CHAPTER 122: CHAPTER 121: EVACUATION

The rain kept pouring harder, and the howling wind knocked incessantly on the car windows. In the rainy night, people’s hearts grew increasingly anxious.

"Report to the brigadier! The road ahead is under repair and will take at least half an hour!"

A middle-aged man by the riverbank listened to the news from the walkie-talkie. He was Brigadier James Marsh of the Special Forces, currently commanding at the riverbank.

This half-hour of repair, plus the time needed for evacuation, means the riverbank must hold for at least an hour!

In front of the riverbank, stacks of sandbags were being battered by the waves.

In the pitch-black and chaotic environment, only the sound of torrential rain and the wind could be heard, along with flickering flashlight beams.

Soldiers reinforcing the riverbank ran back and forth, some struggling to steady the sandbags, others busy with shovels, and some carrying sandbags to the riverbank.

The sound of their breathing was drowned by the rushing rain.

James Marsh didn’t have the luxury of thinking too much; the most important thing now was to keep the riverbank strong, to buy time for road repairs.

Shouting into the walkie-talkie, he ordered, "Wang Pan! Hurry up! We can’t let the water breach the riverbank. Strengthen the sandbags quickly! Buy more time for the evacuation!"

"Yes, sir!"

At that moment, a report came through the walkie-talkie from the road repair team.

The sound of the torrential rain mixed with anxious shouting was extremely noisy: "Brigadier, there’s a landslide on the road ahead. We’re clearing the path, but we’re short-handed. Requesting support!"

Standing in the heavy rain, James Marsh could hear the rain hitting his raincoat hood. He quickly pulled down the hood, wiped his face with his hand, and made a decision, shouting into the walkie-talkie, "Hannah Collins! Take your people and clear the landslide!"

Hannah Collins, carrying sandbags, immediately dropped them upon receiving the brigadier’s order. She raised her head to see the rain blurring her vision.

Everywhere, people in raincoats were moving sandbags. Her squad was already in disarray.

Seeing the squad leaders of Squad One and Two nearby, she could only shout, "Squad One and Squad Two! Follow me!"

The heavy rain washed over the stacked sandbags, knocking a few down! At this rate, they wouldn’t hold!

"Everyone! Use your bodies to hold the line! Buy more time for evacuation!"

"Yes, ma’am!"

The soldiers showed no fear as they faced the terrible flood, throwing aside sandbags and rushing forward without hesitation.

When Hannah Collins and her team reached the road, Norman Bennett immediately approached her after alighting from the vehicle: "Hannah, what’s the situation now?"

"The landslide is blocking the road ahead. We’re about to clear the path!"

Norman Bennett took a loudspeaker handed to him by Raymond Wood and, braving the rain, shouted to the workers in the factory’s bus: "All men under 50, get out and help clear the road! The troops are reinforcing the riverbank upfront; we must rely on ourselves now!"

The man shouted again and again, and Raymond handed Norman Elliana Lyle’s discarded raincoat under the rain.

In the face of disaster, everyone was equal, and those workers, upon hearing their leader’s call, set into action.

With the first person, then the second, and the third alighting, half of the several thousand workers, along with the men originally living in Holy Spring, came forward! Some women even took flashlights and joined!

Norman Bennett looked towards Hannah Collins’s direction and shouted, "Hannah! Hannah! We need tools!"

"What’s that?" Hannah pulled down her raincoat hood, the rain too loud for her to hear clearly.

"We need tools!"

"Got it!"

Before long, two soldiers carried bundles of shovels over.

Norman Bennett shouted, "Everyone, grab a shovel and clear the road upfront!"

The group followed the troops towards the road blocked by the landslide, and Norman Bennett dressed Elliana Lyle in a raincoat and carried her out of the vehicle.

He was going to place Elliana in the vehicle upfront.

Hearing the raindrops hitting the raincoat, Elliana curled uneasily in the man’s arms, knowing without opening her eyes how fierce the wind and rain outside were and how harsh the environment was.

But her mind was dazed, her forehead felt ablaze, while her cold limbs were weak and feeble.

Arriving at the blocked road upfront, Norman Bennett entrusted her to a woman with a child.

The woman said, "Rest assured, leave her to me. My husband is also helping upfront."

The road was thoroughly blocked by the landslide! Even a few large trees were stranded in the center of the road!

Several soldiers in army uniforms were lifting the trees in the rain! The reinforcement arrived amidst the rain to assist quickly.

Once the trees were moved aside, everyone began digging, as mud from the upper left of the road continued to flow down from the incessant rain!

"Hannah! Block the left mudslide with sandbags! Clear the right!"

With strength in numbers, the left mudslide was quickly blocked with sandbags, and soon the right side of the road was cleared!

Just then, Elliana Lyle stumbled out from the woman’s car!

The surrounding noise was chaotic, and she couldn’t hear anything, but she could see the man who, quite uncharacteristically, was covered in mud and dirt, leaning on a shovel and gasping.

"Why are you getting down!" Seeing Elliana had left the car already beginning to evacuate, Norman Bennett was furious.

"Norman Bennett... I want to stay with you... go together..."

Already several vehicles had passed through the road, the traffic beginning to move. Though the pace was slow, at least they were evacuating.

"Norman Bennett, take Little Sprout and go, I will buy you time!"

It was Hannah Collins’s voice.

Looking towards her with some difficulty, "Hannah... let’s go together..."

She knew what buying time meant.

Something would happen...

"I can’t leave with you. My comrades are still ahead," said Hannah Collins before turning to go, leading the soldiers who went to clear the road back to the riverbank.

It was impossible for her to call Hannah back.

"Norman Bennett... Hannah..." Leaning in the man’s arms, she felt her eyelids growing heavier, as if they’d never open again once closed.

Raymond Wood started the car, turning on the lights inside, and that’s when the man noticed Elliana Lyle’s bloody feet!

Holding Elliana’s cold hand, he said, "Darling, hang in there, don’t sleep." The man’s voice carried a pleading tone as he held her tightly...

Listening to the man’s voice, she wanted to comfort him but couldn’t make a sound. Eventually, she lost consciousness!

...

Hannah Collins reached the riverbank, seeing the soldiers had already formed a human barrier, standing against the torrential rain and flood! Even though they were about to keel over from exhaustion, they gritted their teeth and held on!

Despite this, the sandbags were teetering, barely holding together!

At this critical moment, Hannah led the others to rush to the riverbank to strengthen the human wall!

Water had started to overflow from the top of the sandbags, cascading down over the soldiers’ heads! Clutching each other’s hands and linking arms, they used their bodies to press tightly against the sandbags!

"Aah---! Hold on!"

In the hearts of all the soldiers, there was only the thought of holding steady. Behind them were the people.

Countless soldiers shouted in unison their final slogan: "Loyal to the country, loyal to the people!"