The ticking sound of notifications from their phones rang out simultaneously.
The mentor and disciple, who were originally planning to part ways at the crossroads, both stopped in their tracks and looked at their phones, resembling young internet addicts inseparable from their devices.
The notification came from an app called 'Cultivate a bit', jointly developed by Shen Feixian and others. 'Cultivate' referred to Cultivation, but the meaning of 'a bit' remained unclear.
The app would publish various news and tasks related to the resurgence of spiritual energy. Shen Feixian would also upload Cultivation resources and recipes for spiritual plants and beasts for reference.
Song Jixing opened the app and saw that the incident occurred in W City, where a mining accident had resulted in over two hundred people missing. Special personnel were needed to handle the situation.
If it were an ordinary mining accident, their assistance would likely not be required. The fact that it was marked as an A-level task suggested it was related to the resurgence of spiritual energy and therefore quite delicate. After all, the previous D-level task involving fish in a reservoir was relatively simple.
However, by the time Song Jixing finished reading the message, Shen Feixian had already forwarded it to the small group chat of the Qingyun Sect, even tagging Song Jixing specifically.
Shen Feixian: @Song Jixing, did you see the mining accident task in W City? WenRen Older and Huo Ling'er are both there. They recently discovered a Spirit Stone Mine underneath the gold mine, and both of them were trapped. While they can't be crushed, they'll likely starve for a long time. You should go check it out, Sister Song.
Song Jixing looked up to find Feng Juechen gazing at her.
Feng Juechen spoke firmly, "Take me with you, Senior Sister."
It was a statement, not a question.
"Alright, let's go together," Song Jixing replied, promptly accepting the task.
Song Jixing found a quiet street, opened her location, and sent the coordinates. Shortly after, a special, long black van arrived.
It wasn't a fancy Rolls-Royce sports car but rather a lengthy, unbranded van. Equipped with the latest technology, it was waterproof, bulletproof, and capable of accessing areas inaccessible to ordinary vehicles.
The two boarded the van one after the other, taking seats on the black leather rear bench.
Relevant staff approached and retrieved small folding tables from the armrests, pressing a button that transformed the unassuming black surface into a tablet.
"This is the route map for this mission. We'll depart from our current street and take a flight to the mission site. The estimated travel time is about five hours, with an expected arrival at the scene by 4 PM..."
The staff member continued as the route map appeared on the tablet.
"Next, I'll introduce you to the mission site. Relevant geographical information has been sent to your desktops for your review."
Song Jixing glanced at the liaison staff, a young girl whose name tag read 'He Yuanyuan'.
As the liaison personnel had mentioned, the two arrived at the scene around 3:40 PM.
W City, located in the north, was sparsely populated. In winter, once the snow fell, the entire landscape turned a brilliant white.
From the plane, all they could see was a vast expanse of white with occasional bald mountain tops.
They arrived early, but the sun sets quickly in winter. If they didn't hurry before nightfall, rescue efforts would become very difficult.
The only advantage was that the gold mine's remote location meant there were hardly any people around.
As the plane prepared to land, the reception staff headed towards the thunderous roar.
Lin Mingshu was in charge of the mining accident rescue operation, accompanied by personnel from the Special Action Department. While he had heard rumors about this department, Lin Mingshu didn't fully understand what it was.
The mining accident had occurred suddenly. According to standard procedure, due to the depth of the mine shaft, machinery would struggle to operate, necessitating manual excavation.
Moreover, the cold temperature added to the difficulty of outdoor excavation work.
Following the usual rescue schedule, they should have already begun digging to rescue the trapped individuals! Yet they were not allowed to start, instructed to wait for the arrival of the Special Action team from above!
What use were these people from above? They wouldn't be doing any digging themselves! Every minute wasted could cost lives!
Dissatisfied with this, Lin Mingshu had even filed a report to his superiors, but they still insisted on waiting.
So when it came time to receive the arrivals, Lin Mingshu's expression was far from pleasant.
Worse still, his face darkened further upon seeing the man and woman who exited the plane.
Were these the people he had been waiting for?
In contrast to Lin Mingshu's sour expression, Wu Xiao appeared quite welcoming.
He stepped forward, saluting them warmly, "Thank you both for your efforts. Please follow me."
Song Jixing nodded without saying much, while Feng Juechen followed behind her, speaking softly, "Senior Sister, I feel that man's gaze towards me was a bit strange."
Feng Juechen had witnessed many unfriendly glances, but this one seemed more complex, as if the man recognized him and kept staring intently.
Song Jixing was quite familiar with such situations and could understand Feng Juechen's perspective. "Maybe he has a family member who's a fan!"
People in their line of work were unlikely to be fans themselves, so how else could one explain the man's gaze towards Feng Juechen?
Feng Juechen nodded, accepting this explanation.
Wu Xiao guided the two to the scene.
The rescue team assembled for this operation was not an ordinary crew but rather a specially selected group approved by officials.
"This is the mine entrance. From here to over there, it's all part of the mine... Do you need blueprints?" Wu Xiao enthusiastically offered, although he knew they might not be necessary.
Song Jixing was about to shake her head, but then nodded, "And a pen, please."
The cross-sectional map of the gold mine and a pen were quickly provided to Song Jixing.
Using the pen, she marked numerous points on the map, noting the number of people at each location.
Wu Xiao watched in awe, his eyes gleaming. This person was even more formidable than he had imagined!
While he knew Cultivators possessed incredible abilities, this was the first time he had witnessed one directly, standing on the surface yet clearly aware of where people were trapped below. It was truly overwhelming.
As Song Jixing finished marking all the survivors, Wu Xiao completed his mental calculations, confirming that the total matched the number of trapped individuals, excluding the two mentioned.
"Can I split this mountain open directly?" Song Jixing asked.
Wu Xiao replied, "No problem, please go ahead."
After regaining his composure, Lin Mingshu caught up and saw Wu Xiao and the others standing by the mine entrance with the map, his mood improving compared to before.
Finally, some action.
Just as Lin Mingshu was about to approach and say a few words, he suddenly noticed Song Jixing withdrawing a sword from somewhere, stepping onto the blade, and soaring directly into the air.
Lin Mingshu rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be hallucinating from stress.