We Crossed Mountains and Dams, and When We Met Again, We Were Already the Distance Between Man and Pig

Search and rescue operations emphasize a "golden hour," referring to the period within 72 hours after a disaster when the survival rate of victims is higher. After 72 hours, as time passes, the chance of survivors decreases.

The reason for Yang Xiaoyan and her group's disappearance is unknown, but they are still subject to the golden hour. Every second counts. After Qin Luming and Che Yun explained the situation, the search and rescue team captain, Fang Dayong, took a search dog and prepared to depart with the advance team.

"Captain, their disappearance is a bit strange. This place is very eerie. You all need to be especially careful." Qin Luming, using his exploration of the path ahead as a reason, became a leading scout. As he walked forward, he cautioned Fang Dayong and the other team members following him.

"I know, but I don't think you're telling the whole truth." Fang Dayong was the founder of the City A Search and Rescue Team in 2011. He was a seasoned veteran, having encountered inexplicable, eerie events in many rescue operations.

When Qin Luming reported the situation to the police earlier, he glossed over many details, which the police didn't notice. However, Fang Dayong did. Those details were actually crucial in search and rescue work, and Qin Luming, as a frontline team member, shouldn't have been so ignorant.

"Didn't I just say there were wild pigs attacking people here? When I saw those pigs, the missing persons' clothes were right next to them. You wouldn't believe me if I said they turned into pigs, but I think there's a very high chance they won't be found." Qin Luming explained.

"Of course, I don't believe it. Stop talking nonsense and don't give up any hope. Lead us to the spot where you said the clothes were piled up first." Fang Dayong frowned. He had also witnessed some inexplicable, eerie events, but the idea of people turning into pigs was too absurd.

Qin Luming nodded and pointed ahead. Fang Dayong reached out and stopped him, pulling him back a step.

Since Qin Luming wasn't carrying much equipment, Fang Dayong worried he would be more vulnerable. Fang Dayong, on the other hand, was fully equipped, with a helmet, headlamp, spare headlamp, powerful flashlight, laser stick, rescue knife, rescue kit, life vest, safety harness, main lock, climbing rope, descender, entrenching tool, GPS, and a GoPro. If something happened to Fang Dayong while he was scouting ahead, he felt his survival rate would be much higher than Qin Luming's.

Qin Luming had no choice. He only held an entrenching tool in his hand. Appearing like this and insisting on taking the lead would only make him seem unprofessional.

"Little Qin, that batch of entrenching tools you got last time was really something. Much better than what we bought online before," Zhang Zhitong, behind Qin Luming, said, patting his shoulder.

For outdoor work that frequently encountered unexpected dangers, the quality of equipment could sometimes be a matter of life and death.

The City A Search and Rescue Team was composed of volunteers, so they had no official status or financial allocation, and their activities were mostly funded by the team members themselves. Qin Luming had also participated in the procurement of supplies.

"The one I have is even better, but I got it from someone else," Qin Luming said, waving the entrenching tool in his hand.

Zhang Zhitong took it to look, praised it, and returned it to Qin Luming.

Progress slowed during the night, especially with the need to observe and search for clues, and call out the names of the missing. It took over an hour to find the riverbed and bank where Qin Luming had encountered the pig herd during the day.

"Little Qin, this is where the clothes appeared?" Fang Dayong stood there, searching for the clothes Qin Luming had mentioned.

Qin Luming compared them to the photos on his phone. It was indeed the place, but the clothes were gone.

"This place is rarely visited, so the possibility of someone else taking the clothes is very small. I hope they came back themselves to retrieve their clothes, but if that's the case, where did they go now?" Fang Dayong asked, puzzled.

"Turned into pigs," Qin Luming muttered to himself.

Fang Dayong and Zhang Zhitong exchanged glances. Although their search and rescue environment wasn't conducive to casual banter, they couldn't help but chuckle... They didn't have much affection for adults who ventured into undeveloped and restricted areas without professional training or supervision.

"Let's go, let's check further ahead." Zhang Zhitong took some photos of the surroundings and then called for everyone to move on.

It wasn't until past two in the morning that Fang Dayong and Zhang Zhitong's group, exhausted, retreated to the mountaintop to set up camp. The other team that had departed later was still searching in the outer perimeter, not re-searching the dam area, so Qin Luming didn't need to worry about them.

With so much more time having passed, the possibility of Yang Xiaoyan and her group meeting their demise increased. Fang Dayong once again rallied more personnel in the search and rescue team group chat, planning to expand the search scale.

Everyone had more time on the weekend. All members of Team One, except for two who stated they were not in City A and would return tomorrow, showed up. Team Two also responded in large numbers, bringing their equipment and coming from all over the city.

Seeing everyone united and working together to save lives, Qin Luming sighed softly and felt helpless. He looked at the darkening night, the imposing figure of the dam spanning the valley, and faintly heard some shouts. The beams of headlamps and flashlights occasionally cut through the night sky. Qin Luming knew that in the face of such supernatural and mysterious phenomena, human efforts would ultimately be in vain.

Since he had speculated that the dam might be Zhou Nan's next target, he naturally connected everything strange happening here with Zhou Nan.

Yang Xiaoyan and her group turning into pigs, this might have been done by that Big Black Pig, but that Big Black Pig... was it originally a pig, or was it also transformed from a person? If so, who transformed it?

Was it Zhou Nan's subordinate, or an unfortunate soul Zhou Nan encountered on Earth?

Qin Luming sat down, feeling somewhat weary. Many people were gathered around. Some search and rescue team members who remained on the mountaintop were setting up camp, preparing food, water, and resting areas.

Qin Luming drank some water and ate two chocolate bars. Just as he was about to walk over to talk to Fang Dayong, he spotted a plump figure in the crowd, slightly hunched over, moving its thick neck from side to side as if observing something.

As if sensing Qin Luming's gaze, the figure turned around, its lips curling slightly, revealing an interested expression. A simple, honest smile bloomed on its round face.

Ma Shilong!

Qin Luming stood up in surprise, unconsciously reaching for the entrenching tool beside him, and looked at Ma Shilong, whom he had met once before, in disbelief.

He had personally witnessed Ma Shilong being hit by Zhou Nan's large hammer and dying in Ma Shilong's study. Qin Luming had checked Ma Shilong's breathing and heartbeat; he was completely dead at the time.

Later, Qin Luming had considered that since Ma Shilong was hit by such a large hammer but didn't bleed, perhaps he had been subjected to a special attack by Zhou Nan, and there might be a chance of survival.

However, his impression was that Ma Shilong was most likely dead.

Now, this guy was standing alive before Qin Luming's eyes, and he had indeed gotten much fatter than before... When they met in Ma Shilong's study, Qin Luming remembered Ma Shilong as only slightly overweight.

Now he was practically a moon-faced man.