Chapter 206 184: Two Sections of the Cliff

Logically, there's only one Range Rover on Weishan Island, so finding a person is tough but finding a car should be easy, right?Sure enough, someone soon discovered that Range Rover in Shiliang Village on the northern slope of Shiliang Mountain. Tong Guangsheng was not in the car. Some speculated he might have gone up the mountain, but Wang Jinwu thought it unlikely as they hadn't found any footprints leading up the mountain. Nevertheless, they still sent some people to search on the mountain.

Upon hearing the news, Xu Chunliang also decided to ascend from the southern slope. Although the mountain's elevation was not high, its dense forestation combined with the rain made it difficult to find someone. Another pair of hands meant more strength.

As Xu Chunliang was getting ready to head up the mountain, Mei Ru Xue called, asking him about Tong Guangsheng's situation. Once Xu Chunliang explained, she immediately expressed her intent to come and help.

Xu Chunliang initially wanted to dissuade her from taking on the hardship, but Mei Ru Xue insisted on meeting him at the mountain's southern entrance.

When Xu Chunliang arrived at the mountain entrance, Mei Ru Xue had already arrived with several people from the town government. She understood that more people meant more chances, and Tong Guangsheng was not only a respected hero but also a spiritual symbol of Weishan Island. If anything happened to him, it would have a significant impact locally.

Xu Chunliang's group had eight people. Zhang Haitao had brought all the security personnel, along with a wolfhound. However, this particular wolfhound, lacking professional training, was of limited use.

It was already 5:30 PM, and the sky was darkening. Everyone decided to ascend immediately. There were two routes up the mountain's southern slope; Xu Chunliang let Zhang Haitao's team choose one while he joined Mei Ru Xue's group.

Mei Ru Xue instructed Li Mingliang, the director of the petitions office, to give one of the walkie-talkies to Zhang Haitao for easier communication, as mobile signals on the mountain were unstable and often unavailable.

As the search and rescue operation began, Zhang Yiben from the publicity department accidentally sprained his ankle, grimacing in pain. Xu Chunliang quickly checked him out; his bones were fine, but climbing was impossible for now. After some discussion, they decided that Li Mingliang and another staff member would first escort Zhang Yiben down the mountain.

This left only Mei Ru Xue and Xu Chunliang in their group. Initially, Li Mingliang suggested that Mei Ru Xue should go down too, but she insisted on staying. In fact, sending her down wasn't appropriate, as Zhang Yiben couldn't walk; it took two men to alternately carry him down. That guy was more of a hindrance than a help.

After regrouping and setting off again, Xu Chunliang contacted Zhang Haitao, who also hadn't found anything on his side. He then called Wang Jinwu, who had climbed halfway up the northern slope but still hadn't found any trace of Tong Guangsheng. He believed it was unlikely Tong Guangsheng had gone up the mountain.

As Xu Chunliang hung up, night had already fallen. Mei Ru Xue turned on a flashlight, her bright beam piercing through the drizzle, with the fine autumn rain tracing a white path within the light beam.

Xu Chunliang reminded her to watch her step.

Mei Ru Xue said, "President Tong doesn't strike me as someone who's troubled. Why would he suddenly leave without a word?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "Perhaps he wanted some quiet time alone."

Mei Ru Xue said, "A reunion between father and son isn't supposed to be a joyful occasion?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Joy mingled with sadness, the inner turmoil is greater."

He called out loudly, "Uncle Tong!"

Xu Chunliang's voice was scattered by the mountain wind; he sighed inwardly. It had been months since he'd resumed training, but progress was slow. His inner strength wouldn't advance anytime soon, yet fortunately, there weren't many experts in this era.

Suddenly, Mei Ru Xue grasped his arm, pointing behind them. Xu Chunliang turned to see a dark figure rapidly approaching their position, appearing from a distance like a beast traversing the woods. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like a person, moving at such a high speed that it gave the illusion of encountering a wild animal.

Mei Ru Xue directed the flashlight toward the shadow; the person shielded their eyes from the light and said in a deep voice, "It's me!"

Xu Chunliang never expected the newcomer to be Shu Yuanhang. Shu Yuanhang must have come to Shiliang Mountain to search for his father, Tong Guangsheng, which implied that Tong Guangsheng still held a place in his heart.

Mei Ru Xue had never seen Shu Yuanhang before. Her first impression was that he must have extensive experience with outdoor activities; otherwise, he couldn't climb so quickly.

Shu Yuanhang quickly caught up with them without any intention of stopping. After glancing at Xu Chunliang, he continued forward without even a greeting, soon leaving them behind once more.

If it weren't for taking care of Mei Ru Xue, Xu Chunliang could have kept pace with Shu Yuanhang, but it wasn't necessary now.

Mei Ru Xue whispered, "Is he President Tong's son?"

Xu Chunliang nodded, always feeling that this guy exuded something strange. According to Wang Jinwu, Tong Guangsheng's sudden departure was caused by this guy, probably having overheard their argument.

Around 7:00 PM, all search and rescue members gathered at the mountaintop and found nothing; no one had spotted any sign of Tong Guangsheng. Down in Shiliang Village, those searching nearby also drew a blank.

Xu Chunliang didn't find Shu Yuanhang among the crowd. He asked Wang Jinwu, who got irritated as soon as Shu Yuanhang was mentioned, telling Xu Chunliang he hadn't seen him. If he came, it proved he had some humanity left.

The group discussed it on site and decided to descend along their original paths while continuing the search along the way. Given the current situation, Tong Guangsheng was probably not on the mountain, otherwise, he would have heard the commotion unless he was hiding somewhere and didn't want to be found.

The path on the southern slope is relatively steep. Xu Chunliang suggested that Mei Ru Xue join the main group and take the northern route, but Mei Ru Xue insisted on sticking with him. On their way back, they tried to search areas they hadn't passed before. When they arrived at Horse Hoof Spring, they took a short rest. Mei Ru Xue noticed footprints nearby. Earlier, they had passed to the left of Horse Hoof Spring, about ten meters away, and since there was no one around, they didn't check the area, and certainly didn't notice the footprints.

These footprints were certainly not theirs, as they hadn't gone this way, and Zhang Haitao and the others hadn't taken this route either. Besides, they were in a larger group, but here there were only two sets of footprints, likely belonging to two people.

One set of footprints had a distinctive feature, with one foot print deeper than the other. Xu Chunliang judged that the person likely had a foot problem, leading to uneven prints. The deep print was the right foot, and the shallow one was the left, which matched Tong Guangsheng's disability.

Mei Ru Xue pointed to the other set of footprints and said, "These are Shu Yuanhang's. I just noticed his footprints."

Xu Chunliang nodded. This meant that Shu Yuanhang must have also discovered Tong Guangsheng's footprints.

The two of them followed the footprints forward. After about twenty meters, the footprints disappeared into the grass. A few steps further ahead, there was a steep slope. Xu Chunliang, seeing the dangerous terrain, wanted Mei Ru Xue to wait in place.

Mei Ru Xue said, "Are you comfortable leaving me here alone?" Then, she felt a bit embarrassed, as if she was being coquettish with him.

Xu Chunliang said, "It's too steep, and the terrain below is unclear."

At this moment, he faintly heard someone calling for help. Mei Ru Xue heard it too, and both of them listened closely. The sound seemed to be coming from below; it was a man's voice calling for help.

Xu Chunliang reminded Mei Ru Xue to be careful. They descended the steep slope, and the shouting became clearer. Mei Ru Xue pointed her flashlight in the direction of the voice and switched it to flashing mode.

Before long, a similar response came from below. Mei Ru Xue said, "It should be just below us." She took a step forward, her foot slipped, and she lost her balance instantly. With a cry, a strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

Mei Ru Xue fell into a broad embrace. Xu Chunliang had been watching her closely and acted immediately when he saw her in trouble.

Mei Ru Xue was startled, then realized she was held tightly in Xu Chunliang's arms. Although both were wearing climbing suits, she couldn't control her pounding heartbeat.

Xu Chunliang looked into her eyes.

Mei Ru Xue shyly said, "Let me go!"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Only after Xu Chunliang made sure she was steady did he let her go. He shone the flashlight ahead, and less than two meters away was a break. Had he not caught Mei Ru Xue in time, she might have fallen directly.

Mei Ru Xue softly said, "Thank you!"

Xu Chunliang said, "Words are just empty promises. Write me an IOU later!"

Mei Ru Xue spat, "You're still trying to hold me responsible?"

Xu Chunliang carefully approached the edge of the break. Using the beam of light to look down, there was a cliff below. As he peered down, a beam of light shone up and hit Xu Chunliang's face.

Blinded by the light in front of his eyes, Xu Chunliang couldn't help but shout, "Tilt it a little, you're blinding me."

Shu Yuanhang's voice came from below, "It's me. I found him. He's alive, but his head is injured and he's unconscious. We need to get him up quickly, but I can't do it alone."

Xu Chunliang shone his flashlight downward and vaguely saw a figure about ten meters deep. This place was called Erdaoya, where the geographic feature was a cliff below a cliff.

He instructed Mei Ru Xue to call for help. Mei Ru Xue picked up the walkie-talkie, but it had taken water and wasn't functioning. Additionally, this area happened to be a dead zone for cellphone signals.

Xu Chunliang checked his phone to find the same situation. He sighed and told Mei Ru Xue to wait where she was while he climbed down first to check the situation.

Mei Ru Xue was a bit anxious. "Be careful!" Xu Chunliang said, "No problem, just look for a signal nearby but don't go far."

Worried about him, Mei Ru Xue watched as Xu Chunliang climbed down along the rock face until he landed safely, and she finally sighed in relief.

The cliff was about fifteen meters high, almost at a ninety-degree angle, but the overall climbing difficulty wasn't great, mainly because there were plenty of places on the cliff face to hold onto.

Once Xu Chunliang reached the bottom, he found the two of them not far off, situated in the flat area between the first and second cliffs.

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