Su Anxi also benefited from her slender and relatively flexible physique, allowing her to descend. As soon as she reached the bottom, she stretched out her hand and called, "Pass me the supplies."
Xu Yu crouched at the opening of the crevice, handing her the medical supplies Su Anxi had packed earlier. Seeing her take them swiftly, he raised his hand and gestured downward, shouting to the team member controlling the rope, "Lower."
During the long wait, Xu Yu kept his eyes fixed on the entrance where Su Anxi had descended, holding the walkie-talkie in his hand, which emitted a constant static signal.
Captain Zhou of the Firefighting Special Service was discussing rescue strategies for the area with captains from other firefighting squads. If an optimal plan could be devised, the area where Su Anxi had entered could also be secured.
Several soldiers from the Special Forces Team gathered around, patiently waiting for Dr. Su's response, but there was none.
Su Anxi turned on her searchlight and discovered that the space below was quite large and deep, resembling a deep well. Finally, her feet touched the ground. In her excitement, she failed to notice a rock in the darkness and stepped on it, twisting her ankle.
Her ankle was sprained.
The pain made her gasp sharply. Gritting her teeth, she looked around and spotted a person lying motionless nearby, as if dead.
"Hello," Su Anxi called out, limping over in pain. Shining her light on the person, she realized the individual's hands and feet were tied—it looked like… a kidnapping.
She quickly crouched down, placed her supplies on the ground, and checked the person's pulse and heartbeat. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief. Though weak, the person was thankfully still alive.
"Miss, wake up."
Su Anxi untied her, pressed her philtrum, and administered a nutrient injection. While waiting for her to regain consciousness, Su Anxi remembered the walkie-talkie and hurriedly turned it on.
"Captain Xu," Su Anxi called out.
Hearing Su Anxi's voice, Xu Yu felt a momentary sense of relief, but his tone quickly turned admonishing. "Dr. Su, I believe I reminded you to keep the walkie-talkie on at all times."
Su Anxi knew Xu Yu well enough to recognize the barely concealed frustration in his voice. She smiled to herself and replied, "Sorry, I forgot."
Xu Yu couldn't help but close his eyes briefly before immediately reopening them. "What's the situation down there?"
"There's a woman here, thinner than me. She should be able to ascend directly without any issues," Su Anxi reported, glancing at the slowly awakening woman beside her. She continued, "No life-threatening injuries, but she's very weak and passed out. However… her hands and feet were tied. I think it's necessary to inform the public security department about this."
"Understood. Let's focus on rescuing her first. Notify me once you're ready, and I'll lower another rope," Xu Yu said, standing up and letting out an audible sigh of relief.
"Alright."
Su Anxi nodded to herself, leaning against the uneven support structure. Despite the cramped and oppressive environment, she felt no fear or anxiety. She looked up at the faint light filtering in from above, watching the untouchable dust particles drifting in the air like frozen time, and her heart settled into calm.
She brought the walkie-talkie to her lips and slowly spoke, "I… have thought about it."
This seemingly out-of-nowhere statement, delivered plainly yet clearly through the walkie-talkie, left everyone present bewildered. Yet, they noticed a faint smile tugging at Captain Xu's lips.
"I have thought about it"? What did that mean? What could she have thought about that brought a smile to the usually stern and unapproachable Captain Xu's face?
The rope was lowered, and the survivor had woken up, though she was a bit disoriented and didn’t know where she was. Su Anxi briefly explained the current situation and what needed to be done next. Seeing her nod in agreement, Su Anxi helped secure the rope around her and let her go up first.
With the soldiers working together, they finally saw the top of her head. Everyone stepped forward, carefully reaching out to pull the survivor to safety. She was immediately taken to the medical point for treatment, and the police were notified.
Next was Su Anxi. Xu Yu reached out, firmly grasping her hand, and carefully helped her up. Without letting go, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Steadying herself on Xu Yu’s strong arms, Su Anxi patted her clothes and pants, stirring up a cloud of dust. She waved a hand to disperse it, shook her head, and replied in a light tone, "I’m fine."
Applause broke out around them, all directed at Su Anxi.
"Dr. Su, you’re amazing."
"Dr. Su, you’re so cool."
"Dr. Su, you’re a goddess."
"…"
Su Anxi waved her hands dismissively, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise. "You’re exaggerating, everyone."
Her cheerful and straightforward personality brought rare laughter to the scene—a precious sound amid the sorrow and exhaustion of the disaster-stricken area.
Su Anxi released Xu Yu’s hand and said to him, "Don’t worry about me. Keep going."
As she spoke, she seemed to forget about her sprained ankle and turned to leave. But the moment she put weight on it, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, spreading across her entire body. She lost her balance and stumbled to one side, only to be steadied by a large, handsome hand.
There was no need to guess—it was Xu Yu’s hand. Compared to before, it was much darker but healthier. It wasn’t just his hands; his face and skin had also changed, tempered by time and exuding a strong, masculine aura.
He used to be quite fair-skinned, a graceful young man, especially with those beautiful hands. Nowadays, there was a term to describe her fascination with his hands: a hand fetish.
She loved photographing those hands with her camera, loved holding them, and loved everything those hands did for her.
Xu Yu’s deep, questioning voice sounded beside her ear. "What’s wrong?"
Su Anxi shook her head. "I just lost my footing when I went down earlier and twisted my ankle. It’s not serious."
Hearing this, Xu Yu glanced down at her military boots, covered in yellow mud. He called out to Zhang Zhong, "Keep up the search and rescue. I’ll take Dr. Su to the medical point first."
"Yes, Captain Xu," Zhang Zhong replied before gathering the team to continue their work.
"I’m really fine," Su Anxi insisted. At a time like this, not being able to help and instead becoming a burden—what kind of situation was this?
Xu Yu glanced at Su Anxi, then without a word, bent down and scooped her up in a princess carry. Looking at her stiffened form in his arms, he spoke with a tone of righteous duty. "Dr. Su got injured while helping us. A drop of kindness deserves a flood of gratitude."
Su Anxi stared at Xu Yu in a daze. It had been so long since he last held her like this—so long that it almost felt unreal.
"Um, maybe you could just help me walk there instead. Being carried like this really doesn’t look good."
Su Anxi was thinking about how it would appear—two Military Personnel holding each other like this. What would the civilians think? What would their comrades, whether they knew them or not, think?
Xu Yu jostled her slightly in his arms, the movement causing Su Anxi to instinctively wrap her arms around his neck. She heard his playful, teasing voice. "The road isn’t easy to walk. I’d advise you not to let go."
Su Anxi smiled to herself, reached out to poke Xu Yu's shoulder, then pointed to his feet, saying leisurely, "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about your police dog. It's been holding onto this hostile attitude for a long time."
Hearing this, Xu Yu looked down and saw Xile indeed baring its teeth and glaring at Su Anxi, as if she had stolen its bone.
"Xile," Xu Yu called out to the dog, "let's go."
Su Anxi widened her eyes, watching the police dog that she had suspected might pounce and bite her moments ago now obediently following Xu Yu as he walked forward.
"Has your police dog become a spirit or something?" Su Anxi was completely making conversation.
Xu Yu glanced at Su Anxi and said flatly, "Xile is good in every way, except for one flaw."
"What?" Su Anxi blurted out.
"Jealousy."
Upon hearing this, Su Anxi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was this dog now competing with her for favor or something?
"The little girl is named Xile?" Su Anxi asked.
"Yeah," Xu Yu nodded in response.
Su Anxi suddenly smiled and looked at Xu Yu. "Did you know your sister also has a German Shepherd? I heard it was sent to become a search and rescue dog."
Xu Yu looked at Su Anxi. He hadn't heard this from Xu Lai and shook his head. "That girl never discusses anything she does."
"Do you know what Lai Lai's dog is called?"
"What?"
"It pairs really well with your Xile," Su Anxi paused, then said with a light smile, "It's called… Ping An."