Chapter 347: The Unshakable Rough-Hawk!

In fact, half of these ten helicopters were provided by Canada’s police as rescue support, and the other half were the result of Li Yong’s efforts today.

After the rescue team departed, Li Yong had also considered the possibility that the helicopters might not be enough.

So early on, Li Yong had simultaneously contacted Canada’s police and appealed to the Chinese business association in Canada.

Of course, at this moment, Li Yong’s heart was still somewhat regretful.

After all, the production team had originally rented ten helicopters to stand by at the base.

But as members of the production team gradually withdrew, the team felt they didn’t need so many and returned seven of them one by one.

Now, with the situation suddenly urgent, finding seven more helicopters in a short time would not be easy.

Fortunately, the Chinese business association in Canada was very supportive upon hearing that the rescue was for Xiao Yi’s production team.

They pledged to offer maximum assistance, whether in money or material resources.

As a result, five emergency support helicopters were secured.

These were all arranged by the Chinese business association using their influence in Canada.

Of course, the reason the Chinese business association was so enthusiastic was partly because they were rescuing their compatriots.

Another reason was that Xiao Yi had recently brought them great honor in Canada.

“Really? If there are ten, that’s truly wonderful!”

Clearly, the number Li Yong gave exceeded Wang Ming’s expectations.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ming naturally couldn’t help but become excited.

Li Zong, I still need…

Are you ever going to finish?

Before Wang Ming could finish, Li Yong interrupted wearily—he really thought Li Yong had a magic treasure chest?

“Not finished—I still need as many snowplows as possible, otherwise our rescue team won’t be able to move an inch.”

Normally, Wang Ming would never dare talk back to Li Yong.

But now was the rescue moment—he was the overall commander of the rescue.

At a time like this, when lives were at stake, even if he feared Li Yong, he could only push as hard as possible to get more supplies from him.

Seeing Wang Ming dare to contradict him, Li Yong was momentarily stunned—he had never imagined this would happen.

Li Yong himself knew he had a terrible reputation within the production team.

He’d even been nicknamed “Hair Dryer” by some troublemakers in the team.

Of course, this indirectly revealed Li Yong’s status within the team.

Though not quite a “tyrant,” he was close enough.

Seeing Li Yong remain silent for so long, Wang Ming, still on the phone, was also feeling uneasy.

He’d already prepared himself to be scolded!

“Three large snowplows, seven medium ones, and nine small ones will accompany us tomorrow—these are all the snowplows available in surrounding towns and cities; no more can be mobilized in such a short time.”

“Ah!”

Upon hearing this, Wang Ming exclaimed in surprise.

He hadn’t expected to be met not with Li Yong’s verbal abuse,

but with Li Yong’s calm explanation—and even more support than he’d hoped for.

Although he knew Li Yong wouldn’t refuse his request and would do his best to gather snowplows,

after all, this was a rescue mission, and thousands were watching live-streamed updates on Xiao Yi’s situation!

But knowing Li Yong’s personality, wouldn’t he at least scold him before delivering the supplies?

This unusual behavior left Wang Ming genuinely… unsettled.

“…”

“…”

“What are you ‘ah’ing about? Didn’t you hear what I just said? These are all the snowplows available in the area—what else are you dissatisfied with? If you’re still unhappy, come back—I’ll replace you, and you’ll lose your bonus for the past few months.”

“No, I’m not dissatisfied at all—I’m just surprised by the quantity. Thank you, Li Zong, I’ll definitely manage this rescue well.”

What a joke—if he lost his bonus for the past few months, he’d cry for the rest of his life.

Due to the show’s high ratings, the entire production team’s bonuses were astronomical—each member’s minimum bonus was many times their salary.

Even the base staff’s bonuses never fell below six figures.

As a senior executive of the production team, his bonus could reach seven figures—roughly five years’ salary.

“Phew!”

Actually, after hearing Li Yong’s scolding, Wang Ming secretly sighed in relief.

Although his “rebellion” hadn’t experienced the full force of Li Zong’s “hair dryer,” he’d felt his sternness—and that made Wang Ming feel reassured.

“Li Zong, one last thing—the issue of cold-weather gear and food!”

Finally, Wang Ming spoke up again, even though he could sense Li Yong’s irritation.

But there was no choice—the first rescue team had rushed out hastily and hadn’t prepared adequately.

Moreover, another two hundred people were expected to arrive tomorrow.

If cold-weather gear and food weren’t sufficient, they wouldn’t be rescuing others—they’d be rescuing themselves.

“The base isn’t rich either, but I’ll have all stored supplies shipped to you this afternoon—at least enough to last three days, even if two hundred more arrive.”

“As for after three days, don’t worry—I’ll have sufficient supplies ready by then. Your most important task right now is coordinating all rescue efforts.”

Li Yong wasn’t particularly worried about supplies—he had no pressure, since the base still had stock.

Even if pressure came, it wouldn’t be until over two hundred rescue personnel entered the uninhabited area tomorrow.

Fortunately, the Chinese business association in Canada was actively helping to prepare supplies; with local Chinese support, Li Yong had even less to worry about.

“Understood, Li Zong—I’ll cooperate fully with Liu’s team!”

After saying this, Li Yong and Wang Ming hung up the phone.

Then Li Yong sat there, stunned, silent for a long time.

He’d chosen Wang Ming to lead the rescue because the man had some organizational ability, and most importantly—he was easygoing and good-natured.

This mattered greatly—even Wang Ming himself realized that during a rescue, there couldn’t be two voices. How could Li Yong not have thought of this?

There were several people at the base more capable than Wang Ming, but the more capable they were, the more they liked to command—like Li Yong himself.

Perhaps Li Yong himself wasn’t suited to lead the rescue operation—his domineering personality might lead him to micromanage.

“Li Zong, you promised Wang Zong too much—there are still a few snowplows we haven’t secured!”

At this, the assistant, seeing Li Yong lost in thought, couldn’t help but smile wryly and remind him.

Because the blizzard had affected such a vast area, several nearby towns refused to rent out their snowplows.

The production team had tried negotiating multiple times—still no luck.

Hearing this, Li Yong snapped back to reality and said:

“Raise the price—double it, even triple it. If we still can’t rent them, buy them all. If the new price is too high, pay double the new price—I refuse to believe anyone will say no.”

At this moment, Li Yong was speaking like a true nouveau riche—there was no choice; the production team truly wasn’t short on cash.

In fact, Xiao Yi alone had saved the production team over nine digits in funding during the show.

Right now, Li Yong’s only goal was to rescue all members of Shen Meng’s three rescue teams—after all, countless people back home were watching.

Assistant: “...”

After hearing Li Yong’s words, the assistant was momentarily speechless, then nodded with a wry smile.

But inwardly, he felt a quiet thrill—how good it was that the production team had money. If you won’t rent, I’ll just overwhelm you with cash.

He hoped his own future shows would be just as well-funded.

…

…

“Sigh! Too high—the helicopters can’t hear our shouts!”

“What do we do now? We can’t keep shouting like this—it’s not a solution!”

“What else can we do? We can’t move easily here.”

“Wait—what if we light a fire? When the smoke rises, the helicopters will surely see us when they fly over again.”

“Are you kidding me? With this much snow, how are you going to ignite wood? And this is a forest area—even if snow-covered, are you sure you want to start a fire here? We might not be rescued, but burn to death ourselves.”

“This won’t work, that won’t work—what exactly should we do? Even if we shout until we lose our voices, it won’t help.”

“Relax—if the base’s aircraft have appeared, it means the production team is still searching for us. They’ll find a way to rescue us.”

“You’re putting all your hope in others! We should take matters into our own hands.”

…

…

The people who had just been shouting were the members of Shen Meng’s third rescue team—but the reconnaissance helicopters hadn’t spotted them.

After seeing the helicopters fly directly overhead, their mood grew even more anxious.

At this moment, everyone was saying something different, mostly discussing how to attract the helicopters’ attention.

Though they brainstormed extensively, they still couldn’t reach a decision, and could only wait helplessly.

…

…

“Captain, did you see the helicopter fly over? Why didn’t you shout like I did?”

At this moment, Hong Liu, still digging through snow, asked after watching the helicopter fly away.

Hearing this, Shen Mengsan looked at him as if he were a fool.

Then he asked in return, “You shouted just now—did the helicopter respond?”

“It… didn’t!”

Hearing this, Hong Liu awkwardly scratched his head and spoke up.

“So what’s the point? Does shouting help? Can the people on the helicopter even hear you? If it’s useless, why not save your strength and dig the snow properly? Once we uncover the SOS signal, our chances of rescue will rise when the helicopter flies by again.”

Hong Liu “… ”

Hearing Shen Mengsan’s words, Hong Liu had no reply and silently resumed digging the snow with renewed effort.

As for Shen Mengsan, he glanced up at the direction the helicopter had flown, then quietly began digging snow himself.

Although Shen Mengsan knew Hong Liu’s behavior had been foolish, he couldn’t help harboring a sliver of hope.

What if… what if the rescue team on the helicopter had actually noticed them?

Even though Shen Mengsan knew that from that height, they looked no different from ants.

After all, he himself didn’t want to stay in this damned snow any longer—he already felt his hands and feet were freezing stiff.

Fortunately, he had woven tools from branches; if he’d tried digging with his bare hands, his hands would’ve been ruined before rescue came.

…

…

Of course, rescue efforts were still underway to search for Shen Mengsan and the others, and at this moment, Xiao Yi had been traveling eastward to conduct the rescue.

In fact, Xiao Yi had already set out three hours ago.

When he left, he entrusted the lucky reindeer to Pan Chen to care for.

Xiao Yi planned to help the creature—named Lucky, though truly fortunate—find a new herd and release it back into the wild after the rescue.

Seeing Xiao Yi’s arrangement, Pan Chen was momentarily ecstatic—he had no experience raising reindeer.

But seeing how Xiao Yi had arranged it, he had no way to refuse.

Even many netizens in the livestream were typing messages, urging him to take good care of this reindeer named Lucky.

Then, Xiao Yi ignored the situation there, packed up his tent, gathered ample food, and set off eastward to search.

Of course, the little lynx remained by Xiao Yi’s side, and nearby was the persistent rough-legged hawk.

In fact, when Xiao Yi set out, he had intended to let the rough-legged hawk go, but no matter how he shooed it, the bald bird refused to leave him.

It would sometimes fly into the sky and cry mournfully; when no other rough-legged hawk answered, it would return, disheartened.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi felt helpless—the missing rough-legged hawk, he didn’t believe could survive.

The rough-legged hawk had previously flown to him every day during daylight and returned to its nest at night.

This proved the two birds’ nest was probably not far from here.

Even if not at the center of the blizzard, it was likely near its edge.

But even at the edge, the missing rough-legged hawk would find it hard to survive the blizzard’s impact.

As for the little lynx’s future, Xiao Yi now had to revise his original plan.

Originally, Xiao Yi had intended to stay on the show for the full hundred days.

By then, the little creature would have grown larger, and if it showed survival ability, he would release it back into the wilderness.

Now it seemed time was insufficient.

So Xiao Yi planned to take the little creature with him, and once they left this wilderness, deliver it to a zoo for temporary care.

When it reached full maturity, the zoo would be responsible for releasing it back into this forest.

“Mmm! Mmm!”

“Chirp! Chirp!”

Inside the snowplow, the little lynx and the rough-legged hawk were both crying incessantly.

Inside the snowplow, they seemed to have discovered a new world—why was it no longer as cold as outside?

Xiao Yi naturally paid them no attention; he was fully focused on scanning the surroundings, hoping to find something.