"Let's take a break," Nie Xiaoyu shouted back to Wan Yunting and the others in the medical rescue team after they had walked about five kilometers up the mountain path.
"Alright, everyone sit down and rest for a bit," Wan Yunting instructed Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and the others to put down their belongings. They sat on the nearby rocks to rest, as carrying heavy bags and trekking on such difficult mountain roads was exhausting.
Nie Xiaoyu asked them to rest because she knew they were ordinary doctors.
"Xiao Gu, go ahead and check the path," Nie Xiaoyu told the soldier.
"Okay," the soldier, named Gu Xiaozhuang, put down his things and quickly walked ahead. Wan Yunting smiled at Nie Xiaoyu, "We're delaying your journey."
Nie Xiaoyu waved her hand and said, "You are the ones most needed in the disaster area right now, so we have to protect you."
"Miss, thank you for your hard work," Jiang Yichun said with a smile, catching his breath as he sat on the side.
"It's our duty," Nie Xiaoyu nodded. "Everyone rest for ten minutes, then we'll continue. This mountainous area is still quite dangerous."
"Mmm..." Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and the others all nodded. They replenished their water and rested.
"Officer, there's a river ahead, and some disaster victims are stranded on the other side," Gu Xiaozhuang reported after a while.
Nie Xiaoyu and Wan Yunting's group immediately stood up. "Quick, take us to see them."
"Yes." Gu Xiaozhuang led Nie Xiaoyu and the others over. Thinking of something, he turned back to Wan Yunting and said, "You all rest here first. We'll go ahead."
"Officer, let me go with you," Wan Yunting said. "If any villagers are injured, I can provide temporary treatment."
"Alright, you come with us. The rest of you stay here and rest," Nie Xiaoyu agreed without further ado. She, Wan Yunting, and the other soldiers followed Gu Xiaozhuang at a trot, leaving three soldiers and Jiang Yichun's group to rest where they were.
"It's over there..." Following Gu Xiaozhuang's pointed direction, they saw a river about forty meters wide with a swift current. Perhaps due to the earthquake last night and the rain, the river, which was only twenty meters wide before, had become a fierce, rushing torrent. On the opposite bank, several villagers, not wearing raincoats, were soaked.
"Are you alright?" Nie Xiaoyu called out to the villagers across the river.
"Comrades, some of us are injured, and a child has a cold," a middle-aged man in a white shirt and suit pants shouted back. "I am the town mayor of Shali Town. We didn't manage to evacuate in time last night, so we're stranded here with a few villagers from Shali Town."
"Okay, don't worry, we'll find a way to rescue you now," Nie Xiaoyu shouted back loudly. The mayor of Shali Town nodded and replied, "Be careful..."
"Let me swim across," Gu Xiaozhuang said immediately.
"No, the current is too strong. You can't swim across," Nie Xiaoyu said, looking at the swift river. Anyone who went in would be swept away.
"Why don't we call for a rescue helicopter to pick them up?" another soldier suggested.
"Okay, I'll report to the commander now and request a rescue helicopter." Nie Xiaoyu nodded and immediately took out her satellite phone, calling headquarters and reporting the situation. However, headquarters replied, "We don't have rescue helicopters available right now. It will take a few hours before we can send one to help you."
Nie Xiaoyu raised her eyebrows and said, "Alright, send it as soon as possible. We have injured people here."
"Understood," headquarters replied before hanging up. Nie Xiaoyu then said to Wan Yunting and Gu Xiaozhuang, "We have to wait a few hours for the rescue helicopter. Xiao Gu, you stay here to look after the people on the other side. I'll take them to continue into the disaster area."
"Yes," Gu Xiaozhuang nodded.
However, something happened on the other side. The mayor of Shali Town anxiously shouted, "Comrades, one of our villagers was injured by a stone and is now unconscious. When will you send someone over?"
Upon hearing this, Nie Xiaoyu immediately asked, "Is he seriously injured?"
"Yes, he's bleeding a lot, and he's unconscious. I fear he's in mortal danger," the mayor said anxiously. They were not doctors. When the earthquake hit last night and a stone struck the villager's head, they had only bandaged it with a cloth. But now, the man was on the verge of death.
Hearing that the villager's life was in danger, Wan Yunting said, "Officer, we have to go and see."
"But the rescue helicopter will take hours to arrive, and the river is so swift. How can we get across?" Gu Xiaozhuang and the others also wanted to help.
Nie Xiaoyu immediately turned to a soldier and asked, "Do you have any rope with you?"
"Yes." A soldier took out a coil of rescue rope. Wan Yunting immediately realized they intended to cross using the rope. The soldier picked up a stone from the ground, weighed it, and tied one end of the nylon rope to it. He then shouted to the villagers on the other side, "Villagers, I'll throw the rope over. Please tie it to that tree."
"Okay," the mayor shouted. The soldier, holding the stone-bound rope, gritted his teeth and threw it with all his might towards the forty-meter-wide riverbank...
The rope quickly unspooled from the ground, carried by the stone in a parabolic arc towards the other side. With a splash, the stone landed in the river, five meters short of the opposite bank.
"Tsk, I say Xiao Chao, did you skip breakfast this morning? You're that weak," Gu Xiaozhuang glared at his comrade. The two quickly reeled in the rope. Xiao Zhao, with a displeased expression, retorted, "This is a rope, it's heavy."
"Get out of the way, let me do it," Gu Xiaozhuang didn't believe him. He reeled in the rope, untied the stone, stepped forward a few paces, and threw it towards the opposite bank again.
Splash...
The stone, still tied to the rescue rope, landed in the river again, only two meters from the opposite bank. However, the mayor and villagers on the other side dared not go to get it, as the river current was too strong.
"And you were lecturing me," seeing that Gu Xiaozhuang also failed to throw it across, Xiao Zhao scratched his head in frustration and rolled his eyes at him.
Nie Xiaoyu couldn't watch anymore, especially in front of Wan Yunting. Feeling that these guys were too embarrassing, she said, "Who has the strength, quickly throw the rope across..."
"Let me try," however, Wan Yunting, who had been standing by, put down his first-aid kit and stepped forward to take the stone that Gu Xiaozhuang had reeled in. This made Xiao Zhao, the nearby soldiers, and Nie Xiaoyu look at him with doubt. "Doctor, can you do it?"
Wan Yunting glanced at Nie Xiaoyu, then smiled at Gu Xiaozhuang and Xiao Zhao. Without further ado, he weighed the stone, which felt like five or six pounds. Seeing that the coiled rope on the ground was fine, he powerfully tossed it with his left hand...
Whoosh...
The rope unspooled rapidly from the ground, and the stone, carrying the rope, formed a parabolic arc that flew across the forty-meter-wide river and landed with a thud on the rocky ground on the opposite bank. The landing spot was even five or six meters away from the riverbank, which made Gu Xiaozhuang, Xiao Zhao, and the other soldiers stare in amazement, exclaiming, "Whoa, what strength!"
Even Nie Xiaoyu, standing nearby, was impressed by Wan Yunting's display. The soldiers looked at him in astonishment. Gu Xiaozhuang and the others were soldiers, training daily, so their physical fitness and strength were greater than ordinary young people. Yet, they couldn't throw the stone to the other side. Now, this person, who seemed to be just a good-looking head of the medical rescue team, turned out to be so strong, throwing the rope across in one go. This made Gu Xiaozhuang and Xiao Zhao exchange bewildered glances. Was this guy trained?