Chapter 180: Snow Mountain (5)
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Old John answered the phone.
The call was from the rescue team, and just as Old John had expected, due to a shortage of personnel, they were temporarily unable to send anyone to rescue the people at the mountain lodge.
“Have you calculated how long your remaining food and fuel can last?” the person on the line asked.
Out of his usual caution, Old John didn’t tell the full truth when answering. Instead, he left some leeway for their side: “Yes, we’ve already taken stock. If we only maintain basic survival needs, it can last at most four days.”
“Understood. We’ll organize a team to rescue you as soon as possible. However, please be mentally prepared—our current priority is the ski resort, so the rescue effort on the mountain won’t come very quickly. Please try to reduce your consumption of supplies and hold on as best as you can. We promise to get you out within a week at the latest.”
“But we can’t hold out that long.”
“There’s nothing we can do. The rescue team has its own difficulties as well—we ask for your understanding…”
They emphasized it several times, but in the end, the rescue team stuck to the same line: they could guarantee arrival within a week at most, but the exact timing was uncertain—they would have to wait.
After the call ended, the expressions of everyone in the hall were complicated. At the same time, they felt fortunate that Old John hadn’t told the whole truth.