Chapter 180: Disaster
As the rain began to fall, everyone rushed to leave, except for a few people who stood still.
"Wow, Brother Shen! You've been assigned to the Shangjing team!"
"Yeah, Brother Shen, you're amazing!"
"Ah, too bad I'm stuck guarding a city in Tibet. It's so far from Shangjing, I won't be able to visit you often… but I still have to say, Brother Shen, you're awesome!"
"Yeah! Brother Shen's awesome!"
Deng Wei and the others crowded around Shen Qingzhu, their faces full of excitement. They looked even more thrilled than if they had been assigned to Shangjing themselves!
Shen Qingzhu furrowed his brow and glanced in Lin QiYe's direction, giving his companions a sharp glare.
"Shut up!" he snapped.
Deng Wei and the others immediately stopped talking.
Shen Qingzhu took a couple of steps forward, as if he wanted to say something to Lin QiYe, but he stopped, hesitated for a moment, then turned and left...
His steps were slow and heavy. Even though he was assigned to the best city, he couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness.
"QiYe..." Bai Li Pang Pang stood in the rain, hesitating before speaking.
"You don't have to comfort me. Being able to stay in Cangnan is exactly what I wanted," Lin QiYe smiled and said sincerely.
Though there was some confusion in his heart about being assigned to Squad 136, it was just a feeling of curiosity. He would rather stay in Cangnan, remain with the people of Squad 136, than go to some unfamiliar city and meet unfamiliar people.
His goal had never been to protect humanity or to stand out... he simply wanted to fulfill the promise he made with Zhao Kongcheng.
The promise, no matter where it was fulfilled, would be the same.
Cao Yuan silently patted his shoulder. "Let's go, the rain's getting heavier."
In just a moment, the rain began pouring down as if it had been poured from the sky itself, drenching them completely.
Lin QiYe nodded and was about to leave when suddenly, he froze.
"What's wrong?" Bai Li Pang Pang asked in confusion.
Lin QiYe furrowed his brow. "Do you guys feel... the ground shaking?"
"Shaking?" Bai Li Pang Pang blinked.
Cao Yuan frowned, lowered himself, and placed his hand on the ground, a look of suspicion in his eyes. "Yes, it's shaking... and the tremors are getting stronger."
Cangnan Border.
At the foot of Jinnan Mountain, in a scattered village.
The heavy rain poured down, soaking the low houses made of mud and tiles. Water leaked in through the cracks in the walls, dripping onto the floor.
On the old threshold of a house, a little girl with braided hair sat, wearing a yellowed short-sleeve shirt. She rested her head in her hands, gazing at the overcast sky.
The torrential rain washed over the village's dirt roads, creating deep brown streams that snaked their way down the winding fields. The whole world seemed to be submerged in water.
"Yaya, why are you still sitting here?" A woman hurried out of the house and saw the girl sitting at the door. "It's so rainy, you'll catch a cold sitting out here. Come inside."
"Okay," Yaya responded obediently and walked inside.
The woman walked to the door, looked up at Jinnan Mountain in the rain, her brows furrowed, and her face filled with worry.
"Ugh, this rain is so heavy, and your dad is still up on the mountain... What am I going to do? I told him not to go today, but he wouldn't listen!"
The woman stomped her feet in frustration. After a moment of hesitation, she went back inside, grabbed a raincoat from the wall, and began putting it on while speaking to Yaya.
"Yaya, Mommy's going up the mountain to find Daddy. Stay at home with Grandma and Grandpa, and don't run around, okay?"
"Got it," Yaya nodded, her braids swaying like little tails.
The woman put on her raincoat, stepped into the heavy rain, and walked slowly but determinedly along the muddy path toward the mountain road.
Yaya ran to the door and stared at the woman's retreating figure and the misty Jinnan Mountain in the rain...
Suddenly, the earth trembled!
Yaya staggered and almost fell, grabbing the doorframe with both hands. Her small eyes were filled with fear.
The ground shook more intensely, the tremors growing stronger. Even as she clung to the doorframe, it was hard to keep her balance. The house above her began to shake violently, producing loud creaks, as if it was about to collapse at any moment.
She suddenly looked up, her eyes fixed on Jinnan Mountain through the rain.
As the earth trembled, massive amounts of soil and rock began to slide down the mountain, carried by the torrential rain, gradually gathering into waves of deep brown mud!
This massive wave of mud and rocks rushed down the mountain, like a vicious mud dragon roaring in the rain, tearing across the slanted mountainside with incredible speed.
Houses, villages, and settlements were swallowed by this massive brown beast. The seemingly solid houses crumbled under the overwhelming power of nature, reduced to rubble as if made of paper.
Yaya widened her eyes and struggled to run back into the house on the shaking ground, shouting loudly:
"Grandpa! Grandma! Run!! The landslide is coming!!!"
Boom—!!!
From the sky, the landslide looked like an unstoppable roaring beast, sweeping through the scattered villages at the foot of Jinnan Mountain with relentless fury, devouring everything in its path.
In the end, everything was drowned in the rain and silent destruction...
Training Camp.
The sharp whistle echoed through the camp. Lin QiYe and Bai Li Pang Pang, who had just returned to the dorm to prepare for a shower, exchanged a quick glance. They swiftly dropped their towels and basins and sprinted toward the training field in the rain.
Even with the heavy downpour, no one was late. Moments later, everyone gathered on the training field, standing rigidly in the pouring rain.
"QiYe, do you think... what's going on?" Bai Li Pang Pang asked in a low voice.
"I don't know," Lin QiYe shook his head, his expression grave. "But I think... something's happened."
The soldiers who assembled on the field weren't just the new recruits; there were also other instructors. They quickly formed up in rows, their eyes full of confusion, unsure about the reason for the sudden call to assembly.
Vroom—!!
A low engine noise sounded in the distance. Military green trucks sped toward them, their bright headlights cutting through the heavy rain, illuminating the dark field.
General Yuan Gang quickly stepped up onto the platform, his face unusually serious beneath his military cap. After briefly counting the numbers, he nearly shouted at everyone:
"Ten minutes ago, a massive landslide occurred near Jinnan Mountain due to an earthquake! Six surrounding villages have been devastated. Initial estimates show nearly two hundred casualties!"
"Currently, many rescue teams are on their way to Jinnan Mountain, but due to the distance, they will take some time to arrive!"
"In the face of a landslide, time is just as important as life!!"
"The only place nearby where we can quickly mobilize a large number of personnel is our training camp! I know you've finished your training and are about to leave for different cities!"
"But now, don't forget! You are still soldiers!!"
"Soldiers of Daxia!! Wherever we're needed, that's where we go!!"
General Yuan Gang took a deep breath, pointed toward a few military vehicles parked in the rain, and shouted loudly:
"Everyone! Get in the vehicles!!"
"We're... going to rescue!"