The rain continued to pour.
Inside the broken house, two groups of people lay quietly.
On the left were the survivors rescued by Lin QiYe and the others. On the right were the victims who had lost their lives.
There were 17 survivors and 9 victims.
After the mudslide, many had already lost their lives when the disaster struck. Some were buried by mud, some crushed by falling walls, others pierced by sharp rocks or tree branches... these people couldn't be saved.
The survivors, on the other hand, were under Wen Qingqing's Forbidden Domain, using sleep to heal their injuries. The entire room was filled, quiet as could be.
Because of this, Lin QiYe and the others had to stay outside, leaning against the ruined walls, enduring the wind and rain.
Suddenly, one of the survivors, a girl with braided hair, slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up from the ground in confusion. Her memory was still stuck at the moment the mudslide struck. She had been about to go inside and call her grandparents to evacuate, but the shaking ground had tripped her, and she fell into a corner of the wall...
Where were Grandpa and Grandma?
YaYa looked around in a panic, quickly spotting the two elderly figures lying silently among the victims.
She gritted her teeth and got up, running to their side, shaking their cold bodies desperately. Her pale face was filled with fear.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! What's wrong, Grandpa!"
Her voice startled the others outside. They quickly rushed into the room, seeing YaYa kneeling and shaking the lifeless bodies of the old people. They exchanged helpless looks.
Wen Qingqing pressed her lips tightly together, walking over and gently lifting YaYa.
"What's your name?" she asked softly.
YaYa trembled slightly, then whispered, "YaYa..."
"YaYa..." Wen Qingqing said gently, "Your grandparents are asleep. Let's not wake them, okay?"
YaYa turned to look at her grandparents lying quietly on the floor. She bit her lip and nodded heavily.
Wen Qingqing carried YaYa outside, sitting her down by the broken wall. Lin QiYe and the others exchanged a glance before stepping outside as well.
"Sister, who... who are you guys?" YaYa asked, her face a little less pale as she looked up timidly.
"We? We're the ones who came to rescue you," Wen Qingqing replied with a smile.
"Oh..." YaYa blinked. "Then... when will Grandpa and Grandma wake up?"
Wen Qingqing's body stiffened, and she lowered her head, not knowing what to say.
At that moment, Shen Qingzhu stepped forward. After a brief silence, he slowly spoke, "You're YaYa, right? Besides your grandparents, do you have other family members?"
"Yes, I have a mom and dad."
"Where are they?" Shen Qingzhu pressed on.
"I don't know... In the morning, my dad went up the mountain to collect firewood, and then the heavy rain started. My mom took a raincoat and went up the mountain to find my dad. She hasn't come back yet," YaYa said softly.
"Do you remember where they went up the mountain from?" Shen Qingzhu asked.
YaYa nodded and pointed in one direction. "There."
Everyone turned to look in the direction YaYa pointed. It was exactly where the mudslide had first started. The collapsed debris had already buried part of the mountain peak, leaving barely any trees behind.
The group exchanged glances, falling into silence.
They had gone up the mountain in the morning, and soon after the heavy rain, the earthquake and mudslide occurred. In those circumstances, staying in the mountains was practically... a death sentence.
Wen Qingqing's eyes reddened slightly. She forced a smile and gently stroked YaYa's head.
"YaYa, let's rest for a bit, okay? Look, your hand is hurt," she said softly.
YaYa looked down at her hand, noticing that a large patch of skin had been scraped off. After Wen Qingqing's treatment, the bleeding had stopped, but the wound remained.
Before YaYa could say anything, drowsiness swept over her. She soon fell asleep.
Wen Qingqing carefully picked YaYa up, walked back inside the house, and laid her back on the floor. She took off her military coat and gently covered YaYa's small body with it.
She stepped back outside and immediately felt the tense atmosphere.
Shen Qingzhu leaned against the wall, his eyes squinting as he stared at the distant mountain peaks. "I think we should go look for them."
"We need to stay with the survivors until the rescue team arrives," Instructor Hong said, shaking his head.
"We can split into two teams," Shen Qingzhu suggested.
"No," Instructor Hong replied with a serious expression. "The commander's sudden disappearance means there's something we don't know behind this. Splitting up is not a wise decision."
"Besides, their route up the mountain is too close to the mudslide's starting point. In that kind of situation, it's almost impossible for anyone to survive. Even if we go, we'll probably only find two corpses."
"Let's assume they're still alive," Instructor Hong continued, his tone grim. "Why haven't they returned after ten hours since the mudslide?"
Shen Qingzhu lowered his head, silently clenching his fists, lost in thought.
While everyone wanted to search for YaYa's parents, as Instructor Hong had said, their chances of survival were incredibly slim. Even if they went, it was most likely they would only find two bodies…
"The Night Watch are human, not gods. We can't save everyone..." Instructor Hong said, sensing the group's heavy mood. "You've all worked hard for so long. Take a rest. When the rescue team arrives, we'll head down the mountain."
"Once we're down, it's time for you all to prepare for the oath ceremony and officially become Night Watch members, heading to your respective posts."
Instructor Hong's gaze swept over the group, his lips curving into a smile. "I still remember when you guys first joined the camp, so weak and whiny! Especially you, Shen Qingzhu. You had such a bad temper, looking like you wanted to punch everyone in the face. And that chubby kid, Bai Li, you were like a little pig, eating and sleeping all day..."
Shen Qingzhu frowned, snorting as he turned to look into the distance. Bai Li Tu Ming scratched his head awkwardly.
"Now, look at you. You can run for so long and come to the deep mountains to save people. You're not the same anymore. Watching you all grow, from newbies to Night Watch members... maybe that's the joy of being an instructor."
Instructor Hong's smile deepened for a moment before he shook his head. "But it's still not enough. You haven't grown enough. You're too immature. Like you, Shen Qingzhu, even though you're not as arrogant as before, your temper is still explosive. The day you learn to calm yourself and fully control your emotions, that's when you'll truly grow."
"Don't give me that scowl," Instructor Hong said. "You're the one with the biggest issue here. Once you manage that, your future achievements will not be any less than Lin QiYe's."
Shen Qingzhu glanced at Lin QiYe, his frown deepening. He snorted, not wanting to hear more of Instructor Hong's lecturing. He stood up and walked off.
Lin QiYe: ...?
Why's he dragging me into this? Just lecture him if you want to, why make it my problem?