On the other side.
In the evening, Qin Beiting searched half the mountain via satellite monitoring and found Yu He's jacket in the deep mountain woods.
He got out of the helicopter, notified Lu Yiming of the location, and a group of people followed the coordinates to search around where the jacket was found.
As it grew darker, Qin Beiting's expression became more and more solemn. He clenched Yu He's jacket, his knuckles turning white.
Lu Yiming had been on more than a dozen S-class missions with Qin Beiting before and had never seen him look so grave. He stepped forward to comfort him:
"Brother Ting, don't worry too much. Sister-in-law will be fine. She grew up in the mountains, so she's definitely familiar with the living conditions here."
"Mmm," Qin Beiting responded with a hum and turned to Chen Dong on the headset, "Bring some floodlights."
Then he returned to the helicopter to continue searching with the monitors.
It wasn't until dark that Chen Hao finally found traces in a clump of bushes a kilometer away.
There were signs of recent breaks in the bushes, and a few strands of wool yarn were snagged on the branches. Bloodstains were found on the nearby leaves. Pushing aside the bushes, they discovered an opening, with signs of something having slid down it.
"Seventh Master, Captain Lu, over here!" Chen Hao waved back at Qin Beiting and the others.
Qin Beiting put down his laptop and went over with Lu Yiming.
Chen Hao explained the details they found, "Judging by these traces, Xiao He must have fallen in."
No wonder they hadn't found her after searching for so long.
Qin Beiting still held Yu He's jacket. His perfect face showed no emotion, but everyone around him felt the chilling aura emanating from him.
"Clear it away," he said expressionlessly, glancing at the bushes blocking the opening.
Lu Yiming acknowledged and called over a few subordinates. In a flash, they cleared away the obstructive bushes, revealing an opening about two meters wide and fifteen meters long.
The entrance was concealed by bushes, making it difficult to spot from an aerial view without a close inspection.
The group walked to the edge of the opening. Shining their flashlights down, they couldn't see the bottom.
Their high-powered flashlights had a range of 500 meters, and the light still didn't reach the bottom, indicating it was even deeper.
"It's over 500 meters deep. We don't know what's down there," Chen Hao said.
Everyone's face instantly became solemn. A girl falling from such a height would likely be beyond help.
"Seventh Master, prepare yourself. Falling from this height, she'll either be dead or..."
"Shut up!"
Yang Lin's comforting words were cut short by Qin Beiting's cold command.
Yang Lin felt an invisible, suffocating pressure and shivered. The others dared not speak.
Qin Beiting gripped Yu He's jacket tightly. He firmly believed that the young lady would be alright.
If she could survive eleven years ago, she would definitely survive now.
His only concern was that it was dark, and without light, she must be very scared. They had to find her quickly.
Seeing Qin Beiting's darkening expression, Lu Yiming quickly said, "Don't say such unlucky things. Miss Yu is so intelligent, she'll definitely be fine."
Although he also had a bad premonition, a fall from over five hundred meters would be fatal even for him if he wasn't prepared.
However, as captain, he couldn't speak discouraging words.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I'll go down and take a look!" Chen Hao said, blaming himself.
If only he had stopped Yu He then, or been a step faster, Yu He wouldn't have been kidnapped and wouldn't have fled into the deep mountains.
The thought of such a beautiful girl, a vibrant life, meeting an accident due to his mistake, made him feel extremely guilty.
Qin Beiting glanced at him and then turned to Lu Yiming, "Shine the floodlights down, and take two men down to take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, they heard a series of wolf howls, "Awooooo..." from not far ahead. Amidst the wolf howls, there was also the faint sound of fighting.
Qin Beiting's gaze went beyond the opening, towards the direction of the sound. Something suddenly occurred to him.
"I'll go take a look," he said, leaving them and running towards the source of the sound.
"I'll go too. You guys stay here," Lu Yiming also sprinted after him.
Chen Hao and Yang Lin exchanged glances and then also ran to follow, leaving a group of uniformed special forces soldiers looking at each other.
As they got closer, the sounds of fighting and wolf howls grew louder, and there was a smell of blood.
Qin Beiting, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, moved with a speed comparable to his usual self. He was the first to arrive at the scene. Seeing something, he stopped abruptly.
Lu Yiming, seeing this, quickly braked. Chen Hao and Yang Lin, unable to control themselves, crashed into him one after another.
"What's wrong?" Yang Lin took two steps back before steadying himself.
At this moment, they realized that the intense fighting had stopped, leaving only the wolf howls.
Dark clouds obscured the moon, and the night wind blew, rustling the leaves. A figure stood in the woods, a thick smell of blood filling the air, creating a very eerie atmosphere.
Chen Hao shone his flashlight. He saw the figure with its head bowed, long hair disheveled, arms hanging loosely, its clothes torn in several places, and covered in blood.
In her left hand, she held a dagger, which glinted coldly in the light, its tip dripping blood. Around her feet lay over a dozen wolves, barely alive.
Seeing this scene, Chen Hao and the other two were shocked.
What level of combat power was this, to have taken down an entire pack of wolves?!
After all, wolves' team combat ability was well-known, and she had single-handedly defeated them all?!
These were wild wolves, and her combat power was terrifying!
Even Lu Yiming wasn't confident he could escape a wolf pack.
Lu Yiming: Shao Chen was right, don't provoke Sister-in-law lightly.
Yang Lin: Is it too late to take back what I said earlier?
Chen Hao swallowed, unsure whether to worry about Yu He or the wolves at her feet.
Qin Beiting, standing at the front, looked at Yu He's murderous expression, his brow furrowed.
He had still come too late. The young lady's fear of the dark had kicked in, and she had gone berserk, not even reacting to the light shone on her.
"Miss Yu, are you alright?" Yang Lin said, wanting to step forward, but Chen Hao stopped him.
Yu He suddenly looked up. Her clear, cold face was stained with blood, her eyes were red, and a strange smile played on her lips, making her look particularly chilling.
Yang Lin finally noticed her strangeness and shivered.
Suddenly, the dagger in Yu He's hand moved. Then, she charged forward.
Qin Beiting quickly met her, grabbing her wrist that held the knife. However, as if anticipating his move, Yu He relaxed her grip, the dagger fell into her other hand, and she stabbed directly at Qin Beiting's vital spot.
Qin Beiting's other hand quickly caught her. With both hands restrained, Yu He used her feet. Qin Beiting released her, and they exchanged dozens of blows in the woods.
Qin Beiting's arm was cut by the dagger. Unlike last time, Yu He's attacks were stronger and more ruthless this time. She was still unresponsive, as if possessed.