Chapter 429 How could I abandon her?
The firefighter wiped the rain off his face and said in a heavy voice, "The water inside is more than three meters deep in some places. Some of the factory buildings have collapsed. We just rescued a few people, and they said there are still people trapped on the top-floor observation deck. But the current is too strong now, and the inflatable boat could easily be capsized by floating debris if we go in. We are waiting for professional rescue boats to come to our aid."
Cui Xiao's heart sank to the bottom. She looked up at the industrial area that had been swallowed by the flood and could vaguely see several blurry figures waving from the top floor.
She gripped the phone in her pocket, which contained the contact information of all the trapped people's families. No matter what, she had to get these people out safely.
"I'll go with you."
Cui Xiao took off his suit jacket, revealing a quick-drying shirt underneath. "I know their deployment layout, where the safety exits are, and where the relief supplies are. I know all of that and I can help."
The firefighter hesitated for a moment, but seeing the determination in her eyes, he finally nodded. "Put on this life jacket, hold on to the gunwale, and immediately duck to protect your head if you encounter any danger."
As soon as the inflatable boat entered the flooded area, it was violently rocked by a wave.
Cui Xiao clung tightly to the gunwale, watching the floating debris constantly crashing against the hull. At that moment, his sense of conviction seemed even stronger.
On the other side, Zhou Mubin stared at the "Unable to connect" message on his phone screen, his brows furrowed.
He had been on the phone with Cui Xiao for a full forty minutes, going from patiently waiting to becoming increasingly anxious, until he finally got through to Cui Xiao's secretary and learned that the madman had actually gone to the disaster-stricken South Bay alone.
Zhou Mubin had never been so angry, nor had he ever been so worried.
Sun Lu, holding documents, blocked the office door. "Lawyer Zhou, all transportation to South Bay is cut off now, and it's too dangerous there. You can't go."
Zhou Mubin grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, his eyes sharp. "Get out of the way."
Sun Lu couldn't stop him; Zhou Mubin had already rushed out. She followed behind and continued, "Lawyer Zhou, I'm doing this for your own good. It will be dangerous for you to go there now."
He paused, his voice trembling slightly, "She's all alone over there, I have to go."
Sun Lu suddenly stopped walking. She saw that Zhou Mubin didn't say anything more, but took bigger strides and walked straight out.
Afterwards, Zhou Mubin contacted a friend at the Maritime Safety Administration and dispatched the fastest rescue boat to the port.
He also donated five million yuan worth of relief supplies to the South China Sea in his personal capacity and quickly organized a rescue team to go to the disaster area.
The next morning, Zhou Mubin drove wildly along the muddy road from City C to South Bay.
He had been driving all night, for nearly twenty hours, and Zhou Mubin was exhausted.
As the broken walls and ruins outside the window grew denser, and the muddy floodwaters overflowed the road, the wheels of vehicles splashed water half a meter high as they drove over the puddles.
As they reached the high slope, Zhou Mubin suddenly saw the speedboat bobbing in the floodwaters below.
Despite the distance, he recognized Cui Xiao by that familiar figure.
She was crouching at the stern, helping a firefighter stabilize an oar that had been tilted by the waves; her blue life jacket stood out starkly against the gray sky.
Zhou Mubin pushed open the car door and rushed down the slope. The wet mud on his feet instantly covered his leather shoes, so he simply kicked them off and ran barefoot through the gravel and mud. "Cui Xiao!"
It seemed someone heard the shouts. Cui Xiao looked up and saw a figure in the distance.
When he saw who it was, he almost dropped the oar.
Just then, a loud "boom" suddenly came from afar. A half-collapsed steel frame of a factory building, unable to bear the weight, fell into the water with flying debris, and the huge wave it stirred up instantly rushed towards the assault boat.
"careful!"
Zhou Mubin roared and quickened his pace, watching helplessly as the assault boat tilted due to the waves, and Cui Xiao's body swayed, about to fall in.
In the nick of time, Cui Xiao clung tightly to the rope on the side of the boat, and the firefighters also managed to stabilize the boat in time.
She looked up at Zhou Mubin on the slope, feeling not only surprise but also a strange emotion.
Zhou Mubin was extremely anxious, his brows furrowed. He glanced around and immediately ran towards another rescue boat that was docked.
This is a vessel he contacted and dispatched from the Maritime Safety Administration. Its performance is more stable than the firefighters' inflatable boat. "Sir, please speed up and catch up with the inflatable boat in front."
The rescue boat cut through the murky water and chased after the speedboat where Cui Xiao was.
Zhou Mubin stood at the bow of the ship, watching the floating objects constantly crashing against the hull, his heart clenching as if gripped by a hand.
That huge wave was just the beginning; there was still a greater risk of collapse in the industrial area ahead, and he had to get to her side as soon as possible.
As Cui Xiao watched the rescue boat getting closer and closer, a strange feeling arose in his heart.
It felt like joy, and also like a sense of relief.
Knowing Zhou Mubin's temperament and what he was going to do, Cui Xiao had no choice but to shout to him, "There's an abandoned signal tower to the left ahead. We need to go there first to pick up the trapped workers."
Zhou Mubin nodded in acknowledgment and shouted to the driver of the rescue boat, "Listen to her, turn left!"
The two boats, one after the other, struggled through the floodwaters filled with obstacles. On the distant lookout tower, the figures of the trapped people became clearer and clearer, while a new round of rain fell silently.
Just then, a piercing metallic twisting sound suddenly came from the left.
An abandoned tower crane, which had been submerged in floodwaters for a long time, suddenly broke at its base and crashed toward the two ships with its several-ton steel boom.
"careful!"
Zhou Mubin and the firefighters roared almost simultaneously. The firefighter driving the assault boat swerved sharply, and the boat capsized instantly. Cui Xiao felt a tremendous force throw her off balance, and the icy floodwaters instantly submerged her mouth and nose.
She struggled in the water trying to grab onto something, but only managed to touch a sharp piece of wood, leaving a deep, bone-revealing cut on her arm.
In the chaos, she saw Zhou Mubin leap from the rescue boat into the floodwaters and swim toward her. But the next second, the giant wave created by the crane falling into the water violently separated the two of them, and a floating container blocked her view.
“Zhou Mubin…”
She used her last bit of strength to shout before being swept into an underwater whirlpool, her consciousness gradually fading.
"Cui Xiao, Cui Xiao."
Zhou Mubin searched frantically in the flood, oblivious to the bloody scratches on his arms from floating debris.
Search and rescue personnel rushed over in a rescue boat, trying to pull him onto the boat. "Lawyer Zhou, it's too dangerous. The waves are too big. Let's get to a safe area first and then figure out what to do."
Zhou Mubin shoved the man's hand away, his eyes red and roaring, "Get out of here! She's still inside! How can I abandon her?"
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