Chapter 435 - 4: Rescue (Part 3)
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The oil lamp inside the glass cover emitted a dim light, staining the rain-drenched night.
Nine people were scattered across the hillside, their lights resembling tiny fireflies dancing in the mist and rain.
Occasionally, the natives shouted their companion's names with all their might, but no one responded.
Chen Zhou's sailor uniform was soaked by the rain as he carried an oil lamp in one hand and a telescope in the other, furrowing his brow as he climbed the slippery slope, pulling Lai Fu straight towards the mountaintop.
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Today's heavy rain far exceeded his expectations, with rainfall intensity not inferior to the aftermath of the storm shortly after Robinson landed on the island, and its duration even longer.
In such weather, forget humans; even robust wild animals would abandon their plans to hunt outside and stay quietly in their nests.
Chen Zhou initially thought the shepherd native would return by noon upon seeing the heavy rain, but unexpectedly, the person stubbornly stayed outside all day in this weather.
In the afternoon, when the natives' wooden house leaked, he helped them patch and drain it until dusk, yet the shepherd native never returned home.
Worried about the native's safety, Chen Zhou could not sit still any longer—
There were only ten labor forces on the island in total, and losing just one would be a tremendous loss.
Moreover, it was a living human life at stake.
He prepared windproof oil lamps and thick clothing, and took everyone with him along with Lai Fu, who was good at tracking scents, heading straight to the pasture.
On the way to the pasture, he had the natives call out the shepherd's name repeatedly and even took a detour to the temple and the charcoal kiln on the rocky slope to see if the shepherd was avoiding the rain there, but all in vain.
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The heavy rain washed away all traces, and the earthy smell masked the scent, making it impossible for Lai Fu to capture any clues about the shepherd native.
Chen Zhou became increasingly concerned that the native might be in trouble. While instructing the natives to spread out and widen the search range, he hurried towards the mountaintop with Lai Fu.
The lighting range of the oil lamp was limited, and in such weather, it could only help guide the way at night.
He had anticipated the difficulty of finding the person before leaving home, so besides the oil lamp, he also brought a strong flashlight.
Relying on this, Chen Zhou aimed to climb to a higher vantage point to utilize the advantage of a broad view to search for the native.
By now, he still hadn't spotted any trace of the flock or the two cows, which, compared to a single person, were a significantly larger target, and the shepherd presumably stayed with the livestock.
Chen Zhou thought, if they couldn't find the native, finding the livestock might suffice, since identifying the direction of the livestock's movement could eventually lead them to the person.
Limited by the mindset of modern humans, he always believed that living beings have a survival instinct.
In such adverse weather, without explicit orders, they would certainly weigh the situation and prioritize their own safety.
He never imagined that the native would be straightforward enough to risk their life for a few sheep, even climbing to the platform and around to the northwest corner of the secondary peak—
Mind you, even Chen Zhou himself hadn't been there many times.
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Perhaps it was not meant to be the end; in the last moment before the native lost consciousness, Sunday, racing ahead of the others, spotted his figure fallen on the mountain from afar on the slope below.
The youth with a long saber at his waist first shouted the native's name loudly upon seeing the suspected shape, then scolded with a reprimanding tone.
When he realized the native could no longer respond, Sunday quickly climbed up the mountain to check on his condition.
Having learned some basic medical knowledge from Chen Zhou, he sensed that the native was highly likely suffering from hypothermia, high fever, and a cold due to the rain, teetering on the brink of life and death. Sunday promptly carried the native on his back, took off the long saber to use as a crutch, and hurried down the mountain with him.
In the darkness, the brightness of each oil lamp indicated the distance between them.
The further northeast towards Shandong, the more lights Sunday saw.
By calling out, he quickly gathered the two nearest natives to his side.
He ordered one native to immediately notify the others, especially the leader—only he could save the shepherd native's life.
Sunday and the other native, supporting each other, carried the unconscious native towards the direction of the kiln cave.