Chapter 70: Rescue 2
  Fang Qing's anxiety grew as he gazed at the shimmering lake below the cliff. They had been walking for over an hour since their departure, yet they hadn't seen a single soul.

  The guide, drawing on their experience, concluded that someone had walked here before, but disappeared midway, likely passing through the woods and descending the slope.

  The guide looked at the ticket seller and said, "We have two options. One is to split into two groups. One team will continue searching along the regular path, while the other team will descend through the woods and meet at the lakeside. The other option is for everyone to walk together, using torches and calling out to others along the way. Discuss which method you choose."

  The woman discussed with the villagers and decided to split into two groups to search simultaneously. After all, every extra minute would put the others in greater danger. Fang Qing followed the group descending the steep slope, feeling a strong sense that they would encounter Wen Ning and his men along this route.

  After the discussion, everyone checked their time, agreed on a meeting point, and set out separately.

  Fang Qing, clapping the bushes with a stick, followed the leader carefully down the mountain. She had no idea how far she had walked, and after stumbling seven or eight times, she finally saw the shimmering silver lake.

  Arriving at the lake, everyone dispersed to search for their traces. Fang Qing stepped on a stone when there was a sudden rustling sound. She used her flashlight to examine it, revealing a soda bottle next to an extinguished fire. She knelt down and touched it, finding it still warm.

  "Sister, someone lit a fire here before. It looks like they left not long ago."

  The elder sister and the leader came over to investigate, and then someone spotted a set of footprints by the lake. Everyone immediately followed the trail. After turning a corner along the lake's edge, Fang Qing's vision suddenly opened up.

  Without the obstruction of the trees, the entire Nether Lake finally appeared before her eyes. Silver light shimmered across the vast surface of the lake, and there seemed to be some sound coming from the lake not far away.

  The leader immediately told the other team members to prepare the raft, put life jackets on the rescuers, and then headed out to the far end of the lake.

  Because the raft had limited carrying capacity, Fang Qing and her older sister stayed on the shore waiting for news. As the raft moved further and further away, Fang Qing's heartbeat gradually quickened.

  She lowered her head and took a few deep breaths, hoping that she could successfully retrieve Wen Ning and the others.

  The wind blowing from the lake was a bit cool, making Fang Qing feel a little cold. She found a rock to sit down with her arms folded, but her eyes were always fixed on the lake.

  Soon, the raft came back, and the people on the shore immediately came forward, only to see three teenagers walking down, seemingly a little unhappy.

  "We're really fine, and we can all swim, so what could possibly happen?"

  "It's just that it's cold, and my clothes are still there, achilles!"

  "Never mind, never mind, they mean well, just say less..."

  Fang Qing immediately ran over and noticed one of them looked like a student from No. 1 Middle School. "Classmate, is Wen Ning with you? Where is he?"

  The boy studied Fang Qing in the moonlight for a long moment before saying, "Oh, so it's you. What brought you here? Wen Ning was swimming over there. We were having a swimming competition, and he was a fast swimmer, so he's already back. He should be back at shore by now."

  Fang Qing breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the boy's explanation. Given Wen Ning's swimming ability, he shouldn't have any problems.

  The captain and his men then headed back to the lake, while Fang Qing quickly followed the older sister and the others along the other side.

  Several of the boys, naked and shivering, were so cold that the people around them took off their coats and put them on them, and only then did they calm down. The boys led the way, chatting with Fang Qing, and soon Fang Qing spotted the two people at the lakeside.

  The boy next to him ran over quickly, "Hey, Liangzi, the three of us are here. Where's my bag? Give me a piece of clothing quickly, I'm going to be killed by mosquitoes!"

  The boy named Liangzi turned around with a crying voice, "Dacheng, have you seen Brother Ning and Xiaodouzi? They have been in the water for a long time and there is no movement. I scratched my foot. You go and check it out!"

  Fang Qing, who was walking behind Dacheng, ran over immediately when he heard it, "Where did Wen Ning go? Didn't he swim back?"

  Liangzi didn't know Fang Qing, but when he heard Wen Ning, he pointed to the quieter water on the other side, "Xiaodouzi dived just now and said that there seemed to be something underwater over there. Wen Ning was worried about him, so he followed him. It's been a long time and there is no movement. You go and check it out..."

  Fang Qing didn't wait for Liangzi to finish speaking, quickly took off his backpack, coat and shoes, quickly wrapped the rope around his waist, and then threw the other end to Liangzi, "Once I shake the rope, you pull it! Do you hear me?" After that, he jumped into the lake with a knife in hand.

  The older sister and the rescuers, still preparing behind them, were startled. But Fang Qing was gone, so they sped up. The two young men also tied a rope and dove into the water.

  The icy water startled Fang Qing. She bit her knife, squinting her eyes as she swam in the direction Liangzi had pointed. After about ten meters, the rope reached its end, but she still couldn't find Wen Ning. She surfaced for a breath, then took a few breaths before diving again.

  This time, she cut the rope and swam toward the weed patch.

  It was the weed patch where the boy in her dream had been entangled. Although she didn't want anything to happen to Wen Ning and the others, she still had to check there to be reassured.

  The water was deep, and Fang Qing, holding her breath, dove a few more meters. Through the dim water, she could only see the swaying green weeds, but no one.

  She searched for a long time, and finally, with her breath running out, she slowly swam back to the surface.

  Seeing her emerge, everyone on shore breathed a sigh of relief. Liangzi quickly shouted, "Classmate, come back soon! Wen Ning and the others are already on Big Brother's raft and are almost back!"

  Hearing this, Fang Qing finally felt relieved. He turned his head and looked into the distance. Sure enough, a raft was paddling towards him from behind, with Wen Ning and a boy on it.

  Fang Qing smiled, turned around, and slowly swam back.

  Wen Ning looked at the person in the water and felt that he looked familiar. However, Fang Qing had his back to them and he couldn't see his face. Just when he was about to ask the people around him who was in the water, Xiaodouzi behind him cried out and fell under.

  Wen Ning turned around and tried to grab him but failed. He waited by the raft for a long time but Xiaodouzi didn't come up. He got anxious and rolled over and went back into the water.

  In the lake, Xiaodouzi was groping for something at the bottom of the lake. Wen Ning immediately dived down and pulled Xiaodouzi to swim upstream, but Xiaodouzi stopped gesturing with his hands, as if something had fallen. Wen Ning understood and helped him search at the bottom of the lake. In the moonlight, he finally saw a wolf tooth pendant.

  Wen Ning was overjoyed and grabbed the pendant and handed it to Xiaodouzi, then swam quickly to the surface of the lake. However, when he came up, Xiaodouzi still didn't float up!

  (End of this chapter)