The next morning, around nine o'clock.
"Is everyone up?"
Wan Yunting, who had woken up at seven-thirty and already completed a run around the outskirts of Qianshan Town, sent a voice message in their group's WeChat: "If you're not up yet, hurry and get up. Group Leader Chen is already downstairs and is going to pick us up to head to the county town."
"We're up..."
Immediately, Qi Miaomiao replied with a message, followed by contributions from Zhang Nong and others.
Only then did Wan Yunting wake up Huang Jingshan. By the time Huang Jingshan finished packing, it was nearly ten o'clock. However, Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Zhao Lusi, and Chi Wenhua had already packed their belongings. Zhang Nong and Lu Xinjue helped the girls carry their luggage downstairs, where they saw Chen Minxue waiting in the Golden Cup minivan.
There was also a smaller minivan. Since they had a lot of luggage, one van couldn't fit it all. Therefore, Wan Yunting had asked Chen Minxue to hire an additional minivan for the luggage.
"Is everything loaded? Everyone check if any luggage has been left behind."
Wan Yunting and Huang Jingshan and the others loaded their luggage onto the smaller minivan and asked Gu Luotang and the girls to check their belongings.
"Nothing's left..."
Everyone checked their personal items and found nothing missing.
"Alright, then everyone get in the cars. We need to meet up with Elder Jiang and Director Li in the county town."
Wan Yunting closed the trunk of the minivan and beckoned everyone to get in. Meanwhile, Peng Yushan, Sun Zhinan, and Li Peiyong would ride in the smaller minivan.
Huang Jingshan, Gu Luotang, and the rest of the group rode in the Golden Cup minivan, driven by Chen Minxue, with Wan Yunting in the passenger seat. The two vehicles headed towards the county town of Xuwen.
"I heard you pulled a body out of Houkeng Reservoir last night..."
In the car, Chen Minxue, while driving, asked Wan Yunting with curiosity about the incident of pulling a body out of the reservoir the previous night. Everyone else was also discussing the matter.
In the morning, Wan Yunting had specifically gone to the police station to inquire about the situation of the female corpse. However, due to the forensic examiner from the county town not having arrived yet, no further investigation had been conducted on the female corpse. But her identity had already been confirmed.
By eleven twenty, both vehicles arrived at Longda Plaza in Xuwen County town. Wan Yunting had arranged to meet Jiang Yichun and Director Li's groups there, and then they would wait for the bus to take everyone back to Huadu City.
"Elder Jiang..."
Jiang Yichun's group arrived at Longda Plaza ahead of them. Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang got out of the car and met up with them, exchanging greetings.
"Xiao Wan, Luotang, you've worked hard."
Jiang Yichun and his group walked up to Wan Yunting and his team and also smiled at Huang Jingshan and the others, saying, "Everyone has worked hard."
"Elder Jiang, you've also worked hard..."
Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and Zhao Lusi also replied with smiles.
So everyone gathered in the plaza and began chatting about their work during this period. They were all laughing and talking happily.
A moment later, Director Li Chengdé arrived at the plaza with his group members and met up with Wan Yunting and the others.
Following closely behind, the same bus that had brought them earlier slowly arrived. Wan Yunting immediately called out to everyone, "Alright, let's get the luggage over here first, load it onto the bus, and then get on."
"Okay..."
Everyone then picked up their respective suitcases. The male students, led by Wan Yunting, were responsible for loading the suitcases onto the bus. Everyone then boarded the bus and took their seats. After Wan Yunting and the others finished loading the luggage, they also boarded. Wan Yunting specially bought two packs of cigarettes for the driver, smiling and saying, "Driver, let's set off."
"Okay, everyone buckle up your seatbelts."
The driver called out, then started the bus, heading back to Huadu City.
Due to the long journey, they hadn't even eaten lunch, wanting to return to Huadu City as soon as possible. They planned to eat lunch at a service area along the way.
On the bus, everyone was chatting and laughing. Although the work in the towns and rural areas during this period had been quite arduous, it was worth it for everyone. It was not only an experience but also allowed them to learn a great deal.
For instance, Jiang Yichun and his team encountered a very skilled old Chinese physician in Shandao Town. Shen Tong and his colleagues learned a lot, and Jiang Yichun even became friends with that old physician, making plans to invite him to Huadu City for a visit later.
Li Chengdé's group also gained a lot, and everyone shared their experiences, having endless stories to tell, making it very lively.
By one o'clock in the afternoon, the bus driver stopped at a service area. Everyone got off to grab a quick bite to eat before continuing their journey.
At this moment, the sky suddenly became overcast, and within moments, a heavy rain began to fall. Inside the bus, Wan Yunting and the others started their afternoon nap. Qi Miaomiao was browsing Douyin on her phone when a Douyin news report appeared, stating that a landslide had occurred in the Lingyun Mountains of Baishi City, Jiang Province, completely destroying many roads connecting Lingyun County to the outside world.
Simultaneously, residential buildings located at the foot of the mountain were also impacted by the landslide. Some houses were destroyed, while others were buried underneath, causing many people to be buried alive and trapped, their lives hanging by a thread.
"Three hours have passed since the disaster occurred. The landslide has resulted in fifty-eight deaths, two hundred and twenty-four injuries, and over three hundred and sixty people are reported missing and buried."
The news anchor stated, "The rescue teams in Lingyun County are currently carrying out rescue operations, but due to the damage to many roads caused by the landslide, external rescue teams are unable to reach Lingyun County, causing many lives to lose the best opportunity for rescue."
"Oh my goodness..."
Upon seeing this Douyin news, Qi Miaomiao's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but exclaim, waking up Gu Luotang next to her, who asked, "What's wrong?"
"Senior sister, look quickly. A landslide occurred in the mountains of Lingyun County, Baishi City, Jiang Province, resulting in fifty-eight deaths and many people trapped." Qi Miaomiao immediately showed her phone to Gu Luotang. The commotion also woke up Wan Yunting and Jiang Yichun, who were sitting nearby.
At this moment, Ding Zipeng, who was sitting in the back, heard that Lingyun County had experienced a landslide. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately took out his phone and opened the news. Upon confirming it was true, he immediately dialed his grandfather, Ding Huixiang.
The call was soon connected. Ding Zipeng hurriedly asked, "Grandpa, did our home experience a landslide?"
"Yes, I was just about to call you."
It turned out that Ding Huixiang was from Lingyun County.
"Then how are you, and what about my parents?" Ding Zipeng asked anxiously.
His voice also woke up the other people on the bus.
Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and Jiang Yichun heard that the landslide disaster had occurred in Ding Zipeng's hometown, and they all became worried.
"We're all fine, but our home is buried, it's all buried inside."
At this moment, Ding Huixiang, wearing a raincoat, stood near the disaster site, at the temporary resettlement point in the safety zone camp.
Looking at a large mountain in the distance, Ding Huixiang witnessed the landslide that had buried a block of buildings at the foot of the mountain, including his family's century-old Chinese medicine clinic, which was completely buried. He couldn't salvage anything.
When Ding Zipeng heard that his family was safe, he felt relieved. However, upon hearing that their home was completely buried and the grief in his grandfather's voice, he felt even more distressed. He said, "Grandpa, don't worry, I'll be back right away."
"Zipeng, is the situation very serious?"
Seeing Ding Zipeng finish his call with his grandfather, Wan Yunting immediately asked.
Jiang Yichun also quickly inquired, "How is your grandfather?"
Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Huang Jingshan, Shen Tonghe, and everyone else looked at Ding Zipeng.