Chapter 266: Hai Gongniu — This Year, Misha Is Exceptionally Unlucky
Because there were many people involved, the SAI interrogation process took a total of two days to complete.
Afterward, everyone signed confidentiality agreements, received a token “hush money” payment, and was transported away from the villa by vehicles disguised as tourist buses, just as they had been brought there. They were eventually dropped off at White Birch Town, the starting point of the hiking route.
Teacher Wendy, who was responsible for safety and daily management, was still waiting there.
Two days earlier, after they left the forest area and reached a town with cell signal, they had called Teacher Wendy to report that they were safe and mentioned that they would be ending the field practice early.
Because of this, when she suddenly saw everyone return to the starting town, she wasn’t too surprised. Instead, she hurried over with clear relief on her face, repeatedly expressing how dangerous the trip had been.
“…It was really terrifying. No one expected such a thunderstorm to occur in the Black Mountain Range. Apparently, a large section of forest was burned down. It’s a blessing in disguise that you all made it back safely.”
“Yes, we also encountered heavy rain during the hike. Fortunately, by the time the thunderstorm appeared, we had already reached a safe area and weren’t affected too much,” Teacher Harriet replied awkwardly. She was not very good at lying, and her response came out stiff and unnatural.
Regarding the sudden thunderstorm in the Black Mountain Range, the official explanation was an extreme and sudden weather event. The U.S. National Weather Service did not rule out the possibility of further large-scale thunderstorms occurring in a short period of time. As a result, the National Park Service issued a public advisory urging citizens to avoid the Black Mountain Range for the time being to ensure their safety from extreme weather conditions.
Of course, even if an official advisory was issued, there would always be people who enjoyed tempting fate and would still venture into the forest anyway. The Black Mountain Range was vast—no one had the ability to seal off an entire mountain. Fortunately, after the thunderstorm, the activity range of the Black Goat cultists had been largely destroyed. Even if someone accidentally entered the area for inspection, they would not be able to find anything.