Chapter 195

Chapter 195

A major earthquake struck Jibei, affecting several surrounding cities, and even the remote village of Kaoshantun in the Great Northern Wasteland felt the tremors.

Mentally prepared and with sharper senses than most, Ye Qing, who had been asleep, woke up instantly at the first tremor and quickly got up from the kang.*

"The earth is shaking!"

Murong Ah Po, being older and needing less sleep, had woken up early at around three in the morning. As soon as she felt the tremors, she immediately called out.

Soon, lights flickered on in the courtyard, and several girls, startled awake, hurriedly got up and dressed.

By the time they reached the courtyard, the neighboring Gu family, as well as the elderly men living nearby—Uncle Cui, Old Master Liu, and Old Master He—had all been startled awake by the commotion. Each of them, wrapped in their coats, stumbled out into the night.

The animals in the mountains, frightened, were fleeing in all directions, but the tremors did not last long, and the night quickly returned to calm.

Uncle Cui had read Ye Qing's warning report, and now that the prediction had come true, it proved that Ye Qing's analysis was quite accurate. However, the old man felt no joy at all.

Ye Qing was even more anxious because she vaguely remembered some information about this major earthquake. The disaster had caused hundreds of thousands of casualties, nearly paralyzed the infrastructure, and was followed by continuous aftershocks, resulting in a vast area of devastation and extremely severe conditions. A city of a million people was almost flattened overnight.

Even though Ye Qing and Gu Weidong had submitted warning reports in advance, prompting the authorities to implement an emergency evacuation plan, how could everyone follow orders in such a short time? Therefore, many people must have remained in the city, now in dire straits and urgently in need of rescue.

Ye Qing couldn't help but look at Uncle Cui:

"Uncle Cui, please arrange for me to leave first thing tomorrow morning!"

Liu Yuanpeng and Old Master He were standing nearby and were stunned by Ye Qing's sudden statement: "Leave? Ye Qing, where are you going?"

Ye Qing pointed to the southwest:

"To the earthquake zone, to participate in rescue efforts. They must be in desperate need of surgeons there. I can save as many as possible!"

Ye Qing's eyes were firm and resolute, showing no trace of fear or hesitation.

Inspired by her unwavering resolve, Gu Weinan, Zheng Xin, and others nearby immediately declared:

"Master, we'll go too!"

At that moment, several educated youth from the educated youth compound, awakened by the tremors, came to the health station to inquire about the situation. Hearing Ye Qing's plan to join the rescue efforts in the earthquake zone, they also shouted:

"We're in! Many hands make light work. Even if we can't reach the epicenter, we can still help on the periphery!"

Later, more villagers from Kaoshantun arrived, and gradually, some young people expressed their desire to join the rescue team.

A group of vibrant young people, filled with passion and determination, wanted to enter the earthquake zone. The emotions of the three old comrades were also stirred. After discussing among themselves, they decided to arrange for vehicles to transport these young volunteers to Jibei.

Ye Qing and her four apprentices, as a medical team, would definitely need to enter the epicenter area, so they couldn't travel with the educated youth. She called Zhao Yuliang to inquire about the situation at the military farm. As expected, Zhao Yuliang was also urgently mobilizing thousands of soldiers to head to the earthquake zone.

Thus, Ye Qing and the girls quickly packed their equipment and followed the soldiers from the military farm to the earthquake zone overnight. Before departure, Ye Qing suddenly thought of something, turned back, rushed into the courtyard, and brought out the now-grown Dawn and Dusk, climbing onto the military truck with them.

The two wolves, now majestic and proud, looked strikingly similar to their father, Man Cang. Usually kept in the courtyard by Ye Qing to guard the premises, they were taken into the Changbai Mountains every few days to roam and hunt.

Thanks to Ye Qing's occasional use of her wood element abilities to nurture them, these two wolves had exceptionally high intelligence. While retaining the fierce hunting instincts of wolves, their obedience far surpassed that of ordinary military dogs. In short, they were Ye Qing's most trusted companions and bodyguards. With them by her side, she felt secure no matter where she was.

Of course, Ye Qing brought them to the earthquake zone not just for her own safety.

She mainly considered their keen sense of smell and human-like understanding, planning to use them as life detectors in the earthquake zone to help locate survivors under the rubble. This would not only ease some of the rescue efforts but also save precious time in rescuing the injured waiting beneath the debris, preventing more unnecessary casualties.

When Ye Qing's team arrived at the earthquake zone, they were struck speechless by the devastating scene. Many people were wailing under the scorching sun, mourning their lost homes and missing loved ones. The once bustling city now lay in ruins, and everyone was engulfed in sorrow and despair. *Kang: A traditional Chinese heated bed platform.

However, the rescue teams had no time to grieve or cry; they had to quickly adjust their emotions and jump into the rescue efforts.

Because of the aftershocks, the rescue teams had to set up camp on the outskirts temporarily. A large number of People’s Liberation Army soldiers marched overnight to Jibei, and the Jicheng Military Headquarters dispatched a special forces advance team, which was directly airlifted by military helicopters to parachute into the disaster zone, heading straight for the epicenter of the quake. All available medical teams and equipment in the vicinity were mobilized to the disaster area, and countless volunteers spontaneously formed civilian rescue teams. In the chaotic disaster scene, everyone was racing against the clock to save lives, doing their utmost to buy time for survivors trapped under the rubble.

Upon arriving at the outskirts camp, Ye Qing and her team wasted no time. They quickly found the person in charge of the rescue organization, introduced themselves, and informed them of her expertise in emergency medical procedures. She requested a tent and assured the person in charge that if any critically injured patients were found that other doctors were unwilling to handle, they should be sent directly to her, as she would take care of them.

Given Ye Qing’s track record over the past few years, she had the skills and confidence to back up her claims. To prove her credibility, she brought along the medals and certificates she had earned, which she carried in her bag. Upon seeing the stack of gleaming awards, the person in charge didn’t ask any more questions. He saluted Ye Qing and hurried off to make arrangements. Soon after, the tent Ye Qing had requested was prepared.

Once inside the tent, the team barely had time to catch their breath before the first batch of injured patients was brought in. Ye Qing immediately jumped into action, assessing the patients' conditions and preparing surgical tools without hesitation. She pulled out her acupuncture kit and got to work.

Her female apprentices quickly stepped in to assist, and the team worked in a well-coordinated and efficient manner to clean and suture wounds. Even without Ye Qing saying a word, everyone worked seamlessly together.

The work seemed endless, as wave after wave of injured patients were brought in. Ye Qing and her team were constantly on their feet, performing emergency treatments and frantically arranging for volunteers to carry patients away. Throughout the day, the operating table in her tent was constantly in use.

As night fell, volunteers finally brought them a pot of hot water and a few cold, hard buns, urging them to take a moment to eat something.

By this point, Ye Qing and her team were so exhausted they could barely lift their arms. Having gone more than ten hours without food, they were starving. They didn’t mind how dry the buns were; they just grabbed them and started eating, washing them down with hot water to ease their hunger.

Just then, Ye Qing felt a tug at her pant leg. She looked down and saw two pairs of green eyes staring up at her with a pitiful expression.

It was then that Ye Qing realized she had been so absorbed in saving lives that she had completely forgotten about her two wolf-dogs.

She quickly stepped out of the tent to find the person in charge of the rescue team, hoping to find a soldier who could lead the two wolf-dogs into the disaster zone to assist.

As soon as she stepped out, someone noticed her and quickly directed a group of soldiers carrying a stretcher to her tent.

"Over there! That doctor can handle deliveries!"

When Ye Qing saw the bloodied, barely conscious pregnant woman on the stretcher, her expression changed instantly. She quickly lifted the tent flap, allowing the soldiers to bring the woman inside, while shouting to her apprentices:

"Weinan, you guys, get ready for surgery!"

The officer in charge patted Ye Qing on the shoulder, said, "It's up to you now," and turned to leave with his soldiers.

It was then that Ye Qing recognized him—it was Hao Shaofeng, the political commissar from the regiment where Gu Weidong had previously served, whom she had met a few times in Kaoshantun.

Relieved to see someone she knew, Ye Qing quickly called out:

"Political Commissar Hao, please wait a moment!"

Hao Shaofeng turned back, looking puzzled.

The pregnant woman’s condition was clearly critical, and surgery had to be performed immediately. With no time to waste, Ye Qing got straight to the point:

"These two wolf-dogs are mine. They don’t bite and can understand human commands. If you can contact Gu Weidong, that would be great. If not, could you please take them into the disaster zone? They have a keen sense of smell and can act as living life detectors. Bringing them along will definitely be a big help!"

Ye Qing then gave the two wolf-dogs, Liming and Shuguang, a few careful instructions and waved them off: "Go!"

The two wolf-dogs immediately stood up and followed Hao Shaofeng out.

Hao Shaofeng glanced at the two large, imposing wolf-dogs beside him, his face filled with doubt and disbelief.

What the hell? These things are being used as rescue dogs? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Can this really work?