Chapter 350: Jungle Inferno! Someone’s Trapped!

“Boss, we need to get out of here now! Once the fire spreads, no one will be able to escape. We’ll really need a helicopter if it gets worse,” Brother Hu said, his voice urgent.

He knew all too well how deadly a forest fire could be.

Xiao Gang, his face filled with worry, looked anxiously at Wang Yun.

“Go!”

With a single command from Wang Yun, the three of them immediately rushed forward.

Their one hope was to find a cliff—anything to cut off the flames from reaching them directly.

Xiao Gang and Brother Hu took the lead, charging ahead to scout the path, while Wang Yun lagged behind this time.

The other two didn’t think much of it, their focus solely on finding a safe route.

Wang Yun glanced back over his shoulder. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, drifting endlessly above them.

The acrid smell of burning filled his nose.

“Producer, the jungle’s on fire.”

Wang Yun suddenly halted, his brows furrowed. He contacted the executive producer without hesitation.

It was 4 a.m., and the producer had just fallen asleep. Dawn was near. But the sound of Wang Yun’s voice jolted him awake instantly.

“Fire?! Are you okay, Brother Wang?”

The executive producer’s first instinct was to check on Wang Yun—his biggest asset, his golden goose. Nothing could happen to him.

“I’m fine,” Wang Yun replied, his tone serious. “But two hours ago I noticed some activity from the show’s inspectors right where the fire is now.”

He paused, letting his words sink in.

The executive producer immediately caught his meaning. Wang Yun was worried that those inspectors were still in the area and might be in danger.

“Got it. I’ll check right now.”

The producer sprang into action, grabbing his phone and calling the staff. At the same time, he opened the program’s live control feed on his computer.

Ever since producing this show, he had kept computers stationed everywhere—from his bedside to his study and even the bathroom—ready to respond to any crisis 24/7.

“You’re all still on duty, right? You’ve seen Wang Yun’s feed, haven’t you?” he barked into the phone. “He’s at the heart of a forest fire. Quickly, check the inspectors’ feeds. Are they trapped in there?”

The staff scrambled to review the live streams. 

On-screen, one camera showed Zhao Youcheng and his group—fast asleep on the mountain peak. Another showed Alfa’s team—at the foot of the mountain, unloading boxes of instant noodles and hot water, preparing breakfast for everyone once they came down.

Aside from these two groups, there were no other camera feeds showing activity.

“That’s odd.” The executive producer frowned. “Could Wang Yun be mistaken?”

But Wang Yun rarely made mistakes. Trusting his instinct, the producer contacted the control room directly.

In the control room, Director Fang—the veteran supervisor—was on break, but the staff were still on duty.

“Producer, I checked with the inspectors. Earlier, Old Zhao mentioned he had planned to send another team to survey Wang Yun’s mountain,” a staff member reported quickly.

“But…” he hesitated. “When they reached the foot of the mountain, Old Zhao got spooked by the possibility of aftershocks from the earthquake and ordered them to stay put instead.”

“Strange…” The producer’s frown deepened. “Do we have any surveillance on the mountain itself?”

“No,” replied the staff member, “But I contacted the local TV station. Someone has already called the fire department. The firefighters are en route.”

“Wait! Someone called the fire department?”

The executive producer’s eyes narrowed, catching the crucial detail.

Based on Wang Yun’s report and the inspectors’ update, the mountain should’ve been off-limits. The entire area was under earthquake evacuation orders—no hikers, no tourists, no vehicles.

The only people nearby should have been in parking lots or ports, following the evacuation protocol.

Plus, this mountain was far from the evacuation site. The thick smoke couldn’t have been visible from a distance. Buildings and hills blocked the view.

And who would be up at 4 a.m. to even see the fire?

Unless…

The producer’s expression darkened. 

“They’re trapped in the fire.”

He immediately contacted the fire department for confirmation.

Sure enough—there were people trapped.

Six tourists.

Originally, they had planned a seaside trip, but the sudden earthquake disrupted everything. Stranded without transportation, they decided to walk back to their hotel through the mountain route.

Hours of hiking—no cars, no help—only the tremors beneath their feet.

Fearing landslides on the road, someone suggested they head for higher ground, thinking the mountain’s peak would be safer. They would be visible from a distance if rescuers came.

So, the six of them—three men and three women—climbed, exhausted, for hours until they reached halfway up the mountain.

That was when disaster struck.

Starving and drained, the group paused for a break. The girls pulled out self-heating hot pot meals to share.

But amid their exhaustion and carelessness—

A cigarette.

A single cigarette from one of the men, flicked aside without a thought.

The dry underbrush caught instantly. The flames spread fast. Too fast.

By the time they realized the fire was out of control, it was already too late.

Panicked, they called for help. And now, the inferno raged around them—trapping them in a ring of flames.