Chapter 5: Survival

  Qin Minghui dropped his work and rushed to Ningming County overnight, but a whole day passed, except for the special police team Sanzhong catching three villagers who were illegally holding guns and hunting, there was no progress on what they wanted.

  Qin Minghui was in the temporary command center set up by the Ningming County Public Security Bureau, smoking one cigarette after another, waiting for reports from the front. Now, thousands of police officers have been mobilized, and all major transportation routes have been blocked. In Qin Minghui's career as a policeman, it was not the first time that a civilian policeman had been attacked, but this was the first time that a civilian policeman had gone missing!

  "Is there any new news ahead?" Qin Minghui asked a police officer. The police officer shook his head: "No."

  "What about the armed police searching?" Qin Minghui asked again. If they could find Lao Wei and Xiao Bin, many questions would be answered.

  "No, some of the armed police who were searching have now entered the deep mountains and lost contact."

  Qin Minghui sat back heavily in his chair, feeling somewhat irritable. He opened the cigarette box, wanting to use cigarettes to suppress his irritability. He still had a year before retirement, who wouldn't want to put a perfect period at the end of their career? But as the old saying goes - autumn is a season of many troubles!

  The cigarettes in the cigarette box were gone, Qin Minghui crushed the cigarette box and threw it into the trash can. The police officer next to him saw this and whispered: "Director, go out for some fresh air."

  Qin Minghui felt that being anxious in the room was useless, so he listened to the police officer's advice and went to the corridor for some fresh air. A gust of wind blew over, and Qin Minghui, who had already been feeling dizzy, became a bit clearer-headed.

  What kind of people attacked Lao Wei and Xiao Bin? From the guide's account, the other side had fierce firepower and coordinated tacitly, which was not like ordinary drug dealers. Lao Wei and Xiao Bin Qin Minghui knew their situation very well. Lao Wei had won the silver medal in the police skills competition, and his handgun shooting speed was unmatched in the entire public security bureau. Xiao Bin's physical fitness was good, and he had also achieved good results in the police skills competition. If it were ordinary drug dealers, with just Lao Wei and Xiao Bin, they wouldn't have been beaten to the point of being unable to fight back within a minute! Qin Minghui looked at the night sky, feeling anxious again. Was this the opponent's mercenary who had crossed the border? If so, ordinary police officers would find it difficult to deal with those well-trained and militarily skilled mercenaries! Their equipment, tactics, and skills were far superior to those of ordinary police officers. Only special police teams and armed police special forces could match them! But this made things complicated. The opponent's mercenaries rarely entered the country; most of them escorted drugs to the border and then transported them. Would they risk everything for these two pickups full of drugs? But now, where were the two pickups? Who was the consignee? One question after another arose before Qin Minghui, but solving these problems required finding Lao Wei and Xiao Bin first!

  Qin Minghui must prepare for the worst. If Lao Wei and Xiao Bin both sacrificed, it would be a huge loss for the anti-drug brigade! He thought for a moment, then shouted at the door: "Little Li, get the car ready, we're going up the mountain!" He decided not to wait passively for news anymore.

  "Director, it's so late, going up the mountain is not safe." Little Li hastily ran in and said.

  "There's nothing to wait for here, what's the point of just standing around!" Qin Minghui's temper flared up again.

  Xiao Li is a civilian police officer in the logistics department, and has been following Qin Minghui for almost two years. He knows that Qin Minghui is a restless person, and if he were born in wartime, he would definitely be the kind of person who charges forward with a machine gun!

  "That... Director, I need a moment!" Little Li knew he couldn't outdo Qin Minghui, so he had to resort to stalling tactics.

  "Are you still preparing?! Just take two pieces of clothing and hurry up!"

  The armed police searching the mountainous area centered on the burnt-out off-road vehicle, drew a key search range of about 10 kilometers in diameter. However, except for that little-used highway, there were many gullies and canyons nearby, which greatly slowed down the search speed. The armed police troops only organized to enter the mountain at night, and under extremely poor visibility conditions, they did not find any traces left by Lao Wei and Xiao Bin when they escaped along the road. They could only divide the armed police into units of companies, with each company searching a small area.

  Qin Minghui's car arrived at the forward command base in the mountains when it was already the second half of the night. He got out of the car without exchanging pleasantries and asked urgently, "Is there any discovery?"

  The political commissar of the armed police border defense brigade in charge of directing the search shook his head: "So far, nothing has been found."

  "How big is the place? How come you still can't find it?" Qin Minghui exclaimed in a hurry.

  Qin Minghui's words made the armed police political commissar somewhat unhappy: "We have already mobilized all the troops that can be mobilized."

  "My troops are inside, can't you speed up? Is there any other technical equipment?" Qin Minghui was a typical straightforward person, hearing the tone of the armed police political commissar, he immediately retorted.

  "Your troops are inside, mine are too! Now I've lost contact with four companies!"

  It looks like a quarrel is brewing, so Little Li quickly pulls Qin Minghui's sleeve to mediate: "Hey, hey, both leaders are for the sake of work, for the safety of our own people, let's calm down...". Qin Minghui also feels that his temper has gotten a bit out of hand, but he doesn't want to apologize.

  The armed police searching did not find any trace of Lao Wei and Xiao Bin until dawn, the terrain here is complex, two armed police classes originally entered the search from different canyons, but when they turned to the second day, the two classes actually collided, and one class had been turning for a night, only to discover that they were still within a radius of less than 1 kilometer, struggling with rocks and trees all over the mountain! One canyon team searched in the dark for a whole night before realizing they had walked less than 1 kilometer in the canyon!

  By around 8 or 9 in the morning, the cloud layer that had blown over by the wind last night began to thicken, and then a light drizzle started falling. Before long, the rain grew heavier, and for safety reasons, several troops responsible for searching the canyon retreated first.

  Xiao Bin was out searching for a stream in the dark last night, but he didn't expect to step into thin air and fall from a height of five or six meters. He hit his head on a tree stump and passed out. He didn't know how long he was out, but the cold raindrops hitting him brought him back around. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was surrounded by a small cliff, with a gray sky above him. The rain was pouring down from the sky, pounding against him. Xiao Bin struggled to sit up, his head throbbing in pain. After thinking for a while, he finally remembered how he had ended up there - he had accidentally fallen while searching for the stream last night. He felt himself all over and found that he had several bruises but no serious injuries. Feeling lucky, he knocked on his sore and swollen head, then got to his feet and looked around. Just a few meters away was the small stream he had been searching for - the very thing that had caused him to take such a great fall.

  Xiao Bin was parched and couldn't wait, so he ran a few steps over, scooped up some water from the stream with his hands, and didn't even care if it was clean or not, just pouring it into his mouth. With the moisture of the water, Xiao Bin's mind slowly began to clear up.

  He had to think of a way to get out and seek help! Xiaobin muttered to himself, he looked around, trying to distinguish the direction, but found that it was also in vain. There were no reference objects around to distinguish the direction, so Xiaobin could only follow the stream down the mountain.

  Xiao Bin had not eaten for two days, and the icy rain of early winter made his clothes completely wet in no time. He was shivering with cold, and his stomach, without food supply, began to cramp up. His eyes were dizzy from hunger, but he could only grit his teeth and move forward. The cold water he had just drunk had worsened the chill in his body. If he stopped, he would be both cold and hungry, and eventually freeze to death here!

  Xiao Bin walked along the stream, sometimes deep and sometimes shallow, for several kilometers. The stream grew bigger, but the terrain became increasingly difficult to navigate. Xiao Bin suddenly heard a loud sound of rushing water, and when he turned a corner, he found that in front of him was a waterfall over 20 meters high! Xiao Bin tried to find a way through from either side of the waterfall, but was disheartened to discover that there was nothing except cliffs! He had no choice but to abandon the stream and climb up to look for a new path.

  Xiao Bin used his hands to pull on vines, shrubs and tree roots, struggling to climb up with all his might, trying to find the mountain ridge near the canyon. However, his hands and feet were weak, his body was numb, and his wet clothes felt like a thousand-pound weight pressing down on him. The cold, dampness, and hunger took turns tormenting Xiao Bin, he didn't know where he was, didn't know the direction, and didn't know how much longer he could hold on!

  Xiao Bin remembered that when he was handling a case in a mountainous area before, an old hunter had told him that if he couldn't find his way, he should look for the mountain ridge line. From a high place, it would be clearer, and then follow the mountain ridge line down, and he would definitely find a way out or a stream. Xiao Bin had not received any wilderness survival training, so at this time, he could only believe what the old hunter had said. He looked up at the dense forest and steep slope, hoping that after climbing to the mountain ridge line, his field of vision would open up, and he could see nearby villages or places with people, even a dirt road in the mountains!

  During the day, fire and police also participated in the search work, and many local guides familiar with the terrain were invited from nearby villages. However, it's not easy to search in the original forest area. Qin Minghui considered whether to expand the search range, but looking at the map, this place is only more than ten kilometers away from the border line. If Lao Wei and Xiao Bin are still alive, will they lose their way and accidentally cross the border?

  If that's really the case, then this is a major accident! Qin Minghui pointed to the map and asked a guide: "In two days, can they walk so far?"

  The guide looked at the map but couldn't understand it either and asked: "About how far is it?"

  "A straight-line distance of over ten kilometers."

  The guide thought for a moment and said: "If we walk past, walking so far should have arrived, wearing the forest, can't arrive, the forest here is very difficult to walk."

  Qin Minghui had several possibilities in his mind: 1. Lao Wei and Xiao Bin did not escape the pursuit and have already sacrificed, but do not know where they were sacrificed. 2. They are still alive, escaping from the pursuit, but got lost, perhaps at some position in the mountains, or perhaps unknowingly crossed the border!

  Qin Minghui felt a surge of anxiety, yesterday's search efforts by the armed police in several directions had to be withdrawn due to weather conditions. Although reinforcements from the fire department and local guides had arrived, they were all waiting for his decision on how large the search area should be and which direction to focus on. Qin Minghui habitually reached into his pocket, but only pulled out a lighter. Little Li saw this and knew he wanted to smoke again, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his bag and saying: "Director, last pack."

  Qin Minghui took a drag on his cigarette and asked the guide, "Do you think they can run far?"

  The guide shook his head: "This is hard to say, if they run into the forest valley, they can't walk two or three kilometers in a whole day. If they find the road and follow it, they can walk out ten or twenty kilometers in a day."

  Qin Minghui simulated in his mind, if he was being pursued and killed, Lao Wei and Xiao Bin were likely to escape into the forest or canyon to hide, but who could guarantee that they would not come out for such a long time? They walked onto a certain road.

  The guide was obviously unable to help himself much and asked the leader of the fire department: "You have more experience in search and rescue, what do you think?"

  He also shook his head: "It's hard to say, we've rescued many people in similar danger, and often found them in unexpected places."

  All opinions are for reference only, and references do not need to take responsibility. The duty of a reference is only to tell you all the possibilities, as for how to choose, it's Qin Minghui's responsibility! When the two words "responsibility" weigh on your body, not everyone can guarantee the correct choice!

  "Narrow down the search area! Focus on the valleys and forests, dispatch cars to patrol back and forth on the roads, and honk the horn while driving!" Qin Minghui thought again and again, he couldn't delay any longer!

  "What about those search and rescue teams that haven't returned yet?" asked the political commissar of the border defense troops, who had lost contact with several squads and was getting worried.

  "Try to get in touch with them and once you've made contact, let them withdraw."

  At this time, Xiao Bin was struggling to climb up the mountain ridge, but the mountain ridge that didn't seem high at all always seemed to be far away. Several times, when Xiao Bin lifted his head, he could see the light shining through the gaps in the forest, and it seemed like the mountain ridge was just tens of meters ahead. But when Xiao Bin gritted his teeth and walked those tens of meters, he found that it was a false peak on the mountain ridge! The rain was heavy at times and light at others, and in the forest, there were either loud crashes from the rain or soft rustling sounds from the fine raindrops. Xiao Bin couldn't hear any outside sounds at all and could only struggle alone in the forest.

  After 3 pm, the rain seemed to have tortured Xiaobin enough and stopped mercifully. Xiaobin's mind was in a mess, and until now, he still hadn't found the mountain ridge line. This was an absolutely primitive jungle area, and Xiaobin might be the first human being to set foot here. The mountains were covered with giant trees that several people could hardly encircle, blocking most of the sunlight. Even on sunny days, only a few rays of light could penetrate through the dense foliage. On this overcast day, Xiaobin had to proceed half-groping his way forward.

  Xiao Bin still hadn't found the mountain ridge, strange thoughts such as being haunted by ghosts kept popping up in his mind. He had been surviving on water dripping from tree leaves until now, but he felt like he couldn't hold on any longer. His legs went limp and he hugged a tree trunk with both hands, struggling to support his body so it wouldn't collapse.

  The jungle maintained a mysterious silence, and Xiao Bin seemed to see many pairs of eyes watching him fall with schadenfreude. His soul was as if it had escaped, standing aside and looking at himself, who was hugging the tree trunk and kneeling down, struggling to support himself and not wanting to fall. He said to himself: "You can't hold on anymore, give up."

  Xiao Bin really wanted to give up, he seemed to have seen himself giving up, a corpse hugging the tree trunk, in a very strange posture half-kneeling on the mountain slope, surrounded by dense forests, slowly rotting, turning into white bones, and then one day, the white bones suddenly collapsed, scattered at the roots of the trees covered with mud, and one hand was still scratching the bark, in the dark forest, the white bones were shining! The eyes around finally dispersed contentedly, leaving only Xiao Bin's soul lonely and looking at that half-white bone, a wave of sadness surged up in his heart, this desolate place, no one would ever discover this half-white bone, his own soul could only wander in the forest, becoming a real wild ghost, family, colleagues, all acquaintances would also slowly forget him, or many years later would mention in some occasion, there was once a person named Wang Xiao Bin who had been to this world...

  Xiao Bin's extremely exhausted physical condition had put him in a semi-hypnotic state, and he was only one line away from death. "So tired," Xiao Bin said to himself, as his hand holding the tree trunk slowly loosened, and his body slid down. Just when he was about to give up, he suddenly heard several horn sounds by his ear. Xiao Bin turned his head in confusion, perked up his ears, and the horn sounds disappeared. After a while, Xiao Bin clearly heard three "honk honk" horn sounds!

  Car! That's the sound of a car horn! Xiaobin didn't mishear, the desire to survive surged in his heart. With the last bit of strength in his body, he struggled to stand up and shouted towards the direction of the horn: "I'm over here! I'm over here!"

  Someone has come to save himself, live on! Live on! Xiao Bin said to himself!