"Doctor, you're amazing."
Gu Xiaozhuang and the others, having recovered, gave Wan Yunting thumbs-ups, acknowledging his incredible strength.
Nie Xiaoyu glanced at him but said nothing.
Wan Yunting smiled at them, then took the other end of the rope and walked towards a large tree on the opposite bank. He called out to the town mayor, "Secure the rope tightly."
"Okay..."
The town mayor picked up the rope tied to the stone, then tied it to a tree. After pulling it taut a few times to confirm it was secure, he shouted, "I've tied it."
"Good."
Wan Yunting replied. He then took the other end of the rope, spotted a tree ahead, and wrapped the rope around it. Bracing himself against the tree trunk, he gripped the rope with both hands and pulled, tightening the entire length.
He then wrapped the rope around the tree several more times. Gu Xiaozhuang and the others also helped, securing the rope to the tree. Wan Yunting and Gu Xiaozhuang exchanged smiles, saying, "It's ready."
"Okay, I'll go over first then."
Gu Xiaozhuang immediately took off his gear. Nie Xiaoyu nodded and asked Wan Yunting, "Are you okay?"
"Okay."
Wan Yunting smiled and gave a thumbs-up. He then walked over, picked up the first-aid kit on the ground, checked his belt, and tied the kit to it with a rope. He watched as Gu Xiaozhuang began to climb across the river along the rope.
Wan Yunting also grabbed the rope. Without using his feet, he swiftly climbed across the river using only his hands.
"Wow, this doctor is something else, faster than Xiao Gu."
On the bank, Xiao Zhao and the other soldiers watched Wan Yunting rapidly traverse the rope, moving even faster than Gu Xiaozhuang. Nie Xiaoyu narrowed her beautiful eyes, looking at Wan Yunting with curiosity. Besides being a doctor, had he perhaps served in the military before?
"Be careful."
Wan Yunting, catching up to Gu Xiaozhuang, reminded him with a smile. Gu Xiaozhuang glanced back at him, secretly impressed by his speed, and, unwilling to be outdone, increased his pace using both hands and feet.
"Come on, be careful..."
The mayor of Shali Town and a few villagers stepped forward to help as Gu Xiaozhuang and Wan Yunting successfully reached the riverbank on the other side.
Wan Yunting, holding the first-aid kit, hurried to examine the villager's injury. He opened the rough cloth wrapped around the villager's head and saw a gash on the left side of his head.
However, because the villagers had been unable to effectively stop the bleeding and treat the injured villager, he had lost an unknown amount of blood overnight. Now, his lips and face were pale, his unconsciousness a result of blood loss.
"His wound isn't serious, he's just unconscious from severe blood loss. He needs urgent treatment."
Wan Yunting opened the first-aid kit and immediately took out all the wound-healing supplies and medicines, starting with a simple treatment for the villager's injury.
"Alright, alright, as long as he can hold on until the rescue helicopter arrives," the mayor of Shali Town and the other villagers said with relief upon hearing that the injury was not critical.
"Yes, we have an injured person. Send a rescue helicopter as soon as possible. Okay, that's all for now..."
On the other side of the river, Nie Xiaoyu immediately reported the current situation to headquarters. The people on the other end responded that they would dispatch a rescue helicopter as soon as possible.
"Okay, let him lie down and rest while waiting for the rescue helicopter," Wan Yunting said after treating the injured villager's wound.
"Thank you, thank you," the mayor and others said, clasping their hands in gratitude. Wan Yunting smiled and waved his hand. He looked at the villagers, who had been caught in the rain all night and were shivering from the cold, some already having contracted fever and colds. Wan Yunting and Gu Xiaozhuang began to tend to them...
About half an hour later, a rescue helicopter arrived. It immediately took the town mayor, the villagers, and the injured villager aboard and flew out of the disaster area, transporting them to a rear temporary settlement for disaster victims.
"Let's go then," Wan Yunting said to Gu Xiaozhuang after watching the rescue helicopter take off.
"Okay, but you go first this time," Gu Xiaozhuang gestured. Wan Yunting nodded and smiled, then followed the rope back to the other side of the river.
Gu Xiaozhuang followed behind, unwilling to be outdone and still wanting to catch up. However, Wan Yunting's speed with his hands was too great, and he returned to the riverbank in just a few moments.
"Dr. Wan, were you in the military before?" Xiao Zhao asked curiously as he met Wan Yunting.
"No."
Wan Yunting landed and patted his hands, smiling. "But I practice martial arts, so physical exertion like this is no problem for me."
"Practicing martial arts..."
This statement surprised Xiao Zhao and the other soldiers, and even Nie Xiaoyu looked at Wan Yunting with astonishment. While soldiers like them also underwent traditional martial arts training, what they practiced was combat, which differed from traditional martial arts.
"Officer, let's head back quickly," Wan Yunting said, not wanting to elaborate.
"Okay."
Nie Xiaoyu asked no further questions. With a wave of her hand, she led the soldiers back to rendezvous with Jiang Yichun, Li Chengd, Song Sinan, and Wei Renxin. She briefly informed them that the villagers had been evacuated by helicopter. Wan Yunting, with Gu Luotang and the others, followed Nie Xiaoyu and her team, continuing their journey towards the disaster-stricken area of Lingyun County.
By 5 PM, Nie Xiaoyu and her group, along with Wan Yunting's team, had successfully arrived at the Xinxiu Community in Lingyun County, the disaster relief settlement camp.
"Greetings, Commander," Nie Xiaoyu saluted Cai Guowu, the superior in charge at the scene, and gestured to the group behind her. "This is the medical rescue team organized by the Lingnan Chinese Medicine Association from Huadu City."
Cai Guowu returned Nie Xiaoyu's salute and surveyed Wan Yunting and Li Chengd's team. He then went to shake hands with Jiang Yichun, saying with a smile, "Your arrival is most timely. We are in dire need of medical teams here, as many disaster victims are injured."
"We've transported the severely injured to the rear for treatment, but we receive many injured disaster victims here daily, and our medical rescue team is severely short-handed."
Jiang Yichun nodded and said, "Commander, rest assured. We are here to help you treat the injured disaster victims."
"Good."
Cai Guowu was pleased and immediately told a soldier beside him, "Xiao Wu, take them to arrange temporary living tents."
"Commander, we would like to help the disaster victims now," Wan Yunting said.
Cai Guowu nodded and said, "Don't worry, first arrange your accommodation, and then immediately begin your rescue efforts."
"Okay."
Wan Yunting and Huang Jingshan nodded, and then were led to the living tents by the soldier Xiao Wu.
Seeing the continuous stream of injured people being brought in, Gu Luotang and the others could no longer wait. After returning to their tents and putting away their belongings, Jiang Yichun immediately arranged for everyone to start assisting the injured disaster victims, bandaging their wounds, and caring for them.
Meanwhile, inside Cai Guowu's command tent, Nie Xiaoyu and Gu Xiaozhuang had not left. Nie Xiaoyu asked, "Commander, what is the current situation?"
"Not good."
Cai Guowu shook his head and said, "Last night's earthquake caused many villages that had not been evacuated in time to be buried. Despite our utmost efforts in rescue, many people could not survive."
"The death toll has already exceeded a thousand, with several thousand more injured, and over a thousand people are still missing and have not been found," another soldier added.
Hearing that over a thousand people had died weighed heavily on Nie Xiaoyu and every rescue soldier's heart, like a crushing stone.
Everyone wanted to save the disaster victims, but sometimes the outcomes left everyone feeling helpless and disappointed.