Chapter 276: Thermal Detector, Four Heat Signatures Detected!

Wu Yaoming listened to Zhao Youcheng’s words and looked around. A sudden chill ran through him. 

What did this mean?

“Does that mean Wang Yun is very likely still nearby and hasn’t gone far?” Wu Yaoming asked in surprise.

Zhao Youcheng nodded, letting out a long sigh.

“Yes, if he’s collected all the dropped equipment, then it’s highly likely that Wang Yun is still in the area. He’s been watching your every move, setting traps step by step, waiting to catch you like fish in a barrel. He’s clever. A formidable opponent. If I were him, I wouldn’t leave easily either. I’d stay right here, continuing to wait,” Zhao Youcheng said, his eyes gleaming with a sharp intensity.

“To think that even in retirement, I’d come across such a cunning adversary. Incredible, truly incredible,” Zhao Youcheng murmured, sounding almost excited.

This feeling of excitement was something he hadn’t experienced in years. China’s strength had long deterred foreign forces, so large-scale battles or strategic maneuvers had become rare, leaving him with few opportunities to feel this kind of passion. But now, in retirement, here it was again—bringing back memories of the hot-blooded days of his youth.

It thrilled him, and he was glad he had joined this mission.

“That little rascal, where does he come up with all these tricks!” Wu Yaoming cursed, his tone full of frustration.

Zhao Youcheng chuckled. 

“Don’t you think that’s what makes it more fun? Alright then, let’s set up camp here for a while. There’s no safer place in the whole jungle than this spot,” Zhao Youcheng said as he took a compact tent from his backpack.

Wu Yaoming quickly stepped forward to help. The ground around them was still thick with sulfur and insect repellent powder, making the air smell pungent even to humans. It was no wonder the insects stayed far away.

Time passed quickly. Since no one had rested much the previous night, Zhao Youcheng and Wu Yaoming decided to take a five-hour nap in their tents. By the time they woke up, the sun was high in the sky, and the tropical heat had left them drenched in sweat.

“Let’s head down to the river and cool off,” Zhao Youcheng suggested, standing up and looking at Wu Yaoming.

The flowing river provided a refreshing breeze. By the shore, five program inspectors were keeping watch, eyes glued to their screens, not daring to miss any movement.

“How’s it looking? Any discoveries?” Wu Yaoming asked as he approached them.

The five people shook their heads dejectedly.

“No, we didn’t find anything. We couldn’t go too fast because the current is so strong that some of the images weren’t clear,” one of the program inspectors explained.

“No rush. It’s hard to hide a grown person’s body. You don’t have to push yourselves so hard. Take a break. Staring for too long isn’t good for your eyes,” Zhao Youcheng waved them off.

Another five program inspectors came over to take their place.

Just then, Qian Guosen approached from a distance. He held a device and was visibly out of breath and drenched in sweat, clearly having hurried over.

“Old Zhao, you came into the jungle yourself without telling me! What if something happens to you? How would I explain that to the missus?” Qian Guosen said.

Zhao Youcheng turned, raising an eyebrow when he saw Qian Guosen. 

“Why’d you come? You should be handling things outside, keeping an eye on things. You’re the brains here, not someone who’s supposed to be doing physical work,” Zhao Youcheng teased.

He motioned for Qian Guosen to come over and offered him a piece of bread. Qian Guosen waved it off and grabbed a bottle of water, gulping it down.

“Enough with the small talk. I’ve found something strange,” Qian Guosen said.

He sat down a device that looked like a computer on the ground, pointing to a spot on the screen glowing red.

“This is a thermal sensor, able to detect anything within a ten-kilometer radius. Normally, it’s not too useful and pretty tricky to operate. But when I heard you were coming in, I thought I’d bring it along to help out. And wouldn’t you know it, I actually found something.”

Qian Guosen explained as all three of them focused on the screen.

“What did you find?” Wu Yaoming asked.

“The red dots on the screen represent heat signatures, meaning anything that has life signs will emit heat. I didn’t pick up anything on the edge of the jungle at first, but halfway through, I found this. Look here, most of the heat signatures are just one or two red dots, indicating one or two creatures grouped together. But look at the southern area. There are four red dots, and the space around them is completely empty. The closest heat signature to them is below. I checked, and those four red dots are located in the middle of the mountain. It’s likely a cave or something like that.”

Qian Guosen rattled off the details in one go, clearly and thoroughly. As soon as he finished, Zhao Youcheng immediately grabbed the device to take a closer look.

He shifted his body slightly, and the positions on the screen moved as well. Surrounding him were countless red dots, but all of them were coming from the river in front of them. Following the direction of the red dots, the flow of the river became clearly visible. Then, about twenty kilometers upriver, there was the location of those four red dots.

“Got it!”  

Zhao Youcheng suddenly stood up as if he had just pieced something together. 

He quickly strode over to the nearby hillside. This hillside blocked all the paths, like a mountain suddenly rising out of nowhere. The river flowed underneath it.

“Careful, Old Zhao,” Wu Yaoming called from behind.  

“Someone come here and help me. Clear out all this grass.” 

Zhao Youcheng pointed at a pile of grass in front of him.

Behind that grass lay the base of the hillside. A program inspector immediately stepped forward, knife in hand, slashing away. With just the first layer of grass cleared, a faint trail appeared before their eyes.

“This is…! There’s actually a path here!”  

“No way! A path hidden behind all this grass?”

As soon as the narrow path came into view, the three of them were instantly shocked. Zhao Youcheng’s face lit up with excitement.  

“Of course! Wang Yun and the other three must have used this path to escape forward. The direction of the red dots on your screen matches the direction they fled,” Zhao Youcheng exclaimed in surprise.

The path before them was almost too good to be true! Who could have imagined that, on a nearly vertical, ninety-degree mountainside, a narrow trail would appear, carved right into the rock? 

The path was narrow, wide enough for only one person at a time, and travelers had to grip the rocks beside it tightly. Any misstep, and they’d tumble right off the edge.

“Captain, there are stones here too!”  

The program inspectors finished clearing away the grass, revealing several large rocks below the trail, placed almost like steps leading to the path’s entrance. Clearly, someone had used the stones to step up, climbing onto the trail. This so-called path was about five meters above the ground, perched along the mountainside, which stretched out like a long, narrow ledge.