Chapter 374: Everyone Descends the Mountain!

The conference room erupted into applause as soon as the deputy station chief finished speaking.

The executive producer, sitting across from him, couldn’t help but feel a hint of sarcasm in his heart.

Of course, he was going to highlight Wang Yun’s heroic image. Because what Wang Yun did was genuinely courageous, risking his own life to save others. But the way the deputy station chief had just blurted it out made it sound like some calculated PR move. It felt insincere and hypocritical.

Still, Director Zhou, who was also the executive producer of the show, simply smiled.

This was how society worked.

There was never a shortage of flattery and opportunism.

“Don’t worry,” Director Zhou said calmly, “I’ll handle the details properly. If there’s nothing else, I’ll begin preparing for the withdrawal of the program inspectors.”

Without waiting for a response, he stood up. He didn’t want to stay in this meeting any longer.

In the past, he had been just like everyone else here—flattering leadership, following orders, playing by the rules.

But ever since he created this show, he had watched Wang Yun’s every action and decision unfold in real-time.

And for the first time, he realized only someone like Wang Yun was truly living.

Compared to that, he had spent his entire life chasing money, power, and status, becoming nothing more than a walking corpse.

“Alright, go handle it. Once everything is settled, this year’s Best Show Award at the station is definitely yours.”

The station chief stood up excitedly, completely free of the worry and seriousness he had shown earlier.

Compared to reputation, nothing else really mattered to him.

Director Zhou nodded, then turned and left with his team.

As he closed the meeting room door, he could still hear the flattering voices from inside.

“Congratulations, Chief! This season’s ratings have shattered records. Little Zhou really knows what he’s doing.”

***

The time was 8 a.m.

On the cliffside, a group of over 120 people were quickly packing their gear.

Compared to the previous night, everyone looked well-rested and energized. They had originally planned to sleep for just six hours, but in the end, everyone had slept for eight, waking up exactly at 7 a.m.

Now, they had one hour to get ready.

At the same time, Zhao Youcheng, Wu Yaoming, and Qian Guosen stood together, staring at their phone screens.

Their expressions were serious, especially Zhao Youcheng, who held a walkie-talkie in his hand and spoke into it, “No personnel are in danger now. Understood. Let’s move out. Thanks for your hard work.”

With that, Zhao Youcheng stood up.

“Alright, we’re heading down the mountain. The situation at the site has stabilized. Alfa and the other captains have already prepared food for us at the base camp.”

He looked at the team and gave the order.

Immediately, everyone began their descent.

At the back of the group, Qian Guosen and the others moved quietly, their expressions serious.

“It seems like we slept too soundly last night,” Qian Guosen muttered.

“We had no idea there was such a huge fire on the other side.” Wu Yaoming, walking beside him, patted his shoulder. “Why does something about this feel… off? Just as Wang Yun and his team reached the opposite mountain, a fire breaks out over there?”

Hearing that, Hardy’s eyes widened slightly. “You think Wang Yun and his group started the fire?”

“Impossible,” Wu Yaoming shook his head. “They wouldn’t be that reckless.”

“It wasn’t them,” Qian Guosen said firmly, his tone low and serious. “They had no reason to do that. And with Wang Yun’s personality, even though he’s on the run, he would never destroy public property, let alone an entire forest. I’ve been monitoring the security footage, and just after 3 a.m., more than twenty fire trucks and ambulances arrived. I also checked with the local authorities, they confirmed that six tourists had been hiding in the mountain after the earthquake warning. The fire was started by a discarded cigarette butt.”

Qian Guosen had worked quickly, gathering this information immediately after discovering the fire.

Hearing this, Zhao Youcheng frowned. “And what happened to those six people?”

“They’re fine. They were rescued.”

Upon hearing that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good. As long as they’re safe.” Wu Yaoming nodded. “The firefighters must’ve had a hell of a time trying to get them out of there.”

After that, no one spoke.

Everyone simply focused on their footing as they descended the mountain quickly.

***

On the highway, a row of large cooking pots stood in a line.

At the same time, many local villagers had gathered.

As soon as Alfa and his group saw Zhao Youcheng and the others coming down, they rushed over excitedly.

Pointing at the pots, Alpha grinned and explained, “The local residents wanted to thank us for the earthquake warning, so they brought cooking supplies and ingredients from their homes and workplaces. We’re finally getting a warm meal today.”

Alfa’s excitement was obvious.

Beside him, Marley and the other captains stared at the food, their eyes practically glowing.

After being on the show for so long, surviving off of whatever they could find outdoors, the thought of a hot meal was almost unbelievable.

“Oh, man, I’m about to cry, there’s actually rice,” Hardy yelled in excitement, then ran straight toward the pots without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Zhao Youcheng, Qian Guosen, and Wu Yaoming turned their gaze toward the firefighters in the distance.

By now, the fire had been completely extinguished, and the ambulances had already left.

The firefighters, slumped in their chairs, looked exhausted. But their faces were full of relief and excitement, as they sat talking amongst themselves.