Chapter 1718: Chapter 1718: The Squad Sets Out
At this very mont, inside the rescue command center tent, everyone listened to the howling wind and rain outside, feeling restless and uneasy.
What concerned everyone wasn’t the sudden storm slowing down the rescue but the possibility that sothing had happened to the helicopter they sent out. Based on the pilot’s last frantic cries, it seed they had been attacked by sothing.
“What do we do?” The rescue team leader scanned the room of silent faces, hoping to hear opinions, but instead found everyone looking deeply troubled.
A rescue mission was a race against ti, and they had a growing sense that sothing terrible had happened at the other end of the tunnel. Action needed to be taken imdiately to investigate.
Clearing the rock debris in the tunnel would take ti, and in this kind of weather, sending another helicopter was out of the question. The only feasible option left was to assemble a team, gear up, and trek over the mountain to attempt the rescue.
The rookie female officer was the first to volunteer, looking eager to throw herself into the thick of it.
The veteran officer had originally planned to take the lead in organizing, but seeing how many others were stepping forward enthusiastically, he decided to stand back.
After all, with such an eager young female officer — a rookie, no less — fearlessly volunteering, it would be shaful for the seasoned n and rescue personnel present to remain silent.
Soon, a team of over twenty brave volunteers, plus the rookie female officer, was assembled. Once the equipnt was ready, they set out imdiately.
Outside, the wind howled and the rain poured, but the rescue team braced themselves and forged ahead into the mountains.
Normally, climbing in such stormy weather was far too perilous—the slippery paths made falls a constant threat. But their mission was to save lives in the face of danger. They couldn’t afford to freeze under pressure, especially after all the delays thus far. Ti could not be wasted any longer.
Led by the squad leader, the rescue team painstakingly ascended the mountain step by step. The initial climb was grueling, each move a struggle, and on multiple occasions, so team mbers nearly slipped and fell during the ascent.
After enduring many challenges and driven by their unyielding willpower, the team finally reached a relatively flat area and began trekking through the dense forest.
To their surprise, the rookie female officer proved incredibly capable. Her skill was extraordinary, and she consistently advanced to the front of the group.
The squad leader used this to motivate the team, urging them not to let a woman outpace them. “If you’re n, put in more effort,” he spurred them on.
With the female officer leading the charge, the team pushed forward with great determination, beginning an arduous journey into the unknown wilderness.
The team was unfamiliar with this forested mountain area. They relied on instinct to navigate the rain-soaked terrain. Yet with every step they took, a sense of unease grew, their hearts pounding heavily in their chests.
The squad leader checked the ti. By now, it ought to have been daybreak. Yet the skies remained shrouded in thick, dark clouds, the world around them cloaked in gloom. The relentless rain obstructed visibility. Lacking any clear sense of direction, they trudged forward by sheer intuition alone.
In an attempt to alleviate the mounting tension, one team mber joked with a grin, “That rookie officer is pretty attractive. I wonder if she has a boyfriend.”
Another chid in, “Even if she’s single, don’t even think about it. Look at how fiercely driven she is. Without so real skill, there’s no way you’ll win her over.”
“True that!” A few n chuckled knowingly, their laughs tinged with suggestiveness.
Just then, one of the team mbers, unable to hold it in any longer, stopped by a tree to relieve himself.
The fierce wind, incessant rain, and intermittent flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder masked the fact that soone had fallen behind. Completely unaware of this, the team pressed on without the slightest inkling of anything being amiss.
Suddenly, the female officer signaled for everyone to stop, which imdiately sparked confusion among the group.
The squad leader asked, “What’s wrong?”
The rookie officer made a gesture for silence, then closed her eyes, focusing intently as she listened to the sounds around them.
Seeing her actions, the others followed her lead, straining their ears to pick up on any noises.
“What is that…” Those with keen hearing could faintly make out cries buried in the wind and rain, mingled with the guttural roars of a wild beast.
The realization sent shivers down the spines of the team, who hurriedly huddled together. Flashlights cut through the darkness, their beams trembling with the hands that held them. Their faces reflected sheer terror and unease.
The rookie officer scanned the shadowy forest surroundings, then glanced up at the branches above. The pouring rain relentlessly battered her face as she looked skyward, forcing her to squint against the downpour.
“Where is he? Soone’s missing!” The squad leader noticed the absence of a team mber, and a dreadful sense of foreboding surged within him. This place was far from safe.
The walkie-talkie crackled to life as the rescue team leader contacted them for an update on their status.
The squad leader picked it up and swiftly reported the situation, describing the eerie and dire circumstances. He suggested they retreat imdiately.
“What? Soone’s missing?” The rescue team leader was montarily stunned upon hearing this.
The seasoned officer dismissed the idea as unusual but not implausible. In weather like this, venturing through unknown territory, getting separated from the group wasn’t unheard of. However, he insisted this wasn’t reason enough to abandon the search.
But the next reason given by the squad leader left both the rescue team leader and the veteran officer utterly baffled.
The squad leader reported that many in the group distinctly heard human screams coupled with the growling of a wild beast. Despite the pounding rain and clashing thunder muffling the sounds, there was no mistaking what they had heard.
“Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?” The rescue team leader’s tone grew tense. This no longer seed to be a routine operation.
The veteran officer speculated that if a wild beast truly were present, the missing team mber might have fallen victim to an attack. He strongly recomnded that the rest of the team retreat imdiately to avoid further losses.
The rescue team leader frowned. He’d been in the rescue field for years and had never heard of any wild beasts inhabiting this area.
Making a quick decision, the team leader ordered the squad to return at once, emphasizing repeatedly that no one else should be separated.
After receiving the directive, the squad leader imdiately took point, leading the team back down the mountain, urgently trying to return to the camp.
But in the dusk-like gloom, under the roar of the storm, and through the treacherous unfamiliar terrain, the team soon shockingly realized they had lost their way back.
“What the hell? Where are we now?” Panic rose among the group. So began to tremble, their breaths visible in the icy wind.
The rookie officer surveyed the dim surroundings but couldn’t discern east from west. Thinking quickly, she proposed a solution—to have the camp launch a signal flare.
Though a signal flare might do little in this torrential storm, even the faintest clue or sign could help identify the camp’s location.
The squad leader was just about to use the walkie-talkie to make the call when suddenly, a scream pierced through the wind and rain, so shrill and sharp that it seed to shatter the storm’s incessant roar, nearly causing everyone to drop dead from fright.
In the chaos, they saw it—a serpent-like entity shot down from the heights of a massive tree, coiling a team mber at lightning speed and yanking him upward toward the treetop in one forceful motion.
The man struggled desperately, shouting for help, but his cries and figure quickly disappeared into the tempest, swallowed completely by the wind and rain.
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