Luo Zheng, who is lurking on the cliff, indeed faces danger, but it's not from the enemy—it's from a cold. The gorge's humidity is too heavy. After a night of lurking, the body is really worn out. Fortunately, the morning sun feels good; basking in it doesn't worsen the cold. Luo Zheng lies still, taking off the damp clothes to sunbathe, while pondering that Mountain Eagle at the river bottom might be feeling uncomfortable too.
Luo Zheng already learned from Lan Xing about the support team led by Lan Xue coming over. He raised his wrist to check his watch—it's about ti—and sat up, asking through the earpiece, "What's the situation now?"
"My sister will be here soon, just two kiloters away. To assist us, the Military has enhanced forces for the search, concentrating on the border. Additionally, three Special Forces teams and five infrared thermal imaging helicopters are assisting, along with many military and police dogs. Still, no clues have been found. If Shijing Teng really crossed the border, it's unreasonable to leave no trace." Lan Xing quickly said.
"It seems Shijing Teng likely hasn't left the border, using a strategy to draw us away. If he returns to Ten Thousand Waterfalls Valley via the waterway to hide, the water can conceal his scent; military and police dogs are useless." Luo Zheng explained.
"Hmm, maybe your judgnt is right. Many senior officials are very concerned about this matter. Grandpa asked to tell you not to lose face for the National Blade. If your judgnt is correct and you find and capture Shijing Teng, our National Blade will overshadow other departnts—this gives us face. It's up to you now." Lan Xing said admiringly.
"I'm betting on luck, but I'm not sure it will work." Luo Zheng said with a bitter smile.
"Not at all; I think your analysis is quite reasonable. If Shijing Teng didn't kill the reconnaissance platoon, casually finding a cave to hide would still be hard to say. But he acted and exposed his identity, then suddenly disappeared, avoiding the search by military and police dogs. The only possibility is taking the water route. Upstream leads out, downstream leads to Ten Thousand Waterfalls Valley, it's fifty-fifty, but the odds are quite high." Lan Xing laughed.
"It should be seventy-thirty, with a seventy percent chance." Hong ihua's voice suddenly sounded in the earpiece: "Going upstream requires navigating a thirty-kiloter gorge. The surrounding peaks are tall; navigating thirty kiloters upstream without any suitable tools takes more than six or seven hours. They acted until dawn with only five hours, and at daybreak, they have nowhere to hide. Such a long ti provides our satellite plenty of opportunities to detect them, but the satellite hasn't found any clues. Thus, the likelihood of them going downstream is high."
"Going downstream will also be detected by the satellite, won't it?" Luo Zheng asked in surprise.
"Downstream will indeed be detected. But don't forget the advantage: no need for external aids, just swim down. In a river, it's hard to spot people. Going downstream is fast, taking only two hours to reach Ten Thousand Waterfalls Valley. At Ten Thousand Waterfalls Valley, the satellite can't detect them anymore. And without help for upstream, they can't swim much; they need to make rafts from wood, use poles to propel—it's ti-consuming and impractical. Even if prepared in advance, rafts can't go upstream quickly." Hong ihua explained.
"Makes sense. Looks like my guess was right." Luo Zheng laughed.
"It's more than a guess; you likely thought of this all along but didn't say." Hong ihua laughed too.
"Whether it's a guess or not, as long as the odds are high, it's easy to manage." Lan Xing laughed.
Chit-chatting leisurely while waiting, Luo Zheng saw a familiar figure dressed in minority attire appear in the view. With a backpack, the person seed familiar, indicating Lan Xue has arrived. Luo Zheng was delighted and shouted through the earpiece, "Xue Er, is that you?"
"It's ." Lan Xue responded joyfully.
Soon, Lan Xue rushed up, looking Luo Zheng over. Seeing Luo Zheng unhard but with a flushed face and low spirits, she quickly took out cold dicine and a water flask. Luo Zheng accepted them, swallowed the dicine, and drank so water, saying, "Get the rope out, quickly. Mountain Eagle is still down there and likely has a cold too."
Lan Xue quickly put down the backpack, took out another bag, opened it, and extracted a large bundle of rope. Luo Zheng, observing Lan Xue's attire, laughed, "Disguising as locals, breaking into small groups, the enemy's satellite can't monitor us well. Once everyone is hidden nearby, it won't matter even if discovered. It's a good idea."
"Thought up by Hong ihua." Lan Xue said as she tied the rope to a boulder, tossed the other end down, and continued, "You've just taken the dicine; rest for a bit while I head down first." With that, she grabbed the rope with both hands, backed to the cliff's edge, kicked off, and disappeared into the mist below within a few bounds.
Mountain Eagle, lurking at the river bottom, also caught a severe cold, feeling dazed but rational. He sharply sensed small stones sliding down from the cliff above and was startled, quickly looked up, and soon spotted a person in minority attire coming down with a backpack, moving exceptionally skillfully. Surprised, he quickly concealed his weapon and relocated, cautiously observing.
Not long after, Mountain Eagle noted the familiar figure. When Lan Xue beca closer, he relaxed, joyously shouting, "Captain, why are you here?" With that, he approached.
Lan Xue descended rapidly, stood on a rock, and saw Mountain Eagle looking very unwell. His eyes were a bit dazed, his expression stiff, clear liquid running from his nose, his speech muffled due to his blocked nose. Recognizing the severe cold, she quickly handed him dicine, saying, "Take it quickly."
Mountain Eagle was straightforward, accepting and swallowing it, saying, "I've been watching all night—no abnormality found. This wicked place is too cold, very humid, signal interference, and weapons prone to malfunction with prolonged exposure. Where is Ghost brother now? What's the plan next?"
Lan Xue took dicine for cold prevention too, replying, "He's just like you, sa severe cold. Just took dicine and resting above, likely down soon. Niu Gang and Shi Tao brought the troops already in position, ambush nearby, ready to act anyti."
"That's good, though we can't communicate with the outside." Mountain Eagle said, frustrated.
"No worries. Once we spot the enemy, the gunfire from our side will be heard above. Then, with overwhelming force, even if Shijing Teng is divine, he's dood. Our task is to find them, hold them off; of course, capturing them alive would be better, but that's unlikely." Lan Xue reassured.
"True. Once I recover a bit, we'll act. By then Ghost brother should be down too. With the capability of the three of us, we should have no issue finding them." Mountain Eagle confidently stated, then moved aside, found a cleaner spot to sit, saying, "I haven't slept all night. Could you take watch? I'll nap for a bit, or I won't have the energy when the fight starts."
"Sure, don't worry—it's on ." Lan Xue calmly said, moved by the dedication of her comrades, contemplating that with such teammates, what enemy can't be dealt with?
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