companions to ensure her future safety.
Wen Qian had already donned a mask, hood, raincoat, rain boots, and blue latex gloves, looking like a surgeon or a deranged killer.
The man panicked completely at her appearance, almost wetting himself, then spilled everything - admitting he only had one companion currently hiding in a certain location.
He hoped telling the truth would make Wen Qian stop her killing preparations.
Having gotten the information she wanted, Wen Qian started planning how to kill him.
She didn't think she'd sleep tonight, intending to immediately go to the mountain and kill the other one after this.
Not wanting to see blood, Wen Qian started pouring water on his face and sticking paper over it, like a killing method from TV shows. After a few sheets, the man went still.
Wen Qian zipped up the bag and tried dragging it down the mountain, but the body was too heavy.
Originally not wanting to put the corpse in her Space as it would feel disturbing, Wen Qian had no choice but to store it there since she couldn't drag or bury it.
She then prepared all her belongings and weapons in the Space before heading into the mountains.
Following his footprints, Wen Qian noticed another single set of footprints near their shelter, implying the companion hadn't returned.
Wen Qian entered their windbreak - half rock, half snow forming a sheltered area. The fire had long died, leaving only ashes.
And there was nothing inside except a message scratched in charcoal on the rock:
"Split up. I'm gone, not coming back."
Puzzled, Wen Qian left, using a bamboo broom to erase her own footprints. Since the companion didn't plan to return, she saw no need to keep looking for him.
Instead, she continued in another direction to find a suitable place to dump the body.
She went to where she had previously encountered a bear, climbing up to a steep cliff, and pulled the body out of her Space.
After removing the clean ropes, she dumped the body out of the bag and over the cliff.
Wen Qian used the white snow to clean the bag of blood, then shook out the dirty snow.
She carried out these actions as if on autopilot, as routine as cleaning.
Once done, she simply returned home.
The body may eventually be eaten by wolves or vultures, or left to slowly rot after winter passed.
