Chapter 3

Everything had been arranged, and everyone was about to get out of the car when they suddenly heard a frantic shout from outside: "Where is my wife? Where is my wife? Has anyone seen my wife?" Hearing the shout, everyone in the car was startled and hurriedly got out to check. They saw a short, slightly plump man running around like a madman, searching under each car, and repeatedly shouting, "Where is my wife? Has anyone seen my wife?" Wang Xiaojun was not very familiar with him. He was a friend brought by the old member of the car club, You Yuan, named Fan Wucheng. According to You Yuan, Fan Wucheng worked as a sales manager in a trading company and had become acquainted with You Yuan through frequent business visits to the supermarket You Yuan operated. This time, he wasn't originally planning to invite him, but after chatting with You Yuan, he insisted on coming. You Yuan had no choice but to discuss it with Wang Xiaojun, and they eventually brought him and his wife along. At the time, because the Lao Song couple had brought their five-year-old son, who Fan Wucheng's wife liked very much, she had decided to sit in the same car as the Lao Song family. Now, however, there was no sign of her.

Just as everyone was about to go up to console and comfort him, Zhao Dawei, who worked as a business manager at a financial investment company, saw Wang Xiaojun get out of the car and quickly ran over, somewhat uneasy, saying, "Xiaojun, it's good that you're out. This time, things are a bit more serious. When everyone woke up just now, they were a bit confused and didn't notice. After they fully woke up, they realized the numbers were off. Not only is Fan Wucheng's wife missing, but the Lao Song couple and their son, who were in the last car, are also gone."

"What!" The few people who had just gotten out of the car almost spoke in unison. Wang Xiaojun then began to count the people, and indeed, apart from Zhou Lei and Yu Wendeh, there were only fourteen people from the car club, four fewer than when they set out. Could it be that they didn't make it through the transition? This was the first thought that flashed through everyone's minds, but they quickly dismissed it. It was impossible; the dark cloud was at least three to four hundred meters wide, and the cars were not far apart, so they couldn't have been left behind in the previous world. Of course, deep down, everyone actually hoped they hadn't made it through, as that would at least ensure their safety, even though they would never see them again.

While everyone was pondering various possibilities, Zeng Zhilin suddenly noticed something and quickly ran to the last car, which was the sixth car in the convoy. Everyone followed him.

Upon reaching the rear of the sixth car, everyone stopped, their faces showing a mix of reluctance and disbelief. Not far behind the sixth car was a steep cliff, about ten meters high, with a small river at the bottom. On the riverbank, an SUV was lying upside down, surrounded by scattered machine parts and personal belongings. From the marks on the cliff, it was clear that the seventh car had only a small part of its front wheels on the cliff top platform, causing it to lose balance and roll down the cliff. The people inside were likely to have met a tragic end. After a moment of shock, everyone quickly sprang into action under Wang Xiaojun's direction. You Yuan and Zhang Weixin took Liang Ziyue to try to calm Fan Wucheng down, while Zeng Zhilin and Wang Feng went to the car to find a rope to descend to the bottom of the cliff and check the situation.

Leaving aside You Yuan's efforts to calm the already somewhat frantic Fan Wucheng, Zeng Zhilin tied one end of a sturdy climbing rope to Wang Feng and the other end to the sixth car. He pulled the handbrake of the sixth car and called two people to help hold the car steady to prevent it from being pulled down the cliff by Wang Feng. Although the cliff was steep, Wang Feng was quite agile and soon reached the bottom. He untied the rope, ran to the car, and after a brief look inside, shook his head at Wang Xiaojun, who was watching from above. Despite being mentally prepared, Wang Xiaojun's chest still heaved at the sight of Wang Feng's regretful expression. He took a deep breath to calm himself and said to Zeng Zhilin, "Dazhi, go check if there's any other way down. We can't just leave them down there." Zeng Zhilin nodded, went to the edge of the cliff, and signaled Wang Feng to also check the surroundings for a way up without the rope. He then went to check the area himself.

Wang Xiaojun turned and walked towards Fan Wucheng, who had been calmed down by the others. At this moment, Fan Wucheng was squatting on the ground, no longer as frantic as before, but looking dejected, his eyes fixed on the ground, vacant. Wang Xiaojun told You Yuan about the situation at the bottom of the cliff, and You Yuan was also shocked. He really didn't know how to tell Fan Wucheng the news. If he told him the truth, this man, who loved his wife so much, might really go mad. But he had to do it; among the group, only he and Fan Wucheng were familiar. He tried to console Fan Wucheng while thinking about how to break the news. Wang Xiaojun knew he couldn't help much, so he walked over to Zhang Weixin, took a few sips of the mineral water he offered, and said dejectedly, "This heaven is really against us. It's one thing to bring us to this desolate place, but to give us such a harsh welcome right away, it's as if they want to drive us to our deaths."

Seeing his close friend complain about the heavens, Zhang Weixin patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be angry with heaven. Since heaven has brought us here, there must be a reason, perhaps to give us a chance to make history. Since we are here, we should make the best of it. Believe in yourself and in everyone. As long as we work together, we can overcome any obstacle." Wang Xiaojun nodded, took a few deep breaths, and calmed himself down. Just then, he heard Zeng Zhilin's voice, "I found a way down the mountain." Wang Xiaojun looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zeng Zhilin, along with Lu Yue, the youngest member of the car club, coming out of the forest in front of the first car, followed by Wang Feng, who had just descended.

Wang Xiaojun and the others rushed over and asked anxiously, "How is it? Is it easy to go down?" Zeng Zhilin wiped his sweat and pointed in the direction of the front of the first car, saying, "It's okay. If you go forward from there, the slope isn't too steep after a while. You can go around the cliff to the riverbank either to the left or the right." He shook his head regretfully, adding, "If we had just gone two meters further when we landed, the seventh car wouldn't have fallen off the cliff. The slope in front of the first car is steep, but there are trees at the bottom to stop the car from sliding."

Everyone agreed that it was a pity. Wang Xiaojun looked back at Fan Wucheng, who was still squatting on the ground, and said worriedly, "I don't know how to tell Lao Fan. I'm afraid he won't be able to accept the truth." "I think it's better to be straightforward and tell him directly. A quick pain is better than a long one, and dragging it out won't do any good," Wang Feng, the young man, said bluntly, without considering the method. Wang Xiaojun glared at him, and Wang Feng stuck out his tongue and stepped back. Liang Ziyue, who had worked as a detective for several years and understood human psychology, pinched his chin and said, "A Feng has a point. We don't have much time to solve this problem, but we can't be too rash in our approach." After a moment of thought, Liang Ziyue suggested, "How about this: Lao Fan doesn't know that the seventh car has fallen off the cliff and that his wife has died. We can use this to stage a scene. Lao Wang and Lao Zhang, you two can tell everyone not to mention the discovery of the seventh car. We'll tell Lao Fan that we're all going to help him find his wife and take him away from the cliff top. Dazhi and A Feng, you two, along with Lao Yu and Lao Fan, can lead him to the crash site, where he can 'discover' the car wreckage first. This gradual process might help him accept the reality."

Everyone thought about it and agreed that this was the best approach, so they began to prepare.

As Liang Ziyue had predicted, when Fan Wucheng "accidentally discovered" the wrecked SUV, after going through the process of hope, disappointment, and despair, he basically accepted the fact that his beloved wife had died. Although he was very depressed, he was no longer as hysterical as when he first realized his wife was missing. After being consoled by You Yuan and others, he finally came to his senses and began to consider how to handle the aftermath. Of course, the aftermath wasn't just for his wife but also for the Lao Song family of three. After discussion, they decided to bury the four of them on the hillside by the river. The Lao Song family would be buried together, and Fan Wucheng's wife would be buried separately. After everyone's efforts, the two graves were finally completed by late afternoon. Two makeshift tombstones, made from the broken shell of the wrecked SUV, were placed in front of the graves, with the names of the four people inscribed on them. Given the current situation, that was all they could do.

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[Note: The last part of the original text seems to be a website footer and is not included in the translation.]