After enduring another night, at dawn on the second day, someone went to check the entrance, but the result was still disappointment.
Fortunately, because of Qiao Nan’s words, the atmosphere wasn’t entirely hopeless.
Everyone still held a sliver of hope in their hearts, silently watching the gloomy weather outside, wishing for the day to end quickly, believing that they’d be rescued if they just held on for two more days.
But accidents always happen before tomorrow.
Qiu Ran began showing symptoms of hypothermia.
The path to the mountain entrance wasn’t short, and to prevent accidents, they always paired a male and a female student.
Old Li, being older, went back and forth alone.
When Qiu Ran and Qiao Nan went out to check early in the morning, Qiu Ran’s spirits weren’t good. Not long after they returned, he kept complaining of cold, and his limbs began to tremble slightly and uncontrollably.
Qiao Nan, having nearly been kidnapped once, had later been taught some wilderness survival and self-rescue skills by people Pei Xu arranged.
He knew something was wrong when he saw Qiu Ran’s symptoms.
He took off his own coat and put it on Qiu Ran, asking Wu Meng and the other girls to take turns holding him to warm him up, then organized the healthier boys to go out and find thin branches.
Qiu Ran needed to drink some hot water to replenish his energy.
Four boys plus Old Li, five people, braved the rain and searched around, each returning with a bundle of thin branches.
After days of heavy rain, it was impossible to find anything dry and easily combustible.
They could only try their best to find thin branches, as they were easier to start a fire with.
While Zhao Yutong and the others were starting the fire, Qiao Nan called Old Li outside.
“This won’t do. Qiu Ran’s condition can’t be delayed too long; we have to figure something out.”
Severe hypothermia can lead to frostbite and even death.
Old Li was also anxious, calculating the time.
“Your brother should rush here as soon as he gets the message; he should still make it—”
“That was a lie I told them.” Qiao Nan slightly averted his gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.
“The message didn’t send at all. Everyone needs something to hope for to keep going.”
Old Li’s lips trembled, “But what if no one comes at all…?”
“They won’t,” Qiao Nan stated firmly.
“My brother will definitely come look for me. With so many days of heavy rain and landslides in the mountains, something must have happened outside. Otherwise, no one would have come to look for us after three days and two nights. Whether it’s floods or landslides, there will definitely be news reports, and my brother will see them and come find me. But Qiu Ran can’t wait that long; we need to figure out a way to help ourselves first.”
Old Li was silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll go out and find people. It’s over thirty kilometers back to Fengxi, so even if I’m slow, I can walk there in two days. If I’m lucky, I might even run into someone halfway.”
“I’ll go.”
Qiao Nan had called him out for this very reason.
“You’re everyone’s anchor; if you’re not here, the others will panic even more.”
Without waiting for Old Li to refuse, he continued, “You can just follow the winding mountain road out. I know how to make markers. Plus, I’m younger, and my stamina is definitely better than yours.”
Old Li knew he was right.
The group was full of young kids, and he was the only elder and teacher.
If he wasn’t there, the students would only be more frightened.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Old Li sighed heavily and patted his shoulder with force.
Qiao Nan returned to the cave and spoke quietly with Zhao Yutong for a few moments, then told the others that he and Zhao Yutong were going out to seek help, “Qiu Ran’s condition isn’t good. If we walk along the highway, we might run into my brother’s rescue team halfway.”
His expression was calm, his tone firm, showing no hint of impropriety.
Hope ignited in the eyes of the others.
They handed them the undamaged raincoats and umbrellas, as well as the last small packet of biscuits.
Qiao Nan chose brightly colored rain gear but refused the biscuits.
He and Zhao Yutong left the cave together, walking outwards along the seemingly endless winding mountain road.
***
The plane from Nanjing to Guizhou landed at Ziyun Airport at 5:15 AM.
Before departing, Pei Xu had already asked Old K to contact another local private rescue team.
After getting off the plane, the group boarded the rescue team’s off-road vehicle and headed straight for Hongya Mountain.
The leader of the local Guizhou rescue team, Zhou Yong, was telling Pei Xu about the disaster situation in Shita County, “Shita County is one of the most severely affected areas. A landslide upstream triggered a mudslide that destroyed the dam, and more than half of Shita County is flooded. The road to Hongya Mountain is also cut off by a landslide and is currently impassable.”
“Can we detour?”
“The villages around Hongya Mountain were collectively relocated years ago.
That area is now basically uninhabited mountainous terrain, with only this one road leading there,” Zhou Yong said.
Pei Xu pinched the bridge of his nose and could only say, “Let’s go there first and assess the situation.”
Nearly four hours later, the convoy stopped in the middle of the winding mountain road.
Zhou Yong pointed to the blockage not far away, “This is it. The collapse is too severe; neither vehicles nor people can pass.”
One side of the winding mountain road was a vast mountain, the other a sheer cliff.
Before the creations of nature, human power seemed small and insignificant.
Pei Xu glanced at it, “Can we climb the mountain?”
Zhou Yong shook his head, “Operating in the rain makes it too difficult.”
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Pei Xu called Old K and Zhao Bo over for a discussion, and they ultimately decided to start the search using drones.
The rescue drones were equipped with infrared sensors, allowing for large-scale scanning and localization.
Twenty-three drone pilots quickly took their positions.
The white drones buzzed, scattering in unison, and began searching the mountain.
***
Qiao Nan and Zhao Yutong had been walking along the winding mountain road for an hour.
Today, the rain had begun to lessen, changing from a downpour to moderate rain, but it was still quite uncomfortable for people on a long journey.
Zhao Yutong wiped the rain from his face and panted, “I really can’t go on. I’m tired, hungry, and cold.”
He slumped to the ground, his legs weak, and licked the rain from his lips.
“Let’s find a place to rest. I seriously feel like I’m going to drop dead.”
Qiao Nan was also nearing his limit.
At this point, being tired was nothing; the blisters on the soles of his feet were truly agonizing, each step a fresh wave of pain.
He looked around and saw a protruding rock face.
He painstakingly pulled Zhao Yutong.
“Don’t sit here, go over there.”
Zhao Yutong’s limbs were sore and weak; he was so tired he wanted to crawl.
Dragged by Qiao Nan, he barely made it to shelter under the rock.
He looked at the mountains shrouded in rain, mumbling, “If I can get out of here alive, I’m going to switch careers and write a book. I’ll title it The Adventures of Zhao Yutong.”
Qiao Nan chuckled briefly.
“Then I’ll spend a fortune to buy a hundred copies.”
“Only a hundred copies? Young Master Qiao is too stingy,” Zhao Yutong grumbled discontentedly.
The two joked around, which at least lightened their mood.
Qiao Nan was about to suggest moving forward again when he suddenly caught a faint buzzing sound.
“Do you hear something?”
He turned his head, looking around.
That sound was very familiar to him, much like the whirring of drone rotors.
But he wasn’t sure if it was just a hallucination brought on by fatigue.
“What?”
Zhao Yutong sat up, listened intently for a moment, and then hesitantly said, “It sounds like there’s something?”
Zhao Yutong heard it too; it wasn’t a hallucination!
Qiao Nan stood up abruptly.
The moment his foot touched the ground, he winced in pain, but he ignored it.
He quickly scrambled to higher ground, his eyes scanning around, and finally spotted a hovering white speck in the air.
“Drone!”
Qiao Nan shouted excitedly.
“It’s a drone!”
***
“Two targets found.”
“In what direction?”
Pei Xu’s spirits immediately lifted.
He leaned over to the control console.
“Lower the altitude, zoom in on the image.”
“Right on the winding mountain road.”
The pilot answered the question while controlling the drone to descend.
The aerial camera transmitted the live feed, and Qiao Nan’s figure appeared on the display screen.
He gripped his lemon-yellow raincoat, waving it vigorously in the direction of the drone.
He was drenched by the rain, his hair plastered to his face, and his clothes and shoes covered in mud.
Just looking at his disheveled appearance, it was clear how much hardship he had endured.
Pei Xu’s heart tightened with each beat.
He wished he could immediately overcome the towering mountains and treacherous obstacles, bring Qiao Nan back, and hold him close, never allowing him to suffer the slightest bit of wind or rain again.
But in the end, he just closed his eyes tightly and said in a composed voice, “Prepare for rescue.”
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