Chapter 675 - 560: Ten Days (2)

Chapter 675: Chapter 560: Ten Days (2)

After some thought, Liu Baoli chose Yang Guofa.

Yang Guofa had just transferred over last year and wasn’t familiar enough with the routes to patrol the mountain alone yet.

If he took anyone else, he was worried they’d be short-staffed when it came time to make the next schedule.

Besides, everyone else had a family. Yang Guofa was the only bachelor, so he wouldn’t have to worry about things at home if he was in the mountains for a few days.

He was also young and strong, so he wouldn’t be a burden if something happened.

"Sure, I don’t mind."

Yang Guofa agreed readily, even feeling a little thrilled.

Early the next morning, the group of four shouldered their packs and set out.

As usual, they first rode their motorcycles up the mountain.

Yang Guofa ended up giving Li Suhua a ride. He sat up straight the whole way, his hands sweating.

Once they reached their destination and parked the motorcycles, the four of them headed straight into the mountains.

The route was already established; the only problem was that the mountain path was difficult to travel.

However, Li Suhua’s performance made Liu Baoli look at her with new respect. The young woman didn’t complain about being tired or fall behind, and she remained full of energy the entire way.

Lu Weihong, on the other hand, a grown man, was like a frail scholar. He frequently called for stops along the way, panting that he couldn’t go on.

That night, the four of them stayed in a mountain shelter as planned.

The next day, Li Suhua was still going strong.

As for Lu Weihong, after a night’s rest, he had recovered quite a bit. He seemed to have adapted and was able to keep up.

Liu Baoli took note of it all. ’Lu Weihong has good resilience,’ he thought. ’He must have been pushing himself the whole time.’

This meant their progress was faster than Liu Baoli had expected.

By the afternoon, Liu Baoli slowed their pace slightly. At this rate, he figured, they would definitely be able to reach Kengtou Cliff before dark.

They would rest there for the night.

But things don’t always go according to plan.

At a little past two that afternoon, a strong wind began to blow through the mountains, RUSTLING loudly as it whipped through the treetops.

Liu Baoli’s expression grew grim. He knew the treetops were already icing over.

"Lao Liu, maybe we should turn back," Yang Guofa said, pulling his cotton-padded jacket tighter, his teeth chattering from the cold.

Liu Baoli turned to look at the two people following behind him.

Lu Weihong was trudging along with his head down. Li Suhua, however, still had energy, even taking pictures everywhere with her camera.

He looked up again at the gloomy sky.

Based on his experience as a former hunter, he knew the weather was about to turn. At this altitude, that meant snow.

The problem was, they were now farther from the shelter they had come from. If they turned back now, they definitely wouldn’t make it before dark. Traveling in the pitch-black while it was snowing would be too dangerous.

"No, we can’t go back. We have to push on to Kengtou Cliff."

Having made his decision, Liu Baoli turned to Li Suhua to explain the situation.

They needed to pick up the pace.

They had to reach Kengtou Cliff as quickly as possible, before the snowstorm hit and night fell.

"I’m fine," Li Suhua said, her breath fogging in the cold. Her forehead was actually beaded with sweat, but her voice was still strong. After speaking, she turned to look at Lu Weihong behind her and asked if he could handle it.

Lu Weihong, breathing heavily, gave a thumbs-up and said he could hold on.

Liu Baoli nodded slightly. Even if they wanted to turn back now, they’d have to get to Kengtou Cliff first.

With that, the four of them picked up their pace and headed straight for Kengtou Cliff.

But less than two hours later, snow began to fall, howling down around them.

Usually, it doesn’t get windy when it snows, but this was different. The heavy snow was being whipped about by the wind, dancing chaotically through the mountains.

Liu Baoli quickened his pace against the wind. He knew in his heart this was a blizzard.

But soon, Li Suhua and Lu Weihong couldn’t keep up.

Liu Baoli had no choice. He and Yang Guofa each took one of them, dragging them along.

Before long, though it wasn’t even five o’clock, the sky had turned completely dark.

They had all brought goggles, but in a blizzard like this, the goggles were useless.

Their headlamps could only illuminate a small area in front of them.

It was only because Liu Baoli had walked this path for over a decade and knew it like the back of his hand that he was somehow still able to make out the trail.

By nearly six o’clock, the accumulated snow was already above their ankles. Every step felt like a tug-of-war.

Amidst the chaotic howl of the wind, Liu Baoli could clearly hear Li Suhua’s ragged breathing, which sounded like a broken bellows.

But the young woman stubbornly refused to call for a stop, continuously pushing herself.

Liu Baoli couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for her character.

Of course, Lu Weihong behind them was also doing alright. He was stumbling and staggering, but he stubbornly held on.

Braving the blizzard with Liu Baoli leading the way, they finally reached Kengtou Cliff at a little past eight that night.

As soon as they entered the wooden cabin and shut the door, sealing the blizzard outside, Li Suhua and Lu Weihong collapsed straight onto the floor.

Yang Guofa was spent as well, leaning against the wall and gasping for air.

Liu Baoli dropped his gear and hurried to light the stove.

It wasn’t until the flames rose and warmth began to spread that Li Suhua and Lu Weihong finally started to recover.

The cabin was an important supply and rest stop on Route Four, and it was fully stocked.

Liu Baoli boiled some water, then took a pot, instant noodles, eggs, and other things from the storage cabinet, and deftly cooked up a steaming pot of noodles.

Li Suhua held her bowl and wolfed down a large portion before pulling off her scarf and exclaiming that she had survived.

Lu Weihong felt the same way. Listening to the storm outside, he asked Liu Baoli how long the snow might last.

Liu Baoli was fiddling with the satellite phone. As expected, there was no signal. He shook his head and said, "Who knows? I’m just afraid..."

He didn’t finish his sentence.

The cabin was also stocked with medicine. Liu Baoli mixed some cold and flu powder for both of them, afraid they would catch colds.

But as luck would have it, his fears came true. That very night, Li Suhua started running a fever.

Her head was as hot as a hot water bottle.

"I’m fine, I’ll be better after some medicine." She was still optimistic, saying that if it weren’t for the cabin, she felt like she would have frozen to death on the mountain.

She also added that she had finally experienced just how difficult the work of a Patrol Officer was.

Liu Baoli said humbly, "Actually, once the dead of winter arrives, we close off the mountain and don’t come up here. It’s just that the snow came a bit early this year."

In previous years, the mountain wouldn’t be closed off until at least the end of December or early January.

But this year, it was only early December.

It was December 4th, the first day the group of four had arrived at the Kengtou Cliff cabin.

When the sky brightened the next day, the blizzard had subsided a little compared to the night before.

Outside, the world was draped in silver, a vast expanse of white.

"Lao Liu, why don’t we head back while the snow has lessened?" Yang Guofa suggested.

Liu Baoli turned to look at Li Suhua, who was lying in bed.

She had taken medicine and was a bit better, but she was still weak. Making her travel the mountain paths back to the protection station now felt like asking too much.

"Let’s wait a bit longer. I’ll go make a call in a little while and report the situation to the station."

During a lull in the snowfall, Liu Baoli went to a nearby open area, contacted the station, and briefly explained the situation.

The snow was an unexpected development.

Liu Baoli’s intention was to wait for the time being, until Li Suhua’s condition improved.

If that wasn’t possible, they would just have to wait longer. In any case, the cabin had food, so staying a few more days wouldn’t be a problem.

On the other end, Wang Wengang knew Liu Baoli was experienced. He remarked on how early the snow had come this year, and then hung up.