"Woof woof woof, woof woof woof!" The sound of barking grew closer and closer.
Honestly, hearing a dog bark at a time like this feels incredibly comforting!
Because wild dogs don't bark like this!
Rona Muir suddenly thought of something and raised her voice: "Could Molly Yun have come here with a dog?"
Her words reminded everyone else!
That's right!
If Molly Yun brought a dog, then if we find the dog, wouldn't that mean we've found her?
Before anyone could go looking for the dog, Charles Yin received a call from Eric Jiang: "Charles, I've just landed at the spot you pinpointed. Where are you now?"
Charles Yin immediately told Eric Jiang their route and direction, then asked, "Eric, did Molly Yun bring a dog with her when she came?"
Before Eric Jiang could answer, the sound of barking came through the receiver. He quickly replied, "Yes, Hugo is Molly's adopted dog. He's really smart. Did he actually find you? Stay where you are, I'm coming over right now!"
After hanging up, Charles Yin turned to the others and nodded, "This is Molly Yun's dog, Hugo. He really is smart—he actually found us!"
As they spoke, Hugo was already running towards them.
Hugo was covered in patches of blood, clearly having been through a vicious fight. A section of fur on his back had been torn out, blood soaking through and making his fur clump together—he looked absolutely miserable!
"Woof woof woof, woof woof woof!" Hugo spotted humans who looked just like his mom and got so excited he dashed over without hesitation: "Whimper whimper... whimper whimper..."
Please, go save Mom!
Rona Muir crouched down: "Hugo?"
Hugo heard someone call his name and got so happy he nearly lost his mind.
"Woof woof woof, woof woof woof!"
Yes, yes, I'm Hugo! You must know my mom, right? Please, go save her!
Rona Muir got a response from Hugo and became excited: "Do you know where Molly Yun is??"
Hugo got even more excited, grabbing Rona Muir's pants with his mouth and desperately trying to pull her outside.
Seeing the little mongrel dog frantically dragging people to rescue his owner, even the men present had tears in their eyes.
"That animal sure is loyal and protective," Jiro Hirayama said.
Rona Muir shot him a look, "He has a name. She's called Hugo."
Hugo spun anxiously in place, looking up at the humans with pleading eyes, tears streaming down his face. Even Rona Muir couldn't bear to watch.
"Don't worry, Hugo. We're waiting for everyone to arrive. As soon as we're all here, we'll go find your owner." Rona Muir patted Hugo's head. "Good girl, Hugo!"
Hugo understood Rona Muir's words, obediently curling up at her feet and quietly waiting.
"Give me the medicine." Rona Muir's heart softened. She asked Jiro Hirayama for some medicine for treating wounds, then carefully trimmed the fur around Hugo's injury, disinfected the area, and applied the medicine.
Hugo trembled in pain, but still lay there obediently.
She knew the person in front of her was treating her wounds.
She had to get better quickly—only then could she save her owner!
Just after Hugo's wound was treated, her ears perked up and, like an arrow shot from a bow, she dashed toward the newcomers.
"Whimper whimper." Hugo leapt accurately into Eric Jiang's arms and started whining about her troubles: "Whimper whimper."
Eric Jiang patted Hugo's head, immediately understanding: "You've worked hard, Hugo. You've been protecting Mom all this time?"
Hugo snuggled her chin onto Eric Jiang's arm, gently tugging his sleeve, trying to pull him forward.
"Eric." Charles Yin stepped up, the redness in his eyes obvious. "Hugo must know the way. Let's hurry and follow her!"
Eric Jiang nodded, gently stroked Hugo's head, and said softly, "Hugo, lead the way!"
Hugo immediately jumped out of Eric Jiang's arms and ran ahead to guide everyone.
Just thinking about all these people coming to save Mom filled Hugo with strength!
Hugo would run a bit, stop and wait for them to catch up, then keep running ahead.
She left her scent along the way and remembered exactly where Mom disappeared!
"Wait!" Charles Yin called out, stopping the group when Hugo leaped across a ravine.
Eric Jiang looked at the ravine—it was more than two meters wide.
Looking down, it was impossibly deep.
If it were on flat ground, maybe you could just jump across with a running start.
But standing over this ravine, no one had the guts to try.
Especially since the group included Jiro Hirayama, who wasn't exactly athletic.
Luckily, the rescue team Eric Jiang brought was much better equipped.
In no time, they set up a makeshift bridge over the ravine, the sound of construction echoing through the air.
Rona Muir, Jiro Hirayama, and Eric Jiang crossed safely.
"We thought Molly Yun just got lost, but things turned out way more complicated," Rona Muir sighed. "We didn't bring much gear. If only we'd known... ah, forget it."
Eric Jiang nodded in understanding. "You guys came here on short notice. Being this prepared is already impressive."
After all, Hans was a pirate, not a rescue worker, so of course he didn't have this kind of equipment.
Besides, the nearby base wasn't the main headquarters, just an outpost.
After crossing the ravine, Rona Muir suddenly stopped. "Wait! Molly Yun is just a young woman. How did she get across this ravine without any equipment?"
Her question stumped everyone.
Yeah, how did Molly Yun get across?
Everyone turned to look at Hugo. Sure, the dog could jump across, but could Molly Yun really leap like Hugo did?
Hugo looked at them, confused. She was just a dog—she couldn't explain, so she spun anxiously in circles.
"Let's just find her first," Charles Yin said, his anxiety barely contained. "If Hugo jumped across, that means Molly Yun did too. Whatever method she used, we can figure it out later."
Rona Muir nodded immediately. "Right, let's go find her first!"
Hugo dashed forward again.
The people behind started moving faster and faster.
Finally, Hugo stopped by a small river and bared her teeth at the water, whining for a long time.
Eric Jiang understood what Hugo meant and crouched down to ask, "Are you saying Molly disappeared here?"
Hugo immediately barked, confirming that was exactly it.
Everyone looked around, but found nothing.
Charles Yin suddenly spoke up. "Cecilia disappeared by the river too. She was washing dishes with everyone, then suddenly she was gone!"
Everyone present felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand up.
That's right, both of them disappeared by the river.
What secret does this river hold?
Charles Yin crouched by the river, carefully examining it. He reached out to Little B. "Give me the map."
Little B quickly found the map and handed it to Charles Yin.
Charles Yin carefully studied the map, compared it to their route, and realized that the river where Cecilia disappeared was the upstream of this river!
In other words, they disappeared by the same river!
Charles Yin folded the map, stood up, and commanded, "Prepare the inflatable boats. Head downstream!"
If there's something wrong with this river, we'll follow it to the end and see for ourselves!
Everyone sprang into action, dragging out the inflatable boats. Teams of three pushed off into the river, and more than a dozen boats headed downstream in a mighty flotilla.
Traveling by water was much faster than on land.
In less than an hour, Hugo suddenly started barking madly at the riverbank.
"Stop!" Charles Yin raised his hand, and the group instantly halted in the middle of the water.
Hugo struggled out of Eric Jiang's arms, swam to shore, and started barking madly at the riverbank: "Woof woof woof, woof woof woof!"
Could it be here?