Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 287 Thrilling Rescue
He Yuzhu nodded, turned around and shouted in the direction of the helicopter: "Wolf Warrior!"

"To!"

"You take the first aircraft, carrying a medical team and a platoon of soldiers."

"Yes!"

“Eagle!” He Yuzhu looked at the other steady driver.

"To!"

"You take unit number two, carrying the second medical team and a platoon."

"understand!"

"The remaining five planes will all carry personnel; we'll put as many as we can on board."

“Yes,” the other members of the Wolf Fang replied.

"Prepare to board."

Company Commander Zhou nodded, ran to his team, gave a few orders, and the team split into several groups and ran towards the helicopter.

The soldiers had clearly never ridden in this kind of thing before; it was probably the first time they had ever seen it. They boarded the plane with the help of security personnel.

Once the helicopters were fully loaded, He Yuzhu gave the order via radio: "Take off, maintain formation."

"Yes."

"Buzz buzz buzz—whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

One helicopter after another, emblazoned with the Red Cross, took off from the port and headed toward the epicenter.

Meanwhile, the people at the dock were silently speeding up the loading and unloading process.

"Hurry up"

Shi Bin had already received orders when he disembarked that he would lead the subsequent personnel and coordinate with the people here. This guy was also from China, so there were no communication barriers.

At 6 p.m., the helicopter formation arrived at the epicenter.

Everyone was shocked by the horrific scene below: collapsed houses, cracked earth, overturned cars, and people crying out.

"Boss, we've found a landing spot, but it's packed with people," Wolf's voice came through the radio.

"Have Company Commander Zhou use the loudspeaker to call for us to make room to land." He Yuzhu glanced around; it must be the stadium here.

"Yes."

"To the refugees below, we are a company from a certain unit of a certain military region, here for disaster relief. Accompanying us is the Hong Kong Red Cross Rescue Team! We now need a landing area! Please clear the space in the middle! Repeat! Please clear the space in the middle!" Company Commander Zhou's voice came through the aircraft loudspeaker.

On the open ground of the stadium below, the still-shaken crowd was initially bewildered, but upon hearing that it was the ** army, the people who had sought refuge began to stir, and a glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes!
"The army is here! We're saved! We're saved!"

"Quickly, make room for the ** army."

"Everyone helps each other out."

People helped each other move around to make room for the helicopter to land.

Seven helicopters landed in succession, their massive rotors whipping up dust and debris like a storm.

The moment the wheels touched the ground, the cabin door was suddenly pulled open!

He Yuzhu was the first to jump, followed closely by Company Commander Zhou and his soldiers. Company Commander Zhou and his men quickly set up a cordon around the helicopter.

The remaining people disembarked one after another, and the remaining soldiers, under the guidance of medical personnel, began to quickly unload boxes of medicines, equipment, blood plasma, and food.

"When the people around saw the food, they became even more agitated."

Company Commander Zhou regretted not bringing his gun; if someone were to cause trouble now, it would be difficult to control.

Just then, the crowd parted and a group of people stepped out. The one in the lead saw He Yuzhu and excitedly shouted, "He, He Fei, it really is you!"

His voice was hoarse, and He Yuzhu turned his head sharply.

Not far away, a middle-aged man covered in dust, with bloodstains and exhaustion on his face, wearing a tattered Zhongshan suit, was being supported by two people who were staring intently at him.

"Old Zhao!"

The person who arrived was Zhao Fengnian. He Yuzhu strode forward, and the two clasped hands tightly.

Zhao Fengnian's hands were cold and trembling, his eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were quivering. He had a thousand words to say, but he could only squeeze out a few: "It's good that you can come, that's great!"

He Yuzhu squeezed his hand back firmly, his gaze sweeping over the wound on Zhao's forehead and the multiple abrasions on his body. He said in a deep voice, "Old Zhao, how are your injuries? Where is the command post? What do you need most right now?"

"The command post... is in the makeshift shed right next door! The dead and wounded... are too many! Too many, Zhu Zi!" Zhao Fengnian's voice was filled with sobs and immense grief.

"We lack everything: medicine! Doctors! Especially surgeons! Water! Food! And... tools to dig people out! The houses have all collapsed! How many people are trapped underneath!"

"I understand, I understand! The follow-up supplies will arrive soon, as well as the construction machinery, very soon!" He Yuzhu said softly.

"Okay, okay, just tell us what you need us to do."

"Select able-bodied men to unload supplies. My men will also have to make another trip to try and deliver a batch of goods before dark."

"Okay, I'll go and call someone for you right away."

Half an hour later, the helicopter was empty. He Yuzhu's orders to them were to bring people, tools, and food. As for water, they could only use what they could find on the spot, disinfect it, and boil it.

An hour later, the makeshift hospital was set up, and He Yuzhu shouted, "Company Commander Zhou!"

"To!"

"Maintain order, treat the seriously injured first, and then arrange for people to start distributing supplies."

"Yes."

"Don't give too much, just enough to fill you up to about 50%," He Yuzhu said in a low voice.

"I understand." This person, who had also experienced famine, naturally understood what He Yuzhu was saying.

The rescue team began to work in an orderly manner in the stadium. The generator was started, the operating lights were turned on, and the smell of disinfectant filled the air.

The first batch of seriously wounded soldiers were quickly carried over on stretchers by the soldiers.

"Open fracture of the left leg, suspected rupture of the femoral artery! Blood pressure has dropped rapidly! Surgery to stop the bleeding is urgently needed!"

"Quickly! Bring up operating table number three! Prepare for blood transfusion! Blood type testing!"

"This child! Head injury, unconscious, suspected intracranial hemorrhage!"

"Wound cleaning and suturing kit! Quickly!"

With a hoarse voice, Hu Wenxue directed the medical staff, finally understanding what the extreme environment He Yuzhu had described was like. No wonder the previous drills had become increasingly bizarre.

But compared to what they saw on the plane, those were nothing.

Meanwhile, on the devastated highway connecting Tianjin and the epicenter, a torrent of steel is tearing through the darkness and forging ahead tenaciously.

Shi Bin personally drove the lead modified "Rock" truck, its huge headlights piercing through the billowing dust ahead.

The modified half-track demonstrated amazing off-road capability on roads riddled with cracks, rubble, and twisted steel bars, its heavy body emitting a dull roar as it rolled over obstacles.

Behind him, hundreds of vehicles painted with the Red Cross and the words "Yellow River Rescue" formed a winding ribbon of light: Warrior Jeeps nimbly scouted between trucks, followed closely by trucks loaded with tents and medicines, while massive excavators and bulldozers were flooring the accelerator, and the roof lights of ambulances silently spun red in the darkness.

"Keep your distance! Watch out for dangerous walls on both sides! There's a deep ditch ahead, detour to the right!" Shi Bin's voice was transmitted to every vehicle via the car radio.

The road conditions were worse than expected, with secondary landslides caused by aftershocks everywhere, and huge cracks swallowing up the original paths.

They had to stop again and again as the construction machinery roared, pushing aside obstacles and filling in deep ditches, carving out a lifeline through the ruins.

At 8 p.m., the sky was already dark, and from the southeast night sky came a roar that was much heavier and more intense than a car engine!
The sound came from afar, deep and powerful, like rolling thunder rumbling across the sky!
"Mom, what's that sound?" a little girl nestled in her mother's arms asked timidly.

Everyone looked up into the darkness where the sound was coming from.

One point, two points eventually converge into a row of moving red navigation lights!

Seven helicopters returned, and one by one they began to land amidst a low roar.

"Old Wen, you guys came over first?" Company Commander Zhou called out as he saw the four men getting off the helicopter.

"Yes, we were ordered by our superiors to come and help you first. How is the situation?"

"You saw it too, outside, outside." Company Commander Zhou couldn't continue.

Why didn't you go out to rescue them?

"Even without tools, people are needed here to maintain order."

"Give me two platoons of your men. The equipment has been brought over this time. I'll take my men out."

"Okay." Company Commander Zhou nodded firmly.

At this moment, He Yuzhu also found Lao Zhao: "Lao Zhao, you need to arrange for someone to stay with these soldiers. They are not familiar with the roads, the buildings, or where people are buried."

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll make the arrangements."

I never expected that a simple mobilization would almost cause a riot.

"Comrades! Save my child! He's still downstairs! I'm begging you!"

A woman with disheveled hair and her face smeared with blood and mud knelt down in front of Company Commander Wen and Company Commander Zhou with a thud, crying out in a hoarse voice, pointing to the ruins of a family building that had completely collapsed into the ground not far away.

“My dad! My dad is still in the power distribution room of the steel mill! The building hasn’t completely collapsed, there are still cracks! I can hear him shouting! Please, please go quickly!” A young man with a face covered in ash cried out.

"Comrade! Comrade! Over here! Over here is a school! So many children! So many children!" Several people who looked like teachers also ran over.

An elderly woman with white hair stumbled through the crowd, tears streaming down her face, and cried, "Sir, please have mercy! My grandson was only five years old when he was buried there, under those red brick houses..."

Pleading and wailing blended together, and the green-clad figures no longer stood straight; all the soldiers' faces flushed red.

"Comrades, fellow villagers, listen to me. I am the deputy commander of the earthquake relief efforts. You should have heard of me before. My name is Zhao Fengnian, and I am the mayor of our industrial city."

"Mayor, it's Mayor Zhao."

"So there are still leaders around. We have hope now."

"."

"The main force has not yet arrived, and our comrades need our help to rescue people."

We'll help you with this.

"Help us"

"Deputy Commander Zhao, please assign the task."

"."

"Alright, let's start forming groups on the spot, three people per group, one soldier paired with two local able-bodied men, target—the residential areas, schools, and factories in the surrounding area that suffered the most damage!"

"it is good!"

"If the conditions don't allow it, there's no need to register. Just go directly to the two company commanders and ask them to make arrangements. Anyone else with strength can also help, but please be careful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Company Commander Zhou and Company Commander Wen were surrounded.

Then groups of people began leaving the stadium with their tools.

Each group consisted of five or six people, or more than ten. These people were all seeking refuge. Previously, due to frequent aftershocks, Lao Zhao and his team had mobilized, but only a portion of them went out for rescue. The arrival of the army was a shot in the arm, and this time even more people went.

As darkness fell, the lanterns at the temporary command post of the Industrial City Stadium swayed in the wind, casting long and short shadows.

The radio crackled as He Yuzhu finished marking a hand-drawn map of key rescue areas in the city, when suddenly a violent, heart-stopping spasm came from the concrete ground beneath his feet!

"Aftershocks!" Old Zhao's hoarse voice was filled with panic.

The earth growled dully, like a wounded beast turning over.

From the darkness in the distance came the sickening sound of bricks scraping against each other and walls tearing apart! Then came even more piercing cries and screams!

"The school! It's in the direction of the school!" A local guide who had just returned from that area pointed northeast, his voice trembling. "Company Commander Wen and the others were still digging over there!"

He Yuzhu's heart sank. That middle school, filled with boarding students, was one of the places with the largest known number of people buried! He grabbed the powerful flashlight beside him and rushed toward the ruins that had just been ravaged twice.

The rescue passage that had been painstakingly cleared by Company Commander Wen and his men was now sealed off again by newly collapsed precast slabs and twisted steel bars.

The air was thick with choking dust and an atmosphere of despair.

"Company commander! Company commander!" Several soldiers cried out in vain at the pile of rubble, their hands bleeding from digging.

“There are still people down there! So many children’s voices… I could still hear them just now…” An elderly teacher with gray hair collapsed to the ground, pounding the ground and sobbing uncontrollably.

When He Yuzhu arrived, this was exactly the scene he saw.

Company Commander Wen and his half-platoon, along with some able-bodied men and survivors, were buried even deeper by the stronger aftershocks!
"Stop tearing things up!" He Yuzhu shouted, quelling the chaos at the scene.

His flashlight beam swept across the grotesque ruins, and he grabbed the radio from his waist and roared, "Shi Bin! Has Shi Bin arrived yet?"

He had called several times before, but no one answered because of the distance.

"Sizzle, sizzle, boss!"

"Finally, we can talk! Where are you?"

"We have arrived in the city and are clearing the roads!"

"Where is it located? I need the equipment. I'll send a helicopter to retrieve it."

"Southeast."

"Alright, hurry up and get into the city."

"clear."

He Yuzhu put down the radio, the beam of his flashlight sweeping across the various faces on the ruins: "The professional machinery will be here soon. Everyone stay still to avoid causing further injury to the people below, understand?"

"Understood!" The soldiers responded first without thinking, feeling that this Comrade He was more convincing to them than their regimental commander.

He Yuzhu nodded, then picked up the radio again: "Tyrannosaurus, reply received!"

"Boss, I'm here!"

"Go southeast. Shi Bin and the others have arrived. You'd better bring me back an excavator. Don't go alone!"

"I know, I'm with the eagle!"

"Go and come back quickly, wait here for help!"

"Yes."

Half an hour later, Chinook flew to the stadium carrying a huge thing, startling everyone. This big bird was so powerful, and that iron thing must be quite heavy.

The excavator was put down, and He Yuzhu was immediately contacted: "Boss, the excavator has arrived, where are we going?"

"Ask someone nearby who knows the way to No. 12 Middle School and have them take you there."

"Yes."

Tyrannosaurus Rex flew away again in its Chinook to continue transporting construction machinery. Tyrannosaurus Rex had just checked and the situation outside was not optimistic.

All the officers and soldiers who came in Shi Bin's car got out and started on-site rescue. Judging from the number of flashlight beams, there must have been a lot of people.

Inside the stadium, an excavator driver shouted, "Does anyone know the way to No. 12 Middle School?"

“Me! I know him! He’s not far ahead!” A middle-aged man in overalls with injuries on his face squeezed through the crowd.

"Get in! Give me directions!" The operator opened the car door.

The middle-aged man jumped onto the footboard next to the cab, and the excavator roared as it rolled over the rubble and rushed off in a northeast direction.

He Yuzhu and his men had tried several times, but they simply couldn't open the collapsed section; manpower was ultimately limited.

Just then, everyone heard the sound of an engine.

Someone was even shouting, "Boss, I'm here!"

He Yuzhu waved to him, signaling him to speed up. The excavator accelerated and rumbled as it struggled to move forward.

When the excavator arrived, He Yuzhu used his flashlight to locate a huge beam deep within the ruins that had broken and was tilted at a 45-degree angle. It was the backbone of this ruin and also the greatest threat at that moment.

"See that protruding concrete beam? It supports most of the weight, but it could collapse at any moment. Your task is to clear the rubble around it, but absolutely do not touch it! Clear a path to its base!"

"Understood!" The operator took a deep breath and began to operate the machine. The engine roared, and the huge excavator arm carefully extended, slowly clearing away the surrounding rubble.

Time passed second by second, each second feeling like being fried in a pan of oil.

Finally, a narrow gap, just wide enough for one person to bend over and pass through, was cleared, leading directly to the base of the load-bearing beam.

He Yuzhu immediately stepped forward and carefully scanned the junction between the beam and the broken wall below with his flashlight.

The fracture surface is jagged, and the enormous stress is causing the cracks to continue to expand slightly.

"No!" He Yuzhu's face was grave. "This beam could break at any moment! We can't hold it up by manpower alone! We have to lift it away as a whole!"

"Lift it? How...how do you lift this huge thing?" a soldier nearby exclaimed.

"Boss, the excavator can't lift something this heavy," the driver said.

He Yuzhu's gaze turned toward the stadium, where the faint roar of a Chinook engine could be heard.

"Wolf, I've received a reply!" He grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Boss! I'm here!"

"Get to school immediately after unloading! Bring the heaviest lifting slings! Hurry!"

"understand!"

Minutes later, the enormous roar of the Chinook enveloped the school ruins.

The bright beams of the searchlights illuminated the broken walls and ruins as if it were daytime.

The thick steel cable was slowly lowered.

He Yuzhu personally crawled into the narrow passage, braving the sand and gravel falling from above, and painstakingly climbed to the base of the load-bearing beam.

He directed the people above to adjust the landing points of the steel cables, and finally the two thickest steel cables were tightly bound to the relatively stable ends of the beam.

"It can take on the load now, boss!" came Tyrannosaurus Rex's voice over the walkie-talkie.

He Yuzhu stepped back, wiped the dust off his face, and picked up the walkie-talkie: "Wolf, listen to my instructions, slowly increase the force, hold your ground first!"

"Understood! Slowly increase power!" The Chinook's engine suddenly became even more muffled, and the steel cable tightened instantly, making a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound.

The massive load-bearing beam was slowly lifted from the foundation of the ruins, revealing the part underneath that had been crushed.

Everyone held their breath.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up, clear the entrance and rescue people!" He Yuzhu shouted at the soldiers and young men who were stunned around the ruins.

As if waking from a dream, the crowd immediately rushed towards the newly cleared gap, using flashlights, shovels, and crowbars to frantically widen the passage.

at this time!

Without warning, the ground beneath our feet convulsed violently once more!

"Watch out for aftershocks! Everyone evacuate! Quick!" He Yuzhu shouted.

The load-bearing beam, which wasn't very high up, was scraped by something nearby and swung violently as if struck by a giant hammer! The taut steel cable emitted a piercing, mournful cry.

The Chinook's fuselage began to shake violently, and multiple red lights on the instrument panel flashed wildly!

The massive fuselage was dragged down by the enormous force coming from below, and it plummeted downwards!
Wolf and Eagle struggled to maintain the helicopter's stability. If that load-bearing beam were to collapse, not only would the people buried below be in danger, but those above would also be doomed.

"Excavator, give it a push, quick!" He Yuzhu shouted.

The excavator operator was woken up and immediately used the front bucket to help control the load-bearing beam. The operator pressed the accelerator to the floor and managed to stop the beam from swaying back and forth.

"Wolf, can we transfer him away?"

"Boss, this is difficult. This thing is too heavy, and we can't control its direction."

"Damn it, keep digging, dig faster!" He Yuzhu grabbed a shovel and rushed down.

Five minutes later, the group dug out a hole large enough for one person to pass through, using all their strength.

"Are the people down there still alive?" He Yuzhu shouted.

"Comrade He, there are still many wounded down there."

"You guys start rescuing people, I'll go think of something." He Yuzhu threw down the shovel and ran towards the stadium as fast as he could.

Five minutes later, He Yuzhu ran to the stadium's temporary helipad.

"Prairie wolf, prairie wolf!"

"Boss, I'm here."

"Where's the sling? I need that Chinook."

"Boss, it's upstairs."

"Come with me, let's go save people."

"Yes."

Boom! Boom! Boom! The helicopter took off and soon arrived at No. 12 Middle School.

"I'm going to lower the slings now. People down below, secure the other end of the load-bearing beam as well," He Yuzhu shouted through the airplane's loudspeaker.

"Okay!" came the loud response from below, but He Yuzhu still couldn't hear it, so he shouted it again to the excavator driver via radio.

After the pilot responded, He Yuzhu began to lower the slings. A few minutes later, the report from below indicated that the slings were secured. He Yuzhu and Prairie Wolf controlled the Chinook helicopter to begin lifting it. When the helicopter felt the immense pull, He Yuzhu shouted over the radio, "Everyone below, step back and get out of the area of ​​the load-bearing beam."

"Boss, everyone has left." The reply came quickly from below.

"Raging Wolf! Raging Wolf!"

"Boss, I'm here."

"I count to three and we raise the price together. Repeat, I count to three and we raise the price together."

"Roger that!"

"One, two, three, boom boom boom!" Both helicopters emitted a tremendous roar as they struggled to bear the weight.

"Are you up yet?" He Yuzhu called out over the radio.

"Boss, raise it another meter."

"Boss, we're almost out of gas!" Wolf shouted.

"Power up the engine, just one last push."

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom"

"Boss, you can drop it off after flying 100 meters east!" the excavator driver below said hurriedly as he watched the load-bearing beam being lifted away.

"Roger, robber. Can the Tyrannosaurus Rex hold on?"

"Okay, but be quick!"

"I've got a firm grip on the joystick!"

With a deafening roar, the load-bearing beam hit the ground, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex Chinook subsequently made an emergency landing nearby, having run out of fuel.

Then Tyrannosaurus and Eagle got off the plane to help He Yuzhu untie the slings, otherwise the plane would have ended up the same way.

With the beam lifted away and excavators assisting, the digging speed increased, and one by one, injured or unconscious people were brought up. He Yuzhu scanned the surrounding area with a searchlight, landed in an open space, and shouted over the radio, "Quickly bring the wounded over!"

"Roger that!" Tyrannosaurus and Eagle each carried a stretcher and rushed to the ruins. One after another, the wounded were carried onto He Yuzhu's Chinook. Only when it was full did He Yuzhu take off back to the stadium.

(End of this chapter)