Chapter 850 Washed Away by the Flood The rain covered the sky like a thick curtain, and the floodwaters rushed and roared.
Just as Lu Qingyang and his soldiers were dragging an old man into a rubber boat, a faint cry suddenly came from the murky water.
In the distance, a mother used her last strength to lift her baby high, but her own head kept bobbing up and down, and she was about to be swallowed by the rushing water.
"Quick! Row that way!" Lu Qingyang pointed in that direction.
The young soldier on the same boat looked at the swift current and said in a strained voice, "The current is too strong, the boat is going to pass by..."
Lu Qingyang had already untied and re-tied the life jacket straps, his gaze fixed on the tiny swaddled baby: "I'll swim over."
He leaped into the icy floodwaters, and the turbid waves immediately swallowed him up.
As they finally approached, he took the baby in his arms and held him tightly, while his other hand held onto the exhausted mother.
"Hang in there!" he shouted in her ear, struggling to swim back with her.
Just a few meters away from the rubber boat, an undercurrent suddenly surged in.
With his last ounce of strength, Lu Qingyang pushed the mother and child toward the waiting soldiers, but he himself was slammed into the water by a wave and disappeared instantly into the turbulent current.
"Comrade Lu."
The soldiers' cries were swallowed up by the wind and rain.
Inside the temporary medical station, Chen Mo looked towards the entrance.
After changing the dressing of the last wounded soldier, she checked the medicines and carefully put the oilcloth bag that Lu Qingyang had brought into her pocket.
It rained all night and then all day.
Every time new rescuers returned, she would ask them beforehand, only to be met with a shake of the head in response.
As evening approached, Li Jianguo dragged his weary steps in, his raincoat dripping wet.
He stopped in front of Chen Mo, his lips moved, but no sound came out.
Shen Mozheng stopped arranging the gauze.
“Comrade Lu…” Li Jianguo’s voice was hoarse, “He was swept away by the flood while trying to save a mother and child. We searched downstream for a whole day…”
Shen Mo had already heard what was said next.
I almost fainted.
But she quickly forced herself to get up: "He'll be alright."
Although the flood was fierce, Qingyang had a spatial dimension, which would surely help him escape.
Li Jianguo lowered his head and said helplessly, "We wish it were the same, but the flood..."
Lu Qingyang is indeed fine.
The instant he was swept away by the turbid wave, he instinctively held his breath, and the buoyancy of his life jacket quickly lifted him to the surface.
He steadied himself amidst the raging flood, searched the area with his eyes, and finally embraced an old locust tree that stood stubbornly against the raging torrent, its rough bark hurting him painfully.
After catching his breath, he subtly moved his mind, and a bright orange lifeboat silently appeared on the water.
He crawled down using both hands and feet, collapsing onto the bottom of the boat, his chest heaving violently, every muscle in his body screaming with exhaustion and cold.
Before he could catch his breath, he heard a splashing sound and a faint sob coming from beside him.
Turning my head, I saw a stray dog struggling desperately in the water, with only its nose and eyes above the surface.
Further away, a round, black pig lay listlessly on a door panel, its grunts filled with despair.
"Sigh, consider yourself lucky." Lu Qingyang sighed, resignedly rowing the boat. He first scooped up the trembling dog, which immediately splashed water all over him as soon as the boat hit the water.
Then, with great effort, dragging and pulling, they managed to get the terrified pig, weighing over two hundred pounds, onto the boat.
They were then stored inside the space.
Drifting with the current, I don't know how much time passed, but the bottom of the boat finally touched solid soil.
Looking around, all that could be seen were traces of the flood and endless desolation, with no sign of human habitation.
Lu Qingyang was not flustered and found a slightly dry spot on the roof to sit down.
His consciousness sank into the space and exchanged for some food.
He slowly took out a steaming bowl of self-heating rice, opened a bottle of mineral water, and began to eat.
After eating hot food, my strength and body temperature gradually returned to normal.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, the question arose: Where exactly are we? How do we get out?
He stood up and looked around at the endless puddles and muddy terrain; it was clearly unrealistic to rely on his own two legs to find his way.
He stroked his chin and once again immersed his consciousness into the space, directly taking out the drone he had exchanged.
He skillfully removed it and started it.
The drone emitted a soft hum, steadily took off, and like a sharp mechanical bird, began to fly towards him, transmitting real-time footage back to the controller screen in his hand.
He carefully maneuvered the drone, avoiding the crooked trees, the camera panning across the vast waters and exposed soil.
The screen clearly showed that about five or six miles to the east, there was indeed a dirt road with higher elevation that emerged from the water and meandered into the distance.
Hope lies ahead, but the road to hope may be short.
Lu Qingyang estimated that he would have to row this lifeboat across the water for quite a while.
A gust of damp, cold wind blew by, and he shivered. His soaked clothes clung to his skin, feeling cold and heavy.
The clothes and shoes that I changed from the space were exactly the same clean ones.
Lu Qingyang returned to the lifeboat, picked up the oar, and began his trek across the water.
The water was not still; occasionally, floating branches, weeds, and even the remnants of furniture could be seen. He carefully maneuvered the boat, avoiding these obstacles.
The situation underwater is even more complicated. Sometimes the paddle will suddenly hit a submerged fence or low wall, making his arm go numb.
He had to slow down, paddling and probing ahead with his oars, like a blind man finding his way.
That seemingly long waterway took him far more time and effort than he had anticipated.
By the time he finally managed to drag the boat onto a solid surface, it was almost evening.
The road conditions on the shore were equally bad.
The area was muddy and covered with silt and debris left behind after the floodwaters receded.
He walked on, his feet sinking into the mud, his shoes quickly becoming covered in mud and heavy.
Some sections of the road were washed away, so he had to detour and find a way along the ridges of the fields or the hillsides.
He walked and stopped, and after passing a bamboo grove that had been washed away, he climbed a small earthen slope, just about to stop and catch his breath, and look into the distance.
In the distance, at the edge of a desolate field, a few faint wisps of smoke could be seen, like the faint traces of cooking fires.
The atmosphere at the makeshift medical station was somber.
The rescue efforts over the past few days have left everyone exhausted, and the news of Lu Qingyang's disappearance has added another layer of gloom.
People talked in hushed tones, their gazes occasionally turning with concern to Chen Mo, who was sitting in the corner organizing equipment.
Her face betrayed too many emotions; she simply folded the gauze exceptionally neatly and categorized the medicines with meticulous care.
After the last wounded soldier's wounds were treated, she stood up, silently slung her medical backpack over her shoulder, and picked up the wooden stick leaning against the wall.
"Dr. Shen, what are you doing..." Li Jianguo realized her intention and hurriedly stepped forward.
"I'll go check downstream." Shen Mo's voice was calm, yet carried an unwavering determination.
“This is too dangerous. The water hasn’t completely receded, the road conditions are unclear, and there’s a risk of another landslide at any time…” The teacher in charge also came over to dissuade them, “We have already sent people to search along the road, and we will notify you immediately if we have any news.”
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