Chapter 95

"Your call has been disconnected."

Xiaohai put down the phone and yawned. After returning from the sea, he had slept for a few hours before taking out his phone, which he hadn't used for days. He found that Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi had called him five days ago, and it turned out that Yuyan had also called him dozens of times. However, when he called back, both of their phones were off. When he tried Yuyan's number, it said "in a call."

He had originally planned to invite them for dinner. He had been away for five whole days. To be honest, he found it annoying to be with them, as the two women always chattered nonstop. But after a few days apart, he actually missed them a bit.

He ate a bowl of instant noodles and sat there, not knowing what to do. The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. Checking the weather forecast, he found that it had been raining for three days and three nights. He had been in the sea and hadn't noticed anything.

Suddenly, he remembered that he was supposed to start work normally tomorrow. He wondered if Xu Xiumei had arranged the quarantine station for him. After hesitating for a moment, he called Xu Xiumei.

The phone rang for a long time before someone answered. As soon as the call connected, Xu Xiumei's urgent voice came through: "Xiaohai, have you heard from Yunqi and Mengmeng?"

Huh? What's going on? Xiaohai was confused: "I've been away for a few days, President Xu, what happened to them?"

"They've gone missing..." Xu Xiumei's voice was almost crying: "I can't talk much now, we're all at Dengyun Mountain..."

She hung up after that.

Dengyun Mountain? Didn't Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi say they were going to Duanshan?

A strong sense of foreboding rose in Xiaohai's heart. Without hesitation, he called Yuyan: "Yuyan, what happened to Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi?"

"Where have you been these past few days?" Yuyan's voice was clearly anxious: "It's hard to explain over the phone. I just got back from Dengyun Mountain and have to go back. Xiaohai, I'll pick you up in half an hour."

She hung up after that.

Xiaohai quickly ran out of the house and waited downstairs. The rain was getting heavier, and it was hard to see anyone a few meters away.

What's going on? Why did Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi go to Dengyun Mountain? What happened to them?

While waiting for Yuyan, Xiaohai released his consciousness. Soon, a fat rat appeared: "Fat Rat, Commander of the Rat Army, reporting to the King!"

"Fat Rat, how long will it take you to send the message that I'm coming to Dengyun Mountain?"

"King, our Rat Army numbers in the trillions," Fat Rat said proudly: "From here, we can pass the message along, rat by rat, so that all the rats on Dengyun Mountain will know before you arrive. Especially in this heavy rain, we can pass messages faster than sparrows!"

"Good!" Xiaohai nodded: "Tell all the rats on Dengyun Mountain that I'm coming soon and order them to be ready!"

"Yes!" Fat Rat quickly disappeared.

After waiting anxiously for a while, Yuyan's car finally appeared.

As soon as he got in the car, Xiaohai couldn't wait to ask what had happened.

While driving out of the city, Yuyan explained the situation.

It turned out that the 12 students from the art department had indeed gone to Duanshan first, but Duanshan was not very high, and they didn't have much fun. Later, a male student named Tao Yanwen suggested they go to Dengyun Mountain instead. He said that although it was dangerous, it might inspire artistic creativity.

Dengyun Mountain was extremely dangerous, and many mountaineering enthusiasts had gone missing there in the past two years. However, young people of this age love adventure, and the suggestion was met with widespread approval. Even Deng Mengmeng, who rarely participated in such activities, did not object.

They prepared for the climb and replenished their supplies, arriving at Dengyun Mountain the next day in the late afternoon. Climbing at night was strictly forbidden, but Tao Yanwen insisted that the night view of Dengyun Mountain was unique. After his persistent persuasion, all 12 students agreed.

However, the danger of Dengyun Mountain was beyond their imagination. They had no experience and thought it would be similar to Duanshan. After dark, they used household flashlights, which barely illuminated their own shoes. Just as they were about to turn back, a heavy rainstorm hit.

The inexperienced climbers were in a dire situation. The rain made it impossible for them to find their way back. They wandered around the mountain, completely lost. The mountain paths, washed by the rain, became extremely dangerous.

The 12 students were in a desperate situation. They endured until dawn, but the rain showed no signs of stopping, and their supplies were lost. They tried to call for help, but Tao Yanwen had suggested before the climb that they should disconnect from the city, so they had all turned off their phones and put them with their supplies.

Now, with their supplies lost, their phones were also gone.

The rain got heavier, and they couldn't go up or down. Mudslides appeared around them, and everyone was terrified. They felt they were waiting to die.

Just when everyone was in despair, Deng Mengmeng volunteered to risk her life to find help.

This pampered young lady made the most foolish and the bravest decision of her life. In such weather, with no knowledge of the terrain and no experience, the best choice would have been to stay put.

But Deng Mengmeng bravely decided to go down the mountain to find help. She had to take this risk, or everyone might die there.

Xu Yunqi stood up and firmly decided to accompany her good friend on this dangerous journey... The other ten students watched them leave...

"The ten students were rescued..."

"What? How were they rescued?" Xiaohai was confused.

"Tao Yanwen had hidden a phone," Yuyan said coldly: "He told everyone not to use their phones, but he kept one for himself. Do you know why he didn't take it out? He was afraid others would call him selfish, saying one thing and doing another. After Mengmeng and Yunqi left for a few hours, everyone was exhausted and couldn't hold on any longer. Only then did Tao Yanwen take out the phone and call for help. The police and fire department found them when they were not far from the foot of the mountain..."

"What about Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi?"

"They haven't been found..." Yuyan's expression darkened: "And the rain hasn't stopped, making the search even more difficult..."

Xiaohai fell silent for a long time: "Did Tao Yanwen not take out the phone even when Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi left to save them?"

Seeing Yuyan nod, Xiaohai fell silent again...

If... just if, his two good friends, Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi, encountered some accident, how would he deal with Tao Yanwen? What price would he pay? Xiaohai couldn't answer himself...

...

Upon arriving at Dengyun Mountain, they saw a large number of police cars and fire trucks with flashing lights from a distance.

The two of them got out of the car in the rain, and several colleagues from Xinan TV station came up to them. When asked about the whereabouts of Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi, they all shook their heads.

Deng Mengmeng's family, Xu Yunqi's family, Xunan University's principal Hong Qihai... many people had come.

"Captain Ma, Captain Ma, how is it? Have you found our children?"

A team of mud-covered firefighters came out of the mountain, exhausted. The Deng and Xu families rushed over.

The team leader paused: "Not yet... The rain is too heavy, making the search very difficult... I... I hope you can prepare yourselves..."

Cries broke out, and no one wanted to accept the terrible reality.

"Captain Ma, think of a way, think of a way," Deng Xiusheng said, though he favored his son, Deng Mengmeng was still his daughter: "I'll pay any amount to save my daughter."

"Mr. Deng, I know you are wealthy, but this is not about money," Captain Ma, who looked exhausted, said: "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we won't give up. The problem is that the terrain of Dengyun Mountain is too complex, and there are many places we can't reach with our current equipment. We've been searching for three days, and for two girls, I'm worried..."

He didn't finish, but everyone understood his meaning.

Not only Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi were missing, but no one who had gone missing on Dengyun Mountain had been successfully rescued. The area was largely uninhabited, and once someone went missing, it was almost a death sentence.

The police and fire department had formed three teams to search for three days, but they found nothing valuable.

Deng Xiusheng took a step back, looking desperate. In his memory, his daughter was always so well-behaved, unlike his son who always caused trouble. He hadn't realized how much he cared until she was gone.

On the other side, Xu Yunqi's mother was already sobbing uncontrollably, and if not for her husband and sister Xu Xiumei supporting her, she would have collapsed.

Yuyan saw all this and heard it all. Her tears mixed with the rain, streaming down her face. She was thinking of her dear sister.

She wiped her tears and looked around, suddenly asking: "Where's Xiaohai?"

"I don't know, he was here just now."

Xiaohai was gone.