After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

Chapter 337: Chapter 270: I Want to Join the Party!_2

Bring a two-way radio, and if there’s any change in the space inside, notify me immediately!"

Fang Huai felt a sense of reassurance as he listened and replied loudly:

"Yes!"

Then, turning to look at the people around him who were watching him with concern, he said to Battalion Commander Liang:

"Battalion Commander Liang, if something happens to me, please tell my troops, I want to join the Party!"

Fang Huai played a little trick.

He was quite confident about getting out safely.

But by shouting such a statement in front of so many people, perhaps he really could exploit the situation to join the Party in a special nomination.

He did not seek to earn merit, but he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to apply for Party membership quickly, if possible. This was the only personal desire he had entertained during this rescue mission.

However, Battalion Commander Liang was astonished and said, "How can a soldier like you have not yet joined the Party? What are your superiors thinking?!"

Fang Huai hesitated for a moment, then stood at attention and said, "It’s not the squadron’s fault; I am just a private, newly enlisted this year!"

Everyone was stunned.

Squad Leader Fan was even more frowning, yelling at Battalion Commander Liang, "You’re sending a new recruit on such a task? Change people! Change!"

Shaken to his core, Battalion Commander Liang, seeing the crowd around them discussing what a "private" meant, pulled Squad Leader Fan to one side and quietly told him about Fang Huai’s performance that day.

But Fang Huai didn’t give them the chance to change the plan. Looking at his watch, he said, "Gentlemen, there’s no time left, it’s 11:37 now, I need to be out by 12:37."

With that, he handed over Little White to them, took the special frequency two-way radio and the piece of sheet metal they handed to him, folded it a few times, and walked back down the slope.

The tunnel was irregular, and when the metal sheet was unfurled, it somewhat mismatched the space inside.

Fang Huai adjusted it several times before finally patching up the entrance, leaving only some space to breathe.

He found a foothold on the ground next to the boy, braced his body, and picked up the two-way radio, saying:

"Begin."

The roar of the excavator and the "rattle, rattle" of breaking sounds almost started in half a minute.

The sounds coming from above were extremely muffled.

"Dang!"

"Dang!"

Some debris tumbled down the slope, striking the sheet metal. The impact wasn’t heavy, but the noise was loud.

Fang Huai braced it with his elbow, then looked back at the boy.

Sixteen or seventeen, thin, his face caked in dust.

He was sleeping peacefully.

Quite handsome, resembling... freewebnøvel.com

"Boom!"

A loud noise.

Fang Huai was almost flipped over by the metal sheet.

Just that moment of distraction had sent him stumbling back half a step, almost stepping on the boy. freewebnσvel.cѳm

"Are you alright?" The voice came through the two-way radio.

Fang Huai quickly shook his head, gathered his strength, thrust out his chest, and pushed the metal sheet out a bit, returning to the previous position, his feet firmly planted on the chosen spot.

Rescue really required undivided attention.

Since entering Sichuan, he had controlled himself from wandering thoughts, focusing his efforts more on the rescue.

But without sleep for a long time, his thoughts were indeed scattered.

Stabilizing his position, Fang Huai then picked up the two-way radio and slowly said:

"It’s fine, it’s fine."

"Good... just now, a large concrete slab cracked, I caught a big piece with a breaker hammer, the small piece... Damn!"

Fang Huai’s eyes widened as he listened, his ears already picking up the sound of something sliding from above.

"Boom!"

Fang Huai felt his body sink again.

But this time, the impact was clearly not as severe as before.

Simultaneously, the voice from the two-way radio said, "Sorry, the big piece also broke, but luckily, it was blocked a bit by the slope."

Fang Huai’s face twitched: "It’s alright, it’s alright. Squad leader, if you’re not sure...maybe you should go a little slower."

This squad leader... wasn’t very reliable either, despite Fang Huai’s previous admiration.

In such a complex rescue scene, no matter how skilled, accidents could still happen.

However, the squad leader above seemed to be irritated by Fang Huai’s slightly skeptical words, and the sound of breaking intensified.

...

This rumbling lasted half an hour.

The pressure on Fang Huai was growing heavier by the minute.

Feeling that the tunnel outside was almost blocked by debris, eliminating the risk of sudden massive impacts, he simply rolled over and used his back to brace against the metal sheet.

But the edges of the metal sheet were bent, occasionally letting in some crumbling stones and lime.

This feeling wasn’t great, giving him the sense that he was only a step away from being buried alive.

And the immense force coming from behind was such that even his legs were numb, and even if the slope had absorbed some of the blow, it was not less than 300 jin.

Luckily, the space was adequate; the air was sufficient, and there were still gaps behind him.

Suddenly.

Amidst the rumbling noise, Fang Huai heard something.

He quickly picked up the two-way radio and yelled, "Stop! Stop!"

The noise from above ceased at once.

"What’s wrong?"

"Wait, I heard someone talking!" Fang Huai shouted.

After that, the two-way radio fell silent as well.

"Is anyone in there?" Fang Huai yelled into the interior again.

"Is it Police Uncle?" A weak voice came from inside.

Fang Huai was immediately invigorated: "I’m Uncle from the People’s Liberation Army! We’ve come to save you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was crying from inside.

"Thank God, you’ve finally come... Xue Xiao kept saying we won’t survive, I kept comforting him... actually, I was terrified inside... Uncle from the People’s Liberation Army, you finally came..."

Fang Huai listened, his heart ached.

Cao Jianqiang said, this girl was very strong, constantly telling him not to sleep, to hold on, that surely someone would come to save them.

In fact, the girl inside probably didn’t know Cao Jianqiang was there at all; Cao Jianqiang’s faint voice couldn’t be heard from below.

Above, Cao Jianqiang was hanging on by sharing in the girl’s comforting words to a boy named Xue Xiao.

The glimmer of light in the ruins, even if refracted, could illuminate many people’s inner darkness.

"Child, you’re very brave, hold on! What’s your name?"

"Ma Xiaofeng..."

"Okay, Xiaofeng, once you’re out, Uncle will help you scold Xue Xiao!"

Fang Huai said, focusing once again, picked up the two-way radio, and shouted loudly, "Squad leader, dig fast!"

"Roger."

...

"Boom."

"Boom."

The sounds of stones colliding kept coming from around.

But Fang Huai felt the weight on him lessening.

His entire body relaxed a lot.

Only his buttocks and lower back felt as if they had been numbed, and once the pressure eased, he shifted positions several times to get the blood flowing again.

Even his ears were numb.

Just now, the "rattle" of the machines and the excavator’s sound seemed to explode next to his ear, forcing him to cover his ears with his hands.

In that hour, he fully experienced the feeling of being trapped and unable to move below.

Fortunately, it soon quieted down.

The voice came through the two-way radio.

"You can come out now."

Fang Huai raised his hand, glanced at his watch, pressed the two-way radio, and said with a smile, "Squad leader, not bad, it’s 12:36, you’re one minute ahead."

But there was laughter from the other side of the two-way radio:

"I’m punctual indeed, it’s your watch that’s one minute slow."