Yang Qi glanced at his phone screen. The caller ID read "Jiang Kai."

Without stopping the car, he reached out a hand, quickly swiped to answer, and hit the speakerphone button.

"Director..."

"Yang Qi, I just got a report from Xiaoli. He said Qi Zai flew back from the mountain and then went back again, and that he delivered a message about finding an injured person in the mountains? Is this confirmed?"

Jiang Kai’s voice came through the speaker, laced with clear concern.

"Yes, Director. The situation is more or less confirmed."

Yang Qi steered along the dimly lit mountain road as he responded calmly, "I’ve already contacted Captain Deng and have been officially called in. I need to join them for a search in the mountains right away. Qi Zai has already flown back to confirm more specific details."

"Understood."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Kai was decisive. He didn’t waste any time or press for details about the source of the information. "Be careful," he said resolutely. "Your safety is the top priority. If you need any support from the Zoo, call me anytime."

"Okay, thank you, Director," Yang Qi replied.

"Right. Stay in touch."

Jiang Kai hung up as soon as he finished, clearly aware that time was of the essence.

Putting his phone away, Yang Qi pressed a little harder on the gas pedal.

Before long, the SUV arrived at the rear entrance to the mountain behind the Zoo.

He parked the car in an open area on the side of the road and got out with Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard to wait.

Night had completely enveloped the mountain forest. Only the faint glow from the distant city and the sparse starlight illuminated the outline of the entrance.

A mountain breeze blew past, carrying a chill and the scent of grass and trees.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the wail of sirens and the roar of engines echoed from the distance.

Soon, a convoy consisting of a police car, an ambulance, and three SUVs approached rapidly, their red and blue lights flashing and their high beams cutting through the dark. They pulled up one after another at the entrance.

The car doors swung open. The first person to get out was Deng Lei, dressed in a tactical uniform with a solemn expression.

He was followed by several other Forest Police officers in the same attire.

From the other three SUVs, seven or eight people emerged, dressed in professional outdoor rescue gear and carrying various equipment packs.

Deng Lei spotted Yang Qi immediately and strode over, speaking quickly, "Advisor Yang, thank you for coming."

He then turned sideways to introduce a sturdily built man standing beside him. The man had a resolute face and looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old.

"This is Captain Tang Bin of the Municipal Mountaineering Association’s Mountain Rescue Team. He’s also a partner rescue expert in our White Tower District’s emergency response system. He’s very experienced."

"Captain Tang, this is the man I told you about, Yang Qi. He’s Advisor Yang, an Animal Expert from the Donghua Zoo, and the one who discovered this situation."

"Captain Tang, hello. Sorry to trouble you all." Yang Qi extended his hand.

Tang Bin quickly shook it, replying politely, "Not at all, Advisor Yang. It’s our duty."

"Captain Deng briefly mentioned on the way here... that the message came from a Beaked Eagle?"

"Forgive me for being blunt, but aren’t Beaked Eagles primarily found in America? And besides, can it really ’tell’ us that someone is injured?"

His tone wasn’t one of disbelief, but rather stemmed from professional habit and a natural caution toward unconventional sources of information.

"It’s alright. Your skepticism is understandable, Captain Tang."

Yang Qi explained calmly, "Qi Zai is an individual recently brought in through an international scientific research cooperation project. He’s still in an adaptation and observation period, housed in a special area of our Zoo. Not many people know about him."

"As for whether he can relay information..."

Yang Qi paused and looked at Deng Lei, his gaze holding a silent question.

’Has Deng Lei already told the rescue team about the specifics of who the injured person might be?’

Deng Lei caught his meaning and immediately took over the explanation. "Captain Tang, here’s the situation. After receiving the report from Advisor Yang, we ran some checks on our end."

"According to our records, a three-person botanical expedition team, led by Associate Professor Yu Chengbang from the Provincial Agricultural University, entered Cangshan yesterday morning through an entrance in a non-tourist area north of Lantian District."

"Professor Yu is an expert in alpine plant diversity. He’s very familiar with Cangshan and has conducted many research expeditions in these mountains."

"This time, they were on a routine short-term sample collection trip. They only filed a simple entry registration with the local forestry station and were scheduled to exit the mountain this afternoon."

At this point, his tone grew grave. "However, just before we set out, both the Lantian District forestry station and Professor Yu’s family reported that they haven’t been able to contact any of the three team members since noon today."

"None of their phones are reachable."

"Considering what Advisor Yang’s Beaked Eagle discovered, and how the time and location roughly match up, we have strong reason to suspect that the injured person Qi Zai found is likely a member of Professor Yu’s missing expedition team!"

Deng Lei didn’t mention any speculation about "fugitives," as the current information pointed more toward the expedition team being in peril.

This was also why he had called in the professional rescue team—Tang Bin and his people.

If it was just a case of lost or injured researchers, a rescue team was more appropriate than heavily armed police.

"An expedition team? Three people?"

Yang Qi’s eyes widened in understanding, but another question immediately surfaced in his mind.

’Qi Zai observed two people—one motionless, the other moving slowly. If it really is Professor Yu’s team, then where is the third person? Did they get separated? Or...’

"Yes, that’s our preliminary assessment for now."

Deng Lei confirmed, his expression anything but relaxed.

He had clearly also considered the discrepancy in the numbers, which added to the complexity and potential danger of the situation.