Standing outside were soldiers. Apart from the police and the people Huo Haocheng brought, they were all from his military region. He was very worried about his men if an earthquake really struck. Now that they had this miracle drug, it was a kind of protection for them, no matter what.

“That’s right, Commander Huo, don’t worry, we’ll make sure he uses this water wisely,” the bureau chief and the mayor added.

Huo Haocheng wanted them to remember Ruan Ruan's kindness. Now that they had all said so, he didn't say anything more. He carefully carried the water bottle and the dropper and went out.

Soon, someone came over with a water bottle from the open space in front of him.

Huo Haocheng asked each regiment leader to first restore order, with Gu Jinghe, Bo Sirui, and the others assisting.

A minute later, everyone stood at attention. Huo Haocheng looked at them and said, "You all know why we're all standing together today, so I won't go into details. What I want to say now is that you all received the notice to fill your water bottles. In a moment, starting from the left, everyone line up. When you get to me, open your water bottles. I have some life-saving medicine here. I'll drip the medicine into your water bottles. From this moment on, I hope you will protect your water bottles as if they were your own lives, because in critical moments, they are not only the life-saving medicine for our fellow villagers, but also your own. Do you all understand?"

"I understand!" A resounding voice echoed across the entire sky.

"I hope each of you remembers that the person who provided us with this medicine is named Ruan Ruan. She doesn't need you to do anything for her. I just hope that you can remember her name..." Huo Haocheng wanted them to remember that this medicine was a life-saving drug for national leaders, but he couldn't. Since he had made the decision, he could only carry out the leaders' requirements.

Yes, I always keep that in mind.

At that moment, the name Ruan Ruan was etched into the hearts of everyone in the Tangcheng Military Region.

After he finished speaking, the soldiers began to line up in an orderly fashion to receive their medicine from Huo Haocheng.

Forty minutes later, all the soldiers received their medicine. Huo Haocheng still had one-third of the medicine left in his water bottle. He asked Gu Jinghe to help him find a new water bottle, refill it with water, dripped his own dose into it, and then quickly ran to the medical area where Ruan Ruan and the others were.

When he arrived, Ruan Ruan, Dr. Jiang, and several other female doctors were resting together. He quietly stepped forward, placed the water bottle in her arms, and then gently took her hand and held the water bottle in his arms.

Even though he moved very gently, he still woke up Su Yunqing, who was one person away from them.

Su Yunqing was also awakened by Huo Haocheng's shadow.

Seeing that he was awake, Huo Haocheng greeted him silently and then quickly returned to his post.

Before we knew it, it was 3:42 a.m.

While the people were asleep, a sudden earthquake shook the city, and in just ten seconds, the city was razed to the ground. Numerous houses collapsed, major factories, hospitals, and government buildings were severely damaged, railway tracks twisted and caved in, riverbeds broke, and highways collapsed.

The tremor woke everyone from their sleep.

Huo Haocheng, the mayor, and several others rushed out of the house immediately. Looking up, they saw the houses inside the city wall collapse in an instant. Even standing on the ground, they almost lost their footing.

"The earthquake really happened! The earthquake really happened!"

"Grandpa, our home is gone! Our home is gone!"

"Thank goodness, the leaders' inspection was real, really real, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to get out!"

"Yes, thank you, boss! Thank you so much, boss!!!"

The people who were awakened by the earthquake were incredibly grateful to their leaders for not abandoning them and for coming to their rescue as soon as they received the news. They said it was wonderful.

A group of people hugged each other and cried, releasing their fear; they had almost brushed past death.

Seeing them crying, Ruan Ruan felt a sense of relief.

The earthquake in Tangcheng was felt in many cities in the northern provinces, even as far away as the capital.

At this time, in the offices of the leaders in Beijing, several senior leaders had not rested all night. They were also waiting, and they all hoped that the news would not come. But they were disappointed. They didn't need anyone to pass on the message to them; they could clearly feel the tremors themselves.

The overhead light kept swaying, the teacups on the coffee table were shaken to the ground, and the books on the bookshelf were also shaking.

As soon as they felt the earthquake, Grandpa Ruan and Grandpa Gu helped their old leader outside.

When they arrived at the open space outside, everyone else came out as well.

"Leaders, leaders, there's an earthquake! There really is an earthquake!" The guards who were assigned to wait outside for news ran inside the moment they felt the earthquake. Perhaps because they were young and had never seen such a commotion before, they were so frightened that they rushed directly to the leaders.

"Understood, you can go now." At this point, they could only place their hopes on the leaders of Tangcheng.

Similarly, several trains bound for Tangcheng were forced to stop dozens of kilometers away from Tangcheng because the earthquake twisted and deformed the railway tracks.

The passengers on the train were terrified after learning about the Tangcheng earthquake. The girl who had run away in anger after being scolded by Ruan Ruan was crying and clinging to the person next to her, saying, "I told them I wouldn't come, I wouldn't come, but they insisted we come. Now look what's happened, the Tangcheng earthquake has hit, and we're stuck on the train. What are we going to do?"

"Does anyone have a way to contact Tangcheng and find out what's going on?"

"Yes, who among the people on the bus has any ideas? Let's ask around."

"Quiet down, everyone. Due to the earthquake, we are currently unable to contact Tangcheng. However, please rest assured that we will continue to maintain contact with Tangcheng. It is very late now, so please rest quietly. The carriages are quite chaotic right now, so please make sure to protect your belongings and do not let your guard down."

After the train conductor reassured everyone, they returned to their seats.

Following the earthquake, numerous aftershocks of varying magnitudes further devastated the already crumbling and dilapidated houses.

Around 5 a.m., as dawn was breaking, Huo Haocheng and his team, equipped with their gear, prepared to set off and begin the search and rescue operation.