The following afternoon, Song Ning boarded a vehicle specially assigned to transport members of the Second Medical Rescue Team.
The convoy headed for the docks, where the team transferred onto assault boats and was transported in batches to the disaster-stricken areas.
Before leaving, Song Ning had asked around at the reception desk about Gu Zheng.
As expected, Gu Zheng and his group had rushed to the disaster zone alongside Public Security officers on the very night the disaster occurred.
Not only that, but large numbers of militia members and volunteers had also responded to the call.
The disaster had captured the attention of people from all walks of life.
The landslides had affected at least four villages to varying degrees.
After extensive rescue efforts, the displaced residents had gradually been relocated to several temporary resettlement sites.
The first medical team had been sent to Geping, which housed nearly two-thirds of the disaster victims.
The Second Medical Team was assigned to a settlement called Gaoping.
The team leader was Doctor Feng from the county hospital, a man around fifty years old.
He carefully explained the precautions and responsibilities involved in the rescue mission.
Their primary tasks were treating external injuries, cleaning and bandaging wounds, and caring for common illnesses such as colds and fevers.
Any complicated medical conditions beyond the listed common ailments had to be reported first and discussed before treatment could proceed.
It had to be said that the authorities had planned things thoroughly.
Most members of the team were barefoot doctors or folk practitioners rather than formally certified hospital staff.
The arrangements allowed them to contribute as much as possible while minimizing the risk of medical mistakes.
As one of the team members, Song Ning received a white coat and a shoulder bag.
Inside were basic wound-care supplies and several common medications.
By the time they arrived at Gaoping, it was already past midnight.
Nestled among endless mountain ranges, the village sat on relatively high and level ground.
When the medical team arrived, the first thing they saw was a vast area covered with tightly packed canvas tents.
The tents were crowded with displaced villagers from surrounding communities.
After a brief discussion with the local officials, Team Leader Feng immediately organized the members into groups of three and dispatched them throughout the village to treat the injured.
One of Song Ning’s teammates was a barefoot doctor surnamed Zhou, a man in his forties.
The other was Zheng Chang’an, a county hospital intern in his early twenties.
He had volunteered for the mission both out of compassion and a desire to gain experience.
As expected, most of the patients suffered from external injuries or illnesses caused by exposure to cold and damp conditions, such as coughs and fevers.
Patients with severe fevers or more serious injuries were transferred to designated areas for centralized treatment, including intravenous therapy.
The three-person team worked together smoothly.
Before they knew it, several hours had passed.
Only after they had treated nearly all the patients in their assigned area did Doctor Zhou finally straighten his back and say,
“We’ve almost finished here. Let’s go get some hot water over there.”
Compared to the previous few days, the rain had eased considerably, but it had never truly stopped.
After constantly moving in and out of tents, their clothes were already soaked through.
A nearby village house had been requisitioned to care for seriously ill patients.
The main room contained several rows of simple stretchers serving as temporary hospital beds.
Two smaller rooms had been set aside as resting areas for medical personnel.
Quite a few early-returning team members were already leaning against the walls, dozing.
The three of them sat around a small brazier in the corner.
Unexpectedly, before any of them could take a sip of hot water, a commotion erupted outside.
Moments later, several soldiers burst through the door carrying an unconscious man.
“Quick! Medic! Doctor! Is there anyone here who can treat him?”
“Our company commander is injured! The bleeding won’t stop! Please think of something!”
“Someone help!”
In the main room, Doctor Feng and two other medical workers hurried over and placed the company commander onto one of the temporary beds.
Holding her enamel mug, Song Ning quietly observed the situation.
The soldiers appeared to be from the Southwestern Military Region.
They had likely been operating in the disaster zone for some time already.
The personnel she had encountered so far were mostly government officials and coordinators.
The soldiers were probably working on the most dangerous front lines.
Suddenly, a low, painful groan came from the patient, causing a brief stir.
“No, Doctor! Increase the dosage!”
“Yeah! He can’t take this!”
“Do something!”
A moment later, another agonized scream rang out.
The sound was thick with suppressed pain.
The people gathered around the brazier exchanged glances and immediately put down their cups before heading into the main room.
Beneath the room’s lone incandescent bulb, the previously unconscious company commander had been awakened by sheer agony.
His trouser leg had been cut open.
A long, horrifying laceration ran down his leg.
Blood continued to pour from the wound.
Doctor Feng, a somewhat portly man, was drenched in sweat.
His round forehead glistened under the light as he anxiously addressed the others gathering nearby.
“It’s an open wound with a fracture. We need to stop the bleeding and clean the injury first. But the wound is too deep. We’ve already administered several additional doses of anesthetic, and none of them are working. What do you all think?”
Doctor Feng was a legitimate county hospital physician and the most authoritative doctor on the rescue team.
When he asked for opinions, the surrounding “doctors” all fell silent.
“What anesthetic are you using?”
The moment Song Ning spoke, everyone’s attention shifted to her.
“Lidocaine,” Doctor Feng answered immediately.
“Do you have any ketamine?”
Doctor Feng shook his head.
“With our current conditions… we can’t meet surgical standards.”
Song Ning understood at once.
Ketamine was an operating-room anesthetic.
Whether it was lighting, sterile conditions, or surgical equipment, none of the necessary requirements could be met here.
According to the original rescue plan, any patient requiring surgery would be transported back to the county by assault boat.
That was why the medical team had only been supplied with lidocaine for local anesthesia.
Clearly, however, this company commander’s condition made transportation impossible.
Song Ning stepped forward.
“Let me try.”