The old Taoist carried his "specimen" out of the restroom, ready to hand it over to the lab for testing. Zhou Ze looked at him and said:
"Got some urgent business, I'll head out first. You can handle this yourself, right?"
"..." The old Taoist.
At my most vulnerable moment, you...
"Want me to call the monkey over to keep you company?"
"..." The old Taoist.
Are you sure you're not joking?
"Alright then, take care of yourself."
Zhou Ze took his car keys and left the hospital.
The old Taoist stood there and sighed, lamenting the hardship of his life. Both bosses were a bit heartless and didn't even know the basics of human interaction.
But then the old Taoist thought about it and felt relieved.
It was precisely because they didn't know how to be human that they both became ghosts.
Heh heh.
The old Taoist chuckled and went to the lab himself. It had to be said that being able to live to such an old age with a healthy body, an optimistic personality definitely played a significant role.
As Zhou Ze walked out of the lobby entrance, he saw a minibus and three ambulances driving away. Immediately, he went to the parking lot to get his car and followed them.
He didn't call Doctor Lin to tell her to get out of the car and not go. He was also a doctor and clearly understood that doctors have a responsibility to step forward in such situations.
More than ten years ago, when SARS raged, many media outlets reported that many doctors and nurses in epidemic areas resigned and asked for leave, which caused a public outcry. But in reality, many more doctors and nurses continued to fight on the front lines, even becoming infected with SARS themselves.
Zhou Ze's car followed behind the hospital vehicles and then joined the provincial highway.
Yancheng was really not far from Tongcheng. Furthermore, the Yangtze River Delta region was mostly flat terrain, with an incredibly developed transportation network. Therefore, after a natural disaster struck Yancheng, rescue forces from all over could quickly arrive and provide support. The Wenchuan earthquake that year actually suffered a significant transportation disadvantage, as it was a mountainous area with truly worrying transportation conditions.
It was also after the Wenchuan earthquake that the country had been investing heavily in rebuilding the transportation network of Western Sichuan in recent years. If another disaster were to occur in the future, the People's Liberation Army should no longer have to risk their lives to parachute in.
Half an hour later, there was traffic congestion on the highway. The ambulances turned on their sirens and drove on the emergency lane. Some undisciplined drivers who had occupied the emergency lane immediately yielded when they saw the ambulances behind them. The scene was quite harmonious.
Zhou Ze was a bit embarrassed. As he followed behind the ambulances, many nearby drivers gave him the middle finger for his shameless cutting in.
This made Zhou Ze think about whether he should call Doctor Lin and have her let him get on the ambulance and join the rescue effort. After all, Doctor Lin knew his medical skills. But then he thought better of it.
Last night, it was first the school's affairs, then the breakfast stall, and then his successful promotion. He was indeed too tired after not having slept for two days. This time, Zhou Ze only wanted to ensure Doctor Lin's safety. To have him participate in the rescue work again would be too exhausting; his body couldn't handle it.
Besides, they weren't lacking one doctor anyway.
It had to be said that the bookstore owner's life since his soul had been reborn in this body had indeed changed Zhou Ze a lot. His originally diligent personality had become much more lazy.
The rescue teams from the thirteen counties and cities of Jiangsu, including those coming from Shanghai, wouldn't be foolish enough to all head to the center of Yancheng. Instead, they would go to various areas that had reported disasters, according to unified dispatch.
Doctor Lin's team quickly exited the highway and drove into a village under Funing County.
At this time, it was still hailing, and there were even small whirlwinds in the distance. It was hard to say whether another tornado would form.
A large portion of the houses in the village had collapsed to varying degrees. Some of the old-fashioned houses had basically all collapsed. There were many pedestrians on the road, and everyone looked panicked.
After all, many of the local elderly had never seen such an extreme natural disaster in their lives. Everyone lacked experience. They used to watch mudslides, earthquakes, typhoons, and so on happening in other places, but they never expected it to happen to them.
After the ambulances arrived, the injured residents spontaneously gathered and orderly received wound treatment. Not far away, firefighters were searching for survivors in the collapsed houses.
Zhou Ze parked his car behind. He didn't get out but sat in the car and stared at Doctor Lin, who was busy at the tent. Of course, for the moment, the situation here was still okay. The residents' injuries were only minor injuries, and there weren't any major problems.
Even those few who were covered in blood were only suffering from superficial wounds and wouldn't die. Zhou Ze didn't need to get involved.
After about half an hour, a firefighter ran over and informed them that there were people trapped under a collapsed old house. The situation might be urgent, and doctors were needed to assist in the rescue.
Doctor Lin and a male doctor immediately ran towards that direction. Zhou Ze threw away his cigarette butt and had no choice but to get out of the car.
At the collapsed old house, firefighters were already excavating, but they were obviously facing a problem. There were people trapped underneath, and they seemed to be pinned down. Blind excavation could cause the house to collapse again, endangering those trapped below.
Some villagers nearby were also spontaneously participating in the rescue, but they didn't dare to act rashly and could only listen to the firefighters' instructions.
When Zhou Ze walked over, Doctor Lin was talking to the trapped people below, trying to determine their physical condition. She had lost her hair tie somewhere, and the surrounding wind was strong, blowing her hair around, but it didn't look messy.
Against the backdrop of such a chaotic and disastrous environment, these people dressed in white were inherently beautiful.
As a short firefighter walked past Zhou Ze, the notebook in Zhou Ze's pocket suddenly trembled. The intensity of the tremor was no less than that of Doctor Lin earlier!
Instinctively, Zhou Ze reached out and grabbed the other person's shoulder.
The firefighter stopped in surprise and looked at Zhou Ze. "What's wrong?"
"You... be careful."
Zhou Ze didn't know what to say. He was momentarily speechless. Could he say, "Don't go forward, you might die?"
But if he didn't go,
who would?
The young and short firefighter was also stunned for a moment.
It seemed he had never encountered such a situation before, but a warm current still flowed through his heart. He smiled and said,
"Got it."
Then, this firefighter went to the front and began to tie ropes around himself. Because the collapsed house was originally three stories high, the situation inside was relatively complex. After discussion, the fire brigade decided to send a short firefighter down first to explore and carry out the rescue from the inside.
Watching the firefighter tie the ropes around himself, Zhou Ze, standing in the crowd, pursed his lips and kept looking up and down.
So conflicted,
so agonizing.
If you hadn't passed by me, I wouldn't have known anything. When you sacrificed yourself, I could have just felt sad for you and offered my high respects.
But now, I can actually foresee that you're going to sacrifice yourself.
Zhou Ze decided that after this incident, he had to find a way to turn off the notebook or not carry it with him.
"Fuck!"
Cursing himself for being a masochist,
Zhou Ze still squeezed out of the crowd, walked to the short firefighter, and also picked up a rope to tie around himself.
The firefighters on the side were stunned. One person asked, "Who are you? What are you doing? Don't interfere with the rescue!"
Rescue work really relied on professionals. Many people participated in rescue efforts with a full sense of enthusiasm, which was indeed very touching. But such reckless and amateurish behavior could sometimes lead to both themselves and the trapped people falling into even more dangerous situations.
Doctor Lin also saw Zhou Ze. She didn't know that Zhou Ze had been following her car all along and was a bit surprised.
"I used to be a special forces soldier. I'm skilled. Let me go down."
Zhou Ze said calmly.
"Special forces?" The captain was stunned for a moment.
"Yeah, have you seen *Wolf Warrior*?" Zhou Ze asked in return.
"*Wolf Warrior*?"
The captain's face was full of black lines.
What the hell are you talking about!
"Ask her. She's my wife."
Zhou Ze pointed to Doctor Lin on the side.
The captain looked at Doctor Lin. Doctor Lin suddenly wanted to laugh. What was this all about?
But she knew Zhou Ze's identity and was clear that if Zhou Ze was willing to participate in the rescue, he could indeed be much more capable than ordinary people. Immediately, she nodded and said,
"Yes, he's a retired special forces soldier."
With the doctor's guarantee, the captain was relieved. This was a time when people were needed. Of course, he was happy to accept someone with professional skills to help.
Immediately, the captain pointed to the short firefighter beside Zhou Ze and said,
"He Li, you go down with this wa... this comrade."
"Yes, Captain."
"No, I can go down by myself. I think he'll get in the way." Zhou Ze said lightly.
"I won't get in the way!"
He Li had already tied his safety rope and walked directly over. With the help of his comrades, he was sent down through a small opening. Before going down, he glared fiercely at Zhou Ze.
Obviously, he was very angry about being looked down upon by Zhou Ze earlier.
Zhou Ze was really helpless.
I'm rushing up to selflessly dedicate myself, and I still can't stop you from sacrificing yourself?
In the future, whoever wants to be a behind-the-scenes hero can go ahead. It's too frustrating.
Zhou Ze could only quickly tie his safety rope and go down together. The space below was really cramped. Zhou Ze and the firefighter named He Li were about two meters apart, and both were looking for space to put their feet down and move downwards, trying to make contact with the trapped people below as soon as possible.
"Waa waa..."
Not long after going down, Zhou Ze heard the sound of a baby crying below.
"Hey, hey!"
Zhou Ze shouted downwards.
"We're down here," someone shouted from below.
"Don't move. We'll come down and rescue you soon. Don't act rashly..." He Li also shouted.
"My leg is pinned. My daughter-in-law and grandson are also there. Go save them first, save them." It should be an old man below.
"Old man, don't worry. We're already carrying out the rescue..."
"Clang..."
The sound of something being pushed aside came from below.
The old man below seemed to have heard his grandson's crying and was trying to push away the things on top of him to go check on his daughter-in-law and grandson first.
But this obviously illegally constructed three-story house was already in a precarious state. His movement below affected the entire structure. Zhou Ze felt the concrete slabs under his feet start to shake again.
"Old man, don't move, don't move! We're coming down soon, coming down soon!"
But the movement below continued.
"Damn you, you old bastard, don't move!"
Zhou Ze directly started cursing.
Sure enough, cursing was more effective. The old man below immediately stopped moving.
Zhou Ze used his fingernails to break several steel bars blocking the way in succession. He even pried open the cement seams and quickly went down. Not far from him, a woman was lying there holding a child. The woman was bleeding from the head. She wasn't dead, but she was obviously somewhat delirious.
"Give me the child first, the child!"
Zhou Ze shouted at the woman.
The woman's eyes regained a bit of clarity. She struggled to crawl over and handed the child to Zhou Ze through the partition. She knew that the sooner the rescuers took the child out, the sooner the child would be safe.
Zhou Ze took the child and handed it to He Li on the side through the steel bars. He shouted to him, "Take the child up first!"
"You take the child up first!" He Li said.
"Get out, you go up first!"
Zhou Ze's attitude was very firm. He didn't know if the trapped people below could be rescued, but if this firefighter continued to stay inside, there was a high probability that he would really be done for.
Forced by Zhou Ze's attitude, He Li had no choice but to take the child and return the way he had come.
Zhou Ze continued to tear apart the obstacles with his fingernails, pulled the woman out, then untied his safety rope and tied it around her, signaling those above to pull her up first. At the same time, he shouted:
"Is the child up?"
"The child is up. Be careful down there!" Doctor Lin shouted from above. "The wind is picking up again. Be careful."
Heh heh,
Although they were basically getting divorced, hearing his wife's voice caring for her husband was really enjoyable.
Zhou Ze pushed the woman from below, and the woman was finally slowly pulled up.
Alright, only one old baby left.
Zhou Ze walked over and saw the old man sitting on the ground with a bitter expression. A wooden plank was pressing on his leg, and the ends of the plank were firmly pressed down by concrete slabs.
"Comrade, you should go out first. I'm not in a hurry. This house is going to collapse."
Zhou Ze rolled his eyes at him.
You almost caused us to be wiped out by moving around down there earlier.
Now you're starting to light up the lamp of your soul?
"Don't talk. I'll lift the plank a bit. Try to stretch your leg out."
"Okay."
Zhou Ze used his fingernails to tear open the seams in the concrete slabs. At this moment, a stinging sensation came from his fingertips. Zhou Ze looked down and found that all ten of his fingers were already bleeding.
Even though these fingernails were magical, they weren't electric drills after all. It was too much to deal with these reinforced concrete all the time.
"Push hard!"
Zhou Ze held up the wooden plank with both hands.
"My leg is out, it's out."
The old man shouted.
"Can you move it?"
"Yes, my leg isn't broken. I can move it."
"Alright, follow this, climb up first, grab that rope."
...
"You're injured. Let me treat your wounds."
A female nurse was treating He Li's wounds.
He Li had been scratched by sharp objects in several places on his body earlier.
"I'm fine. I still need to go down and save people." He Li refused.
"Don't move. The woman is also out. There's only one person left down there. You don't need to go down. Your wounds must be treated in time, or you'll get infected."
The female nurse was very firm.
He Li had no choice but to let her treat his wounds.
At this time,
the wind picked up again,
much stronger than before. The tent was also rustling, as if it could be blown over at any moment.
He Li suddenly saw the tree in front that had been blown askew starting to shake again. He immediately pushed away the female nurse who was treating his wounds and rushed out.
The female nurse was pushed to the ground and said angrily, "What are you doing!"
That tree couldn't fall, because the direction that tree fell was towards the collapsed house. Once this tree smashed down, the already crumbling house would definitely face a second collapse.
He Li had been down there before and naturally knew that the situation below was unstable. The stress points in many areas were not balanced.
"Squeak..."
The tree began to tilt down; it couldn't hold on anymore.
Others around also noticed this, but they didn't have time to react and could only watch as the tree slowly fell down.
At this moment,
a small figure rushed out. He ran to the direction the tree was falling.
"Bang!"
The tree trunk hit his shoulder. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and knelt down. His knees directly smashed into the ground, and the ground was dented in. But because of his slowdown, the tree didn't directly smash into the ground.
The surrounding firefighters and villagers immediately rushed over and began to hug the tree, trying to move it away by any means possible.
The tree was finally safely moved to the ground,
but the small figure kneeling on the ground
couldn't stand up anymore.
The old man was pulled up.
Afterwards,
Zhou Ze also came up.
Doctor Lin cried and rushed over to hug Zhou Ze. At this time, Zhou Ze was covered in dust and ash, but Doctor Lin didn't mind at all.
Patting Doctor Lin's back, Zhou Ze indicated that he was fine,
except for his fingernails,
which hurt so much.
"Hoo..."
He breathed a long sigh of relief.
Doctor Lin began to check Zhou Ze's body to see if there were any wounds that needed treatment.
Zhou Ze took out a deformed cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and asked,
"What about the short firefighter?"
He'd come up a long time ago; he should be fine, right? If he's fine, then you should also be able to be fine.
This broken notebook definitely couldn't compare to the hints in the *Final Destination* movie. It wasn't that mysterious. After all, it was a defective product.
Hearing this, Doctor Lin's body suddenly froze.
Zhou Ze slowly frowned and asked,
"Where is the firefighter?"
When Zhou Ze walked to the tent
and saw the small body covered with a white sheet,
he instinctively squeezed the burning cigarette between his fingers directly into his palm, then abruptly pulled Doctor Lin's hand, dragging her towards his car.
"What are you doing? What are you doing... You're hurting me."
"Come with me. Leave this place with me!"
Zhou Ze glanced at Doctor Lin.
Doctor Lin saw that Zhou Ze's eyes were full of bloodshot veins. It was very scary.
At the same time,
Zhou Ze put one arm around Doctor Lin's head, letting her face rest on his chest. To outsiders, it looked like the young couple was talking,
but what Zhou Ze was saying was:
"If you don't come with me,
I will,
kill you right now."