Great Power Reclamation

Chapter 2997 A friend in need is a friend indeed

July should be the season when the Gobi Desert in northern Xinjiang is scorched by the blazing sun and the air is distorted.

However, in that year, the world seemed to be upside down. The polar vortex from Siberia, like a giant that had lost its way, stubbornly lingered over Central Asia on its southward journey.

At the same time, warm and humid air currents from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau moved northward with unprecedented intensity and humidity, and the two enormous natural forces collided head-on in the majestic Tianshan Mountains.

The result was a devastating torrential rain that lasted for a full ten days.

The rain didn't just fall; it poured down like a celestial river bursting its banks. The military reclamation city and dozens of farms and towns built around the oasis were all submerged in water.

Streets became rivers, farmland was flooded, and houses in low-lying areas had only their roofs visible above the water, resembling desolate islands.

The atmosphere at the Corps' Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters in Junken City was so heavy it seemed like you could wring water out of it.

On the huge electronic screen, satellite cloud images showed the still lingering, despairing dark red rainstorm zone.

On the real-time hydrological map, the curves representing river water levels shot upwards like out-of-control rockets, and the icons representing reservoirs changed from blue to orange, and then to a glaring red.

Ye Qianqian has been stationed at the command center for more than 72 hours.

She was wearing a slightly wrinkled training uniform, her eyes were bloodshot, and her voice was completely hoarse from constantly issuing orders and holding emergency meetings.

The strong tea on the table had long since gone cold, and the boxed lunch next to it was almost untouched.

"How's the situation at the Sanchahe Reservoir?" she asked, staring at the screen without turning her head, her voice hoarse.

"The water level has exceeded the warning line by three meters! The floodgates are fully open, but the inflow is too large, and the pressure is enormous!" an engineer in charge of water conditions reported quickly, his tone anxious.

"Immediately organize all personnel from the Third and Fifth Regiments downstream to evacuate to the designated high ground! Not a single one can be lost!"

Ye Qianqian spoke decisively, pressing her finger heavily on the electronic map.

"Yes!"

Commands were issued one after another, and communication lines were so busy they were almost paralyzed.

Ye Qianqian's mind was racing, coordinating the army, militia, medical personnel, and supplies. Every decision she made was related to the safety of tens of thousands of people.

She felt an unprecedented pressure, as if the weight of the entire northern frontier was pressing down on her thin shoulders.

Occasionally, during breaks in command and dispatch, a figure would uncontrollably intrude into her mind—Yang Wei.

Where is he? What happened to his open-air testing sites?

The thought was like a fine thorn, gently pricking her taut nerves and bringing a sharp, dull pain.

Meanwhile, Yang Wei and his "ageless" team are fighting on the front lines amidst the raging storm.

"Quick! Remove all the sensors and data hard drives from greenhouse number three! Move them to the truck!"

Yang Wei was soaking wet, his trousers covered in mud, and he yelled into the walkie-talkie.

The “Reverse Aging” No. 3 Comprehensive Experimental Base where he was located was situated in a relatively low-lying river valley, which had now become the primary target of the flood.

The smart greenhouse's plastic film was torn off in the strong winds, and expensive equipment was submerged in water, sparking.

The carefully cultivated "Shayuan No. 1" nursery was submerged in muddy water. Years of hard work were about to be destroyed.

"Mr. Yang! The water is rising too fast! If we don't evacuate now, it will be too late!"

A young researcher staggered over, his face streaked with what looked like rain or tears.

Yang Wei looked at the chaotic scene before him, his heart breaking. But he knew that people were more important than data.

"Evacuate! Everyone, get in the vehicles immediately and move to Hill Two!"

He decisively gave the order, but then turned and rushed towards the last warehouse that was about to be flooded, where there was still a batch of precious original seed samples.

As he waded through waist-deep floodwaters, carrying a heavy insulated box, he was the last to board the tall off-road vehicle. By then, the low-lying areas of the base had been completely swallowed by the flood.

The convoy, like a small boat on a vast ocean, struggled to make its way uphill amidst turbulent waves.

Outside the car window, there was a raging downpour and mudslides constantly rushing down the hillside.

Yang Wei held the seed box tightly in his arms, as if holding onto his last hope.

He also thought of Ye Qianqian, knowing that she must be under even greater pressure at the command post.

He wanted to call her, even just to hear her voice, but the cell phone signal was intermittent, and in the end, he could only let out a heavy sigh.

The real nightmare began in the dead of night on the seventh day.

The Junken Lake Reservoir, located deep in the Tianshan Mountains and known as the "Water Tower of Northern Xinjiang," sent out the most urgent and desperate signal.

This large reservoir, built during a difficult era and carrying the hopes of countless downstream agricultural irrigation and urban water supply, has its catchment area located right in the heart of this extreme rainstorm.

Monitoring data shows that the reservoir water level is rising at an alarming rate of more than ten centimeters per hour, far exceeding the designed maximum water level, and is still breaking through the limit!

Even more fatally, the continuous torrential rains caused the soil around the reservoir to become completely saturated with moisture, resulting in a large-scale, chain-reaction landslide.

One of the massive landslides, like an out-of-control giant, slammed into the side of the reservoir dam.

"Boom--!"

Even from tens of kilometers away, the command center could feel the dull and terrifying impact through the earthquake monitoring equipment.

"Report! The abutment of the Junken Lake Dam has been hit by a landslide! The dam has shifted significantly! Multiple piping and cracks have been discovered! The situation is extremely critical!"

The voice coming from the monitoring station at the front was choked with sobs and filled with unbelievable fear.

The air in the command center froze instantly. Everyone understood what this meant—a dam collapse warning!
Once this giant reservoir, which holds billions of cubic meters of water, collapses, a hundred-meter-high wall of water will rush down the canyon with tremendous force, its destructive power enough to flatten everything downstream!
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, including those in the military reclamation city, countless fertile fields, factories, and the "anti-aging" achievements painstakingly cultivated by Yang Wei and his team... will all be wiped off the map in an instant!

"Immediately issue the highest-level dam breach warning! Evacuate all personnel and resources in all downstream areas at all costs!"

Ye Qianqian's voice became shrill due to extreme fear and pressure, but she forcibly controlled her trembling body and issued the most resolute command.

The piercing air raid siren instantly resounded through the night sky of Junken City and all the downstream towns, like the horn of death.

At the same time, the expert group's emergency assessment results were also released:
Based on the damage to the dam and the inflow, the dam can only hold out for a maximum of three to four hours! An unconventional flood discharge plan must be implemented immediately.

—Organize a suicide squad, carry explosives, and risk climbing the dangerous dam to carry out directional blasting on a relatively intact section of the dam. This will artificially create a flood discharge channel, release some of the reservoir capacity in advance, weaken the water flow when the dam finally breaks, and buy precious escape time for those downstream!

This was a suicidal mission. Not to mention that the dam could collapse at any moment, the blasting itself, under such severe weather and with an unstable dam structure, was fraught with unpredictable and enormous risks.

"Holy crap! I've been in the engineering corps for over ten years, I know how to handle explosives better than eating!"

A retired veteran with gray hair stepped forward; his name was Zhao Tiezhu.

“I’ll go too! I’m one of the designers of the reservoir, and I’m familiar with the dam structure!”

Wang, an elderly water conservancy expert wearing thick glasses, raised his hand with trembling but firm resolve.

"Count me in!"

"And I!"

Within minutes, a suicide squad consisting of veteran soldiers, hydraulic engineers, and several young guides familiar with the terrain was assembled.

Their faces showed no grand pronouncements, only a calm acceptance of death.

Looking at these warriors about to face their deaths, Ye Qianqian's vision blurred with tears. She solemnly saluted them, her throat choked with emotion, unable to utter a single word.

Just as the suicide squad was about to depart, Ye Qianqian's satellite phone rang urgently. It was Yang Wei!

"Qianqian! Where are you? Is the command post safe? I heard the alarm!"

Yang Wei's voice sounded broken and intermittent amidst the wind, rain, and the roar of the engine, filled with unprecedented panic.

The No. 2 hill where he was located was not far from the Junken Lake Reservoir in a straight line, and he could clearly feel the ominous tremors coming from there.

"I'm in command post! I'm safe! Yang Wei, listen to me, immediately, take your men and retreat to higher ground! Don't look back!"

Ye Qianqian screamed into the phone, her heart pounding in her throat. "I know the dam is dangerous! I saw a landslide! Qianqian, promise me you'll be safe!"

Yang Wei's voice carried a desperate plea.

"I promise! Get out of here right now!" Ye Qianqian shouted, almost crying.

The signal is extremely unstable.

"...Qianqian...wait for me...if..." Yang Wei's voice was completely swallowed up by a violent electromagnetic interference and the sound of wind and rain, and the phone call ended.

Ye Qianqian held the phone, now only emitting a busy tone, her whole body ice-cold, gripped by a huge, almost overwhelming fear.

She understood Yang Wei as well as she understood herself. He knew the dam was in imminent danger; he was so close, he had engineering equipment and personnel under his command… He would never stand idly by and watch it collapse while he fled alone!

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, the command center transmitted back vague and fragmented information through the forward observation points that had not yet been completely cut off and were venturing close to the dam:

A convoy of heavy-duty off-road engineering vehicles and pickup trucks, unique to the "Reverse Aging" project, with dim lights, was like a salmon swimming upstream, braving the constantly rolling gravel and the surging floodwaters that flooded the road, advancing with great difficulty but without hesitation towards the Junken Lake Dam!

According to identification, the modified, conspicuous black SUV at the very front of the convoy was Yang Wei's vehicle!
"Yang Wei—! You bastard! You bastard!"

Ye Qianqian slammed her fist on the control panel, her knuckles instantly swelling and turning red, and tears streamed down her face.

That was her husband! The man she still held dear, even after their separation and resentment! He was going to his death!

The next second, an instinct that transcended duty and reason erupted within her like a volcano.

She abruptly wiped away her tears, her eyes hardening and turning as cold as the rocks of the Tianshan Mountains. She swiftly handed over command to her deputy, issuing the order in an unquestionable tone:
"This place is in your hands! Ensure the evacuation of the people at all costs!"

"Secretary Ye! You can't go! The dam is too dangerous! You're the commander-in-chief!"

The crowd realized what was happening and hurriedly tried to stop them.

"Get out of the way!" Ye Qianqian's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute, almost frantic determination:

"Hundreds of thousands of people below need you! Up above, my men are risking their lives! I have to go!"

At this moment, she was no longer a leader of the corps, but just an ordinary woman rushing to her lover's side.

She grabbed a raincoat and, leading an emergency rescue team composed of elite special forces soldiers and field hospital doctors, jumped onto the most powerful off-road vehicle and assault boat. Like an arrow released from a bow, they rushed into the apocalyptic torrential rain and darkness outside, against the flow of evacuating people, heading towards the impending collapse of the death dam!

The road leading to the Junken Lake Dam can no longer be called a road. It has become a raging, roaring mudslide channel.

Huge boulders were washed down from the mountain by the flood and lay across the middle of the road. The roadbed was hollowed out and collapsed in many places.

Ye Qianqian's convoy had to sometimes risk driving through waist-deep floodwaters, and sometimes abandon their vehicles to rely on speedboats and even climb by hand to bypass completely blocked sections of the road.

Every minute felt incredibly long, and every meter forward was fraught with immense danger.

The deafening roar of thunder, wind, rain, and landslides filled my ears. As far as the eye could see, there was only an endless curtain of rain and churning, muddy waves.

"Quick! Faster!"

Ye Qianqian's heart was screaming. She dared not think about the situation on the dam, dared not think about what Yang Wei was going through at that moment. She had only one thought: find him and bring him home!

At this moment, the dam was truly a living hell.

The massive concrete dam, under the immense pressure of billions of cubic meters of reservoir water and the continuous impact of landslides, emits a low, persistent groan and vibration, as if from the depths of the earth.

Standing on it, you can clearly feel the heart-pounding tremors coming from beneath your feet.

The gale-force winds, accompanied by torrential rain, lashed at everyone's faces and bodies like countless cold whips, causing sharp pain. Visibility was less than twenty meters.

Yang Wei and his "ageless" team, along with Zhao Tiezhu, Wang Gong, and other daredevil team members who arrived earlier, are working desperately on the slippery and bumpy dam top, risking their lives at any moment.

Their goal is to blast open a sufficiently large flood discharge outlet in an area where the main body of the dam is relatively intact, and which has been quickly calculated and determined by Engineer Wang.

"Explosives! Gather the explosives here!"

Zhao Tiezhu gave instructions in a hoarse voice. His gray hair was plastered to his forehead, and rainwater streamed down his wrinkles, but his eyes were as sharp as a young man's.

He and several veterans were responsible for placing the most dangerous explosives and laying the wiring.

"Watch your step! Watch out for piping!"

Wang, lying on the ground, ignoring the mud covering his body, carefully examined the ever-widening cracks and seepage points gushing muddy water on the dam with a flashlight. His face was as pale as paper, but he was still rapidly calculating the blasting parameters.

Yang Wei, along with his team of strong young men and engineering vehicles, was responsible for unloading the heavy explosive boxes from the vehicles and carrying them to the designated location, braving the strong winds and slipping on the ground.

His arm was cut open by a broken steel bar, and blood mixed with rainwater stained his sleeve red, but he was completely unaware.

"Hurry! Time is running out!"

Yang Wei roared into the walkie-talkie, his voice sounding unusually weak in the wind and rain.

He looked up at the reservoir, which roared in the darkness like a giant monster, the rising water level like the scythe of death, closing in inch by inch.

Ye Qianqian's face flashed through his mind, his heart filled with a tearing pain and reluctance, but his actions showed no hesitation. He had to succeed, for the sake of downstream, for her sake!
Just as the demolition preparations were entering their final and most critical stage, the disaster escalated once again!
"boom--!!!"

A section of the dam collapsed! A deadly water jet, more than ten meters in diameter, burst through the dam and instantly swallowed two suicide squad members.

"Old Zhang! Little Li!!" Zhao Tiezhu's mournful cries were swallowed by the flood.

Yang Wei was thrown into the air by the blast wave, his head slamming heavily against the concrete debris. In his dazed state, he felt himself being swept away by the floodwaters towards the breach.

"President Yang!!"

Just at this critical moment, Ye Qianqian's team finally arrived. She immediately spotted Yang Wei, who was struggling in the floodwaters.

"Yang Wei—!!"

She leaped into the raging floodwaters.

"President Ye!!"

"Get in the water! Everyone get in the water!"

Special operations soldiers, medical personnel, and researchers jumped into the raging torrent like dumplings being dropped into boiling water. They linked hands to form a human chain, snatching lives from the clutches of death.

Ye Qianqian grabbed Yang Wei's arm in the icy floodwaters. Just then, another huge wave crashed in, sweeping the two towards the supporting steel beams. Without hesitation, Ye Qianqian turned and shielded Yang Wei.

"boom!"

A sharp pain, as if her bones were shattering, shot through her back. She choked on mouthfuls of muddy water, and her consciousness began to blur, but her arms, which were holding Yang Wei, remained motionless.

This selfless act of protection awoke Yang Wei from excruciating pain. Through his hazy vision, he saw his wife's pale face and felt her unwavering resolve to protect him with her life.

Twenty years of estrangement vanished in an instant.

He gripped her arm tightly and roared with all his might:

"Qianqian—! Hold on to me tight! I'll never let go, even if it kills me!!"

The shout refocused Ye Qianqian's unfocused gaze. Tears mingled with the rain, streaming down her face.

"Yang Wei—I won't let you go! We'll die together!!"

This isn't sweet talk; it's an instinct etched into our very bones.

With everyone's desperate help, they were finally pulled onto the dam wreckage.

Yang Wei held Ye Qianqian's back, which was covered in blood and gore, tightly. This tough man cried like a child for the first time.

Zhao Tiezhu and Engineer Wang exchanged a smile and resolutely pressed the detonator.

"boom--!!"

The directional blasting was successful, the flood discharge outlet was opened, and valuable time was gained for the downstream areas.

The rain gradually stopped, and dawn broke. On the ravaged dam, survivors embraced and wept. Yang Wei gently stroked the unconscious Ye Qianqian in his arms and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Let's go home."

This devastating disaster, in its most tragic way, ultimately brought two separated hearts back together. The floodwaters receded, and love was reborn.