Chapter 854 A New Crisis Before the morning mist had dissipated, the rescue team had already embarked on their journey to the Tiger's Mouth.
The so-called road has long been unrecognizable, leaving only ravines torn apart by floods, fallen trees, and thick silt.
The first obstacle was a stone bridge that had been washed away, with only a few sections of the piers standing crookedly in the rushing river.
Li Jianguo was about to direct the soldiers to try swimming across the fixed rope when Lu Qingyang took off his seemingly worn green canvas backpack and took out several bundles of professional climbing ropes, several metal figure-eight rings, and several pairs of anti-slip gloves.
“Use this, it’s more secure.” He handed the rope to Li Jianguo and began looking for a sturdy anchor point.
Li Jianguo took the high-quality rope, glanced at Lu Qingyang's back, and without asking any questions, immediately organized his men.
Under Lu Qingyang's guidance and with the soldiers' skillful coordination, the two cableways quickly crossed the river.
Lu Qingyang was the first to attach the safety buckle, tested the load-bearing capacity, and then slid to the other side with nimble and steady movements.
Chen Mo and other medical staff followed closely behind, though tense, they maintained order.
After walking for a while, there were obvious signs of a landslide on one side of the mountain, with wet soil and gravel that seemed ready to fall again at any moment.
Li Jianguo signaled the team to pass quickly and quietly. Lu Qingyang, however, squatted down and carefully observed the moisture and slope of the soil. He pointed to a relatively stable rock ridge and said, "Walk close to that side, don't step on the loose soil in the middle, one after another, quickly."
Li Jianguo immediately adopted the suggestion and directed the team to quickly and cautiously cross the danger zone.
Just a short while after the last person in the line passed, a small patch of mud mixed with stones came crashing down and landed right in the area they had just passed.
The crowd, still shaken, looked at Lu Qingyang with more trust and respect.
Along the way, they found a family of five trapped in a shallow cave halfway up a mountain: two elderly people and three children. They had been without food for a day, and the children had low-grade fevers.
Mo immediately went over to check and took out fever-reducing medicine from her medical bag to give to the child.
Lu Qingyang and Li Jianguo gave them the compressed dry rations and water they were carrying.
"Thank you... thank you People's Liberation Army, thank you doctor..." The old man tremblingly accepted the food, tears streaming down his face.
Li Jianguo arranged for a soldier to escort the family back to the main camp for resettlement.
The further in you go, the denser the vegetation becomes, but the deeper the traces of the flood become.
When Chen Mo's gaze occasionally swept over the roadside, she would suddenly stop, pick a few eye-catching plants, and carefully put them away.
"Houttuynia cordata clears heat and detoxifies, and prevents dysentery. That's plantain, which is also used."
She simply explained to her curious team members that her medical instincts made her overlook any resources that might be useful.
After passing a steep landslide, there are several protruding rocks on the almost vertical mud wall that can be used for climbing.
Lu Qingyang once again took out several portable rock wedges and a small hammer from that bag that looked like a treasure trove.
He and Li Jianguo worked together, one providing protection from below, and the other climbing ahead to set up a protection point.
Their clothes were soaked with sweat, and their bodies were covered in mud.
When Li Jianguo reached the top of the slope with Lu Qingyang's help, the two leaned against the slippery rocks, panting. Li Jianguo wiped his face, looked at Lu Qingyang, and finally said, "You are really better than all of us soldiers."
Lu Qingyang smirked, "You guys are still the better ones."
With Lu Qingyang's help, Shen Mo also climbed up. She took the time to tidy her disheveled hair and first checked whether Lu Qingyang and Li Jianguo had any scratches.
After confirming that everything was alright, she looked at the faint outline of the village surrounded by mud and water in the distant valley, her expression solemn.
“It’s just ahead.” Li Jianguo looked in the direction she was looking.
The team took a short rest and counted the number of people and supplies.
Exhaustion was etched on everyone's faces, but their eyes were more determined than when they were young.
Lu Qingyang put away his tools and looked at the group: "Let's go, the people ahead are still waiting for us."
When the rescue team finally stepped into Tiger Mouth Village, exhausted, even veteran Li Jianguo, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, gasped in surprise.
The village, nestled in a mountain valley, is now half destroyed; half of the mud-brick houses have collapsed, revealing twisted beams.
Even the houses that hadn't collapsed were filled with mud, and pots, pans, and tattered clothes were all mixed together, floating on the murky water.
Besides the smell of mud, there was also a despairing silence in the air.
Several emaciated villagers sat blankly on the high place, their eyes vacant, barely reacting even when the rescue team came in.
The village party secretary, a thin man in his fifties covered in mud, scrambled over, grabbed Li Jianguo's hand, and stammered for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a voice: "Finally... finally you've come!"
Lu Qingyang quickly scanned the entire room, and understood the situation in his mind.
He patted Li Jianguo on the shoulder: "Team Leader Li, you take the brothers and clear the road that's blocked by trees into the village first. In case of any situation, we need to make sure the retreat route is clear. Then find a high place to build a few sheds to settle the elderly and children first."
Li Jianguo nodded and immediately led his men into action.
Lu Qingyang turned to Shen Mo: "Mo Mo, let's set up the medical point in that relatively intact ancestral hall over there. Make it spacious. First, screen out the seriously injured, and register those with common colds and diarrhea as well. Pay special attention to those who don't have a fever or are vomiting."
Shen Mo responded and led her team members and their medicine kits toward the ancestral hall, her steps quick and steady.
Finally, Lu Qingyang approached the village secretary, who was still wiping away tears: "Brother, gather all the able-bodied men in the village. We can't just wait around; we need to get the grain, cooking utensils, and clothes we can find ourselves, or we'll be starving tonight."
Soon, the village came back to life, albeit spurred on by the harsh realities of life.
The soldiers cut down trees to clear obstacles, sweating profusely.
The ancestral hall was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Chen Mo's gentle yet crisp voice soothed the crying child and the groaning old man.
Lu Qingyang, along with a dozen or so villagers who were covered in dust but whose eyes had been rekindled with hope, began searching through the ruins.
"Hey! It looks like there's a vat down there!" a young man exclaimed.
Several people worked together to move the collapsed earthen wall and found a rough earthenware jar, but unfortunately it was cracked and the swollen grain inside had already gone bad.
Meanwhile, in the ancestral hall, Shen Mo encountered the most difficult situation.
A young woman was curled up in a corner, clutching a child's wet clothes tightly in her arms. She was crying and screaming, and wouldn't listen to anyone's advice. She was trembling.
People nearby said that her three-year-old son was swept away by the water.
Shen Mo didn't rush to examine her body. Instead, she slowly squatted down in front of her, blocking the noisy view outside, and took out a clean gauze from her pocket to gently wipe the dirt off her face.
Shen Mo's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something, "Does anywhere on your body hurt?"
The daughter-in-law shook her head blankly.
Are you cold?
He still shook his head.
Shen Mo reached out her hand, not to take her pulse, but to gently place it on her hand, which was tightly clutching her wet clothes.
Her hand was frighteningly cold. Shen Mo just kept it covered, saying nothing.
After a long time, the woman's shoulders began to tremble violently, and she whimpered like a small animal, tears streaming down her face.
Shen Mo gently embraced her, along with her wet clothes, and patted her back.
Just then, a villager who had come to help rushed over, his face showing concern:
"Dr. Chen, go check on Old Wang! He has terrible diarrhea and a slight fever, and he looks quite well!"
Almost simultaneously, Li Jianguo, who was clearing the collapsed area behind the village, also sent a soldier running over, his tone tense: "Comrade Lu, Captain Li wants you to go to the foot of the back mountain immediately and take a look. There's a new crack in the mountainside, and water is seeping in!"
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