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Chapter 81: Rescue

The rain began to fall, the drops slow at first, then heavy and large, a torrential downpour that wouldn’t stop.

Lightning streaked across the sky. Mi Yang and Wang Bing, wrapped in the raincoats they had brought, moved forward slowly.

The usual gentle sound of the stream in the forest had also changed, now like the roar of some animal. You could hear the rushing water from a distance. The stream was two or three meters wider than usual. The simple wooden bridge that had been there before was now completely gone. It was unclear whether it had been washed away or submerged, only the rolling water could be seen sweeping down.

Wang Bing led the way, and Mi Yang followed him. The area by the stream had been widened a lot by the rushing water. Mi Yang didn’t let him get too close. The two of them stood in a safe place and observed for a while. The water, which had previously only been up to their calves or knees, had now risen a lot and was flowing down the riverbed, muddy.

The stream would not spread too wide. The riverbed was limited, but the force of the water rushing down from above was very strong.

But the people were not here.

Wang Bing thought for a moment, then immediately said, “They must have gone upstream. We’ve scouted that area before too!”

Mi Yang said, “Don’t get too close. Go slowly.”

Wang Bing nodded and walked forward with him.

The original riverbed in the mountain was just dry. Now, with the water level rising, the water looked turbulent, but it had not left the original range of the riverbed. Mi Yang glanced at it and felt a little relieved. This was the same as in his memory of his previous life.

After the accident that year, the school had specially trained the students on how to escape in a flood. The analysis at that time was of this incident. As long as there was no sudden flood discharge upstream, the water level would not suddenly increase, and it would not leave a safe range. As long as you quickly left the riverbed and waited for rescue upstream or on high ground, you could ensure your safety.

But at the time of the accident, there were no adults around. The only one who knew these things was Zhao Haisheng, who had grown up locally. But he was with a group of half-grown students.

The tragedy was also largely related to this.

The students were young, especially at this age, and were not completely obedient to their peers.

Wang Bing stumbled. Mi Yang supported him. “Be careful.”

Wang Bing’s voice trembled as he asked, “Do you think they’ll be alright? Will there be big rocks rolling down from above?”

Mi Yang shook his head. “If there were rocks rolling down, the water wouldn’t be like this.” That would probably be a whole hillside rolling down, with a roaring sound, and the mountain would shake. It wouldn’t be as quiet as it was now. Compared to a landslide with giant rocks rolling down, the current situation was relatively minor. As long as people were obedient and didn’t run around, they would be fine. If giant rocks rolled down, probably half the town below would be crushed.

Mi Yang looked up at the dark and gloomy mountain. The mountain was silent and majestic, making one feel a sense of awe.

Wang Bing said, “The only thing I’m afraid of now is that they’ll run around to take shelter from the rain. But Haisheng is there. He knows these things. It should be fine…” He said this as if to comfort himself, wiping the rain from his face.

Mi Yang said in a deep voice, “I hope so.”

The rain was pouring down. It was so dark in the mountains that the road was hard to see. Mi Yang took out a flashlight from his backpack, turned it on, and walked upstream along a safe place a few meters from the bank.

Wang Bing knew the way. This time, after walking for a short while, he saw people. It was just that it was not as they had expected. The people were still there, but they were arguing not far from the bank, mixed with the sound of a girl crying and the boys pushing and shoving, as if they were about to fight.

When Mi Yang saw that the people were still there, a weight was lifted from his heart. He and Wang Bing quickly ran over, shone the flashlight at them a couple of times, and shouted, “Zhao Haisheng—!!”

Zhao Haisheng was tall and sturdy. Even with a limp, he was easy to recognize in the crowd. He let go of the collar of a boy he was holding and wiped the rain from his face. “Here!” His voice was hoarse. When he got closer, he was soaked, his hair dripping wet, and there was a large hole in his pants, with a bloody mess of flesh and blood from being scraped by something. He limped two steps towards Mi Yang and the others.

Wang Bing ran faster. He was startled when he saw him and quickly said, “What’s wrong? What happened? Did you fall in the water?”

Zhao Haisheng’s eyes were also red. He was almost gritting his teeth as he said, “They were fighting over their things. I, I told them to run, but they wouldn’t… that idiot fell in the water. I pulled him out, and Qisheng was gone!”

Wang Bing’s face changed. He went over. “Fu Qisheng?! How did he disappear!”

Two of the outsiders on the bank seemed to have fallen, and their clothes were covered in mud. Another one was scraped like Zhao Haisheng and was now being supported by a companion. He was probably the one who had fallen in the water and had his life saved. The two injured ones were trembling violently, and the few companions who were supporting them didn’t dare to make a sound. It was a girl with a scraped face who cried out, “It was Ranran. Ranran went to get her drawing board. I couldn’t hold on to her, and we both fell… Fu Qisheng jumped into the water to save us… He pulled me up, and when he grabbed Ranran, he was washed away…”

The girl wailed, both cold and scared, and almost fell to the ground.

Mi Yang took off his raincoat and gave it to Zhao Haisheng. His injuries were too horrifying, and it could provide a little protection. He then looked up and counted the number of people again. Including Zhao Haisheng, there were a total of seven people. Fu Qisheng and the girl named Ranran had been washed away by the water. The rest were all still there.

One of the male students among the outsiders spoke up, “It’s good that you’re here. I was just saying we should go. The situation is too dangerous now. I was just telling him that we should go down the mountain first and then call for help. Zhao Haisheng kept asking about Fu Qisheng… The water is so fast. We don’t know where he was washed away to!”

Another one also said, “That’s right. We should ensure the safety of the remaining people first.”

Zhao Haisheng cursed with red eyes, “I, I f… your grandpa! My little brother is gone, gone because he saved you bastards! If you want to go, you can go by yourselves. I’m going to find Qisheng!”

He then turned and walked away. Wang Bing’s anger also rose, and he cursed the bastards and was about to follow Zhao Haisheng.

The few students watched them go downstream. One of them shouted with a trembling voice, “If you want to go, you can go by yourself. I’m not going! I want to go home, to go down the mountain!” He was about to walk in the opposite direction and asked the people around him, “Are you going or not? Are you stupid? Do you really want to follow them to your death!”

After he said that, the other few who had been hesitant also followed. The six of them supported each other and were about to leave.

Mi Yang looked at them and suddenly understood why they hadn’t been found in the same place back then.

The two people found downstream were Fu Qisheng and the girl named Ranran. The other six were only found gradually after several days of searching in another river channel—the direction they were going was wrong. It was dark and the road was hard to see in the heavy rain in the mountains. The path the person leading the way had taken was wrong. There was a cliff there, and after falling down, it connected to a zigzagging river channel. The current here was so turbulent, and it was wider over there. The water would probably be even higher, and it would wash people away even faster.

Mi Yang shouted, “Wang Bing! You stay!”

Wang Bing stopped and looked at Mi Yang. “I’m going to find Qisheng. Those bastards are fine. What about Qisheng!”

Mi Yang took out a folded waterproof plastic sheet from his backpack, and also gave him a small flashlight and a whistle. “You take these, lead them to high ground, find a safe place, and then stay there and don’t move. Flash the flashlight three long and three short without stopping, and at the same time, blow this whistle… I’ll go and find someone with Zhao Haisheng.”

Wang Bing was taken aback. “No, it’s too dangerous. You take them!”

Mi Yang shook his head. “I’m not as familiar with this place as you are. You take them to a safe place.” He placed his hand on Wang Bing’s shoulder and held it tightly. “This is not the time to be emotional. It’s enough for us to hold on until the rescue comes, you know!”

Wang Bing took the things and gritted his teeth. “Alright!”

Mi Yang quickly went to chase after Zhao Haisheng. Wang Bing turned and walked back, seeing the group of people holding two branches and walking forward like headless flies. He immediately shouted, “All of you, stop! Do you still want to live!!”

The group of students was taken aback. They watched as Wang Bing came over and snatched the branches from their hands, saying fiercely, “All of you, follow me. This time, follow closely. If you get lost, no one will come and save you again!” Although he said that, when he saw the two girls who were in a sorry state, he still took off his own raincoat and gave it to them. He randomly wrapped the plastic sheet around himself and, without minding the few boys who had been clamoring to leave, he shouted in a muffled voice, “Follow closely. There’s a cliff ahead. If you keep walking recklessly, I won’t be responsible if you fall to your death!”

Zhao Haisheng’s leg was injured, and he was walking slowly. When Mi Yang caught up to him, he had fallen and was trying to get up. Mi Yang quickly went forward to help him up, supporting his arm on his own shoulder. “Hold on. I’ll go and find him with you.”

“It’s my fault, it’s all my fault.” Zhao Haisheng’s voice trembled as he cried out, “Qisheng said he didn’t, didn’t want to come! It was me, it was me who made him come!”

It was the first time Mi Yang had seen him cry. Such a tall and strong person was crying until his face was distorted. He held his injured leg, as if it had no strength, and walked forward, blood dripping from his fingers.

Mi Yang supported him all the way and said in a deep voice, “Save your strength. Don’t cry yet. You can cry when you really can’t find him.” He gasped and gritted his teeth. “There’s still a chance. We’ve already saved a few… There’s still a chance.”

“I’ve already told my grandma, and I’ve also called Bai Luochuan to call the police. The rescue team should be on their way.”

“The most important thing for us to do now is to determine their location. Qisheng has just been washed away. There will definitely be someone downstream to intercept him.”

“We’re also rushing over there. There’s still a chance.”

“Zhao Haisheng, does your little brother know how to swim? How are his swimming skills?”

…

Perhaps because the person beside him was calm enough, Zhao Haisheng also slowly calmed down. He wiped the tears and rain from his face. “He does. Qisheng is very strong. Don’t look at his small size. He’s as strong as me.”

Mi Yang immediately said, “Wang Bing and I came over just now, and we walked along the water. We didn’t see him. I guess Qisheng must have grabbed onto something halfway and was blocked somewhere else.”

Zhao Haisheng stopped. “In, in the north! There’s a dry little riverbed over there. There’s water now. He must have been washed, washed over there!”

Zhao Haisheng had grown up here and had been to the mountain countless times since he was a child. This time, he had been in such a hurry that he hadn’t thought of it. After Mi Yang analyzed it with him, he immediately limped towards the north after he had regained his senses. Mi Yang quickly followed him, his heart also heavy. The six people would probably not die, but as for Fu Qisheng and the girl, he was not sure.

Zhao Haisheng’s guess was right. They found Fu Qisheng and the girl.

The other riverbed was usually dry. Now, with the water constantly rushing down, it had risen to chest level. If it were calm water, it would not be dangerous. But now, mixed with mud and sand, the force rushing down from upstream was very strong, and people couldn’t stand firm. Fortunately, a dead tree was lying across it, and Fu Qisheng and the girl were caught.

The drawing board the girl was carrying was propped up in front of them and had a hole in it. It seemed to have blocked some rocks and other things for them.

Zhao Haisheng was about to go down to save them but was stopped by Mi Yang. Mi Yang tied a rope to a sturdy, thick tree on the bank, then tied himself, leaving a portion with a knot.

Mi Yang said, “You hold onto me in a bit. I’ll go.”

Zhao Haisheng refused. Mi Yang said, “You’re on the bank. You’re stronger than me. I’ll use the rope to tie them… The water is too fast. I can’t go too far down.” He put his backpack on the ground and felt it. Sure enough, he felt something hard in the small side pocket. Mi Xue had a habit. Whatever she had, she would secretly put a portion in his bag. Inside was a pink plastic whistle, the cheapest kind, but it was also the most life-saving thing at this moment.

Mi Yang turned the flashlight to its brightest setting and placed it on the side, keeping it flashing. He then tried to blow the whistle. The sound was very loud, and he even vaguely heard a response. It was unclear whether it was Wang Bing and the others or the rescue personnel. Mi Yang gave the whistle to Zhao Haisheng. “You hold the rope tight and blow the whistle as hard as you can on the bank. Reporting the right direction is the most important thing now.”

Zhao Haisheng nodded, held the whistle in his mouth, and went to pull the rope. He was strong and, after a try, he pulled Mi Yang back. Only then did he slowly let out the rope for Mi Yang to step into the water.

The whistle blew one after another, the piercing sound of three long and three short, ringing nonstop in the mountain forest. The people trapped in the water also seemed to be encouraged and had the strength to hold on for a little longer.

But their first attempt was not successful. Mi Yang did what he could and didn’t dare to go too deep into the water. But the rope couldn’t be thrown over and was washed away by the water. The second time, he saw a small plastic bucket that had been washed down. It seemed to be what they had used for fishing and holding water. He tied it to the rope and threw it over. Only then did the person tied in the water grab it.

The first one to be rescued was the girl. She was not strong but had held onto the small bucket and was pulled up by Mi Yang and Zhao Haisheng.

But when they tried to use the same method to save Fu Qisheng, the dead tree that was lying across suddenly broke. Amidst Zhao Haisheng’s angry roar, Fu Qisheng and the piece of dead branch were washed away again.

Mi Yang was also affected in the water. He fell and choked on some water. When he was pulled up, his leg was also cut by a rock.

The lights in the distance flickered, first one, then a whole patch, like starlight coming from afar, mixed with the sound of human voices.

Mi Yang lay on the bank, coughing in a sorry state, and his heart finally settled.

The rescue team had arrived.