Chapter 620 This is Responsibility
The plane landed at a makeshift front-line airport.
The moment the hatch opened, a mixture of dust, disinfectant and sadness hit me in the face.
The scene before my eyes was so shocking that no news footage could convey it.
Ruins stretched to the horizon. Huge construction vehicles hummed with a dull rumble. Figures in orange rescue suits scurried across the ruins, small but determined. In the distance, medical tents clustered together, wounded being carried in and out. Muffled cries and anxious commands intertwined, forming a mournful symphony of doom.
Ji Wan's eyes instantly turned red.
This is the place where Chi Wenyan is going to protect with his 10 billion.
This is the rescue scene that keyboard warriors say “there is no progress”!
The press conference was held in an open space outside the command center, with the backdrop of the shocking ruins. There were no flowers, no backdrops, only a few simple tables and chairs and dozens of cold cameras facing hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.
As the live broadcast signal was connected, the barrage of comments on the Internet exploded instantly.
"Here we go! Let's see how President Chi cleans up his act!"
"Waiting for the best performance of the year, I guess they're going to start selling misery."
"Haha, if you have the guts, take out the account book! Don't just talk the talk!"
Chi Wenyan held Ji Wan's hand and walked in front of the camera. He was not wearing his usual expensive suit, but a simple black jacket. His face was tired and dusty, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle.
He ignored any questions from reporters and spoke in a deep voice facing the main camera.
"Everyone, I'm Chi Wenyan from the Chi Group. I know everyone has a lot of questions right now, like where did the 10 billion go?"
His voice spread across the world through live broadcast, carrying an unquestionable majesty that instantly suppressed the noisy Internet.
"So today, I'm not here to explain. I'm here to settle accounts."
He turned sideways, and the giant LED screen behind him lit up instantly.
What appears are not complicated data reports, but high-definition pictures.
"The first expenditure is three billion. It will be used to urgently purchase the world's most advanced life detectors, demolition tools, and medical equipment. Everyone, please take a look."
He pointed to a strange-looking instrument on the screen.
"This is the latest model of acoustic life detector, priced at eight million each. We've purchased one hundred. With it, the rescue team can penetrate twenty meters of concrete and hear the faintest heartbeat."
The scene on the screen switched to a rescue team member lying on the rubble, wearing headphones and using the same instrument with a focused expression.
"Just an hour ago, using this instrument, we found a five-year-old girl who had been trapped for over seventy-two hours. She's still alive."
Chi Wenyan's voice was calm, yet it carried tremendous force.
The live broadcast barrage froze for a moment.
"The second expenditure, two billion. To establish an air lifeline." A photo of a row of heavy transport helicopters appeared on the screen, with a precipitous mountain range in the background. "The roads in the disaster area are completely destroyed. All supplies, including every rescue worker you see, every bottle of water, every bag of compressed biscuits, must be brought in by these helicopters. Each flight hour for these helicopters costs five hundred thousand. We've rented twenty of them, and they're flying non-stop around the clock."
"Every second you type on your keyboard in a warm room, there's a helicopter like this, keeping a life on the brink of death. Do you think this money is worth spending?"
No one can answer.
The screen began to rapidly scroll through documents, contracts, and bank statements. Every transaction was crystal clear, down to the exact number of tents purchased, boxes of medicine, and even the amount of compensation paid to the families of the deceased rescue workers.
The data is cold, yet hot!
Ji Wan walked forward and took the microphone. Her voice was trembling slightly, but extremely clear.
"The land behind me was a beautiful home just a few days ago. Now, it has become a hell. But here, I saw countless glimpses of the brilliance of humanity. I saw soldiers who hadn't slept for three days and three nights, their hands covered in blood; I saw doctors collapse beside the operating table, only to wake up and continue saving lives; I saw Chi Wenyan, my husband, who was so anxious to get supplies in as quickly as possible that he only slept for less than five hours in three days..."
Her tears finally couldn't help but fall, dripping onto the cold ground.
"Everyone has the right to question, but please don't use malicious speculation to hurt those who risk their lives to protect others! Every penny has become light beneath the ruins, medicine in the mouths of the injured, and hope for survival!"
Chi Wenyan took a step forward and gently took Ji Wan into his arms. He looked at the camera again, his eyes as sharp as knives.
"I've settled the accounts. Now, I just want to ask those who doubt it: What have you done for this disaster?"
As soon as the words fell, the entire online world fell into deathly silence.
Then, there was a volcanic reversal of public opinion.
"I was wrong! I apologize! I'm sorry! Mr. Chi! Ms. Ji! I'm sorry to all the rescuers!"
"Damn it! I'm not a human being! How dare I doubt someone like that! I'll donate! I'll donate right away!"
"That's what a fucking entrepreneur is! That's the backbone of the country! Chi Wenyan is awesome!"
“#Salute to Chi Wenyan Ji Wan#! #Salute to all the frontline heroes#! Push me to the top of the trending search list!”
The new entry madly swept the entire Internet with an attitude of repentance and admiration, and all the previous slander and doubts became a joke.
In just ten minutes after the live broadcast ended, the relevant departments’ second fundraising channel received over 20 billion in donations.
Looking at the rapidly rising numbers in the background and the overwhelming praise and apologies on the Internet, Chi Wenyan turned off the live broadcast equipment. He turned around and hugged Ji Wan tightly.
"Wanwan, we won."
"Yeah." Ji Wan nodded vigorously in his arms, tears soaking his clothes, "Let's go home."
The roar of the rotors cut through the sky.
On the return helicopter, Ji Wan leaned on Chi Wenyan's shoulder and fell into a deep sleep. These past few days, she, like him, was on edge and had hardly slept a wink.
Chi Wenyan took off his coat and gently covered her with it. His eyes fell on her haggard but peaceful sleeping face, with an unmeltable pity in his eyes.
He didn't win, they all won together.
Outside the window, the city lights gradually became clearer, like a sea of sparkling stars.
Behind them are ruins waiting to be rebuilt and countless pairs of eyes full of hope.
…
A week later.
The coverage of the disaster has not diminished, and the names of Chi Wenyan and Ji Wan have almost become synonymous with "boundless love."
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