Long Yi and Han Yue strolled through the misty mountain trail with the two children, Zhihan and Rose. They had wandered far from their base, following winding paths until the surroundings grew unfamiliar.
Han Yue glanced around. This mountain is vast… our base only covers a small part of the mountaintop. Her gaze drifted to the narrow track ahead, where faint, half-washed footprints led deeper into the mist. Some were fresh—too fresh—making her uneasy.
Before she could mention it to Long Yi, they spotted a steep slope where damp soil and loosened rocks hinted at a recent landslide. The air smelled of wet earth, and somewhere far away, the low rumble of shifting rock whispered through the fog. Pebbles skittered down the incline. The ground beneath them tilted slightly—like the mountain itself was breathing.
"This part of the mountain has come loose," Long Yi murmured beside her, his tone calm. "It's collapsing slowly."
Han Yue's eyes lit with quiet curiosity. This explained the footprints—some faded, some fresh—people had passed here before, but not all had returned.
The slow landslide had gone unnoticed by both their base and the military post to the east, hidden by the mountain's sheer scale. Here, though, the danger was obvious. Unlike the rocky, stable side they usually traversed, this slope was nothing but loose soil and soft terrain.
Without warning, a section gave way. Soil and stones slid down in a slow, grinding wave.
Long Yi's hand caught Han Yue's arm. "Move back—it's caving in front."
They retreated just enough to avoid the spray of dirt. The sliding earth gathered into a small mound below, but the rumbling never stopped. Stepping around the mess, they found firmer ground, the two children now holding hands tightly, afraid of slipping.
As they walked, Han Yue suddenly paused. Extending her spiritual sense into the misty air, she caught it—a faint, desperate voice.
"Help… is anyone there… help…"
Her gaze sharpened. The sound came from near the cliff beside the landslide. She tugged on Long Yi's sleeve and pointed wordlessly.
He nodded once. "Stay here. I'll check."
Han Yue, Zhihan, and Rose stayed put as Long Yi moved toward the edge. The ground was soft and unstable, yet he walked it as if strolling in a garden. Looking down, he spotted a man clinging to a crumbling ledge, bloodied and dirt-smeared, as though he'd been in a fight.
That explains the messy footprints, Long Yi thought.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a whistle and blew a sharp note—fweeeeee—cutting through the drizzle and the soft tumbling of earth. The sound echoed off the cliffs.
Below, the injured man froze, craning his head up to see the tall figure in black watching him. "Help me… please…"
Long Yi narrowed his eyes. The man's face tugged at his memory. Slowly, he pocketed the whistle, then glanced at Han Yue and the children—three little figures in yellow raincoats staring at him with bright, expectant eyes.
Sighing, he tapped his smartwatch and called Secretary Xu.
"Yes, Boss?"
"There's a man down the cliff. Come get it. I'll send the coordinates." His voice was casual, almost lazy.
"Yes," came the prompt reply.
After sending the details, Long Yi returned and took Han Yue's hand affectionately.
They looked at him in disbelief—they'd heard the man's pleas. Why wasn't he doing anything? Han Yue finally asked, "Long Yi? Aren't we going to save that person?"
"Already called someone," he said, absently playing with her fingers.
Realizing he had no intention of lifting a finger, they let it go.
They moved to a more stable patch of ground to wait. Han Yue summoned a table with a large umbrella from her space, then laid out pastries, cookies, steaming cocoa, coffee, and matcha lattes. The four of them settled in like they were on a picnic, chatting lightly while the man at the cliff edge kept calling for help.
La la la… they didn't hear a thing.
Part 2
While enjoying their peaceful tea party beside the slow-moving landslide, Secretary Xu had already dispatched Shadow 8 with a team for a rescue mission. He specifically told them, "Han Yue is there, waiting for you to rescue someone."
Upon hearing this, Shadow 8's eyes lit up. "Move! Hurry up!" he barked, practically shoving his team toward the mountain jeeps. He had a feeling something interesting was waiting.
Ten minutes later, they were on the mountain road, the driver's knuckles white on the steering wheel as Shadow 8 kept nagging."Faster! If you don't step on it, I'll tell everyone about that little… incident."
The driver scowled but floored it anyway. The road was empty, and they were in the mountains—odds of hitting anyone were zero.
A while later, they spotted the scene: a table with four people sitting under an oversized umbrella, sipping drinks as if this was some roadside picnic. Behind them, a slow landslide crawled down the slope, with rocks and clumps of soil lazily rolling. Uneven mounds dotted the ground where the earth had shifted.
Some guards stared. Wasn't this a rescue mission? Why does it look like the boss is on vacation?
Shadow 8 jumped out of the jeep, black raincoat flapping, and waved."Yueyue! Boss! You called me here… for a tea party?"
Han Yue, mid-sip, nearly spat out her matcha latte and quickly wiped her mouth.
Long Yi, sitting beside her with a cup of coffee, didn't even look ruffled. He set it down and said, "No. Go to the cliff and save that fool down there."
Finally, the memory clicked for him—yes, that pitiful figure clinging to the muddy slope was one of his friends. A rich dandy who excelled at wasting time, flirting, and causing problems. Also, the son of the current Base Leader of City J Base. Long Yi had been too busy these past months to even remember the idiot existed.
The moment Shadow 8 and the guards heard this, they moved fast. Some pulled ropes and climbing gear from the jeep, others checked for stable footholds at the cliff's edge, and a few started searching the landslide area for other survivors—or bodies. Footprints in the mud caught their eye; they began tracing where they led.
Shadow 8, however, had other priorities. Han Yue pulled out a spare chair for him, and he sat right down, picking up a slice of cake. "Boss, I took a glance at that pitiful loser down there. I swear I've seen him somewhere."
Han Yue tilted her head. "Oh? An acquaintance?"
"Maybe. But with all that mud and blood, it's hard to tell. If he got cleaned up, I might remember," Shadow 8 mused, sipping his latte.
Long Yi took another slow drink of coffee, then finally said with a lazy smirk, "It's Lu Ziyang."