A Father's Sacrifice

The middle-aged man sat pensively in his house, serving as the village head of a remote settlement far from the bustling city life. Despite the country's advanced technology, life there retained its traditional essence.

"Gross, why did you even do that?" he murmured softly, rubbing his forehead. There was no one to offer him comfort in this moment of distress.

He continued to gaze at an old, grey picture frame which captured a woman holding a newborn baby, his long-deceased wife.

"Why did everything turn so complicated and bad? Where did I go wrong in my past decisions?" he lamented, eyes puffy and filled with sorrow. The daunting condition to save his son, which required him to procure a hundred more sacrifices, seemed impossible.

"Village chief, come out!" A voice echoed, accompanied by the sound of dozens of footsteps, disturbing the man's contemplations.

"Why are they here?" he wondered, peering through a crack in his wall. He saw his villagers approaching, brandishing fresh