It was Gu Zheng.
As expected, he was on the front lines of the disaster relief effort.
“Commander Gu, I came with the medical team,” Song Ning explained briefly after recognizing him.
“Fill it! Quickly!”
Gu Zheng glanced at the child trapped in the center of the mudslide and immediately began directing the soldiers running up behind him.
Each of them carried sandbags on their shoulders, throwing them one after another into the flowing mud.
“The old man is the former village chief. When the mudslide hit, he was busy warning the villagers to evacuate, but his own grandson didn’t make it out in time.”
Gu Zheng lowered his voice as he explained the situation to Song Ning.
“The child was still responding when we called to him earlier, but he’s too young to catch the rope loops we’ve thrown over. His condition is getting worse. He may already be unconscious. Be prepared to provide emergency treatment.”
Sandbag after sandbag was tossed into the mudflow.
Those closest to the shore could be secured, but after extending a few meters outward, nothing would stay in place. No matter how many bags were thrown in, they simply sank deep into the mud.
“Have they found the winnowing baskets yet?”
“They’re here! They’re here!”
Several people arrived carrying a stack of large round bamboo baskets.
They had been collected from villagers’ homes. Compared to wooden planks, they offered a larger surface area while weighing much less.
“Try again! Hurry!”
Another soldier stepped forward.
The baskets were quickly tied together with wire, forming a makeshift path toward the child.
The first few baskets held.
They supported the soldier’s weight.
But farther out, as soon as he stepped onto them, mud surged up around his feet. The baskets sank, and when he attempted to move forward, the mud gradually rose past his calves, preventing him from advancing any farther.
He was still about three or four meters away from the child.
He wanted to keep trying.
But not only did the basket beneath him sink, the connected baskets before and behind him sank as well.
“Fall back! Now!”
Gu Zheng ordered immediately.
“Keep building! Try again! Get those sandbags over here faster!”
“Commander Gu, the rain’s getting heavier! We need to hurry!” one of the soldiers warned anxiously.
The truth was that while they were trying to rescue the child, the mud itself was slowly shifting.
The distance between the child and the shore was visibly increasing.
Another round of sandbags was added, but the results were poor.
The baskets were tied together again and extended toward the trapped child.
Just as another soldier prepared to step onto them, Song Ning spoke up.
“Wait.”
She turned to Gu Zheng.
“Let me do it. I’m the lightest person here. I have the best chance. The child can’t afford any more delays.”
The entire scene fell silent.
Gu Zheng stared at her without speaking.
The rain truly was getting heavier.
If the mud started flowing in earnest, it would carry the child away.
Taking a step forward, Song Ning accepted the rope from the soldier.
“Commander Gu, if we hesitate any longer, there won’t be a chance.”
This time, Gu Zheng did not hesitate.
Taking the rope, he wrapped it around Song Ning’s waist several times and secured it tightly.
Then he instructed her in a deep voice,
“When you go out there, relax your body and maintain your balance. Don’t panic. No matter what happens, I’ll hold on to you.”
Song Ning nodded.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed another rope and stepped onto the first round basket.
“Commander! Not good! The mud is starting to move!”
someone shouted from the side.
As the rain intensified, the water volume naturally increased.
The mud that had been relatively still moments ago began surging downhill.
Song Ning kept her breathing steady, refusing to let herself be distracted.
By the time she stepped onto the third basket, she could already feel instability beneath her feet.
Compared to the soldiers before her, her lighter weight was indeed an advantage.
The baskets did not sink.
However, the mud beneath them was clearly moving faster and faster.
“Song Ning! Don’t push yourself beyond your limits!”
Gu Zheng shouted from the shore.
“Ah! Hurry! The child is being swept away!”
someone cried out.
“Tiedan!”
The elderly grandmother let out a heartbreaking scream before fainting on the spot.
There was no more time.
Rain began pouring down in sheets.
Song Ning knew that if she backed down now, the child would lose his final chance of survival.
“Gu Zheng! Hold on to the rope!”
she shouted as she broke into a run.
By the time she reached the last two baskets, they had already sunk beneath the surface.
Without hesitation, she leaped forward.
Stretching out with all her strength, she grabbed hold of the child, who was already being dragged away by the mud.
The mud immediately engulfed her entire body.
Holding tightly to the child’s arm, she relied on instinct to wrap the rope in her right hand around him.
One loop.
Two loops.
Three loops.
A dead knot.
Then she shouted at the top of her lungs,
“Pull! Pull now!”
At the same time, she heard another wave of panicked screams.
“Rocks! Huge rocks are falling! The rope—”
After that, all she could hear was the roar of water and rain.
Everything else disappeared.
Her body plunged downward rapidly as the torrent swallowed her.
As the rainfall grew even heavier, the mudslide erupted again.
The rope around her waist was still there.
But the pulling force was gone.
The landslide must have triggered falling boulders that severed the rope on shore.
She could only hope that the rope attached to the child remained intact.
As the rain intensified further, the mudslide transformed into a raging mountain flood.
Song Ning clung tightly to a floating log, drifting with the current while struggling to stay conscious and avoid being smashed against rocks.
She forced herself to observe her surroundings, searching for any opportunity to reach shore.
But the farther downstream she traveled, the more water joined the flood.
The current became stronger.
Faster.
She had no idea how far she drifted.
Then a deafening roar echoed ahead.
Song Ning’s heart sank.
Not good.
A cliff.
If she continued with the current, she would be smashed to pieces.
Fortunately, the river ahead made a sharp zigzag turn.
This is it.
Song Ning thought to herself.
This is my last chance.
She adjusted the direction of the log, turning it sideways and using the force of the current to push herself toward the bend.
At the first corner, the log successfully slammed into the rocks.
But the log was too thick.
She was on the opposite side.
She stretched out desperately, but couldn’t reach anything on shore.
The log paused only briefly before carrying her farther downstream.
It’s okay.
There’s still another bend.
Song Ning encouraged herself.
This time she had learned from the experience.
She adjusted the log’s angle.
She needed her own body to hit the rocks.
Only then would she have a chance to grab a tree or a rock along the bank and pull herself ashore.
Compared to being swept over the cliff, it was her only option.
The farther downstream she went, the more violent the current became.
The bend was right ahead.
Song Ning positioned herself and braced for the brutal impact against the rocks.
But at that critical moment—
Something suddenly tightened around her waist.
A powerful force slowed her descent.
Before she could react, a figure moved even faster than the rushing water itself.
The person wrapped their arms around her.
Then, taking her place, slammed heavily into the rocks at the bend.
Song Ning was held tightly against a broad chest.
Protected completely.
Not a single part of her struck the rocks.