After listening to Aunt Liu's tearful account, Ling Huanwu's heart also clenched. She gave a few instructions and hurriedly left the space.
As soon as she stepped out of the space, Ling Huanwu was rolling around in the mud and water, almost choking to death from the surging mud.
She reacted quickly and grabbed a cylinder to avoid being swept away by the water.
Holding the small cylinder, Ling Huanwu belatedly realized that it was actually a chimney!
In the short time it took to enter and exit the space, the water level rose to the roof.
Looking around, you can no longer see the shape of any houses; all that remains are roof tiles and chimneys that seem to be floating on the water.
My heart sank to the bottom in an instant.
A scene of utter despair.
In this situation, Aunt Gao, who lives next door to Aunt Liu, is probably in grave danger!
Just as she was wondering how to swim to the next house and check underwater, she saw a withered hand raised high on the roof of the next house. It was like a miracle that etched itself into her eyes and gave her hope.
Without thinking twice, Ling Huanwu took out a rope and tied it to the chimney to prevent herself from being swept away.
The wind, like a mad beast, swept the salty seawater towards the shore. The turbid yellow waves had already washed over the rooftops, and the wooden beams on the stone roofs creaked and groaned underwater, as if they were about to fall apart at any moment.
Ling Huanwu tightly wrapped the last end of the hemp rope around the chimney, tying three knots.
The icy seawater had already reached her waist, and each wave that crashed over her felt like being hit by a boulder, shaking her internal organs.
Ling Huanwu wiped the water off her face and saw the roof of Aunt Gao's house next door bobbing in the waves. The old lady was clinging to a broken beam, her white hair floating like seaweed, and it looked like she was about to lose her grip.
"Auntie! Hold on tight!" she shouted, but her voice was torn apart by the wind as soon as it left her mouth.
The hemp rope dug into his palm, chafing his skin painfully.
She took a deep breath and used the force of the wave to rush towards the next room.
She had only taken two steps when a huge wave crashed over her, lifting her into the air. The rope tightened instantly, making her collarbone feel like it was about to break.
She choked on seawater, which was salty and astringent, and her throat burned. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Aunt Gao's body had already tilted towards the water.
"Grandma, hang in there!" she gritted her teeth and crawled on the swaying roof, using both her hands and feet.
The tiles were loosened by the waves, and she slipped, falling halfway into the water. The icy cold instantly enveloped her body. She gripped the rope tightly, her fingernails almost digging into the wood.
When they were still two arm's lengths away from Grandma Gao, the fiercest wave came.
Grandma Gao screamed as the broken beam in her arms was swept away, and she plummeted straight down.
Ling Huanwu reacted quickly, lunging forward to grab her collar, but the force of the wave was too great, and the two of them were pulled towards the surface of the water.
"Grab the rope!" Ling Huanwu roared, freeing one hand to shove the hemp rope into Granny Gao's hand.
The old lady was terrified; her hands trembled violently, and she had to grab it three times before she could hold on.
Ling Huanwu pulled back with all her might, the rope leaving red marks on her shoulders, blood mingling with the seawater and flowing down.
The wind is still howling, and the waves are still rising.
Ling Huanwu quickly opened the space.
But she discovered that no matter how she tried, she couldn't open the space!
Left with no other choice, she dragged Grandma Gao toward the chimney, one step at a time, each step feeling like walking on a knife's edge.
Finally, she pushed the person to the chimney. Without even taking a breath, she quickly untied the rope around her waist and wrapped it around Aunt Gao's body.
"Tighten it! Don't let go!" She patted the old lady's face until she saw the other woman nod, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
With her feet firmly planted on solid ground, she wanted to try opening the space again.
Just then, a sharp crack came from the roof beneath them, and a beam snapped completely.
Ling Huanwu's feet slipped, and she fell backward, only the hemp rope still tightly gripping her hand.
That was her only connection to life...
*
The turbid waves surged, and the torrential rain lashed at Zhou Jiuzhen's face like whips.
He stood at the very front of the assault boat, his military green training uniform soaked through by the seawater and clinging tightly to his body, but he was oblivious to it, his eyes fixed only on the ruins floating in the vast ocean.
"Commander! That rooftop ridge to the east!" Guard Wang roared, pointing to the left front.
The assault boat was tossed up and down in the waves. The motor got tangled in debris several times, and the soldiers frantically cleared it away. Their palms were cut and bleeding from splinters of wood, but no one uttered a sound.
This is the third hour since the storm surge made landfall. They have already pulled seventeen people out of the water, but many more villages are still submerged.
Zhou Jiuzhen's voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, and every time he shouted "Hold on" or "This way," it carried a bloody smell.
He saw a child stuck in the window frame, the wave reaching up to his neck. Guard Xiao Wang jumped down to save the child, but was swept away by the current and slammed against the wall. Blood was streaming from his forehead, but he kept moving forward and finally managed to lift the child up.
With each person he saved, Zhou Jiuzhen's heart grew increasingly anxious and aching.
He didn't know if Zhou Shuyao had escaped with his mother and triplets, or if his comrade Ling had safely hidden in the space.
"Keep searching! Don't miss a single household!" Zhou Jiuzhen wiped the water from his face, unable to tell if it was rain or tears.
The speedboat rounded a collapsed courtyard wall, revealing half of a leaning roof beam that swayed precariously in the waves.
"Over there!" Zhou Jiuzhen was the first to jump in. The water was up to his chest, and every step he took felt like he was filled with lead.
Suddenly, his gaze froze.
At the highest point of the roof beam hung a tattered piece of blue polyester cloth, embroidered with a mimosa flower, which was now fluttering in the wind.
That was the style of clothes Ling Huanwu had just worn.
He recognized him.
He would remember every single outfit she wore.
But now, the bright blue was mostly soaked in dark red blood, and the edges were torn beyond recognition, like a bird with broken wings.
Zhou Jiuzhen's heart clenched suddenly, the pain making it hard for him to breathe.
He climbed frantically onto the roof beam, nails on the wood scratching his palms, blood dripping into the water and mingling with the dark red on the blue cloth.
He finally reached the piece of cloth, the blue cloth still carrying the salty taste of seawater and a faint, lingering scent of her soapberry.
"Huanwu—!"
He held the strip of cloth tightly in his arms, as if it were a rare treasure, or as if he were holding a dying fire.
The roof beams shook violently beneath his feet, and he could hear the anxious shouts of soldiers in the distance, but he couldn't hear anything.
Tears suddenly burst forth, mingling with the rain and splashing onto the cloth, leaving a small, dark stain.
"Come out..." he choked, his voice trembling and incoherent, "Didn't we agree to wait for me to come back... Didn't you say there was a space where nothing would happen..."
The cloth in his arms was so light, yet it weighed him down so much that it felt like his spine was about to break.
He remembered that when they had just parted, they had arranged to meet at the Civil Affairs Office. She was so small and nestled in his arms, and he could still feel her warmth.
All that's left for him now is this cold, broken piece of cloth.
Another wave crashed over, and the roof beams made a crisp "crack" sound.
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