Chapter 397: We Are Really Not Bad People

After hearing his words, everyone in the group committed them to memory. After all, this was the mythical herb they were talking about. If they found it, it could secure their future and protect their families—a double benefit that anyone would want.

Ye Fan smiled as he watched them, but then, almost inadvertently, his gaze swept over to where Li Yiyi was standing outside the crowd.

His smile faltered for a moment, but then, as if nothing had happened, he walked over to greet her, “Comrade Li, you’re listening too?”

Li Yiyi nodded at him, giving him a half-smile, and said, “Comrade Ye, I noticed you seem to know quite a bit about this Hundred Immortal Herb. Anyone who didn’t know might think you’re here for that.”

Upon hearing her words, Ye Fan’s smile froze once more. After a moment, he forced out a somewhat strained smile and said, “Comrade Li, your words startled me. I was just listening to everyone’s interesting discussion, and I shared what I knew.”

Li Yiyi smiled and lightly nodded, “I see. It looks like I was overthinking it.”

With that, she moved past him and headed towards Gu Weiwei, who was sitting with the others.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hong, having just finished reviewing what Hong Shuo had brought up, was approached by another subordinate who needed to inform him of something.

“So you’re saying someone has been following us?” Jiang Hong asked, frowning after hearing the report.

“Yes, Captain, we’ve already apprehended the person following us. However, they claim they only wanted to use our protection to search for their companions. What should we do with them?” the soldier asked, looking at Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong bit his lip, wishing he could clone himself to handle all the things happening at once. He sighed deeply and said, “Take me to them.”

Soon, under the soldier’s guidance, Jiang Hong came face to face with the two men who had been tailing them.

The two men appeared to be middle-aged, dressed like researchers.

“Are you the leader here?” one of the men asked. Seeing the respect the soldiers had for the young man approaching, he quickly guessed this person’s high rank. “Hello, we’re really not bad people. We just wanted to use your protection to find our companions. They entered this mountain a week ago and haven’t been heard from since. We’re here to look for them.”

Jiang Hong nodded, “Hello, my name is Jiang Hong. You said your companions entered the mountain a week ago? Can you tell me if they had any specific markings?”

Upon hearing the question, Tang Qingwen’s eyes brightened, and he eagerly replied, “Leader, do you have any news about our companions? As for markings, let me think… Yes, they wore blue work clothes, the same as ours. These are the standard uniforms issued by our institute. They wore them when they entered the mountain.”

Jiang Hong glanced at the clothes they were wearing, and the uniform looked somewhat familiar. Soon, he remembered a few body parts he had dealt with earlier, and there was a scrap of fabric that matched what these men were wearing.

“I think I might have found your companions. Follow me,” Jiang Hong said.

Tang Qingwen exchanged a look with Wu Botong behind him, both of them smiling with excitement.

Seeing their happy expressions, Jiang Hong opened his mouth but decided to wait until they saw their companions for himself before saying anything.

“Officer, I knew following you into the mountain would help us find them. Looks like we made the right choice,” Tang Qingwen said, happily walking behind Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong walked in front, hearing the two following him, and asked, “Do you know why your companions came into the mountain? Do you realize how dangerous this mountain is?”

“Of course, we know. We’re from the geological engineering department. We heard the geology of Mount Wu is a great research subject, so we came to check it out. But our two companions were too eager and didn’t prepare properly before entering,” Tang Qingwen replied honestly.

Jiang Hong, impressed by their work, gave them an approving look before turning back and continuing to walk. “Next time, if you go anywhere else for work, I suggest preparing better in advance. Safety should always come first, don’t you think?”

“Of course, we know. We value safety too. It’s just that they were too eager; they couldn’t wait even a day,” Wu Botong added.

After a while, the two realized they had passed the area where the researchers were located and had veered off the main path.

“Officer, where are you taking us? Shouldn’t our companions be with the other researchers?” Tang Qingwen asked, his expression finally showing some suspicion.

Jiang Hong stopped, turned to look at them, and said, “Don’t worry, we’re almost there. Just ahead. You can check for yourselves if it’s your companions.”

The two followed his gaze to the direction he was pointing. They saw a cloth covering something up ahead, and their faces immediately turned pale. They took a few steps but then stumbled. Fortunately, they held each other up, avoiding a fall.

They slowly made their way to the cloth on the ground, supporting each other.

Jiang Hong stood at a distance, not watching them as they approached.

Five minutes later, a choking voice came from behind him. “Officer, we’ve confirmed it. The body parts on the ground are our companions. We want to know… how did they die?”

“They must have encountered a large beast after entering the deeper parts of the mountain. Unfortunately, they didn’t escape the beasts’ jaws,” Jiang Hong explained, telling them what he had learned.

“I told them not to rush into the mountain, but they didn’t listen. Now what do we do? They’ve lost their lives… how do we explain this to their families?” Wu Botong collapsed to his knees, holding his face and speaking with deep sorrow.