Mountainside.
Some of the rescuers had recovered from the discomfort and continued to search the area.
Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang set up a temporary shelter on the mountainside.
"Secretary Dong, Mayor Zhang." A firefighter entered the shelter.
"Is there any news from the rescue teams?" Dong Xuebing looked at the firefighter.
"The first team did not find any missing teachers or students. The second team had reached the top of the mountain and did not find any. They only found some paper bags containing fruit peels and snacks. Because there are not a lot of snacks, we are not sure if they were left behind by the students. They might also be discarded by the tourists yesterday or this morning." The firefighter replied. "That means we are not sure if the students had reached the top of the mountain, and we cannot narrow the search area."
This is bad news.
They had lost contact with the teachers and students on the mountain for almost four hours, and it's afternoon now. If this carries on, it will be night time.
Zhang Dongfang does not know what to do.
The rest of the leaders are also worried.
"Continue to search." Dong Xuebing ordered. "Keep an eye out for any movements."
"Yes." The firefighter replied and left.
Only Dong Xuebing is calmer. It is not because he believes the rescuers can find the teachers and students. He is confident the rescuers can hear his voice. If the teachers and students are really lost on the mountain, Dong Xuebing's voice can help them find their way out. Even if there are obstacles in the way, they will be heading in the right direction. The only thing they are worried about is the teachers and students had gone too far. If they went to the back of the mountain, their voices will reflect and echo, and they might be heading in the wrong direction.
Wait!
Dong Xuebing calmed himself down and took over the command of the rescue team. He stood in the rain with an umbrella to direct the rescue team.
Zhang Dongfang had wanted to command the rescue team along with him. But he had not recovered from the shock he received from Dong Xuebing. That's why he did not dare to move. Zhang Dongfang is very old, and his body is not as strong as a young man. Also, he was drenched in the rain and is not in a good condition.
Dong Xuebing saw Zhang Dongfang. "Mayor Zhang, I will get someone to help you down the mountain."
Zhang Dongfang shook his hand. "No need. I can still hold on."
Since he was lightly injured, a newspaper reporter took another photo of County Magistrate Zhang Dongfang. He took a photo of County Magistrate Zhang's weak and exhausted face.
This was a show.
Dong Xuebing shook his head and ignored them.
Meng Hanmei, on the other hand, is panicking. She is already on Dong Xuebing's side, and she must consider the benefits of her faction. Mayor Zhang is the first person to arrive at the scene to command the rescue, and he is still in the frontline despite his poor health. If this news is reported to the media, people will feel differently. But what about Dong Xuebing? Dong Xuebing had not accepted any interviews from the media since he arrived. When Meng Hanmei first arrived, she heard Dong Xuebing had asked the reporters not to create trouble in front of the Whole County's cameras. This means … everyone in the government knew Zhang Dongfang was putting on a show, and Dong Xuebing did not accept any interviews. But the people might not think so. At least, Dong Xuebing did not give them clear signals.
Meng Hanmei felt Dong Xuebing is too stubborn and inflexible. It's fine to put on a show now, as everyone is doing this.
"Secretary," Meng Hanmei said softly.
"Bring out the light! Swaying back and forth! Hmm? What's wrong, Chief Meng? "Dong Xuebing looked at Meng Hanmei while giving out orders.
Meng Hanmei changed the topic. "Do you think the reporters …"
Dong Xuebing replied without hesitation. "Don't mind them. Save the people first."
Meng Hanmei saw she could not persuade Dong Xuebing and did not say anything else.
Suddenly, a loud voice came from the top of the hill. "I heard voices! I heard the children's voices! On the hill! "
"What?"
"Where are they?"
"Where are they? How come I can't see them? "
Everyone immediately fell into chaos and started talking at once.
Dong Xuebing also rushed out with an umbrella and shouted. "Quiet down!"
After Dong Xuebing's voice earlier, everyone will shiver when they hear his voice. This is a conditioned reflex.
This side immediately fell silent.
After that, the voices from the top of the hill became clearer.
"Is anyone there?"
"Help us!"
"We are here!"
Dong Xuebing confirmed the direction with one glance. Although he could not see anyone with his naked eyes, he could tell it was the children shouting. "Save them now!" Dong Xuebing shouted and ran up the hill.
Without Dong Xuebing's instructions, the rescuers quickly gather around. The rescuers who were searching in other places also found out the direction of the missing children through the walkie-talkie and rushed over.
Finally, the first batch of rescuers made contact with the missing teachers and students.
Dong Xuebing, Chang Lin, and the rest were still rushing up the hill. Zhang Dongfang and the rest of the County's leaders were also following them.
The walkie-talkie rang.
"We found them!" The person on the other side shouted.
Dong Xuebing quickly asked. "How are they doing?"
That person replied. "They are all exhausted, and many of them can't walk anymore. We are asking our teachers to count the number of people, and there should be no one missing. I heard they were hiding in a cave to avoid the rain and got lost. After that, you shouted 'where are they?' and followed your voice to look for help. If you did not tell them the right direction, we will need at least tomorrow to search the cave."
Dong Xuebing said. "Take care of the children. We will be there soon!"
The walkie-talkie was cut, and Meng Hanmei was relieved. "Thank God!"
"You should be thanking Secretary Dong." Chang Lin gave Dong Xuebing a thumbs up. "Secretary Dong's voice … is amazing."
The rest of the leaders heard this and laughed.
Dong Xuebing was in a good mood and joked. "I have a loud voice since young."
Zhang Dongfang was cursing in his heart. Dong Xuebing's voice almost gave me a heart attack. You are not just loud!
Gradually, they could see the lights of the rescue team from afar. The people at the back were running out of stamina. After all, they were all government officials and office workers. They had been running in the rain for a long time and were scared by Dong Xuebing. Now, they still have to climb the hill. Zhang Dongfang and the rest could not hold on any longer. Many young men were also exhausted and dropped out of the group.
Only Dong Xuebing was running fast and did not even pant.
Su Yan could not keep up. He was panting with his umbrella and could only look at Dong Xuebing's back view getting further and further away.
Dong Xuebing did not wait for them. He saw the lights were getting closer and he quickened his pace. He covered about eight to nine meters in just a few steps. Suddenly, a searchlight appeared in Dong Xuebing's vision. He narrowed his eyes to get used to the light, and the next second, Dong Xuebing was relieved. He saw almost a hundred teachers and students walking in the rain with the help of the rescue team.
"Secretary Dong!" The leader of the rescue team immediately ran up to Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing asked. "Is everyone here? Are there any injured people? "
That person replied, "Everyone's here. There are some external injuries from falling, but they're not serious. The main thing is that a few students were drenched and some of them have high fever. The rest of the students aren't in good condition either. They were frightened."
Dong Xuebing said. "Bring them down the hill. The ground is slippery. Be careful of the road and safety."
Almost a hundred teachers and students were covered in mud and did not bring rain gear. It was a sorry sight. Dong Xuebing frowned when he saw the number of rescue team members. There were not enough rescue team members to deal with the students one by one. They could only protect the students and help them down the hill.
At this moment, Zhang Dongfang, Meng Hanmei, and the rest also came up.
The few people from the TV station were panting, but they still switched on their cameras. The signal from here could not be transmitted back, but they could record the content first.
Zhang Dongfang was carried up the hill by two people. When he saw the students, he was very emotional. He pulled his hand away from the two leaders beside him and walked forward. "Students, I'm sorry to let you all get down the hill. Don't be afraid. We are here!"
The camera was aimed at Zhang Dongfang again.
Many female students were crying. They had been living in fear, and now they were finally saved. They could not stop their tears.
Zhang Dongfang went up to comfort them.
Dong Xuebing also went over and did not say anything. He did not comfort the students or the teachers. He stretched out his hand and gave the only umbrella he had to a female student.
It was raining heavily.
Dong Xuebing was drenched almost instantly.
Secretary Su Yan was shocked and quickly rushed over to help Dong Xuebing with the umbrella. "Secretary!"
Dong Xuebing pushed the umbrella away emotionlessly. "Don't worry about me. Protect the children down the hill." He said and looked at a teacher. "Where are the students with high fever? How many of them are there? "
That female teacher heard how the others addressed Dong Xuebing and saw their attitude towards him. How could she not know who Dong Xuebing was? She immediately replied nervously. "There are two with severe fever. Over there."
She pointed, and a male and female student with pale faces appeared in Dong Xuebing's sight. Because the environment was bad, there were not enough rescue team members. They could only support each other and could not rely on stretchers to carry them. The two students were staggering and had a hard time walking.
"I got it." Dong Xuebing did not say anything and squeezed into the crowd of students. He stretched out his hands and grabbed two students who were running a high fever between their armpits. He walked out of the crowd like he was carrying a chicken and walked down the hill.
The camera also captured this scene.
Everyone was stunned. Damn, are you carrying a plastic bag? So easy?
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