Chapter 796: County Magistrate Tang is Safe and Sound!

"How do we save ourselves?"

Chu Weiming now trusted Tang Ye implicitly.

"The road down the mountain has been washed away; we can only take some wild trails now. Among us, I have the best physical stamina, so I will go down the mountain alone to scout the path first. Once I have figured out a safe route, I will return to lead you all down together."

Tang Ye stated his plan.

"If you go alone, won't it be too dangerous?" Shen Yuping expressed her doubts.

Tang Ye smiled: "Rest assured, I will be back soon."

Immediately, he added a reminder, "You must take good care of County Magistrate Shen."

"County Magistrate Tang, please rest assured!" Chu Weiming promised solemnly.

Over these past three days, they had shared hardships and faced trials together, and a deep bond had long since been established between them.

Tang Ye took his tools, placed the fire starter in a bamboo tube, waved at the group, and then turned to walk out of the cave.

Shen Yuping was deeply moved by Tang Ye's sense of responsibility and could not help but exclaim: "Actually, County Magistrate Tang could have stayed in the cave with us to wait for rescue, but he didn't do that—he chose to face the difficulties proactively, firmly holding the chance of survival in his own hands." Chu Weiming sighed: "Being with him, I always feel like I'm a good-for-nothing."

As soon as these words were spoken, a look of helplessness mixed with warmth appeared on the faces of everyone in the cave.

Relying on his experience, Tang Ye slowly felt his way down the mountain along the terrain.

Where there was no path ahead, he used his tools to hack through the thorns, forcibly carving out a way.

The journey was fraught with danger; occasionally, loose rocks rolled down from the hillside, but he relied on his agile reflexes and steady, vigorous pace to avoid them one by one.

Under normal circumstances, going down the mountain would only take a little over an hour, yet he walked for a full three or four hours until the dilapidated signs of a village finally appeared before his eyes.

Many houses had already been washed away, and the remaining broken walls and ruins were looming in the muddy torrent.

Tang Ye sighed inwardly, hoping only that he had warned the villagers earlier and that they had been able to evacuate in time and were safe and sound.

"The rain has stopped, and according to feedback from the front, the flow rate of the river is slowing down. Next, search and rescue personnel will immediately head to the front line; you must rescue County Magistrate Tang and the others safely! This is an order issued by Secretary Liu of the Municipal Party Committee. Comrades, I hope you complete the mission successfully and return safely!"

"Please rest assured, Chief!"

A group of soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms boarded several assault boats one after another.

What awaited them was unknown danger;

But to them, this was not only a mission but, even more, a responsibility they had to shoulder.

Observing closely, the faces of these soldiers still carried a youthful air; most were children of only about twenty years old.

At this moment, Ma Ran suddenly rushed out from the crowd and headed straight for one of the assault boats: "Please take me with you to the disaster area!"

The commander refused without hesitation: "This mission is exceptionally dangerous; you had better stay behind."

"I know it's dangerous, but I must go to the front line!" Ma Ran's tone was incomparably firm.

Seeing Ma Ran's stubborn attitude, Ou Xiye walked to the side of the search and rescue commander and said softly: "Take him with you; he will definitely be able to help."

The commander nodded at Ma Ran and immediately tossed a life jacket over to him.

Ma Ran quickly put on the life jacket and leaped onto the assault boat.

The assault boat started, heading against the muddy current, and sped toward the disaster area.

After an unknown amount of time, the assault boat finally approached the destroyed village, and its speed gradually slowed down.

Suddenly, Ma Ran's gaze was drawn to a straight plume of smoke, and he immediately shouted aloud: "There is a distress signal over there!"

The soldiers on the assault boat were also instantly invigorated, and they steered the boat quickly toward the direction of the smoke.

As the distance continued to close, they vaguely saw a figure waving both hands and calling out continuously from where they stood.

"It's County Magistrate Tang! It really is County Magistrate Tang! He's okay! That's great!"

Ma Ran saw clearly that the person was Tang Ye and could no longer control his emotions, weeping with joy on the spot.

One must know, Tang Ye was the whistleblower who first discovered the signs of the mudslide and issued an early warning!

County Magistrate Tang is safe and sound!

This news was too heartening for everyone.

In fact, the reason Tang Ye chose to wait at this location was precisely because he knew this was the place where rescue personnel would most easily find him.

Just now, he heard the roar of an engine coming from upstream and immediately realized that the search and rescue team had arrived, so he quickly took out his fire starter, lit a bonfire on the ground, and set up a distress signal.

Sure enough, it didn't take long to attract the attention of the rescue personnel.

Ma Ran was the first to jump off the assault boat, pulled Tang Ye tightly into his arms, and said with tears in his eyes: "County Magistrate Tang, it's so good that you're okay! These past three days, I was worried to death!"

Tang Ye did not expect that Ma Ran was also in the search and rescue team, and a wave of warmth surged in his heart as he patted his back: "Xiao Ma, thank you for your concern!"

At this moment, Tang Ye labeled Ma Ran as "loyal and reliable" in his heart.

The commander of the search and rescue team saw that Tang Ye was alone and hurriedly stepped forward to ask: "County Magistrate Tang, we understand that there are four comrades who lost contact; may I ask where the other three are?"

"They are still on the mountain; among them, one comrade has a broken leg and is not mobile. I saw that the rain had stopped, so I came down first to wait for you—I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly!" Tang Ye exclaimed.

Ma Ran hurriedly added: "County Magistrate Tang, after you lost contact, the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee and the Municipal Party Committee attached great importance to it, and as soon as the rain stopped, they immediately sent a search and rescue team over!"

Tang Ye looked at the search and rescue personnel present and said in a deep voice: "Thank you all, comrades. And Xiao Ma, your courage is commendable;

although the rain has stopped, there are still potential dangers in the mountains, so you must be careful later."

Ma Ran smiled at Tang Ye, his eyes full of relief: "As long as you are okay, what does this little bit of danger count for?"

Chu Weiming had been standing at the cave entrance looking out.

The sun was about to set.

Tang Ye had not yet returned.

He knew Tang Ye would not abandon them.

But he was worried that Tang Ye would encounter danger during the descent!

Suddenly, there was movement in his ears.

Immediately after, he saw Tang Ye.

Tang Ye was followed by soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms.

Tang Ye had a very good memory.

Returning along the path he had cleared saved quite a bit of time!

Wild joy appeared in Chu Weiming's eyes, and he hurriedly rushed into the cave, "County Magistrate Shen, Dr. Gao, County Magistrate Tang has returned. He even brought search and rescue personnel; we are saved!"

Shen Yuping's eyes were brimming with tears at this moment; although she had long felt that Tang Ye would bring good news, she had not expected things to go so smoothly.

Tang Ye walked into the cave.

"Old Chu, County Magistrate Shen, Dr. Gao, the search and rescue team arrived very quickly!"

"As soon as the rain stopped, they came to rescue us."

"There is food and water here; hurry and eat some to replenish your energy."

"Then, we must get on the road quickly and strive to return before the sun sets."

Chu Weiming took the bread and mineral water and began to wolf them down.

Two soldiers then lifted Shen Yuping onto a stretcher...