As everyone was lost in thought, a piercingly clear and sonorous cry suddenly echoed through the night sky.

"KREEE—"

Everyone instinctively looked up.

There, under a night sky interwoven with moonlight and flashlight beams, a massive dark silhouette with a stunning wingspan was flying in from the direction of the mountain forest, circling not far above their heads.

Each flap of its massive wings created a distinct whoosh of air.

"What a huge bird!"

Someone on the rescue team couldn’t help but gasp.

"Is that really a Beaked Eagle?! Its size... It doesn’t look fully grown yet?"

Tang Bin’s eyes widened. Aided by the beam of his flashlight, he could make out the raptor’s general silhouette and was utterly shocked.

Spotting a Beaked Eagle in the wild in this country was an extremely rare event in itself.

Yang Qi also saw Qi Zai and waved energetically at the sky. At the same time, he used his "Basic Spirit Communication Technique" and shouted upwards.

"Qi Zai, lead the way!"

Qi Zai seemed to understand, letting out another short cry from the sky in response.

It circled twice, adjusted its direction, and then flew steadily toward the depths of the mountain forest at a relatively slow pace, making it easy for the team on the ground to follow.

"Captain Deng, Captain Tang, let’s go!"

Yang Qi called out to the group and, holding a high-powered flashlight, was the first to step into the pitch-black entrance of the forest with Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard.

The three dogs immediately switched into work mode, their nostrils flaring and ears pricked as they stuck close to Yang Qi’s side.

"Oh, right! Everyone, keep up! Stay safe, and turn on all your lights!"

Tang Bin snapped out of his daze. Suppressing his astonishment, he showed the professionalism of a true rescue captain and immediately ordered his team and the medical staff to follow.

Deng Lei also waved his team of Forest Police officers forward.

With flashlights and headlamps switched on, the group formed a mixed team and followed closely behind Yang Qi and the three dogs. They proceeded quickly but cautiously along the rugged mountain path, heading deeper in the direction Qi Zai led them.

Yang Qi walked with a steady gait, his flashlight illuminating the path ahead.

High above, Qi Zai’s silhouette flickered in and out of sight.

It seemed to understand the ground team’s difficult trek. After flying a certain distance, it would circle and wait above a conspicuous high point or open clearing, letting out a clear cry to mark the way.

The night was deep, but the mountain forest was far from silent, filled with the chirping of insects, the calls of animals, and the rustling of leaves.

Flashlight beams sliced through the darkness, illuminating the slippery moss, tangled tree roots, and steep inclines underfoot.

The mountain path was treacherous, especially at night, and the team’s pace inevitably slowed.

Though everyone was frantic with worry, they knew that in a mountain rescue, the safety of the rescuers themselves was the number one priority.

And so, with Qi Zai guiding from the sky and Yang Qi leading on the ground, the rescue team trekked through the pitch-black mountain forest for over an hour, delving deep into an area rarely touched by human feet.

Finally.

After they passed through a dense thicket and came to a relatively steep downhill slope, Qi Zai, who was flying ahead, stopped its advance. Instead, it began to circle and cry out repeatedly above the bottom of the slope.

"They’re just down the slope! Everyone, be careful!"

Yang Qi shouted the warning, quickening his pace as he carefully moved down the steep slope.

Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard also crouched low, letting out cautionary growls.

A flurry of flashlight beams swept across the bottom of the slope.

The area below was rugged, filled with jagged rocks and overgrown with shrubs.

"Over there! Someone’s there!"

A sharp-eyed member of the rescue team was the first to cry out.

Next to a few large boulders, a figure was leaning on a makeshift crutch fashioned from a thick branch, shuffling forward slowly and with great difficulty.

Hearing the clamor of voices and seeing the beams of light from the slope above, the figure jolted. Then, mustering all their strength, they shouted upwards, their voice cracking with tearful emotion.

"Help! We’re from the Provincial Agricultural University! Please, save us! Our professor is unconscious, and my senior... I don’t know what happened to him... *sob*..."

Hearing the cries for help from the bottom of the slope, everyone’s spirits lifted.

They’d found them!

"Don’t be afraid, we’re the rescue team! Hang in there, we’re coming down right now!"

Tang Bin shouted a reply to calm her, even as he used his hands and feet to move carefully but quickly down the steep slope.

Deng Lei followed close behind, steadying himself with a hand on a nearby tree.

Yang Qi, leading Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard, also descended to the bottom of the slope, followed by the other rescuers and medical personnel.

The group quickly reached the young woman who had cried for help.

The young woman appeared to be in her early twenties. Her face was pale, her body was covered in mud and grass, and her clothes were torn in several places. Her left leg was bent at an unnatural angle.

Clearly injured, she was leaning painfully on her makeshift staff.

Seeing so many people in their conspicuous rescue uniforms, fresh tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

"Quick, assess her injuries!" Tang Bin commanded immediately.

Two paramedics with the team rushed forward. They immediately began a preliminary examination, carefully splinting her injured leg, checking for other serious wounds, and giving her water to rehydrate.

Deng Lei crouched down, asking in a calm voice, "Don’t be afraid, miss. You’re safe now. We’re police and a rescue team. Where are your professor and the other students? Where are they?"

At his words, the young woman trembled, and her tears flowed even more freely.

She pointed toward a steeper, rockier slope deeper in the woods, her voice thick with sobs. "My professor... he’s over there. When he fell, his head hit a big rock... He was knocked out right away and... and he was bleeding so much..."

"My senior... around noon, he... he ran west to lead the wolves away."