In the pitch-black woods, I looked in the direction Qu Ruilin pointed and sure enough, I saw a figure standing in the moonlight in the woods ahead.
The two exchanged a glance, then walked in that direction at the same time.
At that moment, I didn't know whether the person in front of me was the companion we were looking for or a paper figure wandering in the woods. I gripped the machete in my left hand and slowly released the safety of the pistol in my pocket with my right.
What a scare!
After we walked through the bushes, we found that there was not a person standing there, but a piece of clothing hanging on a branch. When the wind blew, it looked like someone was moving.
Qu Ruilin saw the clothes hanging on the tree, walked over to examine them, and said in a deep voice, "These are Wei Shengnan's clothes!"
I covered the flashlight with my clothes and examined the clothes in the dim light: "There were no tears or scratches, and I couldn't see any bloodstains, which means that Wei Shengnan was not injured when she took off her clothes."
"They must have gotten lost in the forest just like me, and this clothing was probably hung here as a marker!"
Qu Ruilin's tense emotions relaxed a little: "This is a good thing, at least it means they are still alive! But these clothes are just hanging here, and there are no directional signs around, so it will probably be difficult to find them."
"Search separately!"
After thinking for a moment, I said, "We have limited manpower here. If we search in the wrong direction, it will waste too much time! Let's split up and search upstream and downstream separately. This will greatly increase the probability of a successful search and rescue!"
Qu Ruilin licked his lips: "But if we do that, we'll be left without each other to help each other if we encounter danger!"
I looked at Qu Ruilin seriously: "Didn't you also leave this forest when you got separated from the group before? We came here to rescue people, not to save ourselves. If Wei Shengnan and the others are also walking along the river, and we choose the opposite direction, the distance between us will only increase!"
"you are right!"
Qu Ruilin nodded and said, "In that case, let's split up and do as you said before. If we haven't found anything by dawn, we'll come back and regroup!"
After finding Wei Shengnan's clothes in the woods, Qu Ruilin and I perked up and made a decision to head in different directions.
I chose to go upstream. After parting ways with Qu Ruilin, I stepped into this unfamiliar forest alone.
When I first got together with Qu Ruilin, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After all, we had always disliked each other, and I was somewhat resentful when I was with him.
However, when I was the only one left here, I still felt a little panicked.
It's not that I'm afraid of ghosts or gods, but this forest is too eerie, and I'm worried about whether I can handle the danger that may occur at any time by myself.
As my mind wandered, I searched the woods for any clues that Wei Shengnan and her group might have left behind.
After walking for about an hour, I suddenly saw a white shadow on the ground ahead, so I quickly walked over.
It was an unopened medical kit.
I noticed that the plastic wrap around the medical kit was still intact, and I couldn't help but frown.
This kind of thing, which only exists in modern society, must have been left behind by Wei Shengnan or someone else.
But in a wilderness environment, a medical kit should be the highest level of supplies to be preserved. Why would they leave this thing behind as a token?
Could it be that this wasn't left behind by them, but was left here while they were fleeing for their lives?
I put away the medical kit, then turned on my flashlight and surveyed the surrounding ground.
Some weeds were indeed crushed and pointed upstream, but the marks were not obvious, indicating that the person who dropped the item was probably not being chased at the time of the incident.
If that's the case, why would this person throw away the medical kit?
I racked my brains but still couldn't figure out why the other party would do something so stupid. But finding something is always a good thing. Although I don't know if the person upstream is Wei Shengnan, at least it proves that there are people in this direction.
To resolve my doubts, I unconsciously quickened my pace.
After walking a few hundred meters more, I found another travel backpack.
The backpack contained a tactical flashlight, compressed biscuits, an emergency water bag, a few shotgun shells, and a pack of sanitary pads.
This is Wei Shengnan's backpack!
I made this judgment not because of the padding inside, but because of the bullet inside.
Every time we go into the mountains, we buy some insoles to put in our shoes while hiking. They are soft and absorbent.
The short-barreled shotgun that Wei Shengnan used in the mass grave in the willow grove was a standard firearm imported from abroad. Such weapons are not common in China, so their team only had one.
First, throw away a light but essential medical kit, and then throw away a heavy backpack. This clearly doesn't make sense for someone throwing things away while on the run.
Could it be that our guesses have been wrong all along?
Looking at the travel bag in front of me, I suddenly remembered the scene when our equipment was stolen by a group of paper figures outside the village.
If that's the case, does it mean that the route I took was wrong, and that a group of paper figures simply picked up the equipment they were carrying while escaping and dragged it somewhere else?
This sudden thought made me a little nervous, but since we had already come this far, I could only continue searching forward.
I took out a compressed biscuit from my travel bag to replenish my energy, and then continued to explore forward.
I had only walked about two hundred meters when I suddenly heard a noise ahead. I immediately held my breath and quietly crept up to it.
Looking out through the bushes, four paper figures were lined up and walking mechanically on the grass in the distance, looking like patrolling soldiers, with a basket hanging from their waists.
I was just about to go around this area when I noticed a figure following closely behind those paper figures, a few dozen meters away.
Wei Shengnan!
Although there were twenty or thirty meters between us, making it difficult for me to see her face clearly, under the moonlight, her head shape and height were remarkably similar to Wei Shengnan's.
Most importantly, our area is essentially uninhabited, so the probability of encountering other people is infinitely close to zero.
The only thing that puzzled me was that Wei Shengnan was only a dozen meters away from those paper figures. Under good visibility conditions, she should have been able to see them, but she didn't stop at all and walked straight towards them.
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