Chapter 55 Crisis

The old house, which was completely surrounded by people, immediately caught the attention of Ling Wei and her group, who were helping to evacuate people in the wind and rain. They had just helped several understanding elderly people leave with their necessities.

There were many elderly villagers around who were willing to listen to advice, and they anxiously chimed in, "Old Wang, what are you being stubborn about? Your life is more important! Things can be replaced, but once a person is gone, they're really gone!"

"Whoever wants to leave can leave! I'd rather die in my own room!" Old Master Wang was completely unyielding.

Ling Wei approached with an umbrella, and rain slanted in, soaking her cuffs.

Seeing the village officials' angry yet helpless expressions, she glanced at the twilight-shrouded mountains and subconsciously rolled up her wet sleeves, ready to get to work.

We can't delay any longer. If someone really dies, her idol dream will not only be illustrious, but will probably end in a complete and bleak way, just like a news headline like "Tragedy Occurs at the Filming Location of a Talent Show".

She knew all too well that the authorities would never allow the final champion to be associated with any negative social events, even if those events had nothing to do with her.

But what about rudely forcibly taking an elderly person away?

If this scene were captured on camera, it would be like Schrödinger's cat unpacking for her, aspiring idol; whether she would be met with praise or criticism is anyone's guess.

She unconsciously furrowed her brows. Qu Chen silently came up behind her, the black umbrella swaying precariously in the strong wind, barely providing shelter from the rain.

His gaze lingered on her soaked profile and her obviously anxious eyes, his gaze deep and intense.

Just as Grandpa Wang slammed his fist on the table and roared, "If anyone tries to persuade me again, I'll get angry with them," Qu Chen, who had been silent all along, suddenly moved.

Without saying a word, he shoved the umbrella into Ling Wei's hand, strode into the house, and, to the astonishment of Old Master Wang, bent down, pressed his shoulder against the other man's abdomen, and with a clever move, hoisted him steadily onto his shoulder.

"Hey! What are you doing! Put me down!" Grandpa Wang realized what was happening and struggled, waving his arms and legs.

Qu Chen ignored him, adjusted his posture to make sure the old man wouldn't slip, and then said to the stunned village officials and Ling Wei, "Let's go."

In this world, people must live well.

Only by living can you witness many unimaginable scenes, such as right now, a tall young man domineeringly carrying an old man with white hair and beard on his shoulders.

At first, Grandpa Wang struggled fiercely, flailing his arms and legs, shouting "This is improper!" and "Put me down!"

However, Qu Chen, who was carrying him, walked steadily. His struggles were like an ant trying to shake a tree. After a few rounds, Old Master Wang was panting heavily and finally recognized reality, giving up his futile resistance.

He cursed angrily but helplessly, "You brat!"

Seeing that force wasn't working, the old man tried a softer approach: "I'll leave! I'll leave, okay? Put me down first, I need to go back and get something."

"Whatever you need, I'll make it up to you. (Domineering version)"

"Hmph...you brat! (Shy version)"

Ling Wei, who jogged over to hold an umbrella for them, was speechless.

system:"......"

Ling Wei couldn't help but question her existence to the system: "This person seems to easily win over the hearts of older people??"

The system was also surprised: "My God, in a typical redemption story, the male protagonist's warmth should be directed towards the female protagonist, but this, this kind of operation of getting along so well with the grandparents, even seeming to be in his element... This is the first time I've ever seen this before."

In the wind and rain, Qu Chen carried Grandpa Wang, stumbling along with the evacuation team. When he encountered other elderly people with mobility issues or women with young children, he would even free up one hand to help them, or simply take the crying child and hang them on his other shoulder.

The scene resembled a human-shaped mobile shelter, covered with elderly, weak, women and children in need of help.

When everyone finally arrived at the village primary school building, which served as a temporary resettlement point, almost everyone was soaked to the bone and exhausted.

The temporary shelter was noisy with people. Grandma Yu and her friends couldn't stay still. They spontaneously helped to put together desks and quickly tidied up a place where people could rest temporarily.

Zoothys members were also scattered among the crowd, handing out water, distributing tissues, and gently comforting the frightened children.

Qu Chen settled Grandpa Wang in a relatively dry corner, and after confirming that the old man was alright, he retreated to the edge of the crowd and silently sat down against the wall.

He tilted his head back slightly, the back of his head against the cold wall, his black hair falling messily across his forehead. His gaze would occasionally pass through the noisy crowd and silently fall on Ling Wei, who was squatting on the ground, patiently wiping the child's face.

It lingered for only a moment before moving away, as if it were just a casual glance.

Inside the school building, the chaos gradually subsided, leaving only the sound of the rain still pouring down outside the window and the sounds of breathing rising and falling.

Most people were huddled on makeshift bunks. Ling Wei had just lain down to catch her breath when she vaguely heard a low but urgent argument coming from the corridor outside.

Ling Wei was too tired to move, so she sent out the system: "System, help me see what's going on."

The system acknowledged the order and returned a moment later: "Report! They're talking about that abandoned backup reservoir on the north mountain. They were worried about flooding when it rained, so they temporarily opened the floodgate a crack to reduce pressure. But after the rain stopped, they forgot about it and didn't close it properly."

Ling Wei sat up abruptly, startling Lu Xiaoxiao, who was still half asleep next to her.

"Captain?" Lu Xiaoxiao asked with concern.

Ling Wei had already stood up and gently patted her shoulder reassuringly, saying in a calm tone, "It's okay, I'll go out and take a look."

She walked to the door and listened carefully to the sounds coming from the corner of the stairs.

"...I'd completely forgotten! After the last inspection, I thought it was securely shut off, but who would have thought this rain would never stop! If the old dam softens from the water, and the water level rises again, what if it breaches and causes a breach in the newly built guesthouses and resettlement houses downstream..."

Immediately afterwards, the village party secretary sighed heavily, "I'll go lock it up."

Old Chen grabbed him: "Old Zhao, wake up! Don't you know what a mess it is outside? The wind and rain are so strong, you can't even see the road! How are we supposed to get around? Without a car, we can't move an inch!"

"A car? That's right, a motorcycle!" Someone nearby had a sudden inspiration. "There's a motorcycle in the school building, left behind by a teacher who went to teach in a rural area. He had an emergency at home a few days ago and had to take leave to go back to the city. The key is in the guard room!"

The village secretary gritted his teeth and said, "I rode one when I was young, Old Chen, come with me and show me the way!"

Footsteps were heard going downstairs, and those who remained behind whispered anxiously:

"Does Old Chen know the exact location? That reservoir has been abandoned for a long time..."

"There's nothing we can do! Those reservoir valves used to be handled by a few young men from the village, but now they've all gone to work in the city. Who left in the village knows anything about that anymore..."

Upon hearing this, Ling Wei looked up and sighed, "System, you can navigate there, right?"