Chapter 602: Absurd Intruders! Search and Rescue on the Snowy Mountain? |
"How many of them are there? Did you get a clear look?"
By now, the other guests had lost all interest in continuing to soak in the hot springs. They scrambled out of the pools one after another, while Xiao He pressed on with the critical questions.
"What kind of gear do they have? Can you tell if they're men or women?"
One of the security personnel thought carefully for a moment before replying, "We're not sure about the exact number, but there are definitely more than three. As for what they're carrying... one of them had a small backpack slung over their shoulder. I didn't get a good look at the rest, but they didn't seem to have much gear. They were running fast."
The security guard gestured with his hands to show the size. "About this big. It had something shiny on it, so I happened to catch a glimpse."
"That must be a girl, right?"
Xin Yiran glanced at the size of the bag and made a somewhat hesitant judgment.
Xiao He took a deep breath and pressed his hand to his forehead. "So, in other words, they're most likely not professional mountaineers and have no wilderness survival experience."
Even if he could confirm they were professional paparazzi, if they had wilderness experience, Xiao He would still be able to relax a little.
Climbing a snowy mountain with just a little shiny bag strapped to your back?
That wasn't even a fraction of the gear needed to survive—no, wait, that girl with the small bag might not even be a paparazzo. The professional paparazzi he'd seen before were all very competent. They carried low-key bags packed with basic survival gear and had a decent level of outdoor survival skills.
If she wasn't a paparazzo, then she had to be one of those extreme, obsessive fans.
Xiao He could only hope that the others in their group had brought the right equipment.
But he didn't hold out much hope.
Bringing along a girl who was clearly far from "professional" on an adventure like this meant the person himself was probably a half-baked fool.
"Let's send as many people as possible to search that pine forest right now. If we confirm no one's there, it'd be best to report it in advance and contact rescue teams or the police."
Xiao He suggested, "What I'm worried about is if they've already started heading up the mountain. That would make rescue much harder."
"Ugh, I've already notified the scenic area's rescue team."
The hotel manager let out a long sigh. "But it's going to take them a long time to get up here. I can only arrange for the hotel staff to distribute basic emergency supplies and search the nearby woods for now."
It was already nighttime, and the scenic area's cable cars had stopped running. The rescue team could only hike up the mountain on foot, which would take considerable time. Right now, all they could hope for was that the intruders hadn't gone too far, and they could still catch up.
To be honest, the hotel manager had been working here for many years, and this was the first time he'd encountered such reckless individuals. In all the years this hotel had been standing, no one had ever thought someone would sneak around the snowy mountain, slide down the steep slope, and break into their hot spring area.
It was a case of "absurd opening the door for absurd"—the very definition of ridiculous.
But since things had already reached this point, no one could do much besides hope that the rescue team would find the intruders first.
Hu Pei also walked over and said to the guests on set, "Today's recording is pretty much done. You should all head back."
Everyone would have to pass through this area to follow the footprints up the mountain, so none of the show's guests could continue soaking in the pools.
They could only wrap up the recording segment early.
Hu Pei felt a pang of regret.
Sigh. He had finally managed to invite Xiao He, but there was barely any footage of him. He had originally planned to dig deeper into Xiao He's stories from inside the industry!
But at that moment, someone raised their hand and asked, "Director, can I go with them to search for the people?"
Everyone instinctively turned to look and saw that it was Wu Chuyi who had spoken.
Wu Chuyi had been stewing all day. He felt that having Xiao He on this episode had severely challenged his screen time and character. Especially during this final hot spring segment, he hadn't even had a chance to grab a few more shots before Liang Cheng had stolen everyone's attention and redirected it to Xiao He.
This pissed Wu Chuyi off immensely.
Fortunately, this incident had happened on set, and now his moment to shine had arrived!
So, before the program team could wrap up, Wu Chuyi eagerly blurted out this request.
"Oh, this—"
Hu Pei hesitated.
"Director, don't worry. I have outdoor survival experience. Helping everyone search for them is just me doing my part."
Wu Chuyi made it sound incredibly righteous, but everyone knew he was just trying to grab more screen time.
Still, everyone was speechless.
With Wu Chuyi's background, if he went out there for a rescue, no one knew who would end up rescuing whom. And his so-called skills were full of hot air. It was better not to add to the chaos.
Just then, a few other travelers staying at the hotel walked over. They had heard about the situation and were offering to help with the search.
The crowd began to swell, and the scene grew noisy and chaotic. Before Hu Pei could say anything, Wu Chuyi had already changed his clothes and disappeared into the woods with his cameraman.
"Hey, that guy—"
Hu Pei was exasperated and could only complain, "Whose cameraman is that? Who leaves without listening to the director's orders and just follows an artist around like that?!"
That was incredibly unprofessional.
"Forget it. You two, go after him and keep Mr. Wu safe. Everyone else, head back."
Hu Pei scanned the people around him, then noticed that Xiao He had also vanished.
"Where did Xiao He go now?"
Hu Pei's heart immediately jumped again.
"Oh, Brother Xiao said he had some urgent business and went back to his hotel room first," Liang Cheng explained.
"That's good, then."
Hu Pei breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Xiao He wasn't rash enough to charge up the mountain.
Otherwise, there would be no sleep for him tonight.
—
On his end, Xiao He didn't even bother changing out of his bathrobe. He went straight back to his hotel room.
Not long after he entered, Liu Rulan and Xiao Chen knocked and came in.
Seeing Xiao He rummaging through the wardrobe, Liu Rulan let out a long sigh of relief. "I already heard about what happened over there. I thought you'd go up the mountain with the others."
Knowing Xiao He's personality, he'd usually want to lend a hand however he could.
But unexpectedly, Xiao He had come straight back.
"There are already enough people going up the mountain. There's no need for me to force my way in. If anything, the program team might end up having to protect me instead. It's unnecessary."
Xiao He had a clear understanding of his own abilities. Climbing a snowy mountain at night required a certain level of experience, which he simply didn't have. If he went searching, all he could do was look down at footprints. There was no other way he could help.
But—
Xiao He dragged out two large cases.
When he opened them, they revealed two folded drones.
Liu Rulan's eyes lit up in understanding. "You're going to use drones to search? But it's snowing on the mountain, and the temperature is very low at night. Can they handle it?"
Although rescue teams sometimes use drones for assisted searches, the night-time snowy mountain environment was far too complex. Drones could only play a very limited role.
"Don't worry. Mine can handle it."
Xiao He checked the drones' configuration, then looked up at Xiao Chen. "Did you charge my batteries for me today?"
He had planned to film some memories and capture the surrounding scenery while skiing on the mountain these past few days. So, after reporting to the scenic area, he had brought two modified drones along. After using them, Xiao Chen usually helped charge them.
Xiao Chen immediately nodded. "All ready for you, Brother Xiao!"
"Good. Sister Liu, help me contact the rescue team and file a request. I need to use the drones for search and rescue immediately. Time is tight."
"Alright, no problem."
Xiao Chen changed his clothes quickly, then picked up one of the large cases. Xiao He grabbed the other, and the group hurried out in a flurry.
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