Chapter 9

Ma Xiangfeng, startled by the sudden voice, turned and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Song Chunzhi. “Oh, it’s you…” he greeted, still a little shaken. He still remembered the delicious smell of that mushroom soup yesterday, though sadly he never got to taste it.

Gu Huaishan looked up and saw Song Chunzhi with a bright smile on her face, completely different from the disheveled appearance she had yesterday. She wore a pink floral short blouse and black trousers, looking particularly fresh and spirited. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on her fair forehead, and her round almond eyes stared at him. Unconsciously, he averted his gaze.

“We’re on official duty,” he said simply.

“Then be careful. This cliff is really deep and dangerous,” she warned kindly, noticing the heavy atmosphere and pale faces around them. It seemed like something bad had happened. She decided not to pry and figured she would come back later to search for herbs.

“You know it’s dangerous, yet you came here?” Gu Huaishan shot her a look and said with a serious expression. This girl wasn’t afraid of anything. Yesterday, she nearly got hit by a wild boar, and today she was at a cliff? And somehow, she always showed up wherever he was. It made him suspicious.

“I’m not afraid,” she said simply, stopping in her tracks to respond. Risk and opportunity always came hand in hand. As long as there was gain, danger didn’t matter. Besides, she had superpowers now.

Her answer made Gu Huaishan raise his brows. This girl was quite stubborn. He looked from the cliff to her, then hesitated before asking, “How deep is this cliff? Has anyone ever gone down?”

“Commander Gu, are you joking?” she asked, momentarily stunned. But when she saw the serious look on his face, she quickly responded, “It’s bottomless. No one would dare go down unless they didn’t want to live. You can’t be thinking of going down, can you?”

That reply dashed the last bit of hope in Gu Huaishan’s heart. The two comrades nearby turned even paler and collapsed onto the ground, too shaken to stand. All they could hope for now was that Ma Xiangfeng would return with good news.

“Why do you want to go down there?” she asked, stepping closer. Maybe she could help. She’d never climbed this exact cliff but had been here often when she was a ghost.

“One of our comrades fell, along with the equipment,” Gu Huaishan said. There was something sincere in her eyes that made him open up, though he immediately told her not to tell anyone else.

“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t slipped, Yu Ming wouldn’t have tried to pull me up. Then he wouldn’t have fallen…” Qian Wanfeng, who was sitting on the ground, couldn’t hold back anymore. He began sobbing and pounding the dirt with his fists.

“I’m at fault too. I didn’t grab Yu Ming in time,” said another comrade, his head lowered and eyes brimming with guilt.

Song Chunzhi looked at the steep slope leading to the cliff and guessed Yu Ming must have tumbled down from there. Seeing the grim expressions around her, she grew quiet. Falling into that abyss likely meant there was little chance of survival.

“We’re heading back first,” said Gu Huaishan after scanning the cliff again and calling out a few times without getting a response. He had no choice but to lead his men down to prepare proper rescue gear. The rope they brought earlier had been too short. Before leaving, he turned to warn her again.

“You should go home too. It’s not safe here.”

Back at their station, Ma Xiangfeng soon returned with others. His face was grim as he reported, “There’s no path to the bottom of the cliff. The cliffs are sheer. Locals said the only way is to go around from the neighboring county. But that’ll take time…”

“Then we’ll descend from the top,” Gu Huaishan said, his brows furrowed and eyes firm. “That’s our comrade. No matter what, we must find him.”

Qian Wanfeng, still distraught, crouched on the floor. He immediately said, “Commander Gu, I’ll take a rope and go down. I must find Yu Ming.”

“Me too. We have to find both Yu Ming and the equipment. That’s imported gear, and the data in it is crucial,” said another comrade. They had all gone up the mountain together to run tests, but only two had returned.

“You two stay put at the base,” Gu Huaishan snapped. Neither of them could even stand straight near the cliff; sending them down would only add to the danger. He wasn’t about to risk more lives.

“Xiao Gu, I heard something happened to one of the technicians.” Commander Zhang of the Second Company came in and looked at the tearful Qian Wanfeng before addressing Gu Huaishan. He had only just heard the news.

“Ye Jinzhong passed on the message. I’m organizing the rescue now,” Gu Huaishan explained coldly.

“That cliff is really deep. I’ve been up there myself; you can’t see the bottom,” Commander Zhang sighed. Though reluctant to admit it, the reality was grim. Still, he said, “I’ll get a team together and go up with you. We’ll find him, no matter what.”

Company Commander Zhang’s words made Qian Wanfeng and Ye Jinzhong lower their heads even further. After all, the person hadn’t been found yet. The chances were slim, but deep down they still hoped Yu Ming would be safe.

“Go eat something first. Otherwise, you won’t have the strength to climb the mountain later,” Gu Huaishan said, trying to comfort the two who were still trembling. No one wanted anything to happen, but now that it had, they had to find a solution.

Song Chunzhi followed Gu Huaishan down the mountain, but at the fork in the path, she circled back and returned to the cliff. She casually tossed her bamboo basket onto the ground, lay down, and closed her eyes.

The cliff was so deep that Gu Huaishan and the others couldn’t easily go down. It would be dangerous even if they tried. She wanted to test whether her supernatural power could help.

As soon as she lay down, Song Chunzhi felt herself float out of her body. She looked at her transparent form in surprise. This time it had happened so quickly. Without wasting time, she rushed straight down the cliff.

The cliff looked as if it had been cleaved open by a blade, with steep walls and sparse greenery growing in the crevices. Below were uneven rocks in various shapes.

At first, Song Chunzhi felt a bit uneasy, since the chasm below was deep and dark. It took her a while to get used to it. Controlling her spirit form, she floated downward along the cliffside. Occasionally, thick bushes with vibrant green leaves appeared, camouflaging the terrain.

“Found him.”

After searching further down, Song Chunzhi noticed a black object vaguely visible in a bush on a stone ledge. She floated over and saw a man in military uniform lying there. It was clearly the comrade Gu Huaishan had mentioned: Yu Ming. The black object she had seen was the equipment cradled in his arms.

Overjoyed, she rushed over. Yu Ming’s face was streaked with blood, and his uniform was stained and torn in many places. Song Chunzhi quickly reached out to check his breathing. It was faint, but he was still alive. She let out a deep sigh of relief.

Judging by the blood, his injuries were serious. Song Chunzhi didn’t hesitate. She slung the black equipment onto her back and reached out with her transparent arms to lift Yu Ming out of the bush and began floating upward.

“Ah…”

As soon as she started to ascend with Yu Ming, she felt the strain. Both of them began to sink. She gripped Yu Ming tightly. He was already injured; if he fell again, it could be fatal. Gritting her teeth, she focused her energy and forced herself to keep rising.

Going up was naturally slower than going down. With someone in tow, Song Chunzhi had to use all her strength. The combined weight of Yu Ming and the equipment was overwhelming. When she could barely hold on, she bit her lip to stay focused. Even as a spirit, she could still feel pain, and the sharp sting helped her stay awake.

“Finally made it…”

Slowly, Song Chunzhi floated up from the cliff and carefully placed Yu Ming two meters away from the edge. Her strength completely drained, she collapsed beside him.

“Company Commander Gu, what’s going on here?”

Company Commander Zhang, who had climbed up with Gu Huaishan and others, saw a pale-faced girl lying on the ground near a bamboo basket. Not far from her was Yu Ming, covered in blood, with the battered black equipment beside him.

“Commander, Yu Ming is breathing. He’s alive. He’s alive!”

Ma Xiangfeng rushed to Yu Ming’s side, placed his hand under Yu Ming’s nose, and then jumped up with excitement.

Instantly, Qian Wanfeng and Ye Jinzhong were overwhelmed with joy and crawled over to Yu Ming. If something had happened to him, they would never have forgiven themselves.

The others who had come for the rescue were also thrilled. Although none of them knew how Yu Ming had gotten back up from the cliff, the fact that he was alive was enough to stir excitement.

“Song Chunzhi, wake up…”

Gu Huaishan didn’t know what had happened either and couldn’t answer Company Commander Zhang. He walked over to the girl lying on the ground and called out, but got no response. Her face was as pale as paper. He reached out and touched her hand, relaxing a little when he felt warmth.

He was sure she had something to do with saving Yu Ming. He recalled how she had smiled earlier in the day and said she wasn’t afraid of danger. His temples twitched with frustration.

“You know her, Company Commander Gu?”

Company Commander Zhang walked over smiling, curious as he watched Gu Huaishan calling the girl by name. After all, based on everything they had heard, Yu Ming’s rescue must have been related to this girl. And Gu Huaishan, who always wore a cold expression, actually knew her. That intrigued him.

“She’s a local villager.”

Gu Huaishan answered casually, then instructed others to carefully carry Yu Ming down the mountain for medical treatment. He looked down at Song Chunzhi, gave her a gentle push, but she still didn’t wake. His cold face showed a hint of confusion. Her breathing was steady, so she was clearly just asleep. But why couldn’t he wake her?