Some things, just like Pandora's box, once opened are difficult to close again.
...
At the same time, the four girls in the camp fell into deep worry.
"Sister Bing and Lu Zhe still haven't come back!"
"Yeah, it's almost dawn. They should have returned by now."
"Do you think something dangerous happened to them?"
"The dangers that may exist on Volcano Island may be difficult for Sister Bing, but they can't be difficult for Lu Zhe!"
"You're right! From what we know of Lu Zhe, even if they encountered alligators and pythons, he would have escaped with Sister Bing, right?"
"Hmm, so there's no need to worry too much. They're probably just stuck like when me, Lu Zhe, and Sister Bing were trapped by the hot spring water."
"No, I went to the hot spring when it was raining heavily once, and the water temperature wasn't that hot. There's no reason for them not to come back!"
Jiang Yao pursed her lips and said sadly, "They couldn't have taken this opportunity to do something unfaithful to me, could they?"
Tang Xiaoguo patted Jiang Yao's shoulder, "Yao Yao, don't be sad. I think that's definitely what happened."
"Ah?"
Qian Qian shook her head, "No way, no way! Lu Zhe and Sister Bing are both very reliable people. They must be focused on their mission when they're together."
Tang Xiaoguo nodded, "Unlike the Class President."
Ning Shu protested, "What's wrong with me? I always put the bigger picture first, don't I?"
Lin Qianqian sighed, "Think about the last time you and Lu Zhe went to the volcano area."
"We successfully confirmed the healthy growth of the sweet potato vines, didn't we?"
Jiang Yao added, "But you carelessly discarded the used jelly water lenses everywhere, isn't that true?"
"This..." Ning Shu was speechless when reminded of this. "It was my first time!"
"Who are you kidding?"
"I don't believe it!"
"Me neither!"
Ning Shu was out of excuses. Indeed, she had too many shady incidents in her past. Continuing this conversation would only make things worse.
Change the subject...
"Hey, look outside. It seems the rain has stopped, and the sky seems to be brightening up."
Jiang Yao peeked outside. It was still drizzling, but much lighter than before.
Large patches of dark clouds still hung in the sky, with occasional beams of sunlight piercing through the gaps in the clouds, bringing some light to the dark world.
"The rain has lessened, but the sky has only brightened up a little bit!"
"Yeah, there's no reason for them not to return now!" Ning Shu said worriedly.
Tang Xiaoguo suggested, "Why don't we go look for them?"
Lin Qianqian said, "Lu Zhe told us to wait patiently at the camp. If they come back and don't see us, they'll worry again."
Jiang Yao said, "That's true, but we're worried too!"
Ning Shu thought for a moment, "Here's what we'll do. We'll wander around near the camp, not straying too far. If Lu Zhe comes back, he can call out, and we'll hear him."
Tang Xiaoguo happily said, "We're bored staying in the cave. This suggestion is great! I wholeheartedly agree!"
Lin Qianqian thought for a bit, "If we leave a note at the camp, we'll be completely covered."
"Yeah, let's do that!"
The girls quickly agreed, left a note, and changed their clothes before climbing out of the stone cave.
At that moment, there wasn't much accumulated water in the camp.
However, the stream that Lu Zhe had diverted from the northern mountain had increased its flow tenfold, widening the gullies it flowed through.
The dhole tore off a large chunk of alligator meat and was eating heartily.
Two little dhole pups were squeaking and drinking milk from their mother's pouch.
The sun bear was sitting in the "fridge" bed, yawning lazily, preparing for a good sleep as a nocturnal animal after staying awake all night listening to the rain.
At this moment, Tang Xiaoguo noticed the animals in the camp and was reminded of her pet dog she used to have. She couldn't help but feel compassionate, "Why don't we take the bear out for a walk too?"
Lin Qianqian asked doubtfully, "Why walk it?"
Tang Xiaoguo shook her head, "The dholes have their babies to keep them company, so they're not that lonely. But the bear is all alone. I used to have a dog, and I know they crave companionship too. So you have to take them out for walks every day and let them interact weirdly with other dogs. Otherwise, they'll become depressed."
Jiang Yao nodded, "I've heard about this too."
Ning Shu weighed the pros and cons, "It's not a bad idea to bring it along. If we encounter gorillas or something, it can help defend us. And it can take care of its business outside the camp instead of making the place smelly and hard to clean up."
Lin Qianqian smiled, "Everyone is so caring. The bear must be able to sense it!"
The sun bear yawned and shook its head, making the bell around its neck jingle loudly.
Tang Xiaoguo exclaimed happily, "See, it understood what we said!"
Ning Shu nodded with gratification, "I didn't expect it to be so intelligent."
Then, she tugged on the sun bear's leash and pulled it out.
The sun bear seemed confused, blinking at Ning Shu. It let out a soft "woo" sound, turned its head back, and hugged the aerial roots of the banyan tree.
"It doesn't want to go?"
"Yeah, it seems worried about the dhole mother and her pups."
"Haha, it's quite responsible!"
"That's why we need to show it our sincerity. Come on, sisters, lend a hand!"
The girls worked together to pull the sun bear off the aerial roots, then led it into the northwestern jungle.
Since it was still quite dark, the four girls didn't dare stray too far. They just wandered around the forest, and Ning Shu called out a couple of times, "Lu Zhe! Sister Bing!"
Jiang Yao reminded her, "Hey, don't call over any carnivores!"
"Oh, right, be careful!"
At that moment, Lu Zhe faintly heard Ning Shu's voice.
He quickly tapped Shen Bing.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
Shen Bing didn't think so, "What?"
"I think I heard the Class President calling us."
"I didn't hear anything. You must be hallucinating."
"Hmm..." Lu Zhe was a bit doubtful too, wondering if he had heard incorrectly. But then he listened carefully again and heard Jiang Yao's voice from outside the cave, "Hey, sisters, it looks like there's a cave over there."