Wang Xiaoxiao and I stood stiffly in that direction, staring, but after a long time we didn't see anything. For a moment, I even wondered if I had imagined it.

But Wang Xiaoxiao saw it too, which means that we really did see that thing just now.

"Sihai, has someone appeared in this area? Could it be the search and rescue team looking for us?"

Seeing Wang Xiaoxiao's excited expression, I shook my head: "Who can say for sure? But don't get too excited. I'll go down the mountain now and take Chen Jian and the others to look for them. If it really is a search and rescue team, they will definitely find the group of foreigners on the beach first. If those foreigners really have a conscience, they will definitely tell the search and rescue team that there are other people here. You wait here while I go down and take a look."

But to my surprise, Wang Xiaoxiao grabbed me and shook her head solemnly: "No, even if a search and rescue team comes, it's already so late. It's not safe in the woods. If something happens to you and Chen Jian, how am I supposed to explain it to Liu Jiaojiao?"

"Besides, Sihai, you are the backbone of all of us right now. I'm so anxious about you not being here. I don't think even if the search and rescue team comes, they will be in no hurry. How about we go check on you tomorrow?"

I know what Wang Xiaoxiao is worried about, and I looked at the sky. The sun had already set, and the surrounding scenery had become somewhat dark. It was indeed not safe to go out in this situation.

But when I think back to that fleeting red dot, I feel more and more that if the search and rescue team hadn't come out, then there's no other explanation.

I don't believe that the indigenous people on this island can make fireworks. If they really could, what level of craftsmanship and development would they have achieved?

The main thing is that we've been here for so long and we've never encountered anything like this before!

Thinking of this, I suddenly remembered someone else: the man who collapsed in the woods that day.

That man's name is Yang Rui...

Thinking of him reminds me of the tense situation we were in when we saved him. We really put in a lot of effort to save him, but after we left, none of us knew what his condition was like.

Now that I think about it, I wonder how he is doing now, after more than a month apart.

If it wasn't a search and rescue team that came to this island to search for us, or for those foreigners, then the fireworks we just saw must have been set off by Yang Rui and his group.

Judging from the location we just saw, it shouldn't be very far from here.

Yang Rui survived, but did he have any other companions?

Judging from the equipment he was carrying, it was clearly wilderness exploration gear. His purpose in coming here was definitely not simple. However, he was injured at the time, and when we asked him for more details, he obviously didn't want to say more. So, under these circumstances, it's all just speculation.

I patted Wang Xiaoxiao on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I know how to handle this. I'll go down and call them up first. You can go and keep Liu Jiaojiao company."

Wang Xiaoxiao nodded, but was still worried that I would try to dissuade her again and again before she went to Liu Jiaojiao's wooden house, looking back every step of the way.

I sat on the mountaintop, my mind in turmoil. Not long after, Wang Ping and the others ran up, their faces beaming with joy.

I watched as Wang Ping pulled him aside and whispered, "Did you just see the signal flares being fired outside?"

Wang Ping glanced at me, shook his head, and said with a puzzled look, "What signal flare! We've already set up the waterwheel, and you can see the water is flowing up from the back. This means our female colleagues won't need to go down the mountain to fetch water anymore! Chen Jian and I are even discussing building a new shed here so we can shower right there, which will be much more convenient!"

Seeing how excited Wang Ping was, I nodded.

He carefully recounted to Wang Ping what he had seen about the signal flare.

Wang Ping quieted down, but he also frowned.

"Sihai, you suspect Yang Rui and his group?"

I nodded: "They might be the only ones with such a signal in this area. However, it's also possible that a search and rescue team has arrived. But judging from the location just now, it wasn't the foreigners' camp by the sea, so I don't know where Yang Rui is right now."

"What I mean is, let's go check out the foreigners' place first thing tomorrow morning. If they're really gone, it means a search and rescue team was here. And I don't think those search and rescue teams would have left so early. If we go there, we might have a chance to go back to the city with them."

“If it weren’t for the search and rescue team, we would know that there were other people on the island for a while, perhaps Yang Rui’s group. However, we don’t know how many of them there are, what their purpose is, or whether they are friend or foe. We can only be more careful in the days to come. After all, on a deserted island like this, people will go crazy when they are hungry. It would be a bad thing if they robbed us or coveted what we have worked so hard to build.”

After listening to my words, Wang Ping nodded solemnly: "Of course I know your concerns. Here's what we'll do: you and Chen Jian stay here tomorrow, and I'll take a few male colleagues from Bai Wei's group to check. The camp definitely needs someone. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to control the overall situation if I stay at the camp, but I can still go ahead and scout things out."

“But your leg has only just recovered, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle such a long journey.”

Wang Ping looked at me and chuckled, "Zhao Sihai, do you think I'm a woman? Although my leg was broken back then, you had Secretary Xiao's herbal medicine to treat it, and it's already healed. I don't even feel it when it rains. What's a long journey? It's okay, don't worry. I'll go scout out the foreigners' camp tomorrow and come back to tell you as soon as possible."

Since Wang Ping is so insistent, I can only nod in agreement.

Wang Ping and the others were exhausted. They settled down shortly after returning to their respective cabins, but I didn't get a good night's sleep all night.

He gripped the hunting rifle tightly in his hand, counting the few bullets left, feeling increasingly uneasy.

If a group of people from the city with unclear motives were to appear on this deserted island, then there would now be four different factions on the island.

Of these four forces, only we and the foreigners can be considered to have a proper conversation, but the foreigners are also unreliable.

Add to that the fact that Lin Xubo's fate is still unknown, it's enough to give anyone a headache.

But who was the person who fired the signal flare? And what was the purpose of that signal flare?