Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Rescuing the Baby Elephant
Qin Shen glanced at her and shook his head. "I can’t."
Jiang Si was taken aback. ’I thought he could intimidate any animal.’
She couldn’t resist asking, "Well, can you communicate with them?"
Qin Shen shook his head again. "Not elephants."
Jiang Si sighed. ’Are we just supposed to stand by and watch the elephants destroy the helicopter?’
If it really got destroyed, and with no roads around, it would take at least several days to walk to the coast.
Jiang Linhai tried to scare the elephants away with the sound of gunfire and explosives, but Jiang Si stopped him. "If the elephants get angry, they could stomp us into a pulp. Even if we hide in the trees, they won’t stop until they’ve brought the trees down on top of us. If the helicopter gets destroyed, so be it. Everyone, find a place to hide for now."
Everyone felt helpless but had no choice but to abandon the helicopter and find a large, dead tree to climb.
The dead tree had no leaves. As long as the elephants determined they weren’t a threat, they wouldn’t attack them.
But just as Jiang Si and the others climbed up, they realized this aggressive herd of elephants was clearly headed for them.
They surrounded the base of the big tree, making mournful cries. Their wet, pleading eyes looked as if they were asking for help.
Elephants are highly intelligent. They have emotions and even hold farewell ceremonies for their dead.
When Jiang Si saw the leader extend its trunk toward her, she hesitated for a moment before reaching out her hand.
The elephants immediately let out high-pitched, excited trumpets. The lead elephant wrapped its trunk around her wrist, gesturing for her to follow them.
Jiang Si looked at Qin Shen. "They must be in trouble and asking for help, right?"
Qin Shen nodded. "Yes. Do you want to go with them?"
Jiang Si thought for a moment. "Let’s go."
If Jiang Si was going, everyone else would naturally follow.
The elephants seemed to understand, letting everyone climb onto their backs. It was the first time riding an elephant for most of them, and their faces lit up with excitement.
Niu Niu said happily, "Dad, we’re like Tyson from the cartoons."
Lu Zhifeng held her tightly and smiled. "Then we have to be like Tyson, too, and protect the forest, protect the animals, and protect nature."
The herd ran for over twenty minutes before stopping at a ravine. The faint, sad cries of a baby elephant could be heard from below.
A mother elephant anxiously called back to it, continuously searching for edible wild grasses and plants nearby to toss down into the ravine.
Everyone lay on the edge of the ravine and looked down. They saw a baby elephant stuck tens of meters deep in an earthquake fissure. It was in a difficult, tilted position, and it could only use its tongue to hook one or two blades of grass to eat.
There was nothing for it to stand on at the bottom of the ravine; the baby elephant was wedged in mid-air.
If a strong earthquake were to happen during the rescue, they could very well lose their own lives.
’We could lower a rope and use the helicopter to lift the baby elephant out.’
’The crucial part is that someone has to go down and secure the rope around the baby elephant’s belly.’
The elephants watched them eagerly, letting out one anxious, mournful cry after another.
After careful consideration, Jiang Si asked Qin Shen, "You know how to fly a helicopter, right?"
She was an excellent climber. If she moved quickly, it wouldn’t take much time to secure the baby elephant.
Qin Shen nodded but said, "I’ll go down. You fly the helicopter."
Jiang Si didn’t argue with him. The baby elephant was too weak to even eat properly, looking completely limp. It had to be rescued as soon as possible.
Jiang Si went to fly the helicopter over and gave Qin Shen the best rescue gear she had.
The baby elephant weighed several hundred pounds, so the ropes and rescue harness needed to be the largest and sturdiest available.
Fortunately, the rescue equipment in Jiang Si’s space was very comprehensive. It would have been no problem to rescue several more adult elephants.
After Qin Shen secured the ropes on his harness, Jiang Si piloted the helicopter, lowering him bit by bit toward the baby elephant.
The baby elephant was frightened and began to cry out and struggle in panic. Its body, wedged in the ravine, scraped against the rock as it slid further down, making everyone’s heart pound with fear.
Securing the ropes around it, which should have been a simple task for Qin Shen, became incredibly difficult.
On the edge of the ravine, the mother elephant paced back and forth anxiously. The surrounding rock walls also showed signs of loosening, constantly showering dust and small stones that made it impossible for Qin Shen to open his eyes.
Jiang Linhai was worried. "Qin Shen, are you all right? Don’t push yourself! If you can’t do it, we’ll pull you up!"
Qin Shen didn’t reply. He took out the tranquilizer Jiang Si had given him and gave the baby elephant a shot in the rear.
The drug took effect quickly. The baby elephant stopped struggling, and it wasn’t long before Qin Shen had it securely tied.
After confirming the ropes would hold, Jiang Si began to pilot the helicopter upward.
The baby elephant and Qin Shen were steadily lifted higher. Thankfully, there were no more earthquakes, and they were able to pull the baby elephant out of the ravine smoothly.
The effects of the tranquilizer hadn’t worn off yet. Because it had been wedged in the rock crevice, it had several severe abrasions on its body. As the group untied the ropes, they also applied some medicine.
The herd was truly intelligent. Though restless and anxious, they knew the people wouldn’t harm the calf and silently allowed them to proceed.
After a while, roused by its mother’s repeated calls, the baby elephant slowly opened its eyes and stood up. The herd let out celebratory trumpets, glanced at Jiang Si’s group a few times as a farewell, and then slowly walked off into the depths of the canyon.
Watching their affectionate figures recede, Niu Niu said happily, "That’s wonderful. Their family can all be together happily."
After the rescue, dusk was approaching, and flying at night was extremely unsafe.
Besides, the helicopter had some minor issues that Jiang Si needed to check.
Jiang Si and Qin Shen watched a maintenance video while they inspected the helicopter’s interior.
Shen Baoying got a vacuum-sealed pheasant from Jiang Si and stewed it in a pot with chestnuts. The rich aroma was tantalizing and whetted everyone’s appetite.
Lu Zhifeng thought Jiang Si had hunted the pheasant herself. He kept testing the crossbow in his hands and said regretfully, "I should have gone and caught a few pheasants myself."
Shen Baoying smiled. "We still have plenty of food, so there’s no rush. Once we get to the coast, we’ll be able to catch sea fish. We’ll have even less to worry about then. Don’t go getting into danger just to find food."
Shen Baoying was trying to comfort Lu Zhifeng, worried he might feel burdened, thinking he was freeloading.
He was already doing his utmost to protect the team, always the first to volunteer for night watch or any other task.
Lu Zhifeng smiled. "I’m not worried about food. But if we’re going to cross the Pacific Ocean, we’ll need to store a lot of water on the boat."
Jiang Linhai said, "Sisi already told us. Modern sea vessels have special freshwater tanks and can even collect rainwater. If we’re lucky when we get to the docks, we’ll definitely find a boat like that."
Lu Zhifeng nodded. ’Our luck has been pretty good so far. Let’s hope it holds.’
Besides the chestnut-stewed pheasant, Shen Baoying also made several other delicious, home-style dishes. The white-flour steamed buns and cornmeal buns Zhang Qingfang made were also fresh out of the steamer.
They were steaming hot, soft, and fragrant. She had just handed one to Niu Niu and was about to call Jiang Si and Qin Shen over to eat when the ground trembled slightly. Everyone looked up and saw the same herd of elephants from before returning, this time carrying unknown wild fruits and vegetables in their trunks.
