"Are you all okay?" Hao Shijun didn't dare to raise his voice, so he lowered it and asked softly.
After a moment of silence, a girl's faint voice came from behind him. "Mm."
Her mother also responded with a hoarse voice, "I'm fine, thank you, Officer Hao."
Pausing for a moment, Wang Hui continued, "If anything happens to me, please, Officer Hao, make sure to get Xie Jia out of here."
Hao Shijun tightened his grip on Xie Jia's hand. At this moment, he didn't say something unrealistic like, "I'll definitely get you all out of here." Instead, he simply whispered firmly, "I'll do my best."
...
Meanwhile, on another small path, a couple walked hand in hand through the thick fog, both visibly tense..
As the man felt his partner's hand growing increasingly cold, his face became paler. Even though the forest was secluded and cool, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, the man called out softly, "Minglan, is that you?"
Silence. No reply came. His forehead became slick with sweat.
In the end, fear got the best of him. He abruptly let go of the hand he was holding and bolted forward, stumbling as he ran.
Unsure how far he had gone, he eventually slowed down, breathing heavily as he continued along the path.
Suddenly, a voice rang out through the fog. "Is anyone there? Help me!"
The woman's voice sounded unmistakably familiar. The man, thrilled at the sound as he responded immediately. "Minglan, is that you?"
In the fog, the woman's voice paused for a few seconds before angrily responding, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Why did you let go of my hand?! The fog is so thick I can't see anything! Because I was looking for you, and ended up stepping into a trap! It hurts like hell! Get over here and help me!"
Hearing his girlfriend's furious scolding, the man scrambled toward the voice. "Minglan! Minglan, where are you?"
"Here! Hurry up, it hurts so much!"
Following the voice, the man moved through the dense fog, getting closer and closer. Finally, he realized the voice was coming from behind a tree.
He rushed around it, exclaiming, "Minglan—" His voice cut off abruptly.
Caught in the trap was not his girlfriend, but a snow-white rabbit.
...
"La la la, the little mushroom-picking girl, carrying a big bamboo basket…" Wan Qian hummed a tune cheerfully as she bent down to pick up the colorful mushrooms scattered on the ground.
As expected of Mushroom Village— not long after entering the forest, Wan Qian found a large patch of mushrooms.
Thinking about the labor conditions on her farm, she wasn't sure she'd find suitable workers on this trip. But she couldn't return empty-handed, right? She might as well bring back some mushrooms as local specialties.
With that thought, Wan Qian took off her jacket, fashioned it into a pouch, and began collecting mushrooms.
She wasn't sure which were poisonous and which weren't, so she simply gathered them all. She could always have the butler sort them out later.
After a while of mushroom picking, a sudden cry for help came through the fog.
"Help me! Someone, please help me!"
"Hm?" Wan Qian paused, looking up. Did someone just call for help?
The voice rang out again, urgent and laced with sobs. "Is anyone there? Please, someone help me!"
Confirming that someone was indeed in distress, Wan Qian quickly tucked away her jacket full of mushrooms and followed the sound.
"Hey, where are you?" she called out as she searched.
"I'm here, right here!" Hearing a response, the voice became even more urgent. "My boyfriend abandoned me, and I stepped into a trap… It hurts so much…" The woman's voice trembled with grievance.
At last, pushing through the dense fog, Wan Qian discovered that the voice was coming from behind a tree.
"I found you! Don't be scared!" she reassured, stepping around the tree.
However, there was no woman on the ground—only a rabbit ensnared by a trap. The rabbit was as large as a pumpkin, its pure white fur stained with specks of blood.
"Huh? Where is she?" Wan Qian blinked in confusion, glancing around in search of the woman who had called for help.
She didn't notice that the rabbit's mouth was opening wider and wider, revealing sharp, blood-stained fangs that no rabbit should have. Just as its mouth opened wide enough—large enough to swallow a human head—the rabbit suddenly lunged at Wan Qian.
With a loud "smack," the rabbit was slapped to the ground by Wan Qian. Its legs twitched in the air before curling up feebly.
"Heh, still so energetic even while trapped," Wan Qian remarked, watching the rabbit that had almost leaped at her.
Wild rabbits in the mountains really were different from the ones sold at the market. Where in the market would you find a rabbit with such formidable teeth? Wan Qian grabbed the rabbit by its long ears with one hand, easily restraining it and holding it up in front of her to inspect it closely from top to bottom.
"Hiss, it's really rare to see such a fat rabbit. If it were at the market, it would probably sell for a good price," she thought.
It was rare to see such a fat rabbit. Wan Qian glanced at the bag full of mushrooms she had picked and couldn't help but wonder, "Would rabbit stew with mushrooms taste good?"
Never mind, whether steamed, braised, or dry-fried, there's bound to be a perfect way to cook it! Wan Qian cheerfully grabbed the rabbit by its ears and continued walking toward Mushroom Village.
Before long, the thick fog began to dissipate. The trees in the forest started to thin, and her vision gradually opened up. A village, nestled in a valley, appeared before Wan Qian.
This village was located deep in the mountains, surrounded by cliffs and steep hills on three sides, making it almost impossible to climb over. The only way out was through the small path in the forest.