Chapter 290: Seeing Haodazi

"Quick, everyone push harder, unload the supplies quickly, clear the carriage, we still have to transport the wounded, faster…"

Lu Cheng shouted commands on the scene, grabbed a sack of grain and jogged forward.

He hadn't slept for two days and two nights, clearly feeling his strength wane, but the dire situation on site wouldn't allow him a moment's pause.

He wasn't the only one; all the Railway workers who came to transport supplies were in the same extreme exhaustion.

After carrying that sack of grain over, he returned to the carriage to keep hauling supplies, and on the way saw a teammate shouldering a sack whose steps were already unsteady, as if about to collapse at any moment.

Lu Cheng stepped forward quickly, steadied him, and took the sack onto his own shoulder.

"Comrade, hold on a little longer."

The comrade nodded, too exhausted to utter a word, rested briefly, then went back to keep hauling supplies.

Once the carriage was cleared, they would transport the wounded to a hospital in Capital City.

In the past two days, Lu Cheng could no longer count how many trips of supplies he had shuttled back and forth, nor how many wounded he had taken back.

He only knew that the Railway line was running at full capacity, every train was loaded, and all comrades were on a 24‑hour nonstop shift.

Even at their limits, no one complained of fatigue; everyone gritted their teeth and persisted desperately.

Now is the golden rescue window; they are racing against time, and even gaining a single extra second could give a person a chance to live.

After clearing all supplies from each carriage, they began to lift the wounded on stretchers.

While Lu Cheng was both directing and helping to load the wounded, suddenly a person in military uniform called out to him.

"Old Lu."

Anyone who could call him 'Old Lu'—Lu Cheng didn't even need to turn his head to know who it was.

"Haodazi, you guys are here too?"

Wu Zhekun's expression was grim; his green uniform was caked in mud, his fingers were bleeding, clearly he had been here for a while and was already involved in the rescue work.

"I told you it looked like you! Our unit arrived this morning and is in charge of the on‑site rescue work."

Lu Cheng nodded: "We are transporting supplies and also taking some of the wounded to a hospital in Capital City; the hospitals here are already so full they're about to overflow."

Their soldiers were responsible for the initial excavation at the site, and Wu Zhekun's emotions were clearly heavily affected.

"Old Lu, you don't know the situation on the ground; on the ground… our fellow countrymen, they all…"

Wu Zhekun's voice suddenly choked, as if a huge stone blocked his throat, and he couldn't speak at all.

Lu Cheng hadn't been to the front line himself, but could imagine the horror, and Wu Zhekun was facing this kind of rescue for the first time.

Lu Cheng believed that if Wu Zhekun were strapped with grenades and sent to die together with the enemy, he wouldn't shed a single tear; yet faced with the scene, he broke down, crying over his own helplessness.

Lu Cheng gripped his shoulder firmly: "Old Wu, you have to hold on; now is not the time to collapse. We take care of the rear, you take care of the front!"

Lu Cheng's words gave Wu Zhekun great strength.

He nodded heavily: "I understand, I will hold on."

Since Wu Zhekun went into the army, opportunities to see each other have been rare; now that they finally meet, it's not a time for chatting.

Lu Cheng said, "Alright, then you must be careful."

"Lu Cheng, Lu Cheng."

Just as he was about to bid Wu Zhekun farewell, Lu Cheng suddenly heard his sister's voice.

"Sis, why are you here? It's so dangerous here, go back quickly."

Lu Ying lifted a lunchbox and jogged over: "Our parents are worried about you, so they sent me to check on you; here's the meal they packed for you, have a bite first."

"Oh sis, I have no time to eat right now; look at all these wounded. Put it aside for now; this train will head back to Capital City soon, and you can come back with it."

Lu Ying grabbed him: "How can you skip meals? I know you're busy, but you still have to eat. And your eyes are red—haven't you slept?"

"No time to sleep. Alright sis, I'm still busy."

Lu Ying pressed further: "You can't go without sleep; even if you're made of iron, you need rest, otherwise you won't be able to keep going like this."

"Alright, alright, I get it, sis. I'll ride back on the train later and catch some sleep on board."

Lu Ying realized she was nagging a bit, but she just couldn't help worrying about her brother.

Yet watching the frantic scene, everyone looked exhausted to the limit; she knew her concern was useless, as no one could afford to rest.

"Since I'm already here, is there anything I can do for you?"

Lu Cheng glanced and said: "First, help look after the wounded; the train will head back soon."

"Okay, good."

Lu Ying was about to help lift the wounded when Wu Zhekun suddenly ran back.

"Old Lu, do you have any female comrades here?"

Lu Cheng was puzzled: "Female comrades? The female comrades are all on the Platform handling the packaging of supplies; the ones who came are all male. What's the matter?"

Wu Zhekun sighed: "There's a five‑year‑old girl I uncovered; she's not seriously injured, but she's crying for her mother. We're short on manpower, she runs everywhere, the site is dangerous, and we can't keep an eye on her, so I thought a female comrade could help watch over her."

"What about her family?" Lu Cheng asked.

Wu Zhekun lowered his head instantly: "A neighbor who knows the girl said her father was a martyr who died a few years ago during a mission; she has a mother, an older sister, and an older brother, but… they were all killed in a blast."

"When I uncovered the girl, it was her mother shielding her beneath her body that kept her alive."

Wu Zhekun's voice became choked again; even now, in his mind, he still sees that great mother curled protectively.

Although Wu Zhekun spoke calmly, Lu Cheng's heart was still painfully tugged.

"I—I'll go."

Lu Cheng turned his head: "Sis, are you okay with that?"

"I can. Comrade, you lead me over there; I'll go soothe her."

Lu Ying looked at Wu Zhekun and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity; his face was now smeared with a layer of mud, obscuring his features.

When Lu Cheng called her 'Sis', Wu Zhekun instantly recognized Lu Ying—the same person he had seen at the Hua Bing Chang before.

But now wasn't a time for reminiscing; Wu Zhekun immediately said, "Alright, come with me."

Lu Cheng kept directing the scene, waiting to get this batch of wounded onto the train, and his sister Lu Ying had also returned, only with a little girl in her arms.

The little girl's face was dirty, her hair disheveled, and the round little cheeks still bore fresh tear marks.

"Sister, why did you bring her over? We're about to set off right now."

Lu Ying was also helpless—she couldn't leave her behind. She held the little girl and coaxed her; the girl could stay quiet for a moment, but the instant she tried to go, she would burst into tears and run out.