For Lin Qiye and his group, the landslide was just a minor incident on their journey. The overwhelming natural disaster could not stop them. They quickly adjusted their mindset and continued on their original route.
As time passed, they got closer and closer to the location of Village 1.
The muddy stains on the surface of the military overcoat blended into the black, and the boots sank into the soft mud again and again. When pulled out, the boots were filled with mud and leaves from the jungle, making them feel extremely uncomfortable.
Cold, hunger, fatigue, pain... all sorts of negative feelings enveloped their hearts, but not one of them uttered a word of complaint.
After a year of rigorous training, they have long since gotten used to it.
They are no longer ordinary people who entered the training camp; now, they are soldiers about to be sworn in as Night Watchmen!
Instructor Hong's walkie-talkie rang. He reached out and pulled it out, talking to the other end of the walkie-talkie as he ran forward.
After a long while, his brows furrowed tightly.
"Instructor Hong, what happened?" Lin Qiye keenly noticed the change in Instructor Hong's expression and asked.Instructor Hong was silent for a moment, then spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice: "The commander has gone missing."
"Missing?" Baili Pangpang was taken aback.
"He went missing eight hours ago. The last two instructors who saw him were at the temporary command post. They thought the commander had gone to a village to help with the rescue, but they couldn't find him anywhere in the village."
"So they also came to ask us if we saw it?"
"That's right, but we haven't reached Village 1 yet, so we don't know the situation." Instructor Hong thought for a moment, "But given the commander's speed, if we really go to Village 1, it probably won't even take two hours. Maybe he'll have already arrived by now."
"How far are we from Village No. 1?" Lin Qiye asked.
Instructor Hong thought for a moment, compared the map he had recorded in his mind, and said, "At this pace, it will take about half an hour. But we've been running for so long, do you want to take a break?"
"Almost there." Covered in sweat, Baili Pangpang gritted his teeth. "No rest! We'll go straight through!"
With no objections from the others, the group sped up again and raced toward Village No. 1.Soon, the surrounding trees gradually thinned out, and the view became more and more open. In the distance, a village buried by a mudslide could be vaguely seen emerging from its dilapidated state.
The ten men stopped in front of the ruins, panting heavily. Sweat mixed with rainwater dripped onto the ground, and the lapels under their military overcoats were completely soaked.
"The commander didn't come here." Instructor Hong's gaze swept across the ruins, and he frowned as he spoke. "He's really missing..."
"The commander is a powerful expert in the 'Sea' Realm, so there shouldn't be any accidents. Maybe he just left early for some reason," Deng Wei said uncertainly.
Instructor Hong didn't respond. The new recruits might not know much about Yuan Gang, but the instructors knew very well that under these circumstances, Yuan Gang would never abandon them while they were still being rescued and run off to do something else without a word.
Something unexpected must have happened that they were unaware of...
Instructor Hong took a deep breath. "Never mind that for now, saving lives is the priority. Spread out and carry out the rescue according to the original division of labor. Everyone, take your weapons. If you find anything wrong, call for help immediately!"
"Yes sir!"
The remaining nine people scattered in different directions. Lin Qiye was responsible for using his abilities to search for the exact location of the victims while Lin Xi Chen float up in the sky to watch over the terrain while using her gold chained to hold the debris and structures, open a way to let them rescue people stuck deep inside the ruins. Shen Qingzhu, Mo Li, Baili Pangpang, Deng Wei, Li Jia, Li Liang, and Instructor Hong were responsible for digging and rescue. Wen Qingqing was responsible for treating the wounded.
Lin Qiye moved swiftly through the village filled with ruins, and whenever he detected a survivor, he would use his Star Blade to carve a cross on the soil or wall. Then, Lin Xi Chen's chains automatically lifted the structure and glowed, illuminating the path for them.
With the forbidden area fully unleashed, the others' rescue speed was astonishing. One survivor after another was rescued and brought to a dilapidated house that could barely provide shelter from the rain, where Wen Qingqing provided treatment.
Village No. 1 in the valley is not large, and there are far fewer people living there than in the other villages. After all, there are very few people who are willing to live deep in the mountains these days. Most of them are elderly people who stay at home, and a few young people who have grown up here for generations and are unwilling to leave.
In addition, the rescue operation by Rescue Team No. 1 was very swift, and they had rescued all the survivors in less than half an hour.
"Rescue Team 1 reports: The rescue operation has ended. There are 17 survivors in Village 1. They have received initial treatment and are awaiting further rescue teams."
Instructor Hong used a walkie-talkie to report the situation to the temporary command post, and soon received confirmation from the command post.
"The rescue team will probably arrive in about a day. Until then, we have to stay here and protect the wounded," Instructor Hong said, turning to the group of people resting against the broken wall.
"What happens after the rescue team arrives? Will we go down the mountain with them?" Baili Pangpang asked.
Instructor Hong shook his head. "No, we'll go down the mountain on our own when they're almost there to avoid a direct confrontation."
Everyone nodded, immediately understanding.
They were a team that conducted pre-rescue operations before the regular search and rescue teams arrived, and they belonged to the Night Watch organization. In other words, in the eyes of the regular rescue teams, they were essentially a non-existent rescue team.
If they encounter a formal rescue team at that time, it could actually cause some trouble.
Ten figures clad in black military overcoats leaned against the wall. The short, broken wall above them shielded them from some of the wind and rain, but raindrops still fell on them and slowly slid to the ground.
Baili Pangpang slumped his head and shook it gently, his eyes seemingly glued to the ground, ready to close at any moment.
Lin Xi Chen was leaning against Shen Qingzhu for warmth, as her hands were trembling violently and had gone numb from the cold. Meanwhile, Li Jia, Deng Wei, and the others had already drifted off to sleep.
They were exhausted.
The nine-hour trek through extreme conditions, without a single rest, followed by a desperate rescue operation upon arrival, nearly drained them of all their strength. Keep in mind that the average age of these nine new recruits was only 20.
Molly looked up at the rain falling from the sky, slightly lost in thought. Suddenly, a head bumped into her shoulder. She instinctively tried to dodge, but stopped when she saw the tired yet resolute face under the military cap.
Baili Pangpang is asleep.
He was sleeping so soundly that he was completely unaware that his body had fallen onto Molly's shoulder.
Molly stared blankly at his face, hesitated for a moment, but still did not choose to push him away, instead letting him lean against her.
She pursed her lips, turned her head to look at the continuous rain, and seemed to think of something, a faint blush appearing on her face.
In his sleep, Baili Pangpang's lips curled up slightly.