red moscow

Chapter 3130

A dozen minutes later, an ambulance with flashing blue lights sped up and came to a smooth stop in front of Victoria. The tires squeaked slightly as they scraped against the pavement, and a faint smell of disinfectant wafted out as the door opened. A doctor in a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses stepped quickly out of the ambulance, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the scene before he approached Victoria, his tone polite but urgent: "Excuse me, are you Major Victoria?"

“Yes, I am Victoria.” She nodded slightly and turned to point to the back of the police car. Baharov and Braun were sitting back in their seats, their faces still pale from the long-term lack of oxygen underground. “These two were just rescued from underground not long ago. They are still very weak and need to be examined and treated immediately.”

The doctor nodded quickly and waved behind him. Another medical worker immediately pulled a folding stretcher out of the vehicle, its wheels clicking as it unfolded. However, Baharov pushed open the police car door, and despite his unsteady steps, he raised his hand to stop the doctor who was about to help him, his voice hoarse but firm: "Thank you, we can walk by ourselves, we don't need a stretcher."

Braun followed him out of the ambulance, and the two helped each other as they walked towards the back door. As they stepped onto the running board, Baharov suddenly paused and turned back. He looked at Victoria, his eyes filled with barely concealed anxiety: "Vika," he said in a low voice, as if not wanting anyone else to hear, "if...if there is any news about Misha, could you please let me know immediately?"

“But I don’t have your contact information,” Victoria replied curtly, leaning forward slightly to show her focus.

Baharov paused for a moment, then forced a slightly bitter smile. He realized that he hadn't had a chance to exchange information with her before going deep underground—although they had been comrades in the war, they were in a different time and space then, so there was no need to mention phone numbers from the future. He quickly recited a string of numbers: "Write this down, 8-926-XXX-XX-XX, this is my mobile phone number."

Victoria took out her phone, the screen glowing coldly. She quickly entered the number, saved it, and looked up at him, her tone firm yet reassuring: "You and Braun should go to the hospital first. We'll talk about everything after the test results come out. I promise to call you as soon as I hear from Misha."

Before the ambulance could leave, three yellow rescue vehicles sped up along the muddy road, their wheels splashing water and breaking the slightly somber atmosphere. They came to a stop one after another, their engines whirring and then fading away, as if the giant beast had temporarily stopped breathing.

The door of the first vehicle opened, and a sturdy middle-aged man stepped out. He wore an orange-yellow rescue suit stained with mud, a black helmet, and a miner's lamp on his forehead, though not lit, was still very conspicuous. He walked steadily toward Victoria, his voice coming from behind his mask, sounding somewhat muffled: "You must be Major Victoria, the one who called us?"

“Yes, I am Victoria.” She nodded slightly, her gaze calmly meeting the other person's, before asking in return, “Are you from the rescue team?”

“That’s right, we are the rescue team.” The man said, pulling down his mask slightly to reveal a well-defined, slightly tired face. “I’m Captain Guskov. Please tell me the details. Where are the two people who were just rescued?”

Victoria keenly sensed a hint of skepticism in his tone. This was understandable; just yesterday, the rescue team had completed a full search of the underground structure and officially confirmed that no one remained. Only one night later, the report of new survivors was undoubtedly a silent critique of their work. As the team leader, Guskov was clearly not pleased.

“Captain Guskov!” Victoria said calmly. “The two trapped people are in the ambulance over there. If you have any doubts, you can go and see for yourself.”

Guskov frowned slightly upon hearing this, but said nothing more, turning and striding towards the back door of the ambulance. He opened the door, his gaze falling on Bakharov and Braun, who were leaning against the stretcher. Their faces were still pale from the damp underground environment, and their clothes were covered in dust and mud. Guskov stared at them for a moment, then asked, "Are you the people trapped in the underground structure who just came out?"

“That’s right, it’s us.” Baharov raised his head, his voice weak but his tone very certain.

Guskov scrutinized the two men's faces and attire—the tattered coats, the scrapes on their hands, even the dried mud on their shoes—all signs of being trapped underground for an extended period. Despite the obvious evidence, he couldn't help but press, his voice tinged with confusion and a hint of self-reproach: "Yesterday I personally led a team to conduct a thorough search of the hospital's underground area, leaving no area unchecked. Why didn't we find you then?" Bakharov and Braun exchanged a glance, seemingly having anticipated this question. Bakharov sighed softly and explained, "Captain, the underground structure of Hoflin Hospital is extremely complex, practically a maze. Perhaps due to limited manpower, you couldn't cover all areas, and some oversights were inevitable."

Guskov could easily sense the evasiveness in those words, but what he needed at that moment was precisely an explanation that could save face for the team. So he nodded accordingly, his expression softening and his tone becoming more gentle: "It must be the situation you described. In such a complex environment, blind spots in the search are indeed possible."

After closing the car door, Guskov walked back to Victoria and tentatively asked, "Officer, you said you have a friend trapped in an underground building. What exactly happened? Could you explain the situation in more detail?"

Faced with Guskov's question, Victoria took a deep breath, organized her thoughts, and then said clearly and calmly, "Your report to the police yesterday clearly stated that the hospital's underground buildings had been searched and no one was trapped. But my friend was skeptical of this conclusion. As soon as it got dark, he called me here to continue the search." She paused slightly, her eyes resolute, and continued, "It turns out his judgment was correct. We did find two people trapped underground who still showed signs of life. But just as we were trying to bring them out, he suddenly disappeared. I called you hoping that with your professional rescue capabilities, we could find his whereabouts."

Guskov hesitated upon hearing Victoria's words. He rubbed the edge of his gloves and cautiously asked, "Officer, is it possible that he actually left here a long time ago without notifying you, giving you the illusion that he is still trapped in the underground building?"

“That’s impossible.” Guskov’s conjecture was immediately and firmly refuted by Victoria. She pointed to the car not far away and raised her voice slightly: “Look, his car is still there. He is an extremely cautious person. There is no way he would abandon his car and choose to leave this desolate area on foot.”

Looking at the car parked not far away, and at Victoria standing before him, speaking with unwavering conviction and a tense expression, Guskov finally nodded, his expression turning serious. He turned to his team and said loudly, "First team, take basic rescue equipment and come down with me immediately. Second team, stay up here and stand by, ensure communication is open, and be ready to provide support at any time!"

The rescue team members responded loudly and quickly split into two groups. One group checked headlamps, safety ropes, and breathing apparatus, making final preparations before descending into the cave; the other group unloaded hydraulic rescue tools and multi-purpose stretchers from the vehicle and neatly stacked them at the entrance.

Seeing that the other party was preparing to go down into the cave, Victoria stepped forward and asked cautiously, "Captain Guskov, can I go down with you? I want to find him as soon as possible."

Guskov stared at Victoria for a moment, noticing the anxiety and determination in her eyes, then slowly nodded and said, "You know best where your friend last disappeared. With you as our guide, we can locate the location faster and avoid taking unnecessary detours."

Seeing that Guskov had agreed to her request, Victoria was overjoyed and immediately turned to walk towards the cave entrance. But she had only taken a couple of steps when Guskov called out to her, "Officer, please wait a moment!"

Victoria stopped and turned to look at Guskov, her brows furrowing slightly as she tried to figure out why he had suddenly called her back.

“Officer,” Guskov said, emphasizing his words, “the underground structure is unstable and may contain harmful gases or water. Full protective gear is mandatory for all rescue personnel; it’s our team’s policy—safety comes first.” He then turned and called to a rescue team member who was hurrying past him, instructing, “Andrei, quickly find the major a suitable protective suit; she’s coming down into the cave with us.”

(End of this chapter)