Chapter 321 Encountering Danger
Tu Yao immediately got out of bed, changed her clothes, and went downstairs. She was blown off balance by the wind and took a step back.
She quickly grabbed the wall for support, looked at the mountains in the distance, and her expression changed instantly.
What's more terrifying than the wind is the rain.
This was a downpour she had never seen before, as if it were pouring down from the sky. Every drop hit her body with a pattering sound and a dull ache.
A large puddle had formed on the ground, making it impossible for vehicles to move quickly; they were driving slowly along the lane.
Even the stable ground was in complete chaos; she dared not imagine what the herb garden was like now.
Tu Yao's expression grew increasingly serious. Realizing something, she quickly turned back and slung her backpack over her shoulder.
Just as she was about to rush into the rain, she took out her phone and sent a message.
[Koike, it's raining. I'm going to check on the herbs.]
After sending the message, I buried my head and rushed into the rain.
What should have been a ten-minute walk took Tu Yao nearly half an hour to reach.
When she arrived, the umbrella had been blown to pieces, and she couldn't see anything in front of her at all.
She quickly shouted, "Uncle Liang!"
"Uncle Liang!"
"Little Mao! He's here!"
Finally, someone responded to her.
Tu Yao quickly followed the sound and found a group of people scattered in several greenhouses.
The greenhouse was being tossed about by the wind and rain, and could collapse at any moment, but inside, everyone was digging for medicinal herbs.
"Xiao Mao, didn't I tell you not to come over!"
"Hurry back! The rain is too heavy! We've called a truck, and it'll move all these herbs away in a bit, don't worry!"
Uncle Liang was soaked to the bone by the rain and kept shooing people away.
Tu Yao's eyes welled up with tears. Over the past two months, it seemed that all the uncles and aunts here could see how important these herbs were to her.
The rain was visibly getting heavier, and Tu Yao lost her balance and fell to the ground, completely ruining the umbrella in her hand.
She quickly threw it away.
The moment it slipped from my hand, the umbrella was blown into the sky almost instantly, only to be slammed to the ground by the rain!
Seeing this, Tu Yao's eyelids suddenly twitched violently, and she subconsciously looked towards the mountain range.
Under the dim sky, the sounds of rain were mixed everywhere, but amidst the rain, one could faintly hear the crashing of sand and gravel.
Tu Yao suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and immediately said, "Uncle Liang, stop digging! Come here quickly!"
A group of people noticed something was off about her voice and quickly looked up.
Tu Yao said urgently, "Stop digging! It looks like the other side of the mountain is about to collapse!"
These words finally drew everyone's attention. They looked at each other, their expressions changed, and they could see undisguised fear on each other's faces.
Uncle Liang grabbed a handful of soil, rubbed it a couple of times, and immediately made a decision: "Hold onto the herbs you dug up, and run!"
Seeing people gradually emerge, Tu Yao breathed a small sigh of relief.
The greenhouse was soon completely empty.
The remaining herbs were battered by gusts of wind and rain.
Tu Yao wiped her face hard, turned around without looking back, and said, "Let's go!"
The wind grew stronger and the rain became more and more torrential, and the ground beneath our feet was a muddy ridge between fields.
Dozens of people struggled forward in the darkness, and every now and then someone would fall down and someone else would help them up.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Oh no, I think I've hit my leg!"
"Oh no, it's all blood! What are we going to do?!"
"Quick, someone come and lift it up."
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone else shouted.
"Oh no, Lao Liu's arm is injured too."
The sudden accident startled everyone.
Tu Yao called out twice, but everyone walked slower and slower.
Just then, two bright headlights pierced through the darkness.
Tu Yao instinctively turned her head away.
The car stopped in the driveway, and soon someone got out of it.
Xu Chi, accompanied by a team of well-trained bodyguards, ran down the street at top speed!
Tu Yao quickly waved her hand: "Xiao Chi!"
Xu Chi pushed through the crowd and pulled her close. "...How is it?"
"The rescue team is on its way. Don't go any further. The road is flooded. We just built a small bridge to get out. Follow me."
Tu Yao quickly pointed behind her: "Xiao Chi, Uncle Li injured his leg! Many people are injured!"
The bodyguards immediately stepped forward and carried the injured out one by one.
Tu Yao wanted to help, but Xu Chi grabbed her arm.
"I'll do it."
Xu Chi wiped her face and handed her the umbrella.
"Tu Xiaomao, stay put."
In the darkness, the young man's face was pale, a testament to how anxious he had been on his journey.
Tu Yao opened her mouth, then nodded seriously: "Okay."
Xu Chi hugged her tightly, then stepped back and took over a wounded patient.
Tu Yao watched him walk into the night again.
From time to time, sounds of pain could be heard from the crowd, and Tu Yao's nose stung with tears.
I know that everyone is a bit flustered right now, and that's why you're moving forward very slowly.
That won't do.
Tu Yao thought for a moment and then stepped back to the very back.
"You guys go ahead, I'll cover you."
"Thank you, uncles and aunts. I'm sorry for causing you all trouble."
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Immediately, someone laughed and scolded: "Natural disasters are unavoidable. If we don't farm here, we'll farm somewhere else. What business is it of yours, a little girl like you?"
"That's right, utter nonsense!"
"Hurry up and get on. With us old folks here, we don't need you to cover for us."
Tu Yao shook her head: "You guys go first."
Seeing her insistence, no one could do anything else, so they quickened their pace.
The crowd finally started moving, and their pace quickened.
Tu Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
A distance of about 100 meters, which would normally be covered quickly, took more than three minutes to walk now.
Fortunately, we've finally made it through.
Ahead lies the bridge that Koike and his friends have just built.
Tu Yao was about to run forward when, just then, there was a loud bang.
Less than two meters in front of her, the ground suddenly cracked, revealing a trench that instantly split the entire ground in two!
She kept backing away!
"The ground... the ground cracked???!!"
Someone spoke up in disbelief.
In just a few seconds, the surging water overflowed the entire ditch.
The next second, everyone suddenly realized something and exclaimed in surprise.
I subconsciously looked up and gazed at the opposite side.
The riverbed broke open rapidly, winding its way down the mountainside.
Although they were moving slowly, thankfully they had already found their way out of the area.
...except for Tu Yao.
...except for Tu Yao, who was hiding at the back of the crowd.
For a moment, everyone looked at the other side in a daze.
Five meters away, Tu Yao stood alone in the ditch.
The accident happened so suddenly that she seemed a little dazed.
"Little Mao!"
Tu Yao suddenly woke up and quickly looked up.
Across the ditch, Uncle Liang was so anxious he kept stamping his feet. "Run to the right, the gap is smaller there, see if you can jump over!"
Tu Yao looked in that direction.
Turning his head, he came face to face with Xu Chi, who had returned from the other side.
Through the misty, dark rain, the young man's already pale face had almost lost all color.
He took a slow step forward and moved his lips almost silently.
"...Don't be afraid, Tu Xiaomao, jump over here, I'll catch you."
His tone carried a slight coaxing tone, yet it trembled slightly.
Tu Yao almost laughed.
Koike told her not to be afraid, but it seemed that Koike was even more scared than she was.
She wanted to reassure Xiaochi not to be afraid, but she was also exhausted and had difficulty speaking.
Tu Yao walked along the ditch, wiped her face, wiped her eyes, and tried to open them wide to measure the distance.
"...Jump over."
Xu Chi stretched out his hand, his gaze fixed on her: "Jump over here."
Tu Yao nodded vigorously.
Just as they were about to jump, suddenly, rocks fell from the mountain, followed by a series of earthquake sounds.
In an instant, the originally narrow ditch expanded several times over, and groundwater continued to surge up.
Tu Yao lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground!
"Tu Xiaomao!"
Rocks, mud, and broken branches kept rolling down the mountain.
Instinctively, everyone was avoiding this dangerous place and running towards safety!
Only the thin young man remained, his eyes red-rimmed, staring intently at her through the cracking ground.
"Tu Xiaomao!"
Tu Yao tried to get up, but couldn't.
The rain was too heavy, and Tu Yao could no longer see his expression.
My wrist hurt a little, and gradually, the pain became so bad that I couldn't open my heavy eyelids.
All she could see was him running towards her the instant the mountain collapsed completely.
Tu Yao thought it was somewhat like four years ago.
But this time, she seemed to be able to close her eyes with peace of mind.
...
Tu Chaoxi's flight landed in the port city two hours later.
As soon as he got off the plane, he made a phone call to Tu Yao.
At nine o'clock in the evening, judging from Tu Xiaomao's cheerful mood, she's probably still guarding her herb garden and refusing to go to sleep.
Tu Chaoxi coughed twice, preparing to startle her.
The phone rang several times, but no one answered.
Tu Chaoxi frowned, and her steps quickened involuntarily.
After dialing twice with no response, he switched to another person.
Just as he dialed the number, he glanced at the large screen next to him out of the corner of his eye, where an urgent message was being played.
Tu Chaoxi's eyelids twitched violently. Before she could see the contents of the large screen clearly, someone next to her exclaimed.
"My God, did you see that? It's pouring rain over Gangxi, and half a mountain has collapsed!"
"No way, I remember that the Xu family just bought that piece of land near that mountain last year."
"Isn't that an open space? It's so late at night, no one should get into trouble, right?"
"Two months ago, it certainly wouldn't have happened, but that's uncertain now. I heard before that the Xu family partnered with someone to plant medicinal herbs on that land, but I don't know if there were any casualties..."
...
The phone kept ringing with busy signals, and the sounds of pedestrians talking all around me filled the air. Wind and rain poured down through the windows on both sides of the aviation terminal.
Tu Chaoxi suddenly lost her balance and swayed unsteadily.
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