Free Web NovelChapter 359: Chapter 290: Rescue, Heading towards the Low Valley
Am, 00:13.
The light at the excavation site flickered on and off.
"It’s been an hour or so, how come they still haven’t arrived?"
Fang Huai straightened up from the rubble, noticing that the two flashlights set up on either side were on their last legs, dimming, and couldn’t help but ask.
"Probably got scared," Zhang Yang chuckled, then turned to the side and said, "Come on, let’s lift this slab."
Zhang Yang rarely experienced the satisfaction of having people working under him, and he was full of enthusiasm. He had cleared a lot of debris in this area, which is why he was able to detect the sound beneath his feet.
The soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army cooperated fully, with three of them quickly joining him to grip a stone slab weighing around a hundred pounds.
"One, two, lift!"
Just as they began to move it outwards, the ground suddenly shook.
"Damn it, here it comes!"
"Steady! Slowly let it down!" Zhang Yang yelled.
However, Fang Huai quickly barked, "Drop the slab, retreat! Watch your feet!"
He was extremely cautious.
They had no choice, a major tremor had occurred at noon, a strong aftershock of magnitude 5.9, shaking them to the point of staggering.
Since the 13th, there hadn’t been such a strong aftershock.
All the rescue workers had experienced a real earthquake firsthand.
Moreover, because there had been no major aftershocks the previous day, many had become complacent, entering the ruins to retrieve their possessions, leading to several new people trapped, along with one casualty at the site.
This time, the sensation felt no less significant, the shaking very distinct.
The earthquake lasted for over 20 seconds, and the noise of road construction outside also stopped.
But amidst the surrounding din, there was a loud crash, another building had collapsed.
Fang Huai, seeing that everyone had retreated, immediately thought of the two who had gone out to find flashlights and promptly said:
"Let’s go, bring back Chen Wu and the others!"
As soon as he spoke, everyone became a bit worried.
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Damn, not a single two-way radio, life without electricity is just too hard."
It wasn’t just Command that was affected; even the new arrivals like Fang Huai and their equipment were running low on power. The Beichuan government had found a generator, but it had no diesel. As soon as they got some fuel, the priority was to power medical equipment to save two more patients. There was no chance to recharge rescue equipment, let alone two-way radios.
They could only rely on shouting.
"Chen Wu!"
"Zhou Shiqiang!"
In the nighttime silence of Beichuan, a shout could travel several hundred meters down the streets. After a barrage of calls without any response, Fang Huai became anxious:
"Split up in groups of three, search separately! Quick!"
...
Soon, they found a spot where there was a light.
They had found the person.
"Zhou Shiqiang is here!"
A soldier yelled, and the various teams conducting a grid search swiftly ran over.
Everyone saw Zhou Shiqiang sitting by the broken doorpost of a shop.
The flashlight lay beside him, shining towards the distance.
Upon closer inspection, the back of his head was covered in dust, and he was bleeding profusely.
"Quick, quick, quick, lift him up and get him outside!" Fang Huai called out loudly.
A few people fumbled to pick him up.
Zhou Shiqiang, holding his head and enduring the severe pain, said:
"An aftershock... the squad leader is below, forget about me, save him."
As the words fell, Fang Huai’s flashlight illuminated the interior of the shop.
Only one inner wall remained, and a person was buried under the debris.
"Someone’s calling for help inside!" Zhou Shiqiang managed to say quickly.
"He’s passed out, Zhou Shiqiang has passed out!" the people carrying Zhou Shiqiang shouted.
Fang Huai, waving his flashlight around, found another flashlight that had fallen. He picked it up, checked it, found it was working, and handed it to a soldier, hastily arranging, "The four of you take him out of the city for treatment! Be careful on the way!"
Yet the man said to Fang Huai, "You should keep the flashlight!"
"I still have Zhou Shiqiang’s here with me! The road out of the city is steep! Don’t cause new casualties! Go quickly!" Fang Huai roared.
The only road out of the city required crossing a large slope created by a landslide, which was hard enough for one person to navigate, much less on the descent with its steeper gradient. Carrying someone was even more difficult, and without light, they would struggle to leave.
The man hesitated a moment, but seeing Zhou Shiqiang’s wet head as blood dripped down, he quickly led the others away.
At that moment, Fang Huai turned around to find Hu Hongzhi had picked up Zhou Shiqiang’s flashlight from the ground and was leading everyone in a search for Chen Wu amidst the fallen bricks and walls.
"A foot, I see a foot!" someone shouted.
Fang Huai, seeing the direction of the foot, urgently commanded, "Dig, dig, dig! Expose his head first!"
...
Chen Wu wasn’t buried deep and was quickly lifted out by the group.
He showed no obvious external injuries, but his breath was very weak, suggesting serious internal damage.
Fang Huai did not dare to leave anyone else behind in that place and could only silently note the location. Carrying Chen Wu on his back, he led everyone out of the city.
Fang Huai moved very fast, running ahead with Chen Wu on his shoulders, while the people behind him chased, lighting their way.
In reality, he had night vision; he didn’t need a flashlight at all.
But the others needed it, search and rescue operations needed it, the rescue effort needed it.
Rush, rush, rush.
Fang Huai only felt that Chen Wu’s head was dangling over his shoulder, breath absent.
...
"Huff... huff..." frёewebηovel.cѳm
Finally reaching the outskirts, Fang Huai loudly called for people from the campsite to find a vehicle.
The people in the camp had just sent Zhou Shiqiang away and knew more injured were coming. They rushed to bring stretchers, continuing to move the wounded to a nearby road where the engineering troops had a vehicle.
When Chen Wu was placed on the stretcher, Fang Huai, who had been sprinting for over twenty minutes, collapsed, spent.
The onlookers gazed at him with a hint of fear.
On the road, they all wanted to exchange places with Fang Huai, but seeing the astonishing speed at which Fang Huai was sprinting with the man on his back, no one dared to speak up, fearing they couldn’t run as fast and would delay Chen Wu’s treatment.
Lying on the ground and gasping for air, Fang Huai looked at the beam of his flashlight, still on and shining on him, and felt utterly powerless.
"Are you okay, Fang Huai?" Zhang Yang couldn’t help but ask.
He had truly become everyone’s pillar, and he hadn’t had much rest over the past few days. After such a run, Zhang Yang and Hu Hongzhi were genuinely afraid he’d pass out from exhaustion.
"I’m fine," Fang Huai said weakly, waving his hand and continuing to lie on the ground to recover his strength.
"If you’re fine, then get up and walk a little. Lying down immediately after running can lead to the buildup of lactic acid in the blood."
Zhang Yang instinctively reached out to help Fang Huai up.
"I... Fuck your father!" Fang Huai couldn’t help but curse loudly. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
You think I’m training here?!
After swearing, Fang Huai decided to lie on his side, his spirit sinking into silence.
They had two flashlights, which they ended up using to save two people’s lives.
Reality seemed to be mocking him, plunging him into deep powerlessness.
What exactly had caused today’s predicament?
They had equipment, technology, national power, and of course, contingency planning, disaster awareness, individual capabilities, collaborative capabilities...
Many things should have been done better.
He didn’t think he had done exceptionally well, but he had a heart yearning for improvement.
This earthquake made him see many leaders’ lack of judgment and coordination skills in dealing with disasters.
Not that they weren’t good officers or leaders, but specialization is key.
All this should be part of a huge mechanism where, in the face of disaster, there should be corresponding emergency systems in place to manage human and material resources, not just relying on the determination to risk life and blood to save others.
This natural disaster should serve as a wake-up call to many high-ranking officials, marking the beginning of a move towards the professionalization of the rescue troops.
Professionalization should be multifaceted, not just about changing green military outfits to blue, transforming the military to local service, or extending the retention period for talents.
There are many things that only those who have risen from the grassroots level, like himself, truly know how to change.
However, to influence more and do more, he would need to gradually move away from the grassroots and position himself higher up.
At this moment, Fang Huai’s heart unlocked a shackle for himself.
The change he needed to make should not only be within the Second Squadron.
Rather, he should use it as a stepping stone to create a template and earn himself more of a say.
To do things, to do meaningful things.
Fang Huai squinted his eyes, as drowsiness gradually overtook him.
...
"It seems like a bit of dehydration coupled with excessive staying up late, causing some electrolyte imbalance. Many soldiers have the same issue," a doctor said.
"Doctor, what kind of imbalance... they shouldn’t die from it, right?"
"It’s still quite dangerous. Severe cases can lead to epilepsy and muscle weakness. He ran so much yesterday, his body must have lost a lot of fluids. Hold on, I’ll give him an amino acid injection."
"Alright, alright, go ahead, doctor. Give him a little extra, he’s a key member of our rescue team! He’s accomplished a great feat!"
When Fang Huai groggily woke up, there were several people standing around him, surrounding a doctor in a white coat, chattering away at the entrance of the tent, blocking the rising sun.
He seemed to be lying on a folding bed.
His throat felt dry and rough when he opened his mouth.
"If I’m dehydrated, give me water... what’s the need for amino acid supplements?"
With that remark, he drew everyone’s attention back to him.
Major General Jin, Hao Chengbin, Cao Yi, Ye Jiahong.
"What time is it?" Fang Huai rubbed his eyes and sat up.
"Fang Huai, you’re awake?" Hao Chengbin hurried over, checking his condition with wide eyes.
Then, he shouted, "Damn, we couldn’t wake you for over an hour. I thought you were a goner!
You used to wake up at the slightest noise!
This morning, Zhang Yang told us you hadn’t woken up and mentioned how you ran with someone on your back from the city yesterday. We couldn’t shake you awake, and it scared the hell out of us!"
Fang Huai felt his forehead and his throat felt like it was on fire, "Squad leader, some water, please. I’m dying of thirst."
"Got it, got it! Here’s some warm water!" Hao Chengbin rushed out to grab the water bottle.
Fang Huai checked his watch; it was already 10:30 a.m.
His eyes immediately filled with panic, and he got up with a jolt, his voice piercing through his dry throat, ringing out loud.
"Damn it!! How could I have slept for so long?!"
The others quickly surrounded him and forced him to sit back down.
Major General Jin scolded loudly, "Fang Huai, the doctor just said your condition is very serious and you need to rest for a couple of days! Why are you getting up? Lie down!"
The doctor looked at him with bewilderment.
How could someone who had been unconscious, with dilated pupils and no response to light, recover so quickly?!
He hadn’t even been given a dose of amino acids yet!
When Hao Chengbin heard the commotion, he also hurried back with a cup of water and handed it to him.
Fang Huai took the water cup, gulped down the water in two big swallows, and then asked:
"How’s Chen Wu? How’s Zhou Shiqiang? What’s their status?"
Everyone looked a bit puzzled.
Fang Huai became anxious, "The two who were injured last night!"
Major General Jin then said, "Oh, they’ve been sent to Mianyang hospital for treatment. The one with the head injury is already out of danger, the other’s been checked too, nothing serious! Don’t worry! The hospital gives priority to treating earthquake injuries for free, and our injured soldiers are guaranteed round-the-clock care by a panel of experts! As long as his head isn’t missing, we can save him!"
Fang Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then remembered something and stood up, saying, "There’s someone in a shop near the county committee! They were injured while rescuing people yesterday! There’s also someone in the vegetable market!"
Hao Chengbin, annoyed, pushed him back onto the bed, saying:
"They’ve already been rescued! You had a group of twenty people watching last night, and we’re not blind! Do you need to worry about it all by yourself?
The Earthquake Rescue Team has one side handled, and Captain Hu is on the other. You just need to rest assured!
Your task now is to rest properly, and don’t think about anything else!"
"Tsk," Fang Huai said impatiently, "I can’t rest. I still have to go search and rescue today! It’s almost the sixth day! With those two elite teams rescuing at those locations, what about other places?"
At that moment, everyone fell silent.
After a while, Major General Jin sighed:
"They don’t want to neglect other places either. As of this morning, the 2,000-person search and rescue team hasn’t found a single survivor.
The rescue efforts have hit rock bottom. Your going won’t do any good."
