rescue scene
Their comfort was short-lived. At the busy scene, they still had to return to their respective posts to continue the rescue.
At the makeshift command post, the atmosphere was tense. The rescue team leader pointed to a half-collapsed two-story building not far away and said hurriedly, "...there's definitely a survivor inside, trapped in a corner by a prefabricated board, but still conscious."
"But the problem is that this half of the mountain is constantly leaking water, making it structurally unstable. According to on-site assessments, continued heavy rain is likely to trigger a second landslide! We need a doctor to go in with us, immediately assess the injury, and instruct us on how to best preserve his life while removing the stone slab!"
The scene was silent for a moment, with only the sound of rain. Everyone knew what it meant to go in.
"I'll go." Jiang Lin's voice was calm but undeniable. He pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. "I've dealt with crush injuries like those after earthquakes, so I have experience."
What he said was not empty talk. In his early years, he had received training in the emergency rescue team and participated in large-scale disaster relief.
Everyone's eyes were focused on him, with admiration and worry.
Gu Yansheng was standing not far away, listening to all this, his nails digging deeply into his palms. He looked at Jiang Lin's calm profile, his heart felt like it was being gripped by an ice-cold hand, and fear almost overwhelmed him.
He didn't want Jiang Lin to go there because it was too dangerous. Every sound of the rolling mud sliding made him terrified.
But...but back then, he was also oppressed by "despair" and trapped in darkness. It was Jiang Lin and the rescuers who, regardless of their own safety, pulled him back from the brink of death.
He knew better than anyone how much the people trapped below longed for life, and how precious the light brought by the rescuers was.
He bit his lower lip hard and swallowed back the dissuasion that was about to come out of his mouth. He tasted the smell of rust more clearly. He couldn't stop it. That was Jiang Lin's duty and choice.
The rescue team leader agreed to let him go in to help with the rescue, but Jiang Lin needed to immediately change into a lighter and more protective rescue suit. Time was running out, so he walked to the corner of the tent that served as a temporary changing area and quickly took off his heavy wet coat.
At this moment, a pair of arms tightly wrapped around his waist from behind.
Jiang Lin paused.
Gu Yansheng buried her face in his still dry back and took a deep breath, as if to remember his smell at the moment. He did not cry or beg, but just hugged him with all her strength, and then said in his ear with a slightly trembling voice:
"Come back safely."
There were only four words, and after saying them, he immediately let go of her hand, turned around and left the tent without looking back, suppressing all his worries and fears in that brief hug and a few words of advice.
Jiang Lin stood where he was, the strength and warmth of Gu Yansheng's hug still seeming to remain on his back. He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple rolled violently, and a crack appeared on the usual calmness on his face.
But he had no time to respond, or even to catch a glimpse of the departing figure. He simply changed his clothes even faster, put on his helmet, and followed the rescue team into the crumbling ruins without hesitation.
Following the rescue team into the scene, the light inside was dim, the air was turbid, and it was filled with the smell of dirt and blood. With the help of the headlamp, Jiang Lin saw the man who was trapped.
He lay half-lying amidst fallen furniture and wall debris, a massive concrete slab pressing diagonally across his chest, abdomen, and left arm. His face was pale, his breathing was shallow, and a large wound on his forehead, blood mixed with mud, had flowed down half his face.
Jiang Lin quickly squatted down to check. His expertise as a neurosurgeon allowed him to immediately determine that the patient might have a head injury and his consciousness was a little blurred.
His left hand was pinned down by the edge of the heavy stone slab. Due to prolonged pressure, his entire arm had become ominously pale and cold. It was obvious that his blood circulation had been severely obstructed and he was suffering from severe ischemia.
Jiang Lin's eyes swept over his limp left hand and noticed that he had a simple plain ring on his ring finger, which reflected light faintly in the dust and blood.
The rescue team looked at Jiang Lin nervously, "Doctor, how do we move this board? If we just lift it, I'm afraid..."
Jiang Lin frowned, his brain working rapidly, thinking of the safest plan, which was to avoid secondary injury caused by moving the arm, and to relieve the pressure as soon as possible to save the arm that might not be saved.
At this moment, the dying man seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at Jiang Lin. He spoke weakly and intermittently, "Doctor... I... I am... not going to make it..."
Jiang Lin's heart tightened, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't give up, we are saving you."
The man seemed not to hear, and spoke to himself with difficulty, "...Please...Please...if you can go out...find...find Xiaoyue...tell him...don't wait for me...and live well..." His eyes were filled with bottomless despair and attachment, "We...are here to see...the sacrifice to the Sea God...but we didn't expect..."
Xiao Yue? Is she his lover? Jiang Lin's heart was deeply touched. Jiang Lin suddenly remembered Gu Yansheng's words in his ear, "Come back safely." That heavy worry was so similar to the man's instructions at this moment!
"Stop talking," Jiang Lin interrupted him, his tone carrying an unquestionable strength, both to comfort the other person and to strengthen his own belief, "You can survive! Hang in there, for the person who's waiting for you!"
At this moment, the rescue team leader's walkie-talkie on his waist emitted a sharp buzzing sound, followed by the anxious warning of the observer outside: "Captain! The landslide is intensifying! The cracks are widening! The people inside must retreat immediately! I repeat, retreat immediately! Danger!"
The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense!
Jiang Lin's face changed, knowing there was no time for hesitation. He acted decisively, speaking rapidly to the rescue team leader, "The patient has a craniocerebral injury that needs to be investigated. His left forearm is severely compressed and ischemic. The pressure must be relieved as soon as possible! The prefabricated board's center of gravity is behind the patient's left side. Move quickly, but steadily! Lift him out and immediately apply a tourniquet and a cervical collar! Quick!"
His instructions were clear and decisive. The on-site medical rescue he had learned in critical moments gave him great confidence and demonstrated his absolute professionalism and decisiveness. The rescue team members immediately acted as he was told.
In a dangerous environment with creaking sounds and falling debris, the final race against death began.
Just as the rescue team was struggling to evacuate with the stretcher, an ominous roar and the sound of falling soil suddenly came from above their heads!
"Be careful!" the captain shouted.
Almost at the same time, a supporting structure near the cave entrance completely collapsed, and debris mixed with cement blocks and mud fell down, instantly blocking their only exit!
Darkness and even more suffocating dust spread, and intermittent calls mixed with strong electrical noise came from the walkie-talkie. The signal was so weak that it was almost indistinguishable.
The noise of the intercom made the surroundings even quieter, and no one seemed to have reacted yet.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
