Chapter 82 Spend Time Together
The news of heavy rain and mudslides in the ancient town was like a red-hot iron, repeatedly burning Si Yankai's nerves.
On the phone, the voice messages sent by Tang Ximian were intermittent, and the background was always filled with the heart-pounding sound of rain and wind.
He tried to keep his voice steady, saying "I'm helping", "It's okay", "Don't worry", but Si Yankai could hear the fatigue, tension, and a hint of imperceptible fear beneath his forced voice.
News reports were everywhere, and the scenes were shocking: a mountain road cut off by a mudslide, muddy water flooding houses in low-lying areas, a red alert for communication interruption... With every update, Si Yankai's heart sank a little.
He kept an eye on his phone, replying to every message he received immediately, repeatedly reminding him to be safe, trying to use words and language to build a dam for his Min Min thousands of miles away.
But looking at the weak and intermittent signal bars on the screen, and imagining the chaotic, humid, and unknown dangerous situation over there, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and anxiety almost swallowed him up.
"Just wait patiently. Rescue will surely come." He said this to Tang Ximian, both to comfort him and to order himself to believe.
However, when he saw the latest warning showing that the heavy rain would continue for at least 48 hours and new signs of loosening of the mountain were monitored around the ancient town, the string called "reason" in Si Yankai's heart finally broke.
He could no longer just "wait patiently."
His Mi Mi was trapped in that precarious and dangerous place, and he couldn't bear that he could only convey his pale and powerless concern through the cold screen.
He had to do something, had to get closer!
Action is a quality ingrained in Si Yankai. Once he makes a decision, he never hesitates.
He quickly found out the high-speed rail line leading to the province where the ancient town was located. Fortunately, the affected area was mainly concentrated in the ancient town and the surrounding mountainous areas. The high-speed rail main line leading to the provincial capital was still running smoothly due to early warning and reinforcement.
He immediately booked the next high-speed rail ticket and packed a simple backpack filled with emergency medicines (including Tang Ximian's favorite stomach medicine), high-energy foods, several large-capacity power banks, a thickened jacket, and even a small bag of Tang Ximian's favorite gummy candies.
No one was notified, including Tang Ximian.
He was fully aware of the impulsiveness and potential risks of this action, and he also knew that if Tang Ximian learned of it, it would only increase her worry and discourage her. He simply sent a brief message to his parents and counselor, explaining that he had an emergency and needed to leave school for a few days, that his return date was uncertain, and that he would stay in touch.
The high-speed train travels through the wind and rain, and there is a blurry curtain of water outside the window.
Si Yankai stared at the screen of his mobile phone, trying to contact acquaintances in the ancient town while frantically looking up possible routes to bypass the landslide section and approach the ancient town.
He needed a car, one that could navigate bad weather and complex road conditions.
Luck was on his side.
When my father's old acquaintance learned about the situation, he immediately used his local connections without saying a word.
When Si Yankai got off the high-speed rail station, a black off-road vehicle covered in mud but with powerful performance was already waiting outside the station.
After handing him the keys, the driver said only, "Mr. Si, be very careful! The road is very difficult to travel on. I can only take you to Lijiaao, the safest spot closest to the ancient town. Going any further, the road is completely blocked and extremely dangerous!"
"That's enough! Thank you!" Si Yankai didn't waste any words, opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat.
The cold leather seats and the unfamiliar atmosphere inside the car made him feel dazed for a moment, but the next second, he fastened his seatbelt and started the engine. The dashboard lit up, and the powerful engine roared, as if sensing the anxious and determined heart burning in his chest.
The night was getting darker and the rain showed no sign of abating.
The road conditions leading to Lijiaao were worse than expected.
The national highway was flooded in many places, with some sections showing signs of rockfall and small landslides. Headlights split the dense rainy night into limited beams of light, making visibility extremely low.
Si Yankai gripped the steering wheel tightly, concentrating fully, his nerves as tense as a fully drawn bowstring.
He forced himself to remain calm, analyzing the road conditions with almost cold rationality, avoiding puddles and obstacles.
The wipers swung wildly from side to side, making a monotonous and rapid noise, as if beating drums to cheer him on, and as if reminding him of the dangers ahead.
The navigation signal was intermittent, so he could only rely on the map he had memorized before setting off and the occasional road signs to guide him.
Every violent bump, every time the wheels slipped in the mud, his heart tightened. But he couldn't stop, and he didn't dare to stop. There was only one thought in his mind: get closer to him, closer!
His body was exhausted, but his mind was brimming with excitement. His stomach ached from nervousness and not having eaten for so long, but he paid no attention to it.
I don’t know how long I drove, but finally, in the darkest moment before dawn, the small dot representing Lijiaao on the navigation appeared at the end of my sight.
It was a small village built on a hillside, with only a few lights on at the moment, like an isolated island in the wind and rain. At the entrance to the village, there was a makeshift cordon and personnel in raincoats on duty.
Si Yankai parked his car outside the cordon and pushed open the door. The icy rain instantly drenched him, and the fatigue from the long drive and the coldness of the rain combined to make him stumble.
But he immediately stood firm, wiped the rain off his face, and strode towards the duty point.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com