Chapter 348: First day of search and rescue!

"Wuu! Wuu!"

"Chirp! Chirp?"

"Here, for you!"

Upon hearing the little lynx crying incessantly from hunger, Xiao Yi threw the deer meat in his hand directly to the little lynx at his feet.

Of course, the rough-legged buzzard currently circling in the sky above was not left out.

At this very moment, Xiao Yi had already spent a full day searching this area with the two little ones, yet he had still come up empty-handed.

After all, this fifty-mile radius wasn't exactly large, but it wasn't exactly small either.

At the very least, finding a dozen people in this area was extremely difficult and even required a bit of luck.

Now that it had turned dark, Xiao Yi gave up on his plan to continue searching.

After all, searching the wilderness alone at night was very dangerous, and visibility was poor once the sky turned dark.

It was even possible that people were nearby, but he could miss them simply because of the darkness.

So, Xiao Yi simply stopped looking, used the snowplow to clear a small open space in the area, and then set up his tent within it.

Now that the tent was set up and shielded by the surrounding snow, it didn't feel too cold.

Xiao Yi then took out the dry wood and the large pot he had prepared when he arrived and began to light a fire to boil the meat.

However, after two bites, Xiao Yi felt the meat wasn't tasty; he even felt like he was getting tired of eating it.

If only he had spices like Sichuan peppercorns or star anise, he could have removed the gamey smell and enhanced the flavor.

Unfortunately, neither Wang Ming nor Pan Chen had brought any spices when they arrived at Xiao Yi's location.

After all, they were here for a rescue mission, not a vacation.

Of course, once a person is hungry, everything tastes good, especially when it's deer meat.

Although it was late, there were still 32 million people online in the drone broadcast room above Xiao Yi's head.

Seeing Xiao Yi stop the snowplow and set up camp, the netizens' interest in discussing the situation grew even higher.

"Xiao Shen has been searching for a whole day, how come there isn't even a trace of a person!"

"Forget about people, I haven't even seen a single animal. This scene truly matches the desolation of 'a thousand mountains, all birds have vanished; ten thousand paths, all human traces are gone'."

"Sigh! I wonder how the rescue situation is going for the other teams? Have there been any new discoveries?"

"Yeah! I'm very curious too. I wonder if the other rescue teams have found Captain Shen and the others. Even rescuing just one trapped person would be heartening!"

"It would be great if we could add a few more drone broadcast rooms so we could understand the rescue situation in other places in real-time."

"Yeah! Why don't we go to the program's official website and suggest that they send more drones to provide comprehensive coverage of the entire rescue process."

"Don't cause trouble. This is a critical rescue moment where lives are at stake. When would the program team have time to worry about the broadcast?"

"Speaking of which, isn't every second of a rescue mission crucial? How does Xiao Yi still have the mood to eat leisurely there?"

"I think he's just putting on a show! I know this type of person best; they are very hypocritical."

"Damn, found a few haters. Brothers, we've got work to do."

"Sigh! Some people only have their keyboards; how pathetic!"

"Exactly, does rescue mean you don't have to eat? Does rescue mean you don't have to rest? Do you think Xiao Shen is a robot?"

"Xiao Shen himself is part of the group being rescued. It's already amazing that he can overcome the psychological fear brought by that disaster and help with the rescue. You guys are being too harsh."

……

……

Of course, Xiao Yi himself was completely unaware of what was being discussed in the broadcast room.

However, the content of the discussion in the broadcast room was mainly about today's rescue work.

Moreover, the golden time for rescue was only these few days.

As time passed, the survival rate of Shen Mengsan and the others would become lower and lower, so the netizens in the broadcast room were naturally very worried about the progress of the rescue.

"Buzz! Buzz!"

Just as Xiao Yi was eating meat and the netizens were discussing, Xiao Yi's walkie-talkie suddenly rang.

"Wuu! Wuu!"

Hearing the vibration of the walkie-talkie, the little lynx called out first, as if telling Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi also heard the sound, took the walkie-talkie out of his pocket, and spoke into it.

"Xiao Yi here!"

"Hello Xiao Shen, I am Wang Ming. How are things on your end? Have you found anything? Do you need to return to the main rescue camp?"

Just after Xiao Yi finished speaking, a voice came from the other end of the walkie-talkie. The person speaking was Wang Ming, the person in charge of this rescue.

In fact, Wang Ming was quite overwhelmed at this moment.

But he still contacted Xiao Yi first to ask about his situation.

Because his most important task was to ensure Xiao Yi was brought back safely.

If Xiao Yi were to go missing during the rescue process, his responsibility would be huge.

Upon hearing that it was Wang Ming on the other end, Xiao Yi couldn't help but smile.

He then spoke, "Everything is fine here. Unfortunately, there have been no discoveries along the way heading east. As for returning to the rescue camp, let's skip it for today!"

"Xiao Shen, I understand your situation. It's good that you're okay, so I can rest easy. Since you don't plan to return to the main rescue camp, please be careful out there. Contact me anytime if you need anything."

Wang Ming didn't really have any intention of chatting further; the main purpose of his call to Xiao Yi was to confirm if there were any unexpected situations.

Of course, if Xiao Yi could bring him a pleasant surprise, he would be even happier.

After all, Xiao Yi was synonymous with miracles in this wilderness.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yi did not bring him any pleasant surprises this time.

However, this was within Wang Ming's expectations; after all, searching for a rescue target wasn't that easy.

Hearing this, Xiao Yi saw that Wang Ming intended to hang up and quickly asked.

"By the way, Wang Zong, have there been any new discoveries from the other rescue teams today?"

Seeing Xiao Yi ask this, the netizens in the broadcast room perked up their ears.

After all, they had always wanted to know the situation with the other rescue teams, but unfortunately, they had no way of knowing.

Upon hearing Xiao Yi's question, Wang Ming gave a bitter smile.

He didn't intend to hide anything and spoke up.

"The information we initially received was that most members of the Shen Mengsan rescue team were in a coniferous forest, so we checked the surrounding coniferous forests and finally confirmed seven of them."

"Due to a shortage of manpower, we are currently searching four of those coniferous forests, but unfortunately, there has been no good news so far."

"As for the helicopters and snowplows that have been searching for Captain Shen and the others, they haven't made any new discoveries in this wilderness either."

Hearing this, Xiao Yi fell silent. He knew the pressure Wang Ming was under and couldn't help but comfort him.

"I think the Shen Mengsan rescue team can survive in this wilderness for a few days without any problems. Wang Zong, don't be too anxious. We will definitely be able to rescue them in the end."

"I understand what Xiao Shen said. I believe we can rescue Captain Shen and the others. And it's not entirely without good news; Boss Li Yong is doing his best to mobilize more professionals."

"Tomorrow, our search and rescue team will have at least two hundred more professional search and rescue personnel, ten helicopters, and dozens of snowplows."

Wang Ming said this intentionally for Xiao Yi to hear.

Because he knew there was a broadcast room with Xiao Yi!

He wanted to indirectly tell the netizens that their program team wasn't failing to try, but was doing their absolute best to mobilize all manpower and resources.

Hearing this, Xiao Yi instantly understood Wang Ming's intention.

However, Xiao Yi didn't say much; as long as the manpower and resources could arrive, that was all that mattered.

Of course, Xiao Yi was still somewhat surprised that Li Yong could mobilize so much manpower and resources in such a short time.

After all, this was Maple Leaf Country, not China.

However, what Xiao Yi didn't know was that the reason Li Yong could mobilize so much manpower and resources in such a short time was largely thanks to him.

Of course, even if Xiao Yi knew, he wouldn't care. What Xiao Yi cared about most now was the rescue mission at hand.

Xiao Yi hoped that all members of the Shen Mengsan rescue team were safe.

After all, these people had encountered this disaster while trying to protect him.

After learning what he wanted to know, Xiao Yi didn't say anything more and ended the call with Wang Ming.

At this time, the netizens in the broadcast room began to discuss again after learning about the current status of the rescue team.

After eating the meat, Xiao Yi tidied up a bit and entered the tent to rest.

Xiao Yi was tired after a day and was in no mood to chat with the netizens in the broadcast room.

Moreover, Xiao Yi had experienced an exhausting night the previous night.

Even though he had rested for a few hours when the blizzard was about to stop, he was still very sleepy now.

Seeing Xiao Yi enter the tent, the little lynx, who still wanted to play for a while, followed him in instantly.

As for the rough-legged buzzard, it wasn't stupid and followed the little lynx into the tent.

As for the drone, it wanted to enter the tent, but the space inside was already insufficient, so it had to stay by the snowplow.

Seeing the two little things follow him in, Xiao Yi couldn't help but smile slightly and then zipped up the tent.

Soon, Xiao Yi fell into a deep sleep, and as things quieted down around him.

Everything around became even more silent, with starlight reflecting off the snow, slightly illuminating the land and making it feel even colder.

……

……

Things were quiet on Xiao Yi's side, but it was not the same elsewhere.

"Everyone, let's stop the search and rescue here for today! Everyone set up camp immediately. We will stay in this wilderness tonight. Xiao Yu, go boil some hot water and prepare some hot food for everyone."

"I understand, Captain Liu!"

Hearing this voice, someone immediately responded.

The person speaking was the captain of the No. 1 rescue team, the actual commander of this rescue mission.

The team he led was responsible for searching the No. 3 coniferous forest.

At this moment, they had also walked arduously through the forest for a day, but unfortunately, they had come up empty-handed.

As for the situation with the others, Captain Liu had also learned about it from Wang Ming.

However, Captain Liu had no good solutions at the moment.

But Wang Ming brought him happy news; he now knew about the base's support for tomorrow.

With the two hundred people supported by the base, these people could instantly be deployed to the other three large coniferous forests.

He believed that within five days, they would be able to search all seven coniferous forests, and by then, they would definitely be able to find the location of the Shen Mengsan rescue team.

Soon, everyone gathered around, their faces frozen red, rubbing their hands to keep warm.

Although the blizzard had passed, it didn't mean it wasn't cold here; it was extremely cold.

It was fine during the day when there was sun, only about minus ten degrees, but after the sun went down, it was definitely below minus twenty degrees.

"Everyone has worked hard. I think you all know that we will have support tomorrow, and we will complete this rescue as soon as possible."

"Of course, I think if this rescue mission is successful, the reward given by the program team will not be low."

Captain Liu looked at everyone with a smile as he spoke.

Although everyone was prepared to suffer when they came, they still needed some verbal encouragement at this time.

Sure enough, after hearing Captain Liu's words, the other members of the rescue team smiled; for them, this was indeed good news.

Some even began to discuss how much reward the program team would give in the future.

Of course, the situation of the other three rescue teams was similar to Captain Liu's.

……

……

"Phew! It's damn cold. Captain, are you okay?"

The next morning, Hong Liu, who was in the bear den, woke up first and quickly called out to Shen Mengsan.

"What could happen to me? My life is tough! Once you get up, hurry and roast the meat. If it weren't for the lack of branches, I'd really want to keep this fire burning."

Hearing Hong Liu's words, Shen Mengsan quickly spoke up.

In fact, just as Shen Mengsan said, if conditions allowed, he would definitely keep the fire burning, as there would be a high chance of being spotted by a helicopter.

Unfortunately, conditions didn't allow it. He didn't have many branches here, and even those that could be used had to be dry branches that could be lit.

He was afraid that he would burn all the branches he had collected without waiting for the rescue helicopter.

By then, the two of them would only be able to eat raw bear meat. You have to know that this bear meat was now frozen no different from a block of ice.

Forcing him to eat raw bear meat later would be no different from waiting to starve to death.

"I know, Captain. But it was really cold last night. I feel it was even colder than the night the blizzard arrived."

Hearing this, Hong Liu couldn't help but smile bitterly. He now realized what it was like to spend the night in the Arctic wilderness in winter.

Even though his clothes were thick enough and there was a bear den to block the wind.

"That's natural. On the night of the blizzard, I'm afraid your mind was entirely focused on fear; how could you care about the cold on your body?"

"Now that the fear brought by the blizzard is gone, you can naturally feel the horror of this freezing weather. Alright, let's continue digging our SOS today. I just hope what we dug yesterday hasn't collapsed."

After speaking, Shen Mengsan didn't pay any more attention to Hong Liu and crawled out of the cave first.

In fact, Shen Mengsan, who was at the cave entrance, could feel the horror of the Arctic wilderness in winter more than Hong Liu.

. ===== CHAPTER 350 =====