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Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Rescue 2
Tong Yao was quiet throughout the conversation between the three people, but she felt reassured. Regardless of whether Gu Hongwei would look out for her, it was always good to have a familiar face around.
The bus had been driving on the highway for more than three hours. During this time, no one spoke. As they got closer to Qing City, the conditions outside began to worsen. A light drizzle began and the visibility on the road worsened. A number of buildings on both sides of the road had collapsed. Everyone started discussing the situation at the epicenter of the earthquake in Qing City as they looked out at the scenery from the bus windows. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
At this point, the driver, Zhou Shi’an, announced, "In about thirty minutes, we’ll have to get off the bus and start walking. We’re heading over the three hills to Matou Town. According to the news reports, the situation is the most dire there. Our mission is to assist at the school in Matou Town directly. When rescuing others, you must keep your own safety in mind. I brought you all here and I intend to bring all of you back safely."
It’s well-known that schools are populated by many minors who have poor evacuation capabilities. If they get trapped beneath the collapsed buildings, the consequences of not launching timely rescue efforts are unimaginable.
Previous rescue teams had all been deployed within the city and hadn’t yet reached Matou Town. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to go. There just wasn’t enough manpower and Matou Town was relatively remote. The rescue teams had no choice but to prioritize rescuing those nearby first. The city was filled with buildings, and those trapped beneath them would have little chance of survival if they weren’t rescued promptly.
Niu Gang was the first to respond, and the others echoed his response, their proud and loud voices stirring up feelings of courage in all who heard them.
Amidst the concerned mood of the group, the vehicle finally came to a stop. The road ahead was impassable due to the earthquake. Numerous vehicles from other rescue missions were parked on the side of the road, their teams already off and helping with the rescue work, with only their empty vehicles left here.
Zhou Shi’an told everyone to eat the dry rations they had brought from home and prepare to depart. Gu Hongwei, having left in a hurry, hadn’t brought anything, so Tong Yao shared two pancakes and a bottle of soda with him. Gu Hongwei didn’t bother being polite and accepted her offer, eating the food heartily.
After resting for about four or five minutes, Zhou Shi’an gave an order and everyone promptly followed his lead, heading towards the hills on the roadside. Gu Hongwei took Tong Yao’s backpack from her hands. While no words were spoken, he kept a watchful eye on her as they proceeded.
The original destination had been the school in Matou Town, but even before they reached the school, they were shocked by the devastating scenes in front of them. Countless houses had collapsed in the villages, and the survivors were digging with their bare hands through the ruins to find their relatives. Besides those who couldn’t move, even the injured had joined in the rescue efforts.
Upon seeing this, the group didn’t have any time to think too much. They immediately joined the crowd. Whenever there was a cry for help, they would head over to dig using their bare hands.
Tong Yao noticed that several people, covered in mud and blood, lay on a patch of open ground. There were women, children, and elderly people. The light rain splattered on their faces, but they gave no response. Someone grim-faced covered these people with a large plastic sheet, as if bidding them a final farewell.
Gu Hongwei came over to Tong Yao, carrying a child that he had rescued. Seeing Tong Yao staring at the bodies in a daze, he thought she was frightened. To divert her attention he said, "This boy’s leg was pierced with a bamboo stick, can you help him bandage it?"
Tong Yao regained her senses immediately. Looking around, she saw that everyone was busy with the rescue efforts, and there wasn’t even a shelter from the rain amidst the rows of collapsed houses. She frowned and said, "We can’t go on like this in the rain. You should build a makeshift tent first for those injured and immobilized to rest in. If their wounds get wet in the rain, there’s a risk of infection, and we won’t be able to apply any medication."
"You take care of him. I’ll go and get someone to help set up the tent now."
Gu Hongwei placed the boy in Tong Yao’s arms and quickly ran off to find help. The ground was muddy and slippery, causing him to almost fall several times. Seeing Zhou Shi’an rescue another person, he hurried over to describe the situation.
Zhou Shi’an looked around and immediately asked someone to pull out a piece of plastic sheeting from the rubble. They quickly set up a makeshift tent.
Tong Yao, inside the tent, was in charge of bandaging the injured. Within just over an hour, they had already brought six or seven wounded individuals. The number of bodies lying under the tarp outside was also increasing. Tong Yao could hear the mournful wailing of those who had lost loved ones outside the tent. She felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She had seen such scenes on television before, but being in the middle of it was so much more distressing than watching from afar.
They didn’t have much medicine with them. Tong Yao didn’t dare to waste any. For some of the less serious cases, she merely bandaged the wounds, not daring to use the antipyretic and hemostatic drugs that they had. Fortunately, although there were a lot of injured people, none of them were in danger of losing their lives.
The group stayed here until past 4 pm. At that point, Zhou Shi’an gathered everyone to move on to the next location. Tong Yao and others cleaned up quickly and began moving toward Matou Town on foot. Whenever they met anyone in need of rescue along the way, they’d stop to help. Thus, it was only in the middle of the night that they finally reached Matou Town.
People were everywhere in the ruins, searching for their loved ones. It was the middle of the night. Other than the beams of their flashlights, they were unable to discern their surroundings or locate the school. Fortunately, the rain had stopped, which seemed like a stroke of good luck amidst the tragedy.
By chance, there was a half-collapsed building nearby which seemed to be relatively safe. Zhou Shi’an led the group over to rest.
"We have three more hours until daylight. Everyone turn off their flashlights and rest for a little while. We’ll head out for the school when it gets light out," he said.
After speaking, he looked at Tong Yao. To be honest, he was quite surprised by this girl who appeared young and fragile. Not once had she complained of being tired nor had she been reduced to a blubbering mess by the sight of the dead. She had kept up with the group without lagging behind at all.
Such girls were not common.
On hearing this, everyone found a spot to sit down. They had been tired after a whole day of work and soon fell asleep. Tong Yao and the other girls huddled together and were quickly fast asleep.
Although it was the hot season, the weather in Qing City was quite cool. While everyone was asleep, suddenly, another earthquake struck. They were awakened by Zhou Shi’an’s shouting and ran out of the building in haste.
The moment after everyone had run out, the place they had just been collapsed. The falling debris looked like it was about to hit Tong Yao, but someone pulled her aside in time. Once she had steadied herself, she realized it was Gu Hongwei who had pulled her aside.
Relieved, she managed to utter a "Thank you."
Looking at the place that had just collapsed, everyone couldn’t help but break out in cold sweat. It was already dawn, and they were dirty and covered in mud, looking extremely haggard. However, they had no time to worry about that as they were stunned by the horrifying sight in front of them.
The aftershock came so suddenly. Although it was not a big one, it was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Many people who had just been pulled out and given a lifeline were buried again in the ruins. Without stopping to think, they joined the rescue work again.
Tong Yao was still in charge of bandaging the injured. As she watched the countless injured and dwindling medical supplies, she pursed her lips, hoping earnestly that a formal medical team would arrive soon. They kept busy until noon, even forgetting to hydrate themselves. Finally, a batch of medical teams arrived. Much to her surprise, the medical team that arrived was from Li City.
