Chapter 223: Hurry, We're About to Be Discovered
"It's just that I don't know when she was captured."
Shen Que had only roughly heard about it. Since he wasn't particularly curious, he didn't know when Zhou Ning had been imprisoned here.
Meng Ci didn't overthink it. If she was Shen Que's benefactor, helping to rescue her wouldn't hurt.
If she wasn't the one who saved Shen Que in his past life, that would be ideal.
Meng Ci then grabbed his binoculars, planning to continue observing the situation.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The eagle let out a series of sharp barks, having spotted something.
Following the eagle's barks, Meng Ci saw that the people on the other side of the tunnel had noticed them.
In the direction of the eagle's barks, Meng Ci saw a wild boar.
The boar was larger than any they had encountered before, with sharper tusks.
Its sunken belly suggested it hadn't eaten in days.
Meng Ci considered pulling Shen Que into the space with him, along with the dog and wolf.
But if they left the tents and supplies behind, anyone who came to investigate could easily spot something off.
If that happened, it would cause trouble for their rescue mission, as the other side would heighten their vigilance.
"Let's go!"
Meng Ci and Shen Que left, bending down and moving quickly.
Qie Zi and the eagle stayed behind, howling at the wild boar.
The people on the opposite side wouldn't be able to reach them quickly, so Meng Ci and Shen Que weren't afraid of being discovered.
They packed the tents and other items into the space, and just as Qie Zi and the eagle ran over, the wild boar charged at them. In an instant, they entered the space.
After the wild boar rushed forward, it saw several people disappear in an instant!
In disbelief, it turned around in place, breathing heavily with its mouth wide open, trying to find Meng Ci and Shen Que.
Sure enough, the people in the tunnel heard the eagle's barks.
Although they knew it was unlikely for anyone to be in this remote wilderness, as a precaution, they sent three people to check the situation.
These men were seasoned hikers, so it took them only twenty minutes to reach the stone where Meng Ci and the others had been.
After scanning the area, they found nothing out of the ordinary.
Suddenly, they heard a low grunt. They turned to see a wild boar barreling toward them like a missile.
The three quickly dodged.
Greed flickered in their eyes.
Although they usually had plenty of meat, enjoying this rare wild game was still a treat.
One of the men picked up a walkie-talkie and informed the others in the tunnel about the wild boar, telling them to bring hunting guns over quickly.
The wild boar wasn't about to go down without a fight. As the man spoke to his companions, it charged like an arrow toward the person closest to it.
The man held a long blade and fearlessly swung it at the wild boar.
However, the boar's skin was too thick, and the blade didn't harm it at all. Instead, the boar knocked the man to the ground.
The other two men also joined the fray, battling the wild boar.
Soon, more than a dozen people rushed over with hunting guns and weapons.
Seeing the boar, they all joined the fight.
Meng Ci and Shen Que had entered the space and were unaware of the situation outside, while Qiezi and Xiongying continued to play in their secret base.
Besides the sausages there, there were also sleeping spots for the two and some plush toys.
Meng Ci looked at the peach trees he had planted. As expected, they were all thriving, and the unripe peaches from before were now a bright red.
Meng Ci picked one, casually wiped it on his shirt, and took a bite.
The taste was much better than before. The soil in the space was truly a fertile haven.
The two weren't in a hurry to leave. They ate a meal inside and even took a nap before waking up.
They checked the time and realized over eight hours had passed.
The two had breakfast, which included savory crepes, spicy pepper soup, a pack of pickles, and a pack of chicken feet.
Only then did they walk out of the space.
The place they emerged from was the same spot where they had entered, but there were many chaotic marks on the ground, and a strong smell of blood lingered in the air.
Meng Ci and Shen Que exchanged glances and cautiously moved toward the source of the bloody smell.
Within minutes, they saw two bodies lying on the ground.
The blood on the ground had dried to a dark red, silent testimony to the brutal fight that had unfolded there.
Shen Que stepped forward to examine the wounds and found they were all blood holes. The two instantly recalled the wild boar's sharp tusks.
Not far from the bodies, they also saw two tusks that appeared to have been forcibly pulled out.
It seemed the boar had been killed by the group in the tunnel.
Meng Ci gently patted Qiezi, signaling it to check if there was anyone near the rocks.
Since Qiezi was a wolf, anyone in the tunnel would likely assume it was a wild animal, not a pet.
Qiezi nodded and walked over proudly.
After Qiezi left, Xiongying kept glancing in that direction, but without its master's command, it could only wait anxiously.
Seeing Xiongying's behavior, Meng Ci thought that Xiongying wasn't indifferent to Qiezi. It seemed Qiezi would eventually win over the girl.
Five minutes later, Qiezi returned, striding back confidently.
After seeing Qiezi return, the eagle resumed pretending to be busy with other tasks.
Seeing that Qiezi showed no abnormal behavior, Meng Ci and Shen Que cautiously headed towards the stones, intending to see what the group of men were doing.
The two hid behind the old stones and used the telescope to observe further.
Near the tunnel entrance, they saw a large iron pot set up, with plenty of firewood stacked beside it, likely for cooking.
It seemed that the group had already cooked and eaten the wild boar.
Shen Que patted Meng Ci's hand and gestured for him to look up at the tunnel entrance. They noticed five men wandering along the path, the leader carrying a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder.
Meng Ci and Shen Que had no idea how many people were inside the tunnel, so they could only observe from their hiding spot while Qiezi and the eagle moved around, checking the situation.
The two observed for nearly forty hours before they gained a rough understanding of the situation.
The tunnel was bustling with activity, with about thirty people inside. They had organized patrol groups of five, each conducting mountain patrols for five hours before switching out.
Of course, there were also two people who went out, gone for more than ten hours.
And less than half an hour after they returned, six or seven men escorted several women out, their hands and feet shackled with heavy chains, treated even worse than prisoners. The women were gone for about six hours before being brought back like convicts, their bodies and faces covered in shocking wounds.
Their pale, emotionless faces and listless demeanor made it clear that their condition was dire.
It was a grim scene, one that left both Meng Ci and Shen Que feeling a deep sense of dread and urgency.