Shen Huaichuan drove very fast and soon arrived at the suburbs that Zhou Shuhua had mentioned.
Before me lay a desolate, dense forest, its leaves all fallen, leaving only bare branches.
Looking around, there was no sign of human habitation.
Is it the left-hand opening or the right-hand one?
Shen Huaichuan slowed down, his sharp eyes scanning every possible intersection where he might turn.
There are many forks in the road here, and the scenery is quite similar, making it difficult to judge at a moment.
Inside the car, Yuan Xiaoyuan was treating Zhou Shuhua's leg injury in the dim light.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be more serious than she had anticipated.
Zhou Shuhua's right knee was swollen so badly that it looked like a steamed bun. The skin was stretched and shiny, with a terrible bluish-purple tinge. It was also burning hot to the touch, indicating that she had a fever.
The most alarming thing is that her legs can no longer straighten completely on their own; the slightest movement causes large beads of cold sweat to appear on her forehead.
Yuan Xiaoyuan's heart sank. Her initial assessment was that this was probably not just a simple fall injury; it was very likely that her kneecap had dislocated and her ligaments had torn when she fell.
Despite such severe injuries, Zhou Shuhua gritted her teeth and pedaled her bicycle for more than twenty minutes with her injured leg—she was practically risking her life!
This is undoubtedly adding insult to injury, making matters worse.
But Zhou Shuhua seemed completely oblivious to the pain at that moment.
She leaned half her body out of the car window, her eyes fixed on the outside, trying hard to make out anything.
"Is it...is it the one on the left? It looks a bit like it, no, no, it seems to be the one on the right? These...the trees all look pretty much the same..."
Whether it was from the cold or the pain, her voice was trembling.
As darkness fell completely, the winter wilderness was deserted, and all the paths and woods lost their daytime characteristics in the night, becoming indistinguishable.
Shen Huaichuan tried driving in the directions she pointed out, but found that they were all dead ends or led to unknown hillsides, not the road where the accident happened that afternoon.
His heart sank little by little, but he comforted Zhou Shuhua:
“Madam, don’t rush. Think slowly and calmly. The more you rush, the more confused you will become. We will definitely find it.”
His voice was approving, but his tightly pursed lips and slightly pale knuckles betrayed that his inner peace was far from what appeared to be.
Every minute that is delayed increases the danger for Qiqi!
Zhou Shuhua was the same; how could she not be anxious?
She hated herself for being so useless, unable to even recognize the way at a crucial moment!
As she thought this, she felt a familiar tightness in her chest, and her heart raced and she felt short of breath.
She knew this was a sign that her old problem was about to flare up again.
But she can't care about any of that right now.
He raised his flashlight and continued to shine it on the intersections that all looked pretty much the same.
But each one looked so similar, yet so different. Her heart sank little by little, almost overwhelmed by despair.
But she absolutely cannot give up!
Persistence pays off, and just at this moment—
"Woof woof woof!"
A familiar barking suddenly came from the darkness not far in front of the car!
Zhou Shuhua was startled and quickly shone her flashlight in the direction of the beam. At the end of the beam, there was indeed the big black dog from before.
"It's that one! It's the dog!"
Zhou Shuhua shouted excitedly, urging Shen Huaichuan to drive over quickly.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Huaichuan immediately stepped on the gas and followed.
When the big black dog saw the car coming, it turned and ran, nimbly turning into a small opening ahead. After two turns, the scene in front of it suddenly became clear.
Zhou Shuhua pointed to the open space and the fallen weeds beside it, and said excitedly.
"It's here! This is it! This is where Qiqi was taken away by them!"
Shen Huaichuan slammed on the brakes, jumped out, squatted down, and began to carefully examine the vehicle with a flashlight.
There were some messy footprints on the muddy ground, as well as a few tire tracks belonging to a van, pointing straight into the dark, deep mountains.
"They drove into the mountains."
Shen Huaichuan stood up, his brows furrowed, and said in a deep voice:
"But it's okay. There are tire tracks. As long as Qiqi leaves buttons along the way, it shouldn't be difficult to find her."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the roar of a truck engine came from a distance behind him.
Soon, three large military green trucks roared in and came to a steady stop at the intersection.
Qin Lei was the first to jump out of the driver's seat.
Behind them, the soldiers of the elite detachment jumped off the train carriage swiftly and orderly, quickly forming ranks and assembling. Their young faces, illuminated by the train headlights, were filled with determination and a sense of formidable resolve.
The company commander ran forward, saluted, and stood ready for orders.
"Commander! The elite platoon is fully assembled! Requesting instructions!"
Shen Huaichuan decisively issued the order:
"Using the location where the orange button was found as the center, conduct a fan-shaped search outwards into the forest! Look for any suspicious traces or items left behind!"
As soon as the order was given, Shen Huaichuan looked up at the continuous mountain shadows in front of him, but his heart sank again.
This mountain range consists of dozens of peaks of varying sizes, covering a vast area. Finding the exact hiding place of the bandits is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
To make matters worse, the sky was terribly overcast, and the air was thick with the smell of damp earth, making it seem like a winter rain was about to fall.
Once it rains, this single, clear tire track will quickly disappear without a trace, so we must find the person before it rains.
"Not enough, a whole company is far from enough."
He muttered to himself, his fists clenching unconsciously.
As if in response to his concerns, the sound of more cars approaching came from afar!
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