Chapter 346: The Difficulty of Rescue!

“Boom! Boom!”

“We’re here!”

“We’re here! There are people here!”

“We’re all here!”

……

……

Thunderous sounds occasionally echoed from the sky—the whirring of helicopters circling above.

Meanwhile, members of the rescue team inside the coniferous forest continuously shouted toward the helicopters overhead.

Unfortunately, their shouts were not heard by the rescue personnel aboard the helicopters.

Perhaps it was drowned out by the helicopters’ own noise!

Soon, the helicopters vanished from sight, flying deeper into the forest.

“How many patches of coniferous forest are there within a fifty-mile radius? Have we identified them all yet?”

At that moment, Wang Ming aboard the helicopter spoke up to ask.

Xiao Yi’s drone livestream had been taken away by Shen Mengsan.

Thus, the rescue team had learned through that livestream that Shen Mengsan’s main rescue group had taken shelter in a patch of coniferous forest to escape the super blizzard.

Therefore, Wang Ming’s rescue team’s initial mission was to determine how many patches of coniferous forest existed in this search area.

Upon hearing this, another member of the rescue team spoke up.

“Mr. Wang, we’ve identified seven areas of coniferous forest, large and small. Based on distance, the rescue team could have fled into any of them for shelter.”

“If Team Leader Shen and his team took refuge in patches 1, 3, 5, or 6, that would be better—these forests aren’t very large, so we could search them quickly, even complete the entire area within a day.”

“But if their members fled into patches 2, 4, or 7, that would be a real headache for our rescue team.”

“These three patches are all very large, especially the seventh—its expanse looks endless.”

“If Team Leader Shen’s group truly is in the seventh patch, I fear they may have ventured deep into the forest. In that case, our search radius might need to expand beyond fifty miles.”

“Of course, the most critical issue is that we don’t have enough personnel—we urgently need more help for the search.”

Upon hearing Wang Ming’s question, someone immediately spoke up.

Under the rescue member’s explanation, Wang Ming now understood the full situation.

The area was vast, manpower was scarce, and the rescue team urgently needed reinforcements—or they would be powerless despite their will.

After hearing this, Wang Ming felt a headache coming on, but still asked:

“If we proceed with our current manpower, how long would it take to search all seven patches of coniferous forest?”

“Thirty days! At least thirty days—and only if there are no unexpected setbacks and the weather remains favorable!”

“The main difficulty is the snow on the ground—snowplows can’t enter coniferous forests. And of course, patches 2, 4, and 7 are simply too large.”

Hearing this, Wang Ming felt a wave of despair. If luck favored them, they might still rescue Shen Mengsan’s team early.

But if luck turned against them—if Shen Mengsan’s team was only found on the thirtieth day—it wouldn’t be a rescue anymore, but a body recovery.

Wang Ming had known this wasn’t a good mission to begin with, but now it seemed downright monstrous.

Even now, after hearing the rescue team’s answer, he felt a sense of hopelessness.

Still, Wang Ming forced himself to focus and asked earnestly:

“Everyone, you’re all rescue experts. I’m only here to assist you. Please voice your opinions freely now.”

Wang Ming knew his own limitations—he had little expertise in rescue operations.

So he openly declared he was here to support, and that all decisions would follow the rescue team’s advice.

Seeing Wang Ming say this, the rescue team members sighed in relief—they’d feared he might give reckless orders.

Then the captain of Rescue Team One spoke up first:

“Look at the map—I believe we should first investigate the four smaller patches: 1, 3, 5, and 6.”

“We currently have only thirty rescue members here. I propose dividing into four teams of seven, each tasked with clearing one of these four small coniferous forest patches within three days.”

“If we find Team Leader Shen’s group, that’s ideal. If not, we’ll shift all efforts to the three larger patches.”

“According to my estimate, Team Leader Shen’s group brought relatively ample supplies.”

“If the blizzard didn’t carry off too much, their food should last seven to ten days. So we’ll set our golden rescue window at seven days—no later than two weeks.”

“I support the captain’s proposal. This batched search approach makes sense.”

“I agree too—this might be the best rescue strategy.”

“I agree as well, but Mr. Wang, I urge you to contact Base Director Li and request more rescue personnel—our time is running out.”

“Correct. Though the search area isn’t huge, the environment here is too harsh and severely limits our operations.”

……

……

After Rescue Team One’s captain made his suggestion, the other rescue members quickly voiced their support.

Some even urged Wang Ming to immediately contact the base and request more personnel.

Hearing this, Wang Ming spoke up:

“We’ll follow Captain Liu’s plan. As for increasing personnel, I’ll report to Director Li immediately and request more help.”

“As for team assignments and rescue tactics, everything will be handled by Captain Liu.”

Wang Ming knew the rescue mission couldn’t have two voices giving orders, so he willingly handed full command to Rescue Team One’s captain.

Hearing this, others looked at Wang Ming with new respect—even admiration.

The rescue team had feared an outsider would mislead them, risking not only failure but also their own lives.

Captain Liu, for his part, accepted without refusal and immediately began organizing the teams.

Not all personnel were aboard this one helicopter—some were still on the ground surveying.

But everyone had radios, so Captain Liu’s orders quickly reached all.

No one objected to the plan—it was far better than their earlier aimless searching.

“What about Team Leader Shen and Hong Liu? How do we rescue them?”

After Captain Liu finished assigning teams, Wang Ming quietly asked again.

Hearing this, Captain Liu winced.

For the rest of the rescue team, at least they knew: if anyone survived, they were somewhere in these coniferous patches.

But for Shen Mengsan, even Captain Liu felt lost.

How many bear dens were in this area? Even if few, where exactly were they?

And during the blizzard, was Shen Mengsan’s den buried or blocked? The rescue team had no idea.

Even though they still had the final environmental screenshot of Shen Mengsan and Hong Liu’s last known location,

the blizzard had transformed the entire landscape into a sea of white—everything was unrecognizable.

Even though everyone knew Shen Mengsan and Hong Liu had found a den and killed a black bear inside, Captain Liu didn’t hold out much hope for their survival.

So now, Captain Liu’s primary focus was naturally on Shen Mengsan’s main team—more people, and they’d taken shelter in the forest, giving them better odds.

But since Wang Ming had asked, Captain Liu wasn’t unprepared—he spoke up:

“For Team Leader Shen, we need three helicopters circling nonstop to search. Team Leader Shen is an experienced veteran—if he survived, he’ll leave signals for us.”

“That’s all we can do. Otherwise, searching blindly across this snow-covered wasteland for just two men? Unless the production crew drops another thirty helicopters and sends two thousand professional rescuers, we’re out of options.”

Hearing this, Wang Ming let out a bitter laugh. In China, with the power behind Yinfu, such resources might be possible—but this was Maple Country.

Though Yinfu’s headquarters and the production team weren’t short on money, even money couldn’t solve this overnight.

Unlike in China, where a few phone calls could summon dozens more rescuers.

“We’ll follow Captain Liu’s plan. I’ll also contact Director Li to try and bring in more professional rescuers.”

Hearing this, the rescue team fell silent.

Soon, three helicopters gathered at one location.

They needed to airlift the rescue teams to their designated coniferous forest patches.

Quickly, everyone assembled and split off toward the four assigned forest zones.

Only Wang Ming remained behind with a few base staff to set up tents.

This spot would serve as the central rescue coordination point. After watching Captain Liu and the team depart, Wang Ming stood still for a moment, then contacted Li Yong at base.

“Wang Ming, how’s your rescue operation going?”

As soon as the line connected, Li Yong asked directly.

If not for his duties handling external inquiries and internal pressure from Yinfu, Li Yong might have come himself to oversee the rescue.

But now he was stretched too thin—just as he wanted constant updates on the rescue progress.

Media outlets and internal Yinfu personnel were all watching the rescue closely.

Even selecting personnel and coordinating rescue equipment required his constant attention.

“Director Li, based on wind speed and time estimates, we’ve fixed the search radius to fifty miles around Xiao Shen’s camp. We’ve identified seven likely locations within this zone. Our teams are now…”

Wang Ming didn’t hide anything—he repeated everything Captain Liu had said to Li Yong.

Hearing this, Li Yong understood instantly—just as Wang Ming had.

There was only one meaning in all his words:

He was short on everything.

Short on rescue specialists, short on helicopters, short on medics, short on heavy snowplows, even short on supplies…

“Cut the fluff. Give me a clear list. I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”

At this moment, Li Yong rubbed his temples and said, “This is why I can’t leave the base—I have too many areas to coordinate right now.”

“Mr. Li, if possible, I’d like to launch a large-scale search. That would cut our rescue time significantly. Could you spare me five hundred professional rescue personnel?”

“How many?”

Hearing this, Li Yong roared out loud, certain his ears had betrayed him.

Is this Wang Ming trying to extort me?

“Cough, cough—three hundred will do!”

Hearing this, Wang Ming cleared his throat awkwardly, then spoke cautiously.

But inside, he sighed: “Captain Liu, I’m really pushing myself to secure this.”

Seeing Wang Ming say this, Li Yong fell silent.

Then he spoke: “Two hundred at most—and they’ll arrive at your location within two days.”

“You must understand how hard this is. These two hundred exist only because the Maple Country police are willing to lend us a hundred professional rescuers.”

“The other hundred are seven of our own rescuers who flew back home—I ordered them to return at top speed. Even the fastest won’t arrive until tomorrow.”

Our production team’s full rescue unit consists of fifteen members; the seven units that returned home total exactly one hundred and five.

And getting every single one of them to come back again isn’t easy—getting a hundred is already the best-case scenario.

Wang Ming knew that if two hundred professional rescuers could arrive tomorrow,

it might well be the maximum number Li Yong could possibly muster right now.

Of course, Li Yong wasn’t incapable of finding more professional rescuers—it was simply the time constraint.

If Li Yong had two weeks, he could assemble two thousand professional rescuers to come aid them.

But two weeks? By then, they could already be burying all of Shen Mengsan’s rescue team.

“Mr. Li, I also need helicopters—more the better!”

Seeing the rescue personnel issue resolved, Wang Ming immediately pressed on, showing no restraint.

Wang Ming hadn’t forgotten what Captain Liu had just said.

To locate Shen Mengsan and the other two who had become separated from the main group, only helicopters could continuously scan the skies for traces of them.

“Ten. Ten helicopters will join you tomorrow, accompanying your rescue efforts.”

After Wang Ming finished speaking, Li Yong replied bluntly once more.