Chapter 126: Search and Rescue!
Ye Xuan furrowed his brow slightly, looking at Ji Yunqi, who was sitting in the passenger seat, with great surprise.
To be honest, he didn’t know where this 18-year-old girl got such a steady mindset. When his elders were in trouble, he, a young man in his twenties, was a bit flustered at first.
He even didn’t know what he should do.
In contrast, Ji Yunqi’s reaction was completely different.
Even after receiving the news that his great grandfather and the others were trapped, she didn’t show the slightest hint of panic. At most, her movements were a bit rushed.
It was hard to believe that such a calm personality belonged to an 18-year-old girl.
However, these were not the main points. The main point now was that they had to go to Gaolan Mountain as quickly as possible to rescue his great grandfather and the others.
In just one hour, they had already seen many news reports on television about snow-covered mountains, including Gaolan Mountain!
It was already confirmed that someone was trapped on the mountain, and rescue efforts were being organized.
However, because the situation was not particularly serious, the official rescue operations were not as fast. At this time, they could only rely on themselves.
No matter what, the best choice was to get there as soon as possible.
After all, in the face of such a crisis, every second counted!
What’s more, the old man was old, and these elders needed help more.
At this moment, Ji Yunqi, sitting in the passenger seat, was resting with her eyes closed. On the surface, she appeared very worried, and her whole demeanor seemed calm and composed.
However, only she knew that her heart was not calm at all; in fact, it could be described as very agitated.
The hormones during pregnancy would cause her emotions to fluctuate more than usual, and this incident had a significant impact on her.
If it weren’t for her strong willpower and decades of experience, she might not have known what to do at this moment.
Ji Yunqi had intended to tell Ye Mingkong, but considering that Rongcheng was too far from Gaolan Mountain, it would have been meaningless to tell him.
Therefore, Ji Yunqi gave up on that plan. Telling him would not help and would only add to his worries. It was better to rescue the people herself first.
Although Gaolan Mountain was near Kyoto, it was still a considerable distance from the city. By the time they got there and made preparations, it would almost be dark.
Ji Yunqi had already prepared to set off in the middle of the night. Now, she needed to rest a bit to recover some strength.
…
As the car drove towards the outskirts of the city, the sky gradually darkened.
When Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan arrived at the foot of Gaolan Mountain, it was almost dusk.
At this time, a small town at the foot of the mountain had already gathered quite a few people. Judging by their equipment, these were likely people who had come to rescue them on their own initiative.
After all, some of the people who had gone up the mountain had some influence in their families, and these were likely their family members coming to the rescue.
Ji Yunqi did not hesitate and quickly approached them.
“Everyone, are you also here to rescue people?”
At this moment, a group of big men discussing something turned their heads, and what they saw was a little girl in a white down jacket.
“Little girl, are you also here to rescue people? We’ve just made some discoveries here, so come and listen together.”
At this moment, no one questioned whether Ji Yunqi, a little girl, had the ability to rescue. They only knew that one more person meant one more strength.
In the face of life and death and natural disasters, unity was the best way, regardless of the situation.
Looking at the map on the table of these gentlemen, Ji Yunqi roughly understood.
Some of these people had just arrived, while others had originally climbed the mountain together but had come down early. In just a few hours.
They had already contacted the trapped people on the mountain, but the information they received was still too little. The only thing clear for now was that there were no casualties.
Only some elderly people had sustained minor injuries.
However, they were not together, and they had gotten separated along the way. Therefore, they could only get the approximate locations of each trapped member.
From the time Ji Yunqi received the news until she arrived here, almost 8 hours had passed. The trapped people must have been full of despair by now…
Ji Yunqi scanned the scene briefly, and her heart sank. …
It was because the snow on Gaolan Mountain was already very thick, making it difficult for people on the mountain to come down, as the path was completely obscured. No one knew if the next step would be solid ground or if they would fall into a valley.
Now, to rescue people, they could only rely on people from below the mountain to scout the way.
This was also the common opinion of everyone.
However, at present, they were still a bit short of manpower.
According to the news they received, the official rescue team would probably not arrive until tomorrow, as they also had to help other places.
At present, they could only rely on themselves!
Ji Yunqi looked up. Although it was a group of gentlemen, there were not many of them in reality.
At most, there were only a dozen people. The key was that more than half of them had other things to do, such as collecting information and maintaining contact with the rescue team…
“What do we do now?”
“The supplies they are carrying must be exhausted by now. If they really have to wait for the rescue team to arrive tomorrow, they…”
The man who spoke did not finish his sentence, but everyone present felt the seriousness of the situation.
No one had anticipated this sudden heavy snowfall, and now, they were all hesitant.
Should they wait?
Wait for the rescue team to arrive? But the rescue team didn’t know when they would arrive. At the earliest, they would arrive tomorrow. If they just waited here, no one knew what would happen in the meantime!
But if they went to search and rescue directly?
If they went, what could they do? It was almost dark, and what was the point of going at this time? What if they also fell into danger?
This undoubtedly stumped everyone present. Although the people trapped on the mountain were their family or friends, going up the mountain now was too dangerous.
Ji Yunqi’s head felt heavy, but it wasn’t because of the child. If she was worried, what good was it for a group of gentlemen to hesitate here?
Looking at the map on the table, Ji Yunqi clenched her fists and then pulled Ye Xuan aside.
“What’s wrong?”
“Listen carefully!”
“You continue to seek help here, find people to help as quickly as possible, and prepare rescue supplies, understand?”
Ye Xuan seemed to understand after hearing this.
He looked at Ji Yunqi in terror: “What are you going to do? Are you going up the mountain?”
Ji Yunqi nodded helplessly.
There was no other way now. If they delayed any longer, no one knew what accidents would happen to the people on the mountain. She would never allow her family to be in danger.
Now, she had to go up the mountain herself to scout the way. If she was lucky, she could find the trapped people directly, and their safety would be guaranteed.
Even if she couldn’t find them, she could provide help to the subsequent rescue team, saving them the trouble of scouting and allowing them to carry out the rescue as soon as possible.
Even though Ji Yunqi knew that her physical condition was not good, and she was even carrying a child, which further reduced her physical strength and energy.
But she had to save Old Deng!
Ye Lingyu was her family, one of the few elders who treated her sincerely, and Jiang Hua was also like that. She couldn’t stand by and watch!
She did not have the habit of outsourcing filial piety and could not urge others to go up the mountain to rescue people.
What’s more, Ye Xuan was just a child. What did he understand? What role could a little brat play by going up?
“No, you’re just a frail pregnant woman. Why would you go? If anyone goes, it should be me!”
Ji Yunqi shook off Ye Xuan’s hand that was holding her and glared at him fiercely: “Ye Xuan, listen to me. You are just a child, you don’t understand anything. Do as I tell you, and don’t talk nonsense to me!”
After saying that, Ji Yunqi didn’t wait for Ye Xuan’s reply, picked up the necessary supplies she had prepared, and plunged back into the crowd of gentlemen.
At this moment, everyone around was stunned by Ji Yunqi’s aura.
Ji Yunqi glanced at them, then took the map directly.
There would definitely be spare maps here, and they could re-mark them according to the information. However, Ji Yunqi did not have that much time to wait for them to re-mark a map for her.
“Hey, little girl, what are you doing?”
Ji Yunqi looked back at the man calmly: “My family is trapped on the mountain. I can’t wait here any longer. I’m going up the mountain!”
As soon as she said this, everyone present was stunned. It was already evening, and going up the mountain at this time was very dangerous.
What’s more, she was a little girl.
The few people exchanged glances and understood each other’s meaning.
Then, to Ji Yunqi’s surprise, three people walked out.
“Little girl, we’ll go with you!” They were people who had come down from the mountain, so they would have a better understanding of the route. They were already hesitating, thinking whether they should go up the mountain to search now.
But now, a little girl stepped forward and said she was going to search and rescue. If a little girl was not afraid, how could they, a group of gentlemen, be afraid?
“Okay!” Ji Yunqi had no reservations; it was a matter of life and death, and time was of the essence.
Since they had already considered this, the three of them had also prepared their supplies in advance, so they did not waste any time.
Just as the four of them were about to go up the mountain, Ji Yunqi looked back at Ye Xuan.
“Kid, remember what I told you, do your job!”
Ye Xuan stretched out his hand and opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat.
He really wanted to say that he would go with them, but he didn’t know how to climb mountains or read maps. If he went, he would probably just be a burden.
At this moment, Ji Yunqi’s back in Ye Xuan’s eyes was no longer so thin or small. Instead, it appeared very grand.
“You must come back safely!”
…
“Brother, what are your names?” On the way, Ji Yunqi asked for the names of these brave men.
“Us? You don’t need to worry too much. Just call me Brother Li. You can call the other two Brother Wang and Brother Zhang.”
Ji Yunqi: …
They were so casual…
But it didn’t matter; as long as she knew how to address them.
“Okay, Brother Li, do you have any plans?” Ji Yunqi looked at the three of them. They seemed to have ideas, so she could listen to them first, and if they weren’t reliable, she could offer her opinion later.
“Yes, although Gaolan Mountain is not fully developed, it is still a tourist attraction, so the routes are relatively fixed. We will go up the mountain along the way.”
“The difficulty, however, lies in the fact that there are many places to search after going up the mountain. We may have to split up to find people as quickly as possible, but what about you, girl…”
Ji Yunqi knew their concerns. After all, she was a young girl and seemed a bit weak, but she was no longer so fragile now.
Ji Yunqi patted her chest: “Don’t worry, Brother Li. Since I’ve come all this way, I naturally have some experience.”
This was not Ji Yunqi boasting. She had loved traveling in her younger days, and climbing mountains was not a one-off thing. She had considerable experience in such mountain climbing activities.
“Alright then, we’ll officially start on the mountain path in a few minutes, so be careful!”
Ji Yunqi nodded. She also noticed that the snow here was clearly thicker.
Due to it being winter, the sky, which had a slight reddish hue when they set off, had already turned pitch black at some point.
Now, only a little bit of residual light could guide them forward.
In just a few minutes, the four of them had already stepped onto the mountain path.
Everyone also put on their pre-prepared headlamps, and the dark road ahead immediately became bright.
Ji Yunqi also opened the map at this time. Gaolan Mountain was not particularly large, and there were many ways to go up the mountain, but there were few paths along the way. This meant that they would not make any wrong turns.
Perhaps, this was the only good news…
“This way…”
Because the snow covered the path, it was a vast expanse of white. The few people could only fumble their way forward by instinct and the map.
Even though Ji Yunqi had a quick mind and moved swiftly, the three gentlemen still sandwiched her in the middle, preventing her from scouting the way first and ensuring she wouldn’t fall behind.
On this vast expanse of white snow, there were still warm-hearted things.
The four of them did not separate too much. At this time, Ji Yunqi was no longer carrying her backpack. Instead, she held a stack of flags in her hands.
Every so often, the four of them would plant a flag on the ground. The flags had clear arrows to indicate the direction, and their colors were particularly conspicuous in the vast expanse of white snow.
This was very important for both the rescue team that would arrive later and for themselves.
The rescue team could use these flags to ascend the mountain more quickly, and they could use these flags to descend the mountain more safely.
As the four of them advanced up the mountain, the flags they carried were almost all used up.
However, they had successfully marked the main roads of the entire Gaolan Mountain.
Now, they had reached the point where they had to split up!
“Little girl, you must be careful. If you really can’t do anything, just find a place to protect yourself, okay?”
Ji Yunqi nodded. Her constitution was the worst here, so she could only listen patiently.
This trip up the mountain gave Ji Yunqi a new understanding of her frail physical condition.
She had never had an accurate understanding of her physical condition before, but this trip up the mountain fully revealed it.
Just from the foot of the mountain to here, not yet to the summit, and still walking on the main road without climbing any cliffs, she already felt very tired.
However, she did not show it. Fortunately, Ji Yunqi knew how to control her breathing, which allowed her to somewhat speed up her recovery and reduce her energy consumption.
“Don’t worry about me, I know what I’m doing. Let’s split up to search for the trapped people next.”
“Okay, be careful!”
As the four of them rushed in different directions, Ji Yunqi’s heart began to feel a little anxious.
It was already 10:00 PM, but she had not seen any trace of the trapped personnel.
The direction Ji Yunqi was heading was the relatively flatter terrain among the four directions. This was also a form of care from the three gentlemen towards her.
Ji Yunqi did not act coyly and accepted it on the spot, after all, she was well aware of her own stamina and did not try to show off.
Since they had deviated from the main road and were entering the inner part of the mountain, they did not need to worry too much about accidentally falling, but they still had to be cautious.
This was also to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
As Ji Yunqi continued to search, she finally found some clues.
She saw a faint trace of blood on the snowfield ahead. This trace of bright red was too conspicuous in the snowfield. Even though it was only a little left, Ji Yunqi still found it.
The presence of blood here meant that someone was injured, and it would not be too far from her.
After all, in such a place, once injured, one had to take care of the wound, and these trapped people found it difficult to walk out on their own.
Therefore, it was highly likely that they were hiding somewhere here to conserve energy and wait for rescue.
As for whether it was animal blood?
There was no need to consider this. Although Gaolan Mountain was an undeveloped wild mountain, there were always tourists climbing here. If not completely without animals, at least there would not be any relatively dangerous animals.
Otherwise, Ji Yunqi would not have dared to go up the mountain like this.
Ji Yunqi looked at the bloodstains and continued to proceed in her intended direction.
Along the way, as she expected, she found more bloodstains.
Ji Yunqi continued to search for bloodstains while taking breaks to recover her strength. She had to ensure that her stamina did not become exhausted.
In this dangerous environment, once she felt significantly tired, it would be very dangerous.
As she walked, Ji Yunqi suddenly sat down on a rock to rest.
Except at the beginning, when there were more bloodstains, they were difficult to see on the road ahead afterwards.
It was probably because they had treated their wounds. Looking back at the path she had come from, every step was clear.
At this moment, it seemed as if heaven did not want Ji Yunqi to have an easy time, as it started snowing again!
This made Ji Yunqi panic. They had dared to go up the mountain precisely because they thought it would not snow for a short period. However, now, the sky had started to snow again, which was not good news.
Once it started snowing, it meant that her footprints would be buried, and she could only rely on the markings she had made along the way to identify the direction, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the search.
What’s more, the snow here was already deep enough, and with more snow…
“We can’t wait any longer. We must find these people as soon as possible.”
The injured people here could probably bandage their wounds, but after all, they were just tourists, so they couldn’t carry too much medicine. At this time, the medicine in Ji Yunqi’s backpack seemed particularly important.
Looking at the vegetation ahead that was gradually being submerged, Ji Yunqi started moving forward again.
The bloodstains along the way became fewer and fewer, and some were even completely submerged by the snow. Fortunately, Ji Yunqi entered a forest.
From here, the snow was relatively less, but the environment was darker. In the open spaces, she could use the faint light from the sky to cooperate with her headlamp to see more clearly, but now she could only rely on the headlamp.
However, fortunately, the battery life of the headlamp was very good, so Ji Yunqi did not have to worry about her vision suddenly falling into darkness.
The forest was not large, and Ji Yunqi quickly found new clues. She saw a patch of colorful items ahead!
Ji Yunqi quickly stepped forward, picked them up, and took a closer look.
Good heavens, floral underpants!
These… aren’t these Old Deng’s floral underpants?
Even though a part of the floral underpants in her hand was torn, Ji Yunqi could still recognize them, as not many people had such a peculiar preference.
However, upon thinking of this, Ji Yunqi’s heart sank.
The presence of floral underpants here meant that the injured person was either Old Deng or her mother-in-law!
This was not good. Ji Yunqi could not bear to accept it if either of them was injured.
“Wait for me, I’ll be right there!”
Ji Yunqi began to search for the target within the forest. This was a rare area where they could temporarily shelter from the wind and snow. Logically speaking, as long as they were waiting for rescue, they should be in this area.
However, Ji Yunqi searched almost all around but found no sign of anyone.
“Where on earth are you?”
Ji Yunqi suddenly felt her foot slip, and she slid down uncontrollably!
“Uh…”
As Ji Yunqi slid down, she tried to grab onto some vegetation on the steep slope to stabilize herself, but the snow had completely covered them, and she couldn’t grab anything to help her stabilize herself.
She could only let herself slide down continuously. Rocks along the way hit her body. Even though her thick down jacket provided some protection, it still caused her pain.
Ji Yunqi immediately adjusted her posture in an attempt to use her body to stabilize her position, but when she adjusted her posture, a dark rift appeared before her eyes!
…
