"Mastеr Коng Gаn, аs you cаn sеe, the рerson wе'rе lооking fоr сan't affоrd to wait for hours of delау. We сan sеt uр саmp whеrе уоu mеntionеd becausе wе don't hаve pursuers оn our tail, but hе's different—hе might bе саught bу sоmеone whilе wе're slеерing." She stеpреd forward. "Маybе arriving one sеcond eаrliеr сould sаve a life. I knоw еvеryоnе vаluеs thеir оwn life. Yоu'rе onlу resрonsible fоr guiding the wау; уou dоn't hаvе tо lead. If things get dаngerous later, yоu can staу at the bаck."
Коng Gan sighеd and shook his head. "If you're not afraid of hardship, exhaustion, bleeding, or sacrifice, then let's go!"
Diao Zhuo glanced around at the other members of the Rescue Team, and they all nodded. He then turned to Liu Ming and the others. "We plan to search through the night. What about you..."
Before he could finish, Liu Ming said, "We don't mind. It's best to find the person as soon as possible."
"Thank you," Bayunye said sincerely. Whether they were plainclothes officers or not, as long as their goal was the same, they were comrades. The others waved it off, saying it was no trouble. Only Ah Shui took a small step back behind the others, instinctively pulling his hat lower to minimize his presence. With so many people and dim lighting, Bayunye didn't have time to look closely at everyone. Seeing that they all agreed to continue, she pointed to the left front. "Let's go that way."
Diao Zhuo gave her a questioning look, and when she nodded firmly, he didn't ask further.
"Going that way is downhill, but after crossing a small river, we'll have to climb mountains." Kong Gan's gaze carried a warning as he spoke very seriously. "I've heard no one has ever survived crossing those mountains. Back in the day, many Japanese soldiers died there, and even those who went to collect their bodies never returned. Whether picking mushrooms or gathering herbs, we never go that way. Heh... I'm not trying to scare you, but it's eerie! When we were kids, the elders warned us—if you're forced by those eerie things, you'll die for sure. It's not something you can overcome just because you're capable or clever. Understand?"
Bayunye dismissed it. "The Japanese invaders killed so many of our people. This is just a lesson for them—to let them know that if they come as tourists, they're welcome, but if they cause trouble, absolutely not! Since the mountains are Chinese mountains, they definitely specialize in dealing with foreigners with ill intentions. We Chinese are all family, so they'll treat us well. Take that hanged ghost, for example. When Brother Long set the trap, nothing happened. Why was he bitten by a snake as soon as he touched the tree trunk?"
This logic was flawless.
Bayunye stole a glance at Liu Ming and the others. Though their expressions were unclear, their eyes seemed to curve as if smiling. She thought to herself—even if you're plainclothes officers, hearing this should make you realize I'm a patriotic young person with solid principles.
Kong Gan looked at her, both exasperated and amused, knowing her relationship with Diao Zhuo. He patted Diao Zhuo's shoulder, shook his head with a smile, and sighed. "Alright, let's go. I hope the person you're looking for hasn't really gone that far... But I'll say this upfront: I can take you across the river, but if you want to climb those mountains... I won't accompany you. It's not that I'm afraid of dying—it's just that I've truly never been there."Bayunye shot him an annoyed glare, her peripheral vision catching the corpse again. Whether it was psychological or not, she felt its green hair had grown even thicker, even the originally brown hair now tinged with green. Deliberately averting her gaze, she rubbed her arms to soothe the goosebumps that had risen. Regardless of whether there was any scientific explanation for the Green-Haired Corpse, she still felt—this was no place to linger!
The group set off again. Remembering how, back in Qiangtang, Ye Xun had taken all the food and Bayunye had led everyone in singing "Unity Is Strength" to boost morale, the Rescue Team members urged her—
"Master Ba, say a few words to lift our spirits, so we can push through and find Brother Long in one go."
"Yeah, sing a song or something."
"This time we’ll really sing along with you!"
Bayunye thought for a long moment, then raised both hands and shouted a rallying cry—"Down with Japanese imperialism!"
"Pfft, hahahaha!!" The group couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. Diao Zhuo glanced up at Bayunye’s enthusiastic back, a faint smile hidden in his eyes.
The group switched to torches, munching on dry rations as they slowly advanced. Bayunye paid extra attention along the way and indeed discovered several more marks left by Brother Long. Since the marks pointed in the opposite direction, Brother Long had left his beads under every marked tree without hesitation—one bead at the first mark, then two, three, four...
The night air grew even damper, so even if flames or sparks brushed against branches and leaves, they wouldn’t catch fire. The various spiders living here spun all kinds of webs. The torches served to burn away the dense spiderwebs, while the light and heat kept some insects and snakes at bay.
Everyone in the group frequently participated in wilderness rescues, their stamina and endurance far beyond ordinary people’s. Even if they had to search all night, they could keep going. It was just that the surroundings were too dark, leaving everyone with a slight sense of insecurity. So, the Rescue Team members chatted and joked loudly, while Liu Ming and the others remained silent as usual.
"Cough! Who brought bread with spicy strips inside?! This abomination is burning my mouth!"
"If it’s too spicy, I’ve got candy here."
"Damn, why are you, a grown man, carrying candy?"
"I’ll kick you! I was being nice, and you mock me?"
"Haha, what’s wrong with a single guy eating some candy?"
"Oh, so it’s dog food."
"Screw you!"
Although it was downhill, the path wasn’t easy to navigate. Combined with the slippery ground, one misstep could send someone sliding, with their rear end taking the brunt. Bayunye was quite helpful, steadying herself with her left hand on tree trunks while offering a supportive hand with her right to those passing by. Liu Ming and the others, always at the back of the group, politely declined with slight bows when they saw her outstretched hand. "No need, thank you, we can manage on our own..."
She didn’t pay much mind and continued downward, but suddenly stopped and looked back at Liu Ming and the others. They immediately halted, nervously meeting her gaze.
Bayunye broke into a smile. "I forgot you’re from the mountaineering association. This kind of path must be a piece of cake for you."
"That’s... that’s right..." Liu Ming replied with an awkward smile.
She turned and kept walking. Though she still felt there was something odd about them, she couldn’t figure out what they were after by following the group.They walked down for a long time until they could hear the sound of flowing water. Kong Gan said there were many springs in this area, with streams gushing out and converging into a small creek, which further down turned into a small river. It sounded beautiful, but the descent was treacherous. The streams did not flow gently downward but meandered between protruding rocks, with significant drops between them, making it impossible to find a direct path.
"Are you sure he went down this way? If not, we should try another route," Kong Gan asked while carefully maneuvering around a rock without any shade. "Watch your step and be careful of what's above you..."
Bayunye felt there was a strange smell here—neither pleasant nor foul, yet oddly familiar. She sniffed hard, but the scent came and went, and she couldn't tell what was causing it.
Xiang An craned his neck to look down, but it was pitch black below, with no end in sight, giving him an uneasy and unsafe feeling. He asked Bayunye, "If Brother Long wanted to go down, how would he do it?"
"If it were me, with enough time, I'd chop down two or three small trees and build a makeshift bridge between the rocks. But with his weight... chopping trees would take too much time." Bayunye patted the tree trunk beside her and felt a chill on her neck, as if a few drops of dew had fallen on it. Being used to the wilderness, she didn't pay it much mind. "Ropes? I don't know how many he had. After setting that trap, he probably didn't have any left."
Diao Zhuo tugged at the vines that were everywhere. "What about these?"
"That could work too. Twisting them together would save time compared to chopping trees. But there's a downside—they can't be retrieved, which would signal to others, 'I went down this way.' Someone might follow them down."
"Let's search around first," Da Qin waved them over.
The group turned on their headlamps and began searching through the nearby rocks.
"There are mosquitoes here, biting my legs and making them itch!" Xiang An couldn't help but slap his pants after just a few steps.
Qi Zi laughed. "Pretty boy~ Now you know the importance of leg hair!"
Xiang An retorted, "Monkeys have more hair, and they attract fleas."
Someone else chimed in, saying they were also getting itchy from mosquito bites.
"Look here—" Despite the limited light, everyone's sharp eyes spotted some broken wood between the rocks. They pulled it up and saw it was bamboo, with a fairly fresh cut. Others reported finding several chopped vines nearby, as well as cleanly gnawed wild fruit pits.
Diao Zhuo asked Kong Gan, "Are there bamboo groves around here?"
"There's a small bamboo grove."
Bayunye exclaimed, "Bamboo is great! It's flexible, you can find water in it, bamboo tubes can store things or be used for cooking, and there might even be bamboo worms..."
"The kind that taste like chicken and are crispy?" Xiang An asked.
She swallowed, clearly craving it.
"He probably built a simple ladder, destroyed it after crossing safely," Diao Zhuo pulled up more broken bamboo pieces, one end wrapped with vines and a branch. "Truly a seasoned adventurer with extensive extreme wilderness survival experience."
For the Rescue Team, equipped with some gear, descending along the rocks was relatively easier. Diao Zhuo divided everyone into groups—some responsible for lighting, some for scouting the path, and others for securing ropes and makeshift ladders.
"Are there... no snakes here?" Perhaps still shaken by the earlier corpse, Liu Ming cautiously asked Kong Gan.
Kong Gan shook his head with certainty. "Not many."Liu Ming had just begun to feel reassured when Bayunye spoke up with seasoned expertise, "That means there's a reason why snakes don't dare gather here. Master, tell us what it is—centipedes, mongooses, or is there only one King Cobra around here?"
Xiang An, ever the curious one, asked again, "What? If there's a King Cobra, other snakes won't come?"
"Of course," Bayunye replied, unable to suppress a shiver at the mention of it. "Why do you think it's called the King Cobra? It's territorial."
Kong Gan waved a hand dismissively, "There's plenty of Dengtaiqi around here. We can pick some later just in case."
"So that's it," Bayunye explained, seeing that Xiang An and the others didn't understand. "It's also called Paris polyphylla. They say it can treat snake bites, and snakes don't like its smell."
Everyone felt reassured. Seeing that the ropes were securely fastened, they prepared to descend. Kong Gan stopped Da Qin and Tan Lin, who were rushing ahead, and asked once more if they could wait until dawn.
"Master Ba, what's that... behind your neck!" Xiang An suddenly shouted.
Bayunye instinctively ducked his head and reached behind his neck, feeling something soft and slippery. When he grabbed it, his hand was covered in blood.
Just as Diao Zhuo was about to rush over, Fat Monkey from the climbing team suddenly cried out, "Where did all this blood come from!"
Everyone quickly turned to look at him, several beams of light shining in his direction. His neck and hands were drenched in blood, a horrifying sight as if someone had slashed his throat.
Before they could figure out what was happening, Qi Zi also seemed to feel discomfort. He stomped his feet hard, sat down abruptly, and yanked up his pant leg, revealing his calf covered in blood. Dozens of small holes oozed dark red blood.