They studied the map in their hands, cross-referencing the directions with the compass, but there was nothing there.
In the end, Yao Yanordered them to stop and rest for the time being.
Everyone had no choice but to search their search for a little while.
Bai Jing peered at the coordinates on the map, his brows furrowed in confusion. By all appearances, they should be at the right location.
And yet, they couldn’t find the meteorite.
Bai Jing turned toYao Yanand voiced out his speculations.
“Brother Yao, there can’t have been any mistake on the map. Is it possible that the compass is malfunctioning?”
This was a remote forest, after all, and there wasn’t any signal for several miles around.
It would make more sense if the compass was not working.
But if they discarded it now, it would be even unlikely for them to find the specific spot they were looking for, or any specific location, for that matter. It seemed like they had reached a dead end.
Yao Yan looked into the distance as he contemplated their options.
He considered Bai Jing’s deduction, then thought about the helicopter that had crashed earlier.
It had happened in the same area, and might be attributed to a disturbance in the magnetic field of the place.
“We were making our way down the trail we decided to take when a helicopter went out of control and just nosedived into the ground.”
As soon as Yao Tangsaid this,Qin Hao perked up, his eyes wide with shock and worry.
“What happened to the students below? How many casualties were there?”
Cheng Yan was the current director ofNo. 1 High School, and theCheng familyin general was also deeply involved in the institution’s management.
If news broke out that students had died under their watch, it would cause severe damage to the Cheng family’s reputation.
Qin Hao couldn’t even begin to imagine the preposterous conspiracy theories that would pop out from this unfortunate tragedy.
“Those poor children,” Bai Jingremarked in a hushed voice. “What a pity.”
His smile rarely left his charming face, but Yao Tang’s words cast a pall over his otherwise cheerful personality.
Yao Yan looked atYao Tangand waited for her response.
Cheng Yan, on the other hand, was looking elsewhere, his expression unfathomable.
“There were none,” Yao Tangsaid.
“What do you mean, there were none?” Qin Hao demanded, drawing close to her.
“There were no casualties. Nobody died.”
A stunned silence fell over everyone as they stared at Yao Tangin disbelief. Even the usually calmYao Yanlooked incredulous, but he soon heaved a sigh of relief.
It wouldn’t have been surprising to learn that the crash had claimed lives. It was a horrible situation that couldn’t really be blamed on anyone.
But to think that there were no fatalities!
It was unexpected. A good thing for sure, but certainly unexpected.
Those students might have lady luck on their side.
Bai Jing crossed his arms over his chest and wondered out loud again. “Perhaps we might find something at the spot where the helicopter crashed? Something must have messed with its mechanism as well, right? Maybe the meteorite is somewhere around that area.”
His guess wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Qin Hao was about to second this suggestion when they were interrupted by a sound.
“Hahaha!” Frivolous laughter.
At first, it sounded like it was flitting through the air, then it rushed into their heads as if someone was laughing directly into their ears.
Everyone was on guard in an instant.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!”
The bodyguard behind Cheng Yanunsheathed the dagger from his waist as he surveyed the surroundings. He couldn’t let the young master be injured in the slightest.
They all looked around, but failed to pinpoint the source of the voice.
A fog had crept over them, dense and seemingly endless, as though it wanted to suffocate them.
Little did they know that it only enveloped the area where they stood.
The air grew tense as everyone braced themselves. They had no idea what was going on, and they had yet to see whoever was playing tricks on them.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter was once again heard. This time, it came from somewhere behind them.
They all turned in unison to find a boulder towering over them. A man was perched on top of it, looking down his nose at them.
“Do you know who I am?” he sneered.