Chapter 356: Redeeming the Pole Vault Skill!

The pole vault skill was an idea Wang Yun came up with on the spot.

When he had used the paraglider earlier, the altitude was still a bit too high, making it hard to see the situation below. But the pole in his hand right now was only eight meters long.

If he vaulted successfully, he’d rise about four meters above the ground.

From his current height, five to six meters off the ground, he should be able to get a clearer view.

[Ding!]

[Skill successfully redeemed.]

[Shock value consumed: 13 million points.]

“Huh? Thirteen million points? Why is it so expensive?”

Wang Yun was a little surprised, but at such a critical moment, there was no time to dwell on it.

As the skill was purchased, Wang Yun immediately felt his arms and legs surge with strength. His knee joints now felt like loaded springs, ready to explode into action.

“Here we go!”

With a low shout, Wang Yun grabbed the branch and sprinted forward a few steps.

The next second, both hands firmly gripped the branch as he planted it forcefully into the ground. His body instantly soared into the air.

“Xiao Qiao!”

At the peak of his vault, Wang Yun shouted with all his strength, eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.

What he saw made his heart freeze.

The fire was far more severe than he had imagined.

Raging flames engulfed the land like a wildfire. The thick smoke had previously obscured the full extent of the blaze, but now the horrifying reality was clear.

Perhaps due to sheer luck, the spot he currently stood on had relatively large gaps between the trees, allowing him to barely maintain his footing. But everywhere else—whether on the ground or in the air—was already a sea of fire.

***

The moment Wang Yun took off, Li Long saw the surrounding changes more clearly.

“Not good! This is dangerous!” he let out a low roar. “The fire is extremely severe! Immediately notify the command center to dispatch more helicopters for rescue. It’s much worse than we initially assessed.”

“S-Class fire site!”

What?! S-Class?!

The moment those words were spoken, the firefighters around him were visibly shocked.

Before arriving, they had only classified this fire as an A-Class disaster at most. But now, it had been escalated to an S-Class.

That was the highest-level fire classification.

Usually, only sites with explosives or other hazardous materials were classified as S-Class. It was a true life-or-death scenario.

“Understood! I’ll notify headquarters immediately!”

Though fear flickered in the firefighters’ hearts, they gritted their teeth and charged forward without hesitation, their duty outweighing their dread.

***

Meanwhile, in the creek, the six trapped individuals had begun to tremble uncontrollably.

It wasn’t from fear but from the scalding heat of the water.

The water surrounding them was getting hotter by the second. Thick smoke filled the air, leaving them with no choice but to repeatedly dunk their heads underwater and resurface for air.

But the scalding water was already pushing forty degrees Celsius, and everyone’s faces were flushed red, like ripe apples.

“Wait, did you hear that?”

Splash!

The blonde woman suddenly lifted her head out of the water, gasping for air, her voice urgent.

“Hear what?”

Her boyfriend, face twisted in pain, raised his head too. His feet were so numb from the heat that he could barely feel them.

“Someone shouted ‘Xiao Qiao!’ I’m sure of it!”

“Now that you mention it, I heard it too!”

Xiao Qiao’s boyfriend stood up, looking equally surprised.

Xiao Qiao herself coughed a couple of times as she surfaced, eyes filled with doubt.

“Firefighters already? But I didn’t hear any helicopters!”

“We’re still a long way from the foot of the mountain. How would they even get here? Fly across rooftops like some action movie?”

It just didn’t make sense to her. She knew how far they were and how difficult the rescue would be.

“I swear I heard it!” the blonde insisted. “How about this? Let’s hang in there for a bit and listen carefully. If someone really is coming, we might actually get out of this alive.”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone poked their heads out of the water, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.

They listened intently.

***

Meanwhile, things weren’t going so smoothly for Wang Yun.

He’d been planning to jump again, hoping to spot a water pit. After all, he just remembered what Li Long had said earlier.

The six people had taken shelter in a water pit.

One of them had even been unconscious, but the moment they were placed in the water, they miraculously woke up.

So, Wang Yun figured another high jump might help him locate the pit.

But just as he pushed off with full force—

Crack!

The pole snapped clean in half.

Wang Yun crashed straight to the ground.

“Brother, watch out!” the executive producer screamed.

“Comrade Wang Yun, be careful!” Li Long shouted, alarmed.

Luckily, he’d only been about two or three meters off the ground. Aside from a bit of numbness in his calves, he was fine.

“I’m okay,” Wang Yun said, brushing himself off.

He had to find another branch.

His eyes darted around quickly. After about five seconds of searching, he finally spotted a relatively straight branch up ahead.

Snapping it off in one swift motion, he gripped it tightly and prepared for another jump.

“Xiao Qiao!”

This time, he shouted in a different direction.

Still, no sign of any water pit. But he did catch sight of a shallow depression in the ground.

And where there’s a dip, it’s usually either a water pit or some kind of cave.

Those six people weren’t idiots. Chances were high that they’d seek refuge in a spot like that.