Political Commissar Liu's words were like a bomb dropped on the calm surface of a lake.
The meeting room, which had been so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, suddenly became noisy, with cries of surprise and grief everywhere. No one could believe the news they heard.
The first, second, and third battalions... 1,187 people... all missing...
Everyone knows exactly what it means to lose contact during a reservoir collapse disaster that is tantamount to a catastrophic disaster.
It's just a matter of time. If the person is still not found in a few days, the word "missing" in the notice will be replaced by another more unacceptable word.
Even though the venue was filled with strong men, no one could bear such heartbreaking news. The comrades who had fought together for life and death in the past did not sacrifice their lives on the battlefield, but disappeared in a rainstorm that no one cared about. This was even more absurd and unacceptable!
Yao Wenbin only felt a swelling in his head, which was extremely painful and unbearable.
He placed his hands on the table and squeezed both sides of his head with his palms, trying to create pressure to resist the headache that was coming from inside out.
The unbearable pain made it impossible for him to concentrate on the news he had just heard, until he suddenly felt a wet spot on his leg. He opened his eyes and realized that tears had already burst out.
"Comrades, comrades!"
There was an imperceptible choke in the deep voice of Political Commissar Liu on the stage. No one knew that at this moment his heart felt as if it was being cut into pieces by a thousand knives, but no matter how much pain he felt, he could not show it at this moment.
"The damage caused by this reservoir breach is far greater than anyone anticipated. According to preliminary reports, in Daowencheng Commune, the closest community to the reservoir, 227 households have been wiped out, with an estimated loss of over 9,600 lives... Meanwhile, floodwaters are still flowing relentlessly across over 10,000 square kilometers of land downstream!"
"Comrades, we have lost 1,187 comrades. They are heroes who bravely sacrificed their lives to save more lives. I share your grief, but I also know that our responsibility is immense. There are still tens of millions of people downstream waiting for our rescue. We cannot let them down. We must continue to carry on the unfinished mission of the 1,187 soldiers!"
"Thinking of the elderly, children, and women still trapped in the flood, we cannot be overwhelmed by grief. For the sake of our comrades and the masses, we must cheer up and continue to fight!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man stood up with red eyes:
"Political Commissar! Let's send the First Battalion of the Second Regiment to support us!"
Then one after another people stood up:
"Political Commissar! Our Third Regiment, First Battalion, is willing to depart immediately to provide support!"
"Political Commissar! We are the Second Battalion of the Second Regiment..."
“…”
Tall figures in the meeting hall stood up one after another. Yao Wenbin wished he could stand up and volunteer to go to the disaster area. In addition to rescuing the victims, he also had his own selfish motives.
He didn't believe that Lu Zhan disappeared so quietly in the flood. Until the last second before he saw Lu Zhan's body, he would not believe that Lu Zhan had died!
This bad-tempered and stubborn fellow was the most formidable soldier in their military region. He had faced every kind of hardship and danger; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd walked through fire and water. How could such a formidable individual be brought down by a mere rainstorm?!
He shed tears and cursed fiercely in his heart:
"Damn it, you dare to make me worry about you? I'll deal with you when you come back!"
......
The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, and the shadows of the trees are dim.
There was a rustling sound in the pitch-black woods.
After a moment, a faint firelight lit up, then grew bigger and spread out little by little, finally illuminating the faces hidden in the shadows of the trees.
The rain that had been falling for five days and five nights finally stopped. The matches that had been preserved and wrapped in oilcloth were used to light the tinder. In the light of the fire, it was possible to see that there were so many people hiding in this dense forest.
"Report the number——"
As the signalman blew the horn, just like the previous two days, a soldier would loudly count off his numbers at intervals:
"Company, row, squad, line up!"
"First company, first platoon, second squad, assembled!"
“…”
"Company three, platoon three, squad three!"
After hearing that all the squads of the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion had reported in, Lu Zhan's stern face, which had obviously become much thinner, relaxed a little.
What they just reported was not just the number of soldiers—
There were a total of 2,082 people from Anfeng Town who followed the main force to transfer. Lu Zhan divided them into groups of five and assigned them to the soldiers. Each soldier was responsible for the safety of at least five people, and each squad leader was responsible for counting the safety status of all soldiers and people in the class, and reporting every three hours.
This way, we can find those who have fallen behind in time during the transfer, and keep someone in the team awake at all times, especially in the nights of the first two days when it rained heavily. There was no way to light torches, and we were worried about dangerous situations such as landslides that required rapid evacuation. In the darkness, it was the soldiers' repeated counting that gave everyone the confidence to persevere.
Apart from taking a light nap for two or three hours during the day, Lu Zhan personally checked the number of soldiers reported every night. By this time, the bags under his eyes were already dark blue.
The company commander, Ma Jun, could not help but step forward and say:
"Captain, the rain has stopped. You can take a rest. I'll be on duty tonight!"
Seeing that the heavy rain had stopped and torches were lit in the camp, Lu Zhan nodded.
He leaned against the tree trunk exhausted, closed his eyes and took a nap, with the vivid scenes of the flood still echoing in his mind.
The night before yesterday, they heard the sound of the torrent rushing in like a landslide, smashing all obstacles in its way as if it were right next to their ears. They were in a high place, and even though they were standing on solid ground, they still felt their hearts pounding.
When daybreak came, we discovered that the area below the mountain had turned into a vast expanse of water with no end in sight, like the ocean. The flood had already completely submerged the town hall built at the highest point of Anfeng Town.
On the water surface, there were broken walls, millstones, and even a train car... All the unimaginable things that could float on the water were washed down from upstream with the turbulent current, and the bodies of countless victims and the corpses of various animals such as pigs, sheep, cows, and horses were drifting with the waves.
The scene was like hell on earth. Many people couldn't bear it and turned around with their eyes covered and burst into tears.
Even Lu Zhan was heartbroken when he saw that scene.
He was extremely grateful that he believed Shao Jingque's "dream", which was why he verified it again and again, and had the opportunity to discover the unusual vision in it.
He just didn't know if the command center had managed to get the message to other rescue areas before the flood arrived, nor did he know if Bi Guoguang had returned to the town hall to see the words he had left on the door. Amidst endless worry, Lu Zhan finally fell into a deep sleep...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
