Chapter 346: There’s a Large Dark Stain Here!

Qian Guosen had never put down his phone, his eyes fixed on the screen. He hadn’t found any trace of the three people. In other words, they never came down from the mountain.

“No, I’ve been monitoring the footage this whole time,” Qian Guosen said and sighed impatiently.

They had spent three hours searching, nearly turning the entire mountain upside down. And yet, they still hadn’t found anything.

Could Wang Yun really have vanished into thin air?

Zhao Youcheng was starting to get anxious as well. Just then, one of the program inspectors scouting ahead shouted.

“Captain, there’s a cliff up ahead. We can’t go any further.”

A cliff?

Zhao Youcheng and Wu Yaoming exchanged glances before hurrying forward.

Sure enough, an open expanse came into view. There were only a few scattered trees. The rest was nothing but rock.

“Damn it!”

It was the first time Wu Yaoming had cursed out loud. He was at a complete loss.

How was this possible? They had clearly seen Wang Yun come up this way. Yet now, even after reaching the cliff, there was still no sign of him.

Could there really be something supernatural at play?

Wu Yaoming momentarily lost his composure, and even Zhao Youcheng was struggling to keep his frustration in check. Despite his vast experience, he had been repeatedly tricked and led in circles. Both mentally and physically, he was nearing exhaustion.

“He’s not a god, there’s no way he can just disappear. He must still be on this mountain, we just haven’t found him yet,” Qian Guosen said calmly, seeing their agitation.

Zhao Youcheng took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay composed.

“You’re right. Maybe he’s already spotted us and is hiding,” Zhao Youcheng said.

“In other words, we’re in the open while he’s in the shadows,” Wu Yaoming couldn’t help but interject.

“How is that possible? They’re three full-grown adults, not stray cats or dogs. If they made any noise at all, we’d have noticed, especially on such a quiet night. But the reality is, we haven’t found them,” Hardy couldn’t help but chime in sarcastically.

Wu Yaoming instantly deflated.

If this had been the old him, he would have been furious. But after being outwitted so many times, he was starting to grow numb to it.

Whatever.

“Wait… What is that?”

Just when everyone was starting to feel hopeless, Werner—standing in the distance—shone his flashlight at his feet and called out to the group.

Everyone immediately rushed over.

At Werner’s feet was a wet, darkened mark.

It was obvious that a stone had been moved from this spot. Judging by the moisture level and the depth of the mark, it had to have been moved within the last two to three hours.

“Judging by the mark, it was a stone,” Hardy said.

Alfa crouched down and ran his fingers over the darkened imprint.

“These microorganisms haven’t dried out yet. The color here contrasts sharply with the surrounding ground. Given the current wind conditions, these microorganisms would typically dry up within ten hours. The fact that they haven’t means this is still fresh.”

As soon as Alfa finished speaking, Wu Yaoming’s dull eyes instantly lit up.

“That means someone moved the stone. And at this hour, on this mountain, the only ones who would be moving stones are those three,” he said.

The group snapped to attention, scanning their surroundings in search of Wang Yun and his companions.

“That’s right, it has to be them!”

“But why would they move a stone?” Zhao Youcheng asked, his voice laced with doubt.

Once again, the group was left puzzled.

Hardy boldly stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, prompting his teammates to hurriedly follow, fearing he might slip.

“There are no signs of impact near the cliff, and everything else looks normal. A stone is usually for smashing something or for fighting. But a fight is unlikely. Besides, based on the size of the mark, the stone must have been quite large. Moving it alone would have been too difficult. Which means all three of them worked together to move it. But why?”

Could there be wild animals on this mountain?

Yet there were no signs of any beasts in the area.

Hardy furrowed his brows in thought.

In the past, he never relied on his brain—only brute strength and combat skills. But ever since joining this program, he had been forced to learn to think more strategically.

Against an opponent like Wang Yun, brute force was meaningless.

Only intelligence could counter him.

And yet, despite all their efforts, they still hadn’t managed to capture him.

“Hmm?”

“A stone?”

“Moving a stone?”

Hardy’s words hit the group like a hammer to the chest. Everyone suddenly started to piece things together.

Werner, in particular, began to feel an eerie sense of familiarity. He had seen something like this before.

A stone this size…

Wait—

Suddenly, a spark of realization flashed through his mind.

Werner froze, then blurted out his discovery.

At the exact same moment, Wu Yaoming—standing across from him—spoke the same words.

“It’s Wang Yun!”

“It’s Wang Yun!”

The two of them shouted in unison, then turned to stare at each other in shock.

Zhao Youcheng immediately turned to face them.

Wu Yaoming hastily began explaining, while Werner adjusted his flashlight to its highest setting and rushed toward the cliff’s edge.