Chapter 146 The News Spreads

The train suddenly braked rapidly in the wilderness, and the iron sheets connecting the carriages were blown by the wind, making a whistling sound.

"Bang!" The sound of metal collision tore through the silence and the carriage shook violently.

Such anomaly startled people who were preparing to go to bed.

Old Zhang was dozing off against the luggage rack. The violent shaking made him subconsciously wrap his blue cotton jacket tightly and grab the handle next to him.

The lady holding the enamel pot's hand trembled, and the scalding hot tea spilled onto her coarse cotton trousers.

“Earthquake!”

Someone shouted, and the entire hard-seat carriage suddenly exploded.

"It's definitely not an earthquake. We're on a train. Could it be..."

The young man wearing a Lei Feng hat held the luggage rack tightly and did not forget to analyze the situation.

Just as everyone was panicking, the train announcement suddenly crackled, and a female voice, thick with electricity, came over: "Attention, passengers! Train No. 127 ahead has derailed. This train is applying the emergency brakes! Proletarian revolutionary medical workers, please gather in the dining car immediately to assist in the rescue effort."

The conductor read similar content three times.

A young female doctor stood up...

Veterans wearing red armbands stood up...

The barefoot doctor in his old cotton-padded jacket stood up...

The old doctor, who was over sixty years old, stood up...

"Comrades, the time has come for the Party to test us. The comrades on Train No. 127 risked their lives to deliver a letter to us. We can't just stand by and watch them suffer, don't you think?"

Someone raised his arms and shouted, and received responses from many people.

In the sleeper car, a middle-aged officer stood up and walked decisively towards the dining car.

He is not a medical worker, but he feels that at times like this, not only medical workers can help.

Soon more people rushed towards the dining car.

Beside the railway tracks, Dai Zhiqing and others watched helplessly as the headlights of Train No. 417 pierced through the night sky and passed by them.

The flashlight flag in Jiang Zhiqing's hand drooped limply.

"It's over... We didn't stop it..."

I don't know who said this, but everyone just felt their whole body go limp and collapse to the ground.

Some even started crying on the spot.

"Are we still a step too late?"

There are so many people on this train. If they were to get hit...

"No, that's not the case. The train is about to stop and they saw it!" Suddenly someone cheered again.

"Look! The steam is decreasing!" someone shouted at the top of his voice.

Sure enough, the white mist emitted from the front of the train gradually became thinner, and the sparks produced by the friction between the wheels and the rails splashed golden fragments in the night.

In just a moment, thunderous cheers broke out from the crowd.

Everyone looked at the sliding train, and the lost strength seemed to be restored at this moment.

Jiang Zhiqing wiped the sweat off his face and said, "Don't just stand there! There's a car behind us! We have to hurry."

People then remembered that there was not only a car in front of them, but also one behind them, and their mission was not completed!

These people, who had been running all the way and were out of breath, did not even bother to rest. They turned around and ran back, and the light from their flashlights cast long shadows on the snow.

The people on the train also saw the person running not far from the tracks.

It was the same middle-aged soldier from before. He sighed, "These kids are trying to kill us!"

The people who had not reacted before suddenly understood that the passengers on Train No. 127 had already gotten off, and even if the two trains collided, the only people who would be injured would be those on Train No. 417.

And they ran in the biting cold wind for the sake of these people.

Someone opened the car window and shouted at them.

"Comrades, thank you!"

Then, the sound of thanks one after another reached the ears of the people who were running beside the tracks.

I don't know who took the lead in singing "Unity is Strength". The hoarse singing spread from inside the carriage to outside the carriage and echoed in the wilderness.

When the train finally stopped 50 meters away from the derailed car, Lao Meng shouted into the loudspeaker, his voice choked with sobs: "Notify the dining car, bring hot water, and get off the train to save people!"

Xiao Wang looked at the running figure outside the window, his eyes became hot, and he nodded heavily.

I don't know if it was because of the running figures that spurred them on, but more people got off the 417 train. Some of them took dry food, some took water, and some took their own warm clothing...

In short, on this cold night, the people on the two trains met in the wilderness and launched a vigorous rescue operation.

Jiang Haitang, Zhao Xiaomei and others huddled together for warmth. They shared one quilt, and gave the other quilts to those who needed help more. Even Xiao Taozi's small flower quilt was given to others.

When she heard the sound of the train stopping, her heart finally settled down and she held Xiao Taozi even tighter.

"Stop, Grandma Tao, stop." Jiang Haitang shouted excitedly.

"Are we saved?" Zhao Xiaomei murmured.

Jiang Haitang kept staring ahead, and soon she saw many people walking in the night.

Soon, those people came to them, and a middle-aged man was communicating with Lu Liangchen.

Time passed minute by minute, and every second was accompanied by a chill that penetrated deep into the bone marrow, but because of the arrival of rescuers, the fear in everyone's hearts was gone.

The stopped 417 train gave them hope.

Lu Liangchen shouted loudly, "The rescuers are here. The elderly, children and the injured can go to the dining car of train No. 417 first. The others can hold on a little longer."

"Men who can still move, come with me and prepare for rescue!"

His voice, amidst the howling cold wind, reached everyone's ears clearly.

In this critical moment, people showed unprecedented unity.

Soon, people on Train No. 127 spontaneously helped the elderly, children and the wounded to board Train No. 417.

The rest of the people were also given a little bit of hot water to temporarily keep away the cold.

More than an hour later, a train slowly came from the side track. It was the replacement for train No. 127 to take the passengers home.

The seriously injured people on the bus could not be moved on the spot and could only wait until the next stop to get off and go to the hospital.

The conductor said that there was an ambulance ready at the station to pick up the emergency personnel.

As for those who are not injured, they can take this train and continue on their journey.

At midnight, everyone boarded the train.

After getting on the bus, the people who had suffered a false alarm were still feeling scared.

The train moved forward slowly, and the overturned train was still lying there, getting farther and farther away from them.

Many people in the car started crying, crying for surviving this disaster.

Jiang Haitang knew very well that tonight, many people were destined to be unable to sleep because of dealing with this accident.

And they, these exhausted people on the train, fell into a deep sleep after crying.

They didn't know that at this time, a news flash was issued through the radio.

"The rescue efforts for the derailment of Train No. 127 have been successfully concluded. Aside from one critically injured person, all other passengers have been safely evacuated and properly accommodated. It's reported that the train conductor and two drivers were seriously injured. A passenger named Lu Liangchen led the rescue efforts, along with Jiang Haitang, Jin Youqing, and other unnamed heroes."

Because of this news, the overturned accident of Train No. 127 received widespread attention. In addition to the people on the train who were still frightened, many people were paying attention to the rescue and investigation work of this accident.

The train continued to move forward. Many passengers got off along the way, while many others continued to the terminal.

Reporters were waiting at every station along the way for interviews, just to let more people know the real situation on the train at that time.

The news of the train rollover spread everywhere through radio and newspapers.

Many passengers who were interviewed by reporters mentioned Lu Liangchen's family.

Some reporters even compiled and summarized the information and solicited clues about Lu Liangchen and other rescue workers on the radio.

Lu family.

The family learned about the accident on the train that Lu Liangchen was riding through the radio.

Mother Lu's hands, holding the semiconductor radio, were shaking.

"Old Lu, I remember this kid Liangchen..."

She didn't dare to say the rest.

"It's okay, it's okay. Didn't you hear? Our son is a hero who saved people. He's alive and well."

"Yes, yes, you are right, Old Lu, I will go to the station to wait for them. I want to see with my own eyes that he is fine." Mother Lu was very anxious.

But Father Lu stopped him: "Even if we go to the station, we may not be able to find them. It's better for us to wait at home."

Other people in the family were also busy persuading Lu's mother.

Lu Liangjin also hurried home from work and waited for news of his younger brother with his father and mother.

The families of Aunt Lu and Uncle Lu also hurried to the old house of the Lu family, waiting for news together.

Even the old man of the Lu family, who always remained calm even in the face of disaster, was pacing anxiously in the study.

At the same time, the train was slowly approaching a small station.

Jiang Haitang saw through the train window a crowd on the platform holding a banner that read "Learn from Heroes."

As soon as the people on the bus got off and reached the platform, reporters immediately swarmed over with their interview notebooks in hand.

"Comrade, are you a transfer passenger from train No. 127?"

"Comrade, were you involved in the rescue work when Train No. 127 overturned?"

"Comrade, can you tell me the specific circumstances of that time?"

…

As the train slowly moved forward, Jiang Haitang said, "It's a bit scary."

"After we get off the car, we will leave directly from the side and will not encounter any reporters."

Jiang Haitang nodded. She believed that Lu Liangchen had the ability to take her and Xiao Taozi away from the reporters.

The train soon stopped at Beijing Station, which was the final station of the train and many people got off.

Lu Liangchen and Jiang Haitang mixed in the crowd. Lu Liangchen carried the luggage and Jiang Haitang held Xiao Taozi. The three of them quietly avoided the reporters and left the station.

The reporter did not find Lu Liangchen, but found several educated youth including Jin Youqing, and also met Zhao Xiaomei and Tao Yuhe, a grandparent and grandchild.

Jin Youqing is a girl who likes to talk. It is a rare opportunity for her to be interviewed, so of course she will tell you everything she knows.

However, she didn't know the jobs of Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen.

This missing information was fully supplemented by Tao Yuhe, the old man, who was interviewed later.

At this point, the information about Lu Liangchen and Jiang Haitang was fully grasped by the reporters and widely publicized through reports.