Her voice was calm and indifferent, but as she stared at the mirror, she could see her eyes were filled
with expectations and hope that they could go back to the way they were.
Seeing herself so hopeful, Rachel shielded herself from the mirror and diverted her attention towards
something else.
"Be careful, okay? Don't get wet and catch a cold."
She pinched her bed sheets, trying to stay calm. "Okay."
After she hung up the phone, Rachel turned and threw herself onto the bed. She gritted her teeth,
annoyed by her own feelings.
'I already said that I'd teach him a lesson, and look at me!'
It seemed that she had already fallen for him all over again.
Rachel cared for him so much more than she had expected. In fact, when she heard his voice, a part of
her wished he was here right in front of her. She had already fallen right into his trap.
Now, she didn't know what to do.
The next morning, they learned that a nearby village was submerged in the flood.
The rescue was going on full force, so all the activities they had planned out for the day were
suspended.
Due to the emergency, they might even need to buy tickets and head back to Ninwell City in advance.
A few minutes later after they were informed of the case, there happened to be a landslide in the village
nearby. An injured old man tried his best to call his son and inform him the situation.
His son came over to ask for help.
When the news came, several leaders present decided to form a rescue team. They quickly packed up
medicine, water, and food for all the victims that were affected.
The doctors volunteered for the rescue.
However, since the number of cars were limited, only ten people were allowed to leave for the site.
Rachel, Holley, and Vicky were among them.
Given the disaster, none of them said a word.
Locals who were familiar with the rocky terrain were also on their way. As soon as they heard the news,
they ran over ten kilometers just to get there.
The river bank was destroyed by the storm, and the narrow road was submerged in rubble. Even the
tall trees were soaked with mud and water from the flood.
Different objects floated against the currents, making such a horrifying sight.
This was the first time they had faced such a situation, so everyone remained silent. Some of them
were even shaking from the anxiety of being part of the rescue team.
With his thick eyebrows furrowed over, the local man waved his hand. "Go to the other side and make
a detour," he yelled out.
Soon enough, the five cars turned to another direction. Although the rain didn't stop, it wasn't as heavy
as last night.
The road was muddy, and the cars were wobbling along the way. Because of the detour, it took them
more than half an hour to get to their initial location.
When they finally got there, everyone was stunned. The mountain was overturned and the whole road
ahead was destroyed. The cars couldn't pass, and the situation was even more serious than the last
scene they had seen.
Some of them shrank back at the sight.
It was said that landslides were common on mountains, especially during the rain. Who knew what
would happen if they continued pressing forward?
Rachel gazed blankly ahead.
She might as well be facing her deathbed.
No one could guarantee that they could walk out safely.
They all volunteered to come, but seeing as they were now faced with another life and death situation,
no one would force them to go over the edge.
Their leader turned around to look at them. His eyes were deep under the pouring rain, but he didn't
look as if he was fazed at all.
"Everyone, listen up! As you can see, we're faced with something more serious than what we had
initially expected. And we have no experience in dealing with this matters.
This is why you can decide yourselves whether to go or not. Everyone needs your help, but you can't
save others by taking your own."
The leader was straightforward. Although he knew the need for doctors, he also knew that some of
them had families back home. He couldn't force them to do something they weren't willing to do.
Knowing nothing about the dangers ahead, some of them began to meditate.
Although they wanted to help, it was a difficult decision.
The leader licked his lips. "There are more than one hundred families in the valley. I've already decided
to go.
As for you, it's your own decision. You can either help them with me, contact the main troops, or join
the rescue team once they get here."
The crowd was silent. If they waited for the rescue team to come over, then it would be much safer for
them.
However, given the critical situation, if the rescue team arrived, it might already be too late.
They looked around as whispers rippled across the crowd.
Rachel gazed at the leaning mountain in front of her. She wasn't born to be kind. Faced with this
choice, she was also unsure if she should partake in this mission.
Suddenly, a heavy choking noise came from behind the crowd. The rough man, whose father was in
danger, raised his hand and wiped off the wetness on his face.
Rachel recognized the man in front of her. He was the one who had informed them on what was
happening.
His father had been injured.
The man carried his bag through the crowd.
He raised his head.
"To be honest, I don't know what's going on in my hometown. There are two mountains around our
village. My father already hung up before I could figure out which one caused the landslide,"
he said.
The old man was in trouble, but Rachel could tell that the man still had hopes in seeing his father
again.
She felt her vision blur as emotions overcame her.
"Thank you for coming here, for trying," he said. His eyes were rimmed red. "I know that you all came
with pure hearts, but the condition and the equipment may not allow you to move any further. You could
go back."
Someone in the crowd said, "I'll go with you!"
Jack had already made up his mind that he would try his best to get everything arranged in his
company, so that when Rachel would come back, he could pick her up by himself. He would also be
free for the following two or three days.
After a while, he gave her a call.
This time, she didn't answer. He frowned, wondering why.
As of the moment, the disaster that had transpired in the small town was still unknown to people in
Ninwell City.
It would take them another twenty minutes' drive to get to the town. This time, there were less than ten
people coming in.
In the end, no one gave up from the fight. Instead, they decided to split into teams. Half of them
decided to leave for the site first.
The other half would contact the army to prepare all kinds of medicinal products and other necessary
goods.
Several people present had already taken part on disasters like earthquakes, so they already had
experience in arranging the rescue.
Rachel and other members were called in to participate given that the hospital staff in the village might
not be able to accommodate the scale of the people injured.
They needed to be there to assist.
The state of the place was much worse than expected.
It was just this morning when the disaster had happened. However, the landslide had injured many
people.
For those who were left unscathed, they rushed to other neighboring villages of the trouble they were
facing.
Seeing as they didn't have any equipment, some of them even had to dig with their own hands. There
were dozens of men from the village who joined the team to excavate the wounded.
The rescue mission was arranged orderly. Some of them were assigned to help the wounded, build
temporary tents, and search for injured bodies.
Soon enough, it was already noon. Rachel's hands were soaked with rain water and mud. Her nails
were covered with dirt. Her hair was stringy and flat against her back. Blood and mud stained her
clothes.
Everyone looked the same.
Holley, who was also a mess, handed her a bottle of water. Rachel's eyes widened.
"Here. Take it," she urged.
At that moment, Rachel couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself. She took the water from Holley.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Rachel wiped the sweat from her forehead as Holley smiled bitterly. "I can't believe
we're crazy enough to suffer like this," she joked.
Rachel smiled. "We're just doing our best." She took a sip of water. "As long as I can save one life now,
that's more than enough."
Hearing what Rachel said, Holley snorted.
Deep inside, she didn't want to join the rescue.
Life was precious. Even doctors should care for their own safety.
It was a lie to say that they chose this at their own free will. In fact, they were scared out of their wits.
Only a fool would rush in unaware of the consequences at hand.
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