Not long after, someone suddenly exclaimed, "I found one here, the person has fainted."
"Hurry and carry them up, arrange for an ambulance!"
"I, I rescued one here too!"
Seeing that people were being rescued, everyone was encouraged, and their efforts in rescue became even more vigorous.
As more and more people were brought up, and everyone was preparing to make a final push to overcome the last collapsed section, several cars suddenly arrived at the factory.
The factory director's face turned pale as soon as he saw who had arrived. He nervously trembled as he walked towards them.
Emerging from the cars were Mayor Yu Guofeng and Director Zhang Anjiu of the municipal bureau, followed by medical personnel, provincial newspaper reporters, and television crew.
"M-Mayor, what brings you here?" Director Zhao stammered, feeling that his position as factory director was likely at its end given the commotion and the large contingent of officials.
"How are the rescue efforts progressing? Quickly dispatch more personnel to assist." Mayor Yu frowned as he gave instructions and walked towards the collapsed area.
Upon reaching the vicinity and seeing everyone actively engaged in the rescue, his heart finally settled by half.
"Here, someone's found here," a sudden exclamation came from the cave opening, and soon a person was carried out by two others.
"Count them and confirm if everyone has been rescued!" Gu Xingdong's voice rang out. Before long, someone from above shouted, "Everyone has been rescued, quickly come up!"
Upon hearing that everyone was out, all the people showed expressions of relief.
Soon, they were pulled up, and the reporters on the side began to look for people involved in the rescue to interview and photograph.
"Please tell me, how many people were buried in total during this collapse? Were there any casualties, and can you explain exactly how the rescue was carried out?"
The reporter was interviewing an employee of the feed factory. He was covered in mud and sweat, utterly exhausted, and somewhat flustered at being in front of a camera for the first time. However, he still recounted the entire incident:
"...This time, we owe a great debt to the leadership of Hongyuan Construction Company. If not for him, the people below wouldn't know how much longer they would have been trapped. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and the injured have already been sent to the hospital."
Seeing that everyone was safe, Gu Xingdong finally showed a relieved smile.
He felt a sense of exhaustion from the urgency of the rescue, especially his arms, which were stiff and almost numb. His hands, which had been grasping earth and stones, were already bloody and bruised.
"Brother-in-law, your hands." Ding Chen, seeing his hands, quickly called for medical personnel to help clean and bandage them.
"Xingdong?" Zhang Anjiu, who was organizing personnel to maintain order, paused when he turned and saw him.
Gu Xingdong smiled nonchalantly and greeted him, "Director Zhang."
Mayor Yu, seeing that the two knew each other, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Old Zhang, who is this comrade?"
"His name is Gu Xingdong, formerly served in the army."
"So, he's a former soldier. No wonder I saw him calmly directing everyone earlier. You're a fine young man, and we're very grateful to you this time."
Mayor Yu nodded at Gu Xingdong with great admiration. He had seen everything that had happened and had been informed of the situation by those around him, knowing that without Gu Xingdong, the trapped individuals might not have been rescued when they were, potentially leading to a greater disaster.
Gu Xingdong smiled, "It was nothing, just doing what I should have done."
Soon, medical personnel arrived and checked Gu Xingdong's wounds. Due to limited conditions, they could only clean and give him a simple bandage.
With all the people rescued, and numerous subsequent matters to arrange and resolve, Mayor Yu called all the present leaders to an impromptu meeting in the feed factory's office.
By the time the meeting concluded, the sky outside was already dimly lit.
The construction project would have to be halted for now. After ensuring the workers below were settled, Gu Xingdong immediately went to the hospital. Before leaving, he made a phone call to Lin Qi.
Someone needed to oversee the situation at the hospital. Although the trapped individuals were not in life-threatening danger, they were all injured to varying degrees. With Gu Xingye and Chen Lishu absent, without a responsible person to take charge, the others might feel uneasy.
"Everyone, please rest assured, the company will cover all expenses for those injured and hospitalized. Your wages will also be paid as usual."
Gu Xingdong first reassured everyone.
Everyone knew that Gu Xingdong was Chen Lishu's husband and that he had led the rescue effort, so they trusted him implicitly.
"Xingdong, we're so grateful to you for this. I heard that the medical expenses for the factory employees in the next ward had to be paid out of pocket, and the factory leaders haven't even shown up yet. Your words have truly put us all at ease."
Not long after, Lin Qi arrived. Gu Xingdong temporarily handed over the situation to him, then drove to the Municipal People's Hospital. Gu Xingye had already woken up, and Li Xiulan was feeding him breakfast beside him.
"Third Brother, how are things at the factory?" Seeing him enter, Gu Xingye anxiously asked.
"It's alright. Fortunately, there were no casualties. The only remaining issue is the final determination of responsibility, which is still being debated. Don't worry, the problems are not significant."
Hearing that there were no casualties, Gu Xingye finally felt relieved. Then he remembered something and said to Gu Xingdong, "Third Brother, given my current condition, you'll have to handle all the company matters alone for now."
"It's fine, you just focus on resting."
"Old Third, you haven't slept all night, have you? I'll take care of Fourth here. You should go back and get some rest too."
Gu Xingdong saw that her complexion wasn't good and was a little worried, "Mom, can you manage on your own?"
"I got a little sleep last night. Xingye doesn't need me to do anything here. Besides, Lishu just gave birth at home, and the two children are so young. You go back first, don't let her worry."
Gu Xingdong nodded at his words and turned to leave the ward.
When Chen Lishu woke up the next day, she didn't see Gu Xingdong and assumed he had woken up early to see the children. However, when she went to the adjacent nursery to check, he wasn't there. Instead, Wu Chunmei and Zhang Qin were changing the babies' diapers.
"...Your son-in-law and his mother-in-law left in the middle of the night. They said Xingye collided with a large truck on his bicycle and is in the hospital. I don't know how he's doing."
Afraid of making Chen Lishu anxious, Wu Chunmei didn't go into too much detail, only saying he had been hit.
"Did they say which hospital?" Chen Lishu asked as she went over and picked up the newly diapered Bai, holding him to feed him.
"They left in such a hurry, I didn't have time to ask."
As they were talking, Gu Xingdong suddenly came downstairs. Chen Lishu's eyes widened in alarm seeing him covered in dirt with a bandaged hand.
She quickly tried to put the baby down to check on him, but Bai was just getting into his feeding and started to cry loudly as Chen Lishu tried to stand up.