On the first night of her marriage, she was hospitalized

Chapter 421 Those Left Behind Are Even More Unhappy
The entire team rested for a day in a small courtyard in the woods at the foot of the mountain.

I slept well last night.

The next morning, he got up and went into the mountains to carry out his mission.

Zhang Xiangdong assigned two members to guard the small courtyard, both to protect their vehicles and to leave two hopes behind.

However, none of the ten members of the team wanted to stay.

Zhang Xiangdong didn't waste any words and went straight to drawing lots.

Whoever draws the two shortest ones keeps them.

He broke off ten small sticks, turned his back to the team members, and broke the sticks into eight long and two short ones before turning around and letting them take turns coming forward to draw lots.

He's the team leader, so he'll definitely go.

So I didn't bother with my own fortune slip.

As for the others, whoever draws the "stay" option must stay.

This is an order; there is no room for negotiation.

Soon, everyone had finished drawing their lots.

With Zhang Xiangdong as witness, everyone spread out their palms to determine who would go into the mountains and who would stay behind.

Jiang Tang and Deng Ping were not far away; they had already packed their bags and were now waiting for their decision.

"You said they're going to put themselves in danger, so why can't they go? They seem unhappy about it."

Deng Ping crossed her arms and asked Jiang Tang, who was whittling a wooden stick with a dagger, a question.

Jiang Tang lowered her head, then looked up when she heard the voice, "You have such low awareness."

"what?"

Deng Ping straightened up. "How can talking to you and asking you questions lead to me being accused of having low moral character?"

"If you are enlightened, you will know why they are unhappy."

Jiang Tang answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Deng Ping was taken aback.

She knew perfectly well why they were unhappy.

Because they valued their comrades' lives more than their own.

In times of danger, they would rather take the lead themselves than let their comrades be in peril...

Deng Ping knew perfectly well what was going on.

She just couldn't bear to see such a scene and wanted to talk to Jiang Tang to distract herself from her depressed mood.

However, it's obvious that you should never talk to a fool when you're feeling down, or you'll be driven crazy!

The two remaining individuals were chosen.

One is Zhang Guangming, and the other is Tian Guozhong.

Zhang Xiangdong told the two that while guarding the supplies, they should also pay attention to the safety of the surrounding area.

After all, the area is right next to the border, and no one can guarantee that someone won't sneak in here to commit evil deeds.

“If we don’t get out of the mountains within twenty days, then you two should retreat and tell the higher-ups that the mission has failed.”

Zhang Xiangdong said these words with some difficulty.

Neither Zhang Guangming nor Tian Guozhong wanted to accept this fact.

"Captain, you'll be alright."

"We'll wait for you to come out here."

"Yes, everyone will definitely return safely."

This is the only hope for those who remain here.

After Zhang Xiangdong finished explaining the situation, the rest of the members who were going into the mountains also packed their bags.

Without saying anything overly grand or lofty, the two who remained stood still and saluted the departing people in perfect unison!
Jiang Tang walked at the front of the group, holding a map of the mountainous area in her hand.

On the map, hundreds of mountain peaks are connected to form a dense primeval forest.

This is a place that humans have never set foot in before.

Compared to that mountain on the outskirts of Beijing back then, this place is really like a tiny, insignificant witch compared to a great witch.

According to information collected by locals, there are many terrifying venomous snakes and ferocious beasts in this vast primeval forest that stretches for hundreds of kilometers.

According to many local elders, every evening after rain, sounds like human wailing or a loud crashing sound can be heard from the mountains.

The villagers nearby only dared to collect some firewood on the outskirts of the mountain; no one dared to go into the mountains.

The locals didn't know the specifics of the situation in the mountains. Eleven people were walking in the mountains.

Jiang Tang and Zhang Xiangdong walked in front, while Deng Ping walked in the middle. As she walked, she looked at the plants around her and quickly made notes with her pen.

"This is a rare scientific research survey. I recorded these growing plants and took them back to give to the relevant experts, which will be helpful to their research."

No wonder he's an expert from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

His words and actions truly resemble those of an expert.

Jiang Tang walked ahead and did not stop Deng Ping's behavior.

They weren't in a rush when they went into the mountains; they walked at a normal pace, and if they could safely reach their destination, they considered it a success.

As time went by, the group finally crossed the first mountain at 2 p.m.

We arrived at the top of the mountain.

It's called a mountaintop only because the instruments they carried indicated that the altitude here was slightly higher than the surrounding areas; they couldn't see the surroundings at all with their eyes.

There are woods everywhere.

The dense trees are growing in profusion.

They are all striving upwards to catch the sunlight!
The tree canopy is at least tens of meters above the ground.

As for those that haven't been contested, if they can find a sliver of sunlight in the cracks, they can still grow.

If they can't find it, they'll lose even the chance to survive in the cracks.

Thinking about it this way, nature is truly cruel.

The team members rested on the mountain and ate something to replenish their energy.

We need to figure out what the next step should be.

Jiang Tang hadn't walked in the mountains for several years. When she returned to the mountains for a walk, she didn't feel tired because it was a great tonic.

But Deng Ping was different.

Deng Ping's physical strength was clearly inferior to hers.

The team members rested and replenished their energy, two of them went outside to keep watch, and Deng Ping plopped down next to Jiang Tang.

"tired."

She was panting as she fanned herself with her hand.

Jiang Tang glanced at the person next to her.

"They've only been here a few hours, and they can't hold on anymore?"

"Your stamina isn't very good!"

Deng Ping admitted that she lacked physical strength!

Therefore, she didn't retaliate when Jiang Tang teased her.

After sitting there catching her breath for a while, she took out her dry rations to eat. While eating, she didn't forget to take notes and record the plants she saw in the mountains.

Jiang Tang glanced at her notes, showing little interest.

He turned his gaze away and continued studying the map in his hand.

What happened to those twelve teams ahead of us? Why didn't any of them return?

Was it trapped in the mountains, or has it become fertilizer for the mountains?

Jiang Tang remained silent, her eyes unusually grave.

A short while later, the group continued its journey.

Jiang Tang and Zhang Xiangdong were still walking at the front.

Before they rested, they went up the mountain; now that they've rested, they're going down the mountain again.

It's not that they're leaving the mountains, but rather that these mountain ranges, composed of many mountains, are made up of steep slopes, cliffs, and deep abysses.

They descended from the mountain to a ditch at a relatively lower altitude, and it was already getting late.

If we walk a little further along this ditch, we'll rest here tonight.

The air is very humid, so we need to book accommodation as soon as possible, or we'll get soaked in the rain.

If you get caught in the rain in the mountains, it can easily cause hypothermia, which is dangerous.

Everyone here is experienced, so once they realized this, they quickened their pace.

But the rain still suddenly started.

(End of this chapter)