“The car was abandoned on the road, and we didn't have our passports, so we weren't allowed to leave. Luckily, luckily I had a flag with me, and that's how I got back.”
Mrs. Li let out a cry and rushed to the man.
“What did you say? Li Kai is in trouble? He’s being held there and can’t come back? How can you be so inhum Other? You left him there alone and ran back by yourself? How is he? Is he going to die? Where is he? Take me to him quickly!”
The man’s demeanor angered everyone. They crowded around him, speaking all at once.
Perhaps unable to bear the scolding any longer, or perhaps having recovered himself, he suddenly punched the wall hard.
“Alright, that’s enough! If you have the guts, go out and see for yourselves! Anyone who wants to be a hero can go! I’m not!”
“Language barrier, those people are fierce, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be dragged away… I’m here to make money, not to be a hero. You guys go see for yourselves first!”
Hearing him say this, some people went to the window to look outside.
The moment they looked, they were so scared that they retreated.
“My goodness!”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s like watching a movie, it’s really terrifying. You guys see for yourselves.”
More people crowded around the window to look.
Upon seeing it, they all retreated in fear.
The streets were littered with rubble, many houses were destroyed and tottering.
Every few steps, a person lay there, either dead or alive. The entire city was shrouded in dust, mixed with billowing black smoke.
Members of an organization, armed with weapons, occasionally appeared on the streets, resembling scenes from the movies starring the action actor Wu Jing.
Born in a peaceful era, how could they have witnessed such things?
When truly facing death, fear is the first human reaction.
No one mocked the man anymore. They huddled together, lamenting their predicament and asking what to do.
“Even Manager Li is in this situation, and the message can’t be sent out. What are we going to do now?”
Seeing everyone like this, Mrs. Li became even more distraught. She grabbed her child and was about to rush out.
“You’re not going? Fine! I’ll go myself! I can’t just watch my husband die out there! I’m going to save him! Tell me where he is? I need to take him to the hospital! Hurry!”
The man glanced at Mrs. Li with a vacant expression and told her a location. Mrs. Li bolted, but Tong An’an stopped her.
“Sister-in-law. This isn’t the time for impulsive actions. You can’t be so rash!”
“What? Not the time for impulsive actions? Can’t be rash? Tong An’an, our two families are usually the closest. I thought… you’ve truly disappointed me!”
She thought Tong An’an was afraid of death, but Tong An’an didn’t see it that way.
“Sister-in-law, listen to me. It’s really chaotic out there now, and it’s not safe for you and the child. I’m not saying you shouldn’t go save Manager Li, I’m just saying, let’s plan a little and prepare before we go.”
“You don’t want to go out for nothing and end up in conflict with them, returning without success, do you?”
What she said made some sense. Mrs. Li looked at her pitiful child and then outside, tears streaming down her face.
“Then what do you suggest we do? Wuwu, poor Li Kai, if he’s gone, my child and I won’t live either!”
Tong An’an looked at the frightened child and the helpless Mrs. Li, her heart heavy.
After thinking for a moment, she comforted her.
“Find Manager Li’s passport, and his work ID, and his position proof from Zhan’s Group. Give them all to me.”
“You stay home with the child, I’ll go find him.”
“What? You’re going to find him?”
“You’re right, Manager Li has treated me well, and you’ve been good to me too. I have no way to repay you, so I can only do this small thing for you at a time like this. The child can’t be without you, so you stay with him. I’ll go back to get the passports, and I’ll go.”
This was a matter of life and death that could happen with a slight misstep, not a casual act of gratitude. Mrs. Li hesitated.
Tong An’an urged her, “Hurry! I told you he’s injured. If no one helps him, he might bleed to death. Time is of the essence!”
Mrs. Li finally handed a stack of documents to her.
Without a word, Tong An’an ran back into the house, grabbed her own documents and passport, and sprinted downstairs.
She was familiar with the accident site. Walking there, she figured she could make it in half an hour if she ran fast.
However, she was stopped many times on the way. Every time she encountered someone with a weapon, she had to take out her documents to explain.
Fortunately, our international influence is growing year by year, so no one made things difficult for her.
When she reached the accident site, she saw the car abandoned amidst the rubble from a distance.
Tong An’an rushed over and looked inside through the window. The car was empty, which startled her.
Could it be that Manager Li had already met with misfortune?
Fortunately, after searching around, she found Manager Li had been moved out of the car and was now leaning against a wall, unconscious.
Having found him, she woke him up, offered a few words of encouragement, and helped him into the car.
Manager Li had lost a lot of blood and was very weak, almost unable to stand.
Tong An’an, supporting and dragging him, managed to get him into the car. She turned the key, and thankfully, the car still started.
The car bumped along towards the hospital, a difficult journey as she tried not to jostle Manager Li.
As they were nearing the hospital, she discovered that the hospital had been occupied by those people.
A red line was drawn from afar, and many masked individuals holding weapons stood guard, with many cars parked behind them. The scene was quite intimidating.
But Tong An’an was only there for medical treatment, and moreover, she was a foreigner and not involved in their affairs.
Even though her legs trembled with fear, she held all her documents firmly and walked up to negotiate.
She first explained the situation to the first person, who then called over someone with stripes on their shoulder.
After another explanation, that person called over someone with three stripes on their shoulder.
Tong An’an thought it was finally resolved, but after carefully examining her passport and work ID, the person’s eyes lit up, and they chattered something to the person next to them.
Several people immediately surrounded her.
Tong An’an loudly asked what was happening in English and reiterated her purpose.
The people didn’t listen at all. They pushed and shoved her into the courtyard.
Tong An’an struggled and refused to go, shouting that there was a patient in the car. The scene became quite chaotic.
The person with three stripes on their shoulder finally walked back.
After a few more chattering sentences, several people went to the car, found Manager Li, and carried him out.
At this, Tong An’an finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed them inside.
The group carried Manager Li inside, pointed to a doctor in a white coat, and the doctor called two nurses, who then pushed Manager Li into the operating room.
Tong An’an tried to follow, but two people stopped her and said to her in English, “Come this way.”
Still, the same thought echoed in her mind: Tong An’an had confidence in our international influence and assumed they wouldn’t dare do anything. Thus, she followed them with a dignified demeanor.