In front of the TV, Yang Dahai stared at the screen anxiously.
The phone rang, and he grabbed the phone.
âLao Yang⊠there is still no newsâŠâ It was a call from the head of the military district, his voice low.
âDonât worry. We have already dispatched helicopters and will definitely find them. âŠYang Lei volunteered to undertake this task and rushed to the very front. He is an excellent soldierâŠâ
Yang Dahai slowly put down the phone. His hair was gray, and his face seemed to have aged many years overnight.
The sound from the TV was still coming through. Yang Dahai hung his gray head lowâŠ
In Meng County, there was hectic search and rescue, as well as the noisy propellers of helicopters, military and police fighting bravely in the muddy water, dams urgently being reinforced, hoarse commands, shouts, the clamor of people, mud splashing in all directions, the surging flood of the riverâŠ
âHow is it?â Commissar Lu anxiously raised his walkie talkie.
âWe have not yet found the target, not yet found the targetâŠâ The voice in the helicopter repeated.
âReport!â A soldier came running through muddy water. âSomeone wanted to go into the mountain to find someone, but he was stopped outside the valley. Heâs a civilian!â
âNonsense! Hold him back! Other than the reinforcement team, no one can stay here!â
âHe is Staff Officer Yangâs friend. HeâŠâ
âTell the public to rest assured that we will definitely find them!â Commissar Lu was nervous.
A group of people hurried over with alternating shallow and deep steps, protecting someone. Commissar Lu braved the wind and rain to meet them.
âIs there news?â Yang Dahaiâs face was anxious and exhausted.
ââŠâ Commissar Lu shook his head heavily. Yang Dahai was dejectedâŠ
The rain fell harder and the current was strong. The mountain soil had been soaked and the soil had been washed away.
âItâs too dangerous here. Please retreat to a safe place outside the valley.â Commissar Lu asked someone to escort Yang Dahai away.
âIâm fine!â
Yang Dahai lost his past elegance and calmness. He was a cadre, but he was also a father.
The people around them were silentâŠ
âWait! You canât come in here! Comrade!â
Someone threw aside the barricade and rushed in. Yang Dahai saw him, and Yang Dahai was shocked.
âWhereâs Yang Lei?â
He rushed before Yang Dahai.
ââŠâ Yang Dahai was silent.
âWhere is he?!â
Fang Yu roared.
There was commotion in a distant corner. The crowd broke into an uproar, and many people ran up the mountain.
âThere are people on the mountain!â
âQuick! Rescue team!!â
âReport. Found the target, found the targetâŠâ
Fang Yu rushed up. Commissar Lu and Yang Dahai both ran overâŠ
In the old forest halfway up the mountain, six or seven soldiers protecting several villagers and children as they came out, fell to the ground and were surrounded. Commissar Lu and Yang Dahai pushed the crowd aside, but their pleasantly surprised expressions gradually froze.
âWhereâs the other person?â Commissar Lu was shocked. Out of eight people, seven people were there. Only Yang Lei was not seen.
âHurry⊠Staff Officer Yang is still inside!â Commander Huang anxiously pointed at the back of the mountain. There was a crack at the back of the mountain. Turbulent currents poured down from the valley and submerged the crack. Broken branches and boulders were all over the place. When they fell into the water, they were swept away and swallowed up.
ââŠHe was bringing up the rear and the top collapsed, the water rushed down⊠He pushed people over. The road⊠the road was washed away by the flood. âŠHe was trapped inside!â
âWhere is he?!â Fang Yu grabbed him.
âIâll lead the way!â Commander Huang struggled to get up.
Torrential rain poured down. The current became more and more turbulent and swift, sweeping along rolling mountain rocks, letting out rapid roars.
âThis sound isnât right. Hurry out of the valley!â The local reinforcement team member panicked. Their rich experience made them aware of the danger.
Commissar Lu picked up his walkie talkie. His expression changed, he asked for instructions, and finally put down the walkie talkie. His expression was troubled and grievedâŠ
âI have received an order from the superior to notify everyone to retreat, evacuate immediately, and leave the valley!â
âWhat about Staff Officer Yang?!â Commander Huang was worried.
âThere will be another mudslide here at any time, and hundreds of lives will be swallowed up! Everyone, first retreat to a safe region before organizing a rescue!â Commissar Lu held back his painâŠ
âLet the army withdraw, and Iâll find him!â Commander Huang wanted to rush up.
âIâll go!â âMe!â
The soldiers surged forward.
âObey the command!! If you go now, youâll only die. Can you get over it?â
The crack spanned right behind them, but the narrow crack had now reached its farthest gap. The frightening red current let out roars, like a devouring, wide-open mouth. Large and small rocks and trees as thick as childrenâs arms were wholly swept up in the large waves. In the blink of an eye, they rushed down. As long as there was ample time, they could use tools and manpower to go over, but at the moment, the torrential rain could cause a landslide at any time. Now, there was already no more time.
The people were silent. Everyone knew that this was a difficult choice, the choice between one human life between human lives. Commissar Lu looked at Yang Dahai.
ââŠâ
Yang Dahaiâs face was ashen with defeat, but he didnât say anything.
Commissar Lu trembled.
In the face of a major moral issue, between his own sonâs life and the lives of hundreds of people, a father made a decision.
Commissar Lu issued an order: âRetreat!â
The troops began to withdraw. People began to rush down the mountain, and the stream of people evacuated downwards.
âHey, hey, youâŠ!â
A soldier exclaimed. In the exclamation, someone grabbed the search and rescue bag on his back and threw it across the crack, suddenly jumped onto a mountain rock, and climbed up the pile of rocks jutting out from the crack.
âWho is that! Pull him down!!â
The people were shocked. Commissar Lu shouted anxiously. The soldiers rushed forward to pull at him. That person had already climbed to the top.
âThrow me the rope!â
Fang Yu roared downwards.
âQuick!!â
The soldiers were stunned. It wasnât known who reacted, picked up the rope fixed to the ground, and threw it up.
No one wanted to give up on their comrade. That was the instinct of the people in the moment.
Tightly tying the other end of the rope fixed around his waist to the tree on the jutting rock, Fang Yu stepped onto a section of the wooden bridge that had been half washed away by the flood waters and was teetering in the air. The load-bearing wooden plank let out a creaking fracturing sound. Fang Yu stepped forwardâŠ
The stunned crowd, Commissar Luâs alarmed roars, soldiers who rushed to the side of the bridge and grabbed the rope⊠Over the surging water, the wooden plank that was unable to support weight finally let out a tearing sound and broke. In the peopleâs cries of alarm, a figure jumped downâŠ
At that moment, some people closed their eyes.
Some people dared not look at the opposite side. Some people dared not look at the surging current.
Yang Dahai was shockedâŠ
He watched Fang Yu tightly grasp the upright branches on the opposite side, anchoring his body that had nearly been swept away by the torrent. He watched Fang Yu step onto the narrow ground extending from the water and use his arms to climb up the stone slope on the other side⊠Everyone watched in a daze as that figure disappeared on the other side. In the roar of the water, Yang Dahai didnât move at allâŠ
T/N: Bonus chapter this week because chapter 109 was so short!