Chapter 120 Disaster

The old Taoist walked out of the restroom carrying his “specimen,” ready to hand it over to the lab for analysis. Zhou Ze looked at him and said:

“Something urgent came up. I’ll head out first. You can manage on your own, right?”

“…………” The old Taoist.

*At the moment I need care the most, you…*

“Want me to call Monkey to keep you company?”

“…………” The old Taoist.

*Are you sure you’re not kidding me?*

“Alright, then. Take care of yourself.”

Zhou Ze walked out of the hospital with his car keys.

The old Taoist stood there, sighing. He lamented the hardships of his life, both his bosses being a bit unfeeling, not knowing even the most basic principles of human interaction.

But then the old Taoist had a realization,

It was precisely because they didn’t know how to be proper humans that they had become ghosts.

Heh heh.

The old Taoist chuckled and went off to the lab himself. It had to be said that being able to live such a long and healthy life, having a cheerful disposition definitely played a big role.

As Zhou Ze walked out of the lobby entrance, he saw a minibus and three ambulances driving away. He immediately went to the parking lot, got into 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 he knew clearly that doctors had a responsibility to step forward in the face of such events.

More than a decade ago, when SARS ravaged the country, many media outlets reported that quite a few doctors and nurses in epidemic areas had resigned or taken leave, which had caused a public outcry. But in reality, there were even more doctors and nurses who continued to fight on the front lines, even becoming infected with SARS themselves.

Zhou Ze's car followed behind the hospital vehicles, and together they entered the provincial highway.

Yancheng was really not far from Tongcheng. Moreover, the Yangtze River Delta region was mostly plains, and the transportation network was incredibly developed. Therefore, after Yancheng was hit by a natural disaster, rescue forces from all over the country could arrive and provide support very quickly. The Wenchuan earthquake of that year had suffered a great deal due to transportation issues, after all, it was a mountainous area, and the transportation situation was really worrying.

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 next time, the People's Liberation Army shouldn't have to risk their lives to parachute in.

Half an hour later, the highway started to get congested. The ambulances turned on their sirens and drove past on the emergency lane. Some drivers who didn't follow the rules and occupied the emergency lane immediately gave way when they saw the ambulances behind them. The scene was quite harmonious.

Zhou Ze was a bit embarrassed. As he followed the ambulances, many drivers nearby gave him the middle finger for his shameless act of cutting in.

This made Zhou Ze wonder if he should call Doctor Lin and have her let him get on the ambulance to join the rescue effort, since Doctor Lin knew his medical skills. But he thought about it and decided against it.

First there was the school incident last night, then the breakfast stall incident this morning, and then the successful job transfer. He hadn't slept for two days, and he was really too tired. This time, Zhou Ze only wanted to ensure Doctor Lin's safety. To have him participate in the rescue work again would be too tiring. His body couldn't handle it.

Besides, there was no shortage of doctors anyway.

It had to be said that his life as a bookstore owner since his resurrection had really changed Zhou Ze a lot. His originally diligent personality had become much lazier.

The thirteen counties and cities of Jiangsu, including the rescue teams from Shanghai, were not foolish enough to rush all at once to the center of Yancheng. Instead, they headed to various disaster-stricken areas according to unified dispatch.

Doctor Lin's team soon exited the highway and entered a village under Funing County.

At this time, it was still hailing, and there were even small wind funnels in the distance. No one knew if another tornado would form.

More than half of the houses in the village had collapsed to varying degrees. The old houses had basically all collapsed. There were many pedestrians on the road, and everyone looked panicked.

After all, such extreme natural disasters were something that many local elderly people had never seen in their lives. Everyone lacked experience. They often saw mudslides, earthquakes, or typhoons happening elsewhere, but they never expected it to happen to them.

After the ambulances arrived, the injured residents spontaneously gathered to receive orderly wound treatment and care. 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, watching Doctor Lin, who was busy at the tents. Of course, for the time being, the situation here was still good. The residents only had minor injuries, so there was no big problem.

Even the few who were covered in blood were just superficial wounds. No one would die. Zhou Ze didn't need to get involved.

About half an hour later, a firefighter ran over to inform them that there were trapped people under the collapsed old house over there. The situation might be urgent, and they needed a doctor to assist in the rescue.

Doctor Lin immediately ran towards that side with a male doctor. Zhou Ze threw away his cigarette butt and had no choice but to get out of the car.

Under the collapsed old house, firefighters were already carrying out excavation work, but they were clearly encountering difficulties. There were people trapped underneath, and they seemed to be pinned down. Indiscriminate excavation could cause the house to collapse again and endanger the trapped people below.

Some villagers nearby also spontaneously participated 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 to determine their physical condition. Her hair tie had probably fallen off somewhere, and the wind was strong, blowing her hair around, but she didn't look disheveled.

In the chaotic aftermath of such a major disaster, these people in white coats were beautiful.

As a short firefighter walked past Zhou Ze, the notebook in Zhou Ze's pocket suddenly vibrated. The intensity of the vibration was no less than that of Doctor Lin before!

Subconsciously, Zhou Ze reached out and pressed down on 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. He couldn't 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 like he had never encountered such a situation before, but a warm current flowed through his heart. He smiled and said:

“Got it.”

Then, the firefighter went to the front and started tying ropes around himself. Because the collapsed house was originally a three-story building, the situation inside was quite complicated. After discussion, the fire brigade decided to send a short firefighter to explore first and start the rescue from the inside.

Watching the firefighter tying ropes around himself, Zhou Ze pursed his lips and kept looking up and down.

So conflicted,

So torn,

If you didn't pass by me, I wouldn't know anything. When you sacrificed yourself, I could just grieve for you and send my highest respect.

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!”

He cursed himself for being a cheap…

Zhou Ze still squeezed out of the crowd, walked to the side of the short firefighter, and also picked up a rope to tie around himself.

The firefighters on the side were stunned. One of them asked, “Who are you? What are you doing? Don't interfere with the rescue!”

Rescue work really had to be done by professionals. Many people participated in rescue work with enthusiasm, which was indeed very touching, but such reckless and amateur behavior could sometimes lead to both themselves and the trapped people being in even more dangerous situations.

Doctor Lin also saw Zhou Ze. She didn't know that Zhou Ze had been following her car all along. She was a little surprised.

“I used to be a special forces soldier. I'm good at this. Let me go down.”

Zhou Ze said calmly.

“Special forces?” The captain was stunned.

“Yeah. Have you seen *Wolf Warrior*?” Zhou Ze asked rhetorically.

“*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 going on?

But she knew Zhou Ze's identity and knew that if Zhou Ze was willing to participate in the rescue, he would indeed be much more capable than ordinary people. Immediately, she nodded and said:

“Yes, he is a retired special forces soldier.”

With the doctor's guarantee, the captain was relieved. This was a time when manpower was needed. He was of course very happy to have someone with professional skills participate and help.

Immediately, the captain pointed to the short firefighter beside Zhou Ze and said:

“He Li, you go down with this war… I mean, this comrade.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“No, I can go down by myself. I think he's in the way.” Zhou Ze said lightly.

“I won't be in the way!”

He Li had already tied his safety rope. He walked over directly, and with the help of his comrades, was sent down through a small hole. Before going down, he glared fiercely at Zhou Ze.

Obviously, he was very angry at being looked down upon by Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze was really helpless.

I'm rushing to selflessly contribute, and I still can't stop your march to sacrifice?

In the future, whoever wants to be a hero behind the scenes 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. Both of them were looking for space to develop downwards, trying to make contact with the trapped people below as soon as possible.

“Waaah…”

Not long after going down, Zhou Ze heard the sound of a baby crying below.

“Hey, hey!”

Zhou Ze shouted down.

“We're down here.” Someone shouted from below.

“Don't move. We'll come down and rescue you right away. Don't act rashly…” He Li was also shouting.

“My leg is pinned down. My daughter-in-law and grandson are also there. Go save them first, save them.” The person below should be an old man.

“Old man, don't worry. We're already carrying out the rescue…”

“Bang…”

There was the sound of something being pushed aside from below.

The old man below seemed to have heard his grandson's cries and was trying to push away the things on top of him to check on his daughter-in-law and grandson first.

But this obviously illegally built three-story house was in a precarious state. His movements below affected the entire structure. Zhou Ze felt the cement board under his feet starting to shake again.

“Old man, don't move, don't move! We're coming down right away, right away!”

But the movement below continued.

“Fuck your mother, you old piece of shit, don't move!”

Zhou Ze cursed directly.

Sure enough, cursing was more effective. The old man below immediately stopped moving.

Zhou Ze used his fingernails to break several steel bars that were blocking the way, and even pried open the cement seams. He quickly came 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 clearly a bit out of it.

“Give me the child first, the child!”

Zhou Ze shouted to 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 got the child out, the sooner the child would be out of danger.

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 the firefighter in front of him continued to stay inside, there was a high probability that he would really die.

Forced by Zhou Ze's attitude, He Li had no choice but to take the child and return the way he came.

Zhou Ze continued to tear apart the obstacles with his fingernails and pulled the woman out. Then, he untied his safety rope and tied it around her, signaling for the people 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 about to get divorced, it was still quite enjoyable to hear his wife's voice of concern.

Zhou Ze pushed the woman from below. The woman was finally slowly pulled up.

Okay, now there was only one old baby left.

Zhou Ze went through and saw the old man sitting on the ground with a miserable expression. A wooden plank was pressing on his leg, the ends of the plank being pressed down by cement boards.

“Comrade, you go out first. I'm not in a hurry. This house is going to collapse.”

Zhou Ze rolled his eyes at the other person.

You were moving around down there and almost caused us all to be wiped out.

And now you're starting to light up the lamp of the soul?

“Don't talk. I'll lift the plank up a bit. Try to stretch your leg out.”

“Okay.”

Zhou Ze pried open the cement board seams with his fingernails. At this moment, a stabbing pain came from his fingertips. Zhou Ze looked down and found that all ten of his fingers were bleeding.

Even though these fingernails were magical, they weren't a drill after all. They couldn't handle all this steel and cement forever.

“Push!”

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.”

“Okay, go up along here. 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 while he was below.

“I'm fine. I still have to go down and save people.” He Li refused.

“Don't move. That woman is out too. There's only one person left below. You don't need to go down. Your wounds must be treated in time, or what if they get infected?”

The female nurse was very determined.

He Li had no choice but to let her treat his wounds.

At this time,

The wind picked up again.

It was much stronger than before. The tents were also rustling in the wind, as if they could be blown over at any moment.

He Li suddenly saw that the tree that had been blown crooked by the wind before was starting to shake again. He immediately pushed away the female nurse who was treating his wounds and rushed out.

The female nurse fell to the ground and said angrily, “What are you doing!”

That tree couldn't fall, because the direction that tree would fall was towards the collapsed house. Once that tree fell down, the already shaky collapsed house would definitely face a second collapse.

He Li had been down there and naturally knew that the situation below was actually unstable. Many of the stress points in the area were not balanced.

“Creak…”

The tree began to fall, it couldn't hold on.

Others around also noticed this, but they didn't have time to react. They could only watch the tree slowly fall.

At this time,

A short figure rushed out. He ran to the direction where the tree was falling.

“Bang!”

The trunk of the tree hit his shoulder. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and knelt down. His knees directly hit the ground, and the ground even caved in, but the tree was slowed down by him and didn't directly hit the ground.

The surrounding firefighters and villagers immediately rushed over and started to hug the tree, trying to move it away.

The tree was finally safely moved to the ground.

But the short figure who had been kneeling on the ground,

Could no longer stand up.

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, but Doctor Lin didn't mind at all.

Reaching out and patting Doctor Lin's back, Zhou Ze indicated that he was fine.

Except for his fingernails,

Which were really painful.

“Huff…”

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 pulled out a crushed cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and asked:

“Where's the short firefighter?”

He'd come up a long time ago. He should be okay, right? He's okay, so you should be able to be okay too.

This broken notebook definitely couldn't compare to the hints in the *Final Destination* movies. It wasn't that mysterious. After all, it was a defective product.

Hearing this, Doctor Lin's body suddenly stiffened.

Zhou Ze slowly frowned and asked:

“Where's the firefighter?”

When Zhou Ze walked to the tents,

Looking at the short body covered by a white sheet,

He subconsciously clenched the still-burning cigarette between his fingers and then suddenly 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!”

“I still have work to do. I still need to continue saving people.” Doctor Lin retorted.

Zhou Ze glanced at Doctor Lin.

Doctor Lin saw that Zhou Ze's eyes were full of bloodshot veins and were very terrifying.

At the same time,

Zhou Ze put one arm around Doctor Lin's head, making her face rest against his chest. To outsiders, it looked like the couple was talking.

But what Zhou Ze said was:

“If you don't come with me,

I will,

Kill you right now.”