Sweet Nostalgia of the 80s-Chapter 1432 - 1252: Don’t Give Up Until the Last Moment!

The warriors who were setting up tents spontaneously stood up and quickly formed a line behind Qin Jian.

"Good, everyone has brought their tools. Now, follow me to the mountain to rescue people," Qin Jian ordered.

"Yes!"

Deputy Regimental Commander Hen Zhiyuan, seeing that Qin Jian intended to go up personally, came over and said to him, "Commander, let me go instead. You should stay here to oversee operations."

"No need. I’ll go. You stay and take command, and remember to contact headquarters promptly if there’s any issue. Should any emergency arise, it’s up to you to decide. Remember, whatever happens, the safety and interests of the people come first!" Qin Jian said, looking intently at him.

"Yes!" Hen Zhiyuan saluted with solemn military respect.

The road into the village was blocked, with the battalion commander leading a team to clear the way. Thus, all the vehicles couldn’t get in, and supplies and medical personnel were all stranded on the road.

There were no medical personnel on site, only a village doctor who was busily at work.

Qin Jian had the village doctor quickly bandage the man, then said to him, "Let’s go, lead us up the mountain."

"Alright. The path might be difficult to traverse... but it’s absolutely not impassable. As you can see, if we were able to come down, then we can go up," the man said while walking, explaining to Qin Jian, afraid that after seeing the condition of the path, Qin Jian would be unwilling to go with him.

"Rest assured. We are the people’s warriors, as long as there’s a glimmer of hope, we will never give up!" Qin Jian comforted him.

"Thank you! I really can’t thank you enough!" the man kept expressing his gratitude.

The path from the foot to the mid-mountain was already difficult to navigate, and the earthquake caused the rolling boulders to smash it beyond recognition. The warriors were essentially climbing with their hands.

It was the dead of winter, with water freezing upon contact, the warriors clutched at tree roots and weeds as they climbed the wet, icy rocks.

Snow was still falling from the sky, and the biting wind was as sharp as knives, stinging their flesh painfully.

The man was injured, and his legs were not steady; this rugged mountain path was practically demanding his life. Yet he clenched his teeth and refused to give up or let go.

Seeing that he was exerting himself too much, and that his injuries were not minor, Qin Jian said to him, "Don’t force yourself. Tell us how to travel this path, in what direction, and how far we have to go. Leave the rest to us."

"I worry you won’t find it. Let me come with you, I can make it, I really can," the man insisted through gritted teeth.

His face looked painfully strained, each step seemed as agonizing as walking on knife edges, but he refused to give up.

"You’ve broken three ribs. Your arms and legs are cut by stones, and you’ve got a bump on your head. Your ankle is swollen like a steamed bun, and you have soft tissue contusions. With such severe injuries, if you continue to go up, I’m afraid you’ll be completely incapacitated by the time you come down," Qin Jian understood his feelings but could not agree with his actions, "Moreover, if we have to look after you, every minute we delay means those buried under the rubble are a minute closer to death."

"I know! I know!" the young man sobbed, "I beg you, don’t give up on my wife until the very last moment! Please!"

It was then that Qin Jian realized, the man didn’t trust them.

He was worried that upon encountering the difficult situation, they would give up rescuing his wife.

And the man’s worry was not unfounded; he had experienced such deep personal pain.