Chapter 65: Let Me Try!

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Let Me Try!

Hearing the noise, the crowd was somewhat confused but still subconsciously backed away.

Moments later, a well-informed person shouted, "A plank walk collapsed up ahead! A lot of people are injured, and some even fell!"

"Yes, yes! My friend is up ahead and said it looks like a dozen people fell together. The situation is really bad."

"It’s more than just bad. I heard someone died! Someone’s head was smashed wide open."

Hearing this, many people instantly panicked. The more timid ones were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they hurriedly retreated.

A few dozen seconds later, the sound of frantic footsteps came from ahead.

Su Yunzhou caught sight of the middle-aged mountain runner from earlier. He and a young man were hurriedly making their way down, carrying a makeshift stretcher fashioned from two wooden sticks and some clothes.

The crowd parted to both sides, clearing a path. Lying on the stretcher was a girl groaning incessantly. She had extensive abrasions on her arms and thighs, with blood streaming down.

"WHIMPER...

"It hurts so much."

As they passed by, Su Yunzhou finally got a clear look at the girl. It was one of the female college students he had encountered earlier on the road taking photos for social media.

The middle-aged man looked at the crowded path and directed everyone to make way, roaring loudly, "I’m Fire Captain Wu Heng! A plank walk collapsed up ahead, and many people are trapped under the bridge.

"Are there any young people who know first aid and bandaging, or who are physically fit? We need everyone’s help!"

After a moment of silence, a girl in the crowd stepped forward. "I’m a nurse from the Seventh Hospital. I know how to do first aid and bandage wounds."

A well-built young man also stepped up. "I do parkour. I should be able to help."

"I’m a military veteran."

"Me too. I’m a sports student."

Very quickly, a makeshift rescue team spontaneously assembled from the crowd.

Captain Wu handed the makeshift stretcher to the sports student. "You’re in good shape. You guys carry this girl to the Cableway Platform. There are people waiting to receive you there."

He then shouted to the rest of the group, "Everyone else, follow me up! You must obey orders. While saving others, you need to protect yourselves as well."

On the narrow bluestone steps, the crowd abruptly split into two streams. One flowed downward in retreat, while the other surged upstream against the current.

Watching the team head up the mountain, Su Yunzhou hesitated for a moment before turning to the two women. "You two take care of yourselves. Follow the crowd to the Cableway Platform. I’m going up to help."

Li Yan’s brows furrowed slightly as she nodded.

Liu Yiyi’s eyes were filled with worry and concern. "You... you be careful. Stay safe. We’ll wait for you down below."

Su Yunzhou smiled. "Don’t worry!"

With that said, he followed the rescue team up the mountain.

Along the way, he saw many middle-aged people casting encouraging glances. There were also young people standing with their heads bowed and eyes lowered. Everyone had different standpoints and made different choices. Whether or not someone lent a helping hand when encountering difficulties, they had their own reasons, which was beyond reproach.

Su Yunzhou’s previous motto in life had been to mind his own business. Not causing trouble for others was the best way to live. However, after acquiring the system, his financial needs had been met, and his spirit had correspondingly grown richer. Therefore, encountering such a situation, he had both the ability and the willingness to lend a helping hand.

After a brisk ten-minute hike, the rescue team arrived at the scene.

The situation before them was even worse than they had imagined. A wooden plank walk ahead had split right down the middle, with spots of blood clinging to the sharp, splintered wood.

The only silver lining was that there was a shallow pool of water about six or seven meters below the walkway. More than a dozen people had fallen onto the rubble and were wailing in agony. Down below, there were two teenage girls of similar age who looked to be in terrible condition. Their wet hair clung to their faces, their exposed skin was deathly pale, and their breathing was weak.

Hong, the sturdy young man from earlier, was currently in the pool, carefully moving the injured. Nearby, a few others were making more makeshift stretchers.

But the problem now was how to transport the injured people up from below. The cliffs on both sides were at a ninety-degree angle. Although it was only a drop of six or seven meters, the rock faces were covered in slippery moss and lacked obvious footholds. Just climbing up would be extremely difficult, let alone bringing someone along.

The few people who had already been rescued were hauled up by Wu Heng and Hong using ropes woven from clothes, pulling them over the edge of the broken wooden bridge. However, after trying this a few times, the wooden walkway suffered a secondary collapse. Fortunately, everyone reacted quickly and no one was hurt, but it significantly increased the difficulty of the ongoing rescue.

Captain Wu was sweating profusely from anxiety. As a fire captain, he had encountered situations far more complex than this, but he had never been so passive. Having absolutely no equipment on hand was incredibly frustrating.

"Hong, check on the heavily injured ones. I’ll try to think of another way to get them up here," he called out.

"Captain Wu, one of them is in really bad shape! It’s a head injury, and they need to be sent down immediately!"

At this moment, the young man who had previously mentioned knowing parkour stepped forward. "Let me try! I practice parkour. Bringing someone up from this height shouldn’t be a problem."

Everyone’s eyes collectively turned toward him, many filled with expectation and approval.

Captain Wu glanced at him and said, "Alright, give it a try. But you must prioritize your safety."

"Got it!"

The young man replied, crouching down to tighten his shoelaces. He then found a bottle of mineral water, wet his hands, and rubbed them in the dirt a few times to increase friction. After doing all this, he clapped his hands together, found a few anchor points on the cliff face, and nimbly descended like an agile monkey.

Captain Wu couldn’t help but praise him inwardly, "Not bad at all. The kid’s got real skills! It looks like this method will work." At the same time, he organized the bystanders to take off their clothes, tie them into ropes, and dangle them down to create support points.

After getting to the bottom, the young man tested the "ropes." Because they weren’t securely anchored, their effectiveness was less than satisfactory. Unable to worry about that now, he quickly made his way to the most severely injured girl.

Hong used the "ropes" to secure the girl to the young man’s back. There was no time left to worry about secondary injuries.

PHEW.

The young man took a deep breath, crouched slightly, and began to climb upward. The cliff face was incredibly slippery, but relying on his agility, he inched his way up. By the time he reached the halfway point, fine beads of sweat had already broken out on his forehead. Climbing while carrying a person was far more exhausting than he had imagined.

"Keep it up! Hold on just a little longer. I’ll be able to grab you in a second!" Captain Wu shouted, lying flat on the edge of the cliff.

The young man gritted his teeth and nodded, not even daring to speak or relax for a single second.

Captain Wu’s outstretched arm finally caught hold of the girl’s arm. With a loud shout, he pulled upward with all his might, and the young man simultaneously pushed from below, hoisting her up.

In the blink of an eye, both of them reached the top. The crowd erupted into cheers.

The nurse immediately ran over to check on the injured girl and promptly began administering basic first aid. However, her condition was still not optimistic. Soon after, three young men took turns carrying the makeshift stretcher, heading toward the Cableway Platform.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the parkour traceur flipped back down. This method was effective, but the physical demands were immense. It was completely different from parkour, yet to save lives, he had to persevere.

But sometimes, that was just how life was. Persevering didn’t always guarantee success. When he repeated the process for the third time, he lost focus for a split second. His foot slipped, and his entire body tumbled backward.

"Oh no!"

Hong, with quick reflexes, managed to catch him, but the young man still let out a sharp cry.

"AH!"

Hong immediately took the injured person off his back and hurriedly checked on the young man, who was now clutching his ankle. In just a few dozen seconds, his ankle had begun to swell and turn purple.

Looking up at Captain Wu’s concerned gaze, Hong shook his head helplessly. "He sprained his ankle. He won’t be able to put any weight on it for a while."

Hearing this assessment, the glimmer of hope that had finally risen in the hearts of the rescuers standing by was instantly shattered. A wave of sighs rippled through the group.

"Ugh... What do we do now?"

"Should I go down and try?"

"You? It’s questionable whether you could even climb back up on your own, let alone bring someone with you."

"Then what should we do? Are we just supposed to watch?"

Just as everyone was at their wits’ end, a resolute voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"Let me try!"