Chapter 626 - 641: Transverse River Crossing

Zhou Xiaoshan’s words, "Don’t worry," truly set An Ning’s mind at ease.

"Good. Are you here to pick me up?"

"Yes."

Zhou Xiaoshan nodded affirmatively.

"Alright, then you can follow me."

"Huh?"

Before Zhou Xiaoshan could ask, An Ning’s motorboat had already sped off.

"No, Master, I’m not supposed to follow you, you’re supposed to follow me! Master— Master—"

Zhou Xiaoshan started his boat and hurried to catch up to An Ning.

The higher-ups had sent him to retrieve An Ning, hoping to play the sentiment card. But as it turned out, the dynamic between a master and an apprentice was irreversible.

After Zhou Xiaoshan caught up, a single look and a question from An Ning left him speechless.

"Are you going to disobey your master’s command?"

Zhou Xiaoshan wanted to shake his head but also nod. For a moment, his head felt stuck, and he didn’t dare move.

’This is so hard!’

’What am I supposed to do?!’

"Follow me. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. If Director Zhao calls, just transfer it directly to me. I’ll speak to him myself."

"Yes!"

Zhou Xiaoshan practically wanted to snap to attention and salute. After lowering his hand, he called out cheekily, "Master, can I come aboard your boat?"

"Come on!"

An Ning didn’t refuse. The main reinforcements had arrived with supplies and personnel, so she probably wouldn’t need to produce any more of her own supplies.

If a crisis did arise and she needed to produce something, she could just knock Zhou Xiaoshan out.

’Yes, that’s what I’ll do.’

Hopping over from the other boat, Zhou Xiaoshan felt An Ning’s gaze on him and asked with a grin, "Master, did you miss me?"

"Mhm."

An Ning let out a meaningful "mhm," and Zhou Xiaoshan became as happy as a fool.

"I knew you missed me, Master!"

Although they hadn’t seen each other in years, Zhou Xiaoshan’s admiration and respect for An Ning had only grown deeper.

Every month, An Ning would mail things to Zhou Xiaoshan. Her handwritten notes and the personalized lessons she recorded for him had been a tremendous help.

And he, in turn, had truly found his passion, something he was prepared to devote his life to.

Zhou Xiaoshan and another young soldier boarded An Ning’s boat. The three of them set off as a team to search and rescue in the low-lying villages nearby.

When Director Zhao’s call came in again, the old man was so frustrated he slapped his thigh.

How did another one get roped into this!

You have to understand, Zhou Xiaoshan was never just a simple soldier. His specialty was scientific research—weapons development. As someone whose intellect had even amazed An Ning, you can imagine the level of his weapons research.

If his research hadn’t just reached a milestone, if he hadn’t needed a break, and if he hadn’t volunteered and beaten his chest guaranteeing he could bring An Ning back, who would have let him participate in a rescue mission?!

One wrong move, and a national treasure would be lost.

And now, two could be lost!

Director Zhao felt like he couldn’t breathe.

It’s great when the kids have their own ideas, but when those ideas go against your own, it’s just so vexing.

In the end, Director Zhao could only order his people to stay close to An Ning and Zhou Xiaoshan and ensure their safety at all costs.

What else could he say? Forbid them from going? It wasn’t like the two of them had done anything wrong.

’Our kids are just too good!’

The search and rescue continued. An Ning led Zhou Xiaoshan as they drifted through the floodwaters. They passed one village after another; if a village already had rescue teams assigned, they would just pass by. Only by spreading out would there be a greater hope of rescuing more people.

The farther they went, the faster the current became.

They were now flanked by small hills. They didn’t look very high, but in reality, these were areas where people used to hunt.

"HEY— OVER HERE— PLA COMRADES, OVER HERE!"

"WE’RE OVER HERE!"

Someone was shouting from a hilltop. An Ning and Zhou Xiaoshan quickly looked in that direction.

"Let’s go!"

The three of them steered the inflatable boat toward the hill.

"It’s no good, we can’t get through."

The current was too strong. It was impossible to go directly upstream.

They felt as if they were in the middle of a great, raging river, with people calling for help from the opposite bank.

An Ning acted decisively. She took out a rope from the boat, tied a knot, and, eyeing a large tree on the other side, swung her arm back.

"Master—"

"Get down!"

With her shout, An Ning threw the rope.

Guided by her precise spiritual power, the rope looped securely around the tree.

"The small rope!"

At An Ning’s shout, Zhou Xiaoshan instantly understood. He handed the nearby small rope to An Ning, its other end already secured to the middle of the inflatable boat’s hull.

An Ning was just as fast. She attached the small rope to the large one, creating a tether. She then secured the near end of the large rope to a slope on their side, its iron spike digging deep into the earth.

Once the large rope was fixed in place, the small tethering rope was also secure.

The boat was now tethered to the main line. Angled at forty-five degrees to the current, it was now stable and began to move slowly toward the hill on the other side.

This was the standard technique for a traverse rescue. It effectively negated the force of the current, allowing the boat to cross smoothly to the other side.

Angling across at forty-five degrees, the crossing was a success.

"Thank you, thank you! We knew you would come!"

The two villagers on the hillock thanked them profusely. An Ning hurried to help them up.

Only then did she notice that the villagers’ shoes were gone, and their bodies were covered in mud.

"Are you from a nearby village?"

"Yes, yes, we’re from Wagou Village. We live just over there. Everything’s flooded, and there’s no signal. The road to our village is hard to navigate, so we were afraid no one would find us. The two of us came out to get help."

"You... you are true heroes."

An Ning’s unreserved praise made the two simple, plain-spoken villagers feel embarrassed.

"What heroes? It just happened to be us. The people in the village... well, we’re used to walking in the mountains, so we know the way."

"No, really. You’re the real heroes."

They didn’t continue exchanging praises. An Ning’s group of three followed the two villagers toward their village.

Along the way, An Ning learned that the two villagers had set out separately.

In their own words: "If we go separately, at least one of us is guaranteed to survive."

At that moment, An Ning felt that these two mud-caked villagers were radiating a unique light.

The five of them finally reached the village.

There wasn’t much standing water here, but there were no houses to be seen. Almost nothing was left of the entire village.

"The water from the mountains rushed down with the mud. A lot of people were buried inside. We rescued some... we dug some people out, but many are still trapped."

The two villagers had both taken part in the initial rescue before dragging their exhausted bodies out to find a path to survival.

"You were hit by a mudslide."

’And a massive one at that.’

"Xiao Shan, send our coordinates. Tell them this location needs emergency rescue, highest priority."

"Yes!"

Zhou Xiaoshan quickly contacted the outside. After establishing communication, the estimated arrival time for reinforcements was an hour and a half to two hours.

’An hour and a half...’

"Let’s rescue who we can first!"

An Ning’s group of three, along with a few villagers who still had the strength to help, entered the muddy ruins.

Her spiritual power continuously scanned the area. Whenever she sensed the presence of a living person, An Ning completely ignored any doubtful looks, went straight over, and started digging to save them.

Two hours later, the rescue team finally arrived.