Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Secretary Zhou quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Oh dear, Comrade Wanqing must have her reasons for doing what she wants. Commander Liu, Deputy Commander Zhang, I know you mean well, but there's no need to persuade her anymore. What we need to do now is to stick close to Comrade Su and protect her safety. Don't forget that the Marshal's orders are the highest directives; everything must be based on Comrade Su Wanqing's will."

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Liu Changhe quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, stop arguing. Deputy Commander Zhang is just worried about accidents. But Comrade Su is right; she needs to collect samples and measure the water level to prepare for future epidemic prevention and disaster relief. So, we'll personally lead a team to accompany her to ensure safety. Let's go quickly and come back quickly, avoiding the most dangerous areas. Old Zhang, we must listen to the organization. Comrade Wanqing donated so much; without her, think about the situation now!"

If a million people had no food, countless would probably have starved to death by now.

We really have to thank Su Wanqing for this.

Deputy Commander Zhang's expression changed several times, his fists clenching and unclenching before he finally said coldly, "Fine, since you insist on going, then go. I'll follow the organization's orders. Even if I lose my life on the dike, I'll protect you!" He then turned and shouted at the large group behind him, "What are you all standing there for? Get your act together and protect Comrade Su Wanqing!"

"Yes!" came a unified reply from behind.

Liu Changhe shook his head and forced a bitter smile at Su Wanqing:

"Comrade Su, don't take it to heart. Deputy Commander Zhang's eyes are bloodshot from staying up so long these past few days, that's just his temper. It's getting dark, let's hurry up and get going."

Su Wanqing didn't say anything more, only saying, "Alright, let's set off then. But it's not appropriate for so many people to go to the front lines together. Let's leave some people at the resettlement point to wait." She turned to Ding Xiaomei and said, "Sister, you and the children wait for us here."

"it is good."

Old Sun chimed in, "Alright, we'll stay here and see what happens. We won't cause you any trouble. Little Su, we all believe you have a reason for going. It's definitely not like some people say, that you just want to go and cause trouble!"

As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Deputy Commander Zhang.

Su Wanqing was touched, but she simply nodded and said, "Wait for my good news."

Little Arendt, who had come along, was not about to sit idle. He had finally managed to get out of the house, and considering Su Wanqing his father's only hope, he wanted to stay by her side at all times. He immediately pulled Lu Mingxuan aside and said:

"We're going too! We're not afraid of any danger, I have over a dozen bodyguards."

Lu Mingxuan wore a bitter expression. His crisp Zhongshan suit was now splattered with mud. He was so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back. He had wanted to rest at the resettlement point, but after being pulled by Little Arendt, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Fine, I'll talk to them."

So they split into two groups.

Su Wanqing and her group rushed to the front line of the disaster relief effort. The further they drove, the more difficult the road became. When they finally reached the embankment, she witnessed what it meant to form a human wall to block the water, and what it meant for thousands of people to stand in the mud and water, fighting for their lives against the heavens.

People took turns working, some digging soil from the muddy ground to fill sandbags, others stuffing twisted hemp ropes and rags into the sandbags. Truckloads of sandbags were transported up the muddy road to the embankment, forming a transportation line that seemed to stretch endlessly.

At the forefront were rows of human walls, soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder in the water, stacking wooden stakes and sandbags layer upon layer. A light rain was still falling, rainwater mixed with mud streaming down their faces, but no one spared a hand to wipe it away; only the sounds of shouts echoed throughout the air.

"Hey!"

"Ha! Keep it up!"

"Push harder!"

"Faster, faster! Go even faster!"

On the other side of the high ground, there were only a few simple sheds.

Countless soldiers and men lay sprawled on the ground, fast asleep, their faces smeared with dried mud and their lips cracked and bleeding.

What shocked Su Wanqing the most was the boundless flood on the other side of the riverbank.

The muddy yellow water stretched all the way to the horizon, with treetops and rooftops floating on the surface like drowned rats, stretching as far as the eye could see.

To others, this was a flood, a ferocious beast, a natural disaster that could swallow people up at any moment.

But in Su Wanqing's eyes, this was all spiritual spring water—a spiritual spring water that could cure diseases, strengthen the body, and replenish vital energy if drunk for a long time!

How many sacred springs must there be!

Her eyes lit up uncontrollably.

Everyone present was stunned by the sight.

That long river embankment was completely blocked with human walls and sandbags. How big of an undertaking must that have been?

Little Arendt couldn't understand at all. He shook his head repeatedly and mumbled something in English, which Lu Mingxuan translated:

"He said that if this happened in the United States, no one would waste their time here; they would have run far away long ago. He didn't understand why these people were staying here and asked if they had been paid a lot of money."

Lu Mingxuan paused, then continued in Chinese, "I said, this is our China. We don't abandon anyone; we are one. When disaster strikes, we all bear it together. The people here don't have money, but they all have only one wish—their wives, children, and parents stand behind them, and they absolutely cannot let the floodwaters engulf their hometowns."

Young Arend still shrugged, puzzled. "Why work so hard when you're not getting paid? Wouldn't it be better to take your wife and kids to higher ground? Why stick to this dangerous place?"

Lu Mingxuan said calmly, "Because you only think about yourselves."

At this moment, Liu Changhe pointed ahead and said, "This is the current situation. The water is being pushed down from upstream, and the water level is still rising. This is the most dangerous section. Once the breach occurs, the flood will rush straight to several counties downstream, and the consequences will be unimaginable."

As they were talking, the rain intensified.

A communications soldier, covered in mud, jogged over, saluted Liu Changhe and Deputy Commander Zhang, and reported:

"The rain is getting heavier, and the upstream flood peak is still rising. This section can only hold out for a maximum of three hours. If we can't hold it, the flood will inundate the area, and we'll have to evacuate downstream. Should we move to higher ground, or continue the rescue efforts?"

Deputy Commander Zhang gritted his teeth: "Keep looting! If even we retreat, the hundreds of thousands behind us won't even have a place to stay!"

"yes!"

After saying that, he simply woke up everyone who was sleeping and continued to raise and reinforce the structure.

In an instant, the entire embankment came alive with shouts, chants, and the sound of digging, all blending together and making the muddy ground beneath our feet tremble.

Deputy Commander Zhang turned to Su Wanqing: "Comrade Su Wanqing, you've seen it all, shouldn't you go back?"

All he wanted now was to get this huge statue away as quickly as possible. It was too dangerous here; once she was gone, he could lead everyone to the embankment and race against time.

Su Wanqing shook her head and walked forward another ten meters or so, until she was closer to the flood. Only when Deputy Commander Zhang and the others blocked her way and she could go no further did she pull out a few experimental glass bottles: "Help me collect some water samples; I need to make some measurements." She was going to go all out; let's see how she shocks everyone next!

"Now? To conduct the experiment? Here?"