The Flower Of The High Mountain Turns Into A Cat And Is Picked Up By A Human Chapter 49

“Woohoo!”

Zheng Shu jumped up on the spot, a sight others were used to.

Che Deze adjusted the collar of his jacket, glanced at him, and snapped, “Hurry up. If you’re late, don’t even think about coming with us.”

Zheng Shu wasn’t afraid of his superiors; with his second uncle protecting him, no one could make things difficult for him. But Zheng Shu was afraid of Che Deze, because Che Deze, also protected by his second uncle, could genuinely beat him up.

“Oh.”

Bai Qi and Bai Chendeng led the way, followed by an administrative secretary.

They arrived at the open space of the parking lot.

As Director Bai Qi’s capable subordinate, Che Deze was the first to greet them, introducing the temporary team members to Bai Chendeng.

Including Bai Chendeng and Che Deze, the team totaled six people. One captain was already inside the vehicle.

This captain was special, requiring long periods in a state of sleep.

Bai Chendeng scanned the few people who were about to team up to explore Yuanshan Mountain and said, “Hello, everyone.”

The others looked at the Great Demon with surprise and respect, responding in unison, “Hello, Mr. Bai.”

After a brief introduction, everyone boarded the vehicles.

Bai Qi said solemnly, “I entrust this to you all. On behalf of all registered cadres of the Hetong Sub-bureau, I extend my gratitude.”

With that, he saluted.

The engine emitted a continuous muffled roar.

The convoy departed.

Bai Chendeng sat in the back seat, with Che Deze beside him. Zheng Shu sat in the passenger seat, his eyes occasionally darting around.

The atmosphere was not relaxed, but it wasn’t suffocating either. With a Great Demon and Hetong’s strongest captain accompanying them, even if those two couldn’t guarantee the safety of every team member, their track record and reputation were enough to inspire trust.

Yuanshan Mountain was densely vegetated, appearing as a rich, deep green painting from afar.

Bai Chendeng reviewed his experiences, feeling as though he had an indissoluble bond with mountains, and now he was tasked with solving another problem within one.

He let out a soft sigh at the thought.

The mysterious captain, rumored to be Hetong’s strongest combatant, was helped out of the car by a team member.

Judging by the muscle definition that even the camouflage jacket couldn’t completely conceal on that team member, he likely spent a lot of time transporting people.

“Mr. Bai, this is Captain Sang Qiwei. Beside him is his long-time partner, Shen Lezhi.”

“Mhm.”

Che Deze looked at Yuanshan Mountain with a hint of melancholy.

“I wonder how Captain Heng and his team are doing, trapped inside the mountain. I hope our trip succeeds in rescuing them.”

Bai Chendeng nodded. “Let’s enter the mountain.”

Bai Chendeng naturally extended his hand. His snow-white wrist was like fresh snow, catching the eye.

Che Deze certainly didn’t think Bai Chendeng was reaching out for him to hold his hand; anyone who thought that must be crazy.

So he froze for two seconds, then hesitantly asked, “Mr. Bai?”

Bai Chendeng, having extended his hand without sensing the Lightness effect, turned back to look at him. “Lightness Talisman.”

Che Deze suddenly understood. “Oh, sorry… sorry…”

Zheng Shu covered his mouth nearby, nearly dying of laughter.

As a team member stationed at the foot of the mountain, he wasn’t qualified to enter, but he could still experience the thrill of being half-on-the-frontline.

“I’m dying laughing…”

Che Deze took out a two-finger-wide armband, slipped it onto Bai Chendeng’s arm, activated the Lightness Talisman, and affixed it to the corresponding position.

“Mr. Bai is very familiar with this talisman.”

Bai Chendeng shook his arm. It was the first time he had seen this armband; it had some thickness, as if something was hidden inside.

“I wore one back in Qu Ying. What’s inside this?”

Che Deze explained with a faint smile, “What’s inside everyone’s armband is different. This one contains some medicinal powder, used for healing and sustaining life.”

Bai Chendeng’s eyes slowly turned to him. He praised, “You are indeed very meticulous.”

Che Deze was complimented and took it well, showing a rare hint of the shyness he had when he first joined the profession.

Zheng Shu approached at some point, bumping Che Deze’s shoulder, waking him from his private delight.

“Brother Che, I’ll wait for you down here. We must keep in touch.”

This second-generation rich kid was one of those responsible for recording.

Che Deze lightly brushed his shoulder.

“Got it.”

Seeing his action, Zheng Shu made a constipated expression.

The Hetong Brahmin’s status was still lower than that of a mascot. After all, although he was lazy and useless, he never abused his connections to trip up his colleagues, so his colleagues were undisguised in their disdain for him.

Sang Qiwei was fitted with gear by Shen Lezhi and shouldered a specialized backpack nearly half his height. The group finished their preparations and moved into the forest.

The remaining cadres watched their figures disappear behind the cover of the branches, praying for their safe return.

Zheng Shu pretended to be serious for a moment, then immediately went to the temporary base vehicle to watch the video feed.

The footage they were seeing came from small, clip-on camera devices developed by the Administration’s experts. The materials were special, inscribed with runes inside, allowing them to resist a certain degree of erosion.

The screen clearly showed a slender figure’s back. The lean physique offered unexpected advantages in the forest; his limbs were flexible, and his movements were swift. Where Bai Chendeng could pass through easily, the team members behind him still needed to break branches and follow with unsteady steps. The difference was immediately apparent.

Zheng Shu sighed with admiration, “He’s like a martial arts master.”

A team member beside him said, “He’s much more formidable than a martial arts master. He looks so thin and light, yet he’s a Great Demon—the kind who could hang up and beat most of our Administration staff.”

Zheng Shu rubbed his chin. “That powerful?”

The team member rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you read his file?”

Zheng Shu was unashamed. “I’m not interested in demons.”

Too lazy to argue with an idiot, everyone continued watching the video, occasionally initiating communication for real-time updates.

The six people had been walking for a full hour. All around them—beside, in front, and underfoot—were still dense, muddy layers of decaying leaves and overlapping branches.

“No abnormalities detected so far.”

Bai Chendeng’s heart rate quickened slightly. A cat’s endurance was not its strong suit; his breathing was already heavier than usual, but the trained humans beside him showed little sign of fatigue. Out of a desire to “save face,” he didn’t allow himself to pant.

Yuanshan Mountain was not entirely covered in trees. After walking for more than two hours, they arrived at a stream. The water flow was weak, just a trickle, but the previous team had passed through here.

The group individually searched the surroundings. Aside from seeing some residual footprints, there was nothing else.

“Judging by the tracks, they walked in this direction.”

“Mhm, let’s rest for a bit before setting off again.”

Che Deze placed his backpack on a flat stone, offering it to Bai Chendeng as a cushion.

Bai Chendeng was indeed very tired and didn’t stand on ceremony. He supported himself with his hands behind him, bending and dangling his two long, straight legs over the edge of the stone.

After thoroughly recording the surrounding environment, the video feed lingered on those long legs for quite a while.

The people behind the screen fell silent.

Bai Chendeng let out a long breath, tilting his head back to look at the terrifyingly blue sky, feeling that the sky held a sense of falseness.

He desperately wanted to lie down right now, but he couldn’t.

Che Deze stared for a moment at Bai Chendeng’s slightly swinging calves.

The movement was tantalizing.

After drinking water and eating dry rations, the six people, having completed their investigation, set off again half an hour later. This time they had a clear direction. They slowed their pace, focusing more on the traces along the way.

However, the jungle was nature’s best cleaner. Any trace left here would gradually decompose and vanish.

They hadn’t found any sign left by the missing team members for a full five minutes.

“The trail is broken.”

Che Deze frowned, watching Bai Chendeng look around thoughtfully. He leaned over and whispered, “Mr. Bai, have you found anything?”

Bai Chendeng’s expression was complex, showing a hint of hesitation.

Che Deze encouraged him, “Mr. Bai, we’ve lost the trail now. Any other discovery is invaluable. Please don’t feel pressured. If you’re unsure, you can tell me first.”

Bai Chendeng finally spoke up.

He pursed his lips.

“Over there, there should be fruit. I smell it.”

“?”

Che Deze’s expression went blank for a moment, then instantly returned to normal. He even seriously considered it, helping to find a reason. “Maybe the missing team members went to pick fruit.”

Bai Chendeng nodded.

He genuinely thought so.

Che Deze chuckled softly, with a hint of indulgence he didn’t even notice.

What Great Demon? His thoughts were clearly purer than a human’s.

No wonder his aura, as perceived, was powerful and sharp, clean and bright.

Fruit?

How endearing.

Che Deze said softly, “Mr. Bai, that’s a valid line of inquiry. Should I tell the others?”

“Mhm.”

There were fruits growing in the other direction.

When they first heard the news, everyone exchanged glances, feeling it was somewhat nonsensical. But upon closer thought, they felt it might indeed lead to unexpected discoveries.

Seeing that everyone agreed to look for the fruit, Che Deze looked at Bai Chendeng.

Bai Chendeng maintained a cold, expressionless face, as usual. But when everyone thought about how this Great Demon, whom the bureau viewed with deep caution and respect, had smelled the sweet scent of fruit from afar and suggested going to pick it…

How could it be…

So strange.

Despite the inappropriateness, and despite the mission they had to complete and the teammates waiting for rescue, since Bai Chendeng proposed an alternative direction, they decided to search boldly. They had no other leads anyway, saving them from wandering aimlessly through Yuanshan Mountain like headless flies.

And having a direction, at least, prevented them from falling into confusion, allowing their minds to wander.

They hoped the missing people were still alive. As long as they had a single breath, the Administration definitely had a way to save them.

The location of the fruit was not close. Bai Chendeng was very sensitive to the scent. During their difficult trek, they actually rediscovered traces of human passage that they hadn’t seen for a long time, and joy involuntarily surfaced on their faces.

“The direction is right. They did come to pick fruit.”

Bai Chendeng sped up.

Half an hour later, colors other than green and black appeared ahead—clusters of red grouped together.

The fruits hung on Grapevine branches, tightly wrapped around the tree trunks. The color was vibrant and appealing.

Without him needing to say more, everyone brightened up and began to search, slowly moving deeper into the fruit grove while keeping each other in sight.

Further inside, the mature fruits became noticeably more abundant. Bai Chendeng picked a cluster, observed it from all sides, and repeated this five times before breaking open the fruits one by one to inspect them.

They looked and smelled fine.

If Heng Yuze had led a team here, what would he have done?

His cooking skills were impeccable, and he got along well with his team members. He probably would have prepared a meal for them or practiced his skills.

And they themselves had been climbing the mountain for three hours, and not slowly. They were now exhausted. The previous team, unaware of the danger here and still in the exploration phase, would have chosen to…

Bai Chendeng rubbed the fruit in his palm, the juice spilling out.

He turned to the others and said, “I’ll taste this fruit.”