Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 2112 - 2175: I Admire You

What is it? Yang Rui was startled for a moment, then shook his head, saying, "I’m afraid I don’t have it, nor do I have such a large pocket."

Then the resident smacked his head and said, "I have it, I have it, my home is over there, I’m a fisherman, and my home has several rubber water pants that can reach my shoulders when worn!"

"Go get them, hurry up!" Li Yifei immediately understood what the other person was referring to; those things could indeed be useful and were very effective.

Two minutes later, the person returned with two in hand, they called them rubber chaps here, used when fishing, waterproof, similar to bib pants, but are sealed for waterproofing and can somewhat insulate temperature.

Li Yifei took them and asked for a rope to tie them around himself. He looked back and said, "I’m going over there, leave this place to you. If the water continues to rise, quickly evacuate with everyone, don’t linger, start rescue operations from the shore, and gradually move outwards. Remember not to take any risks!"

"Yes!" The security sensed urgency and immediately nodded, conveying Li Yifei’s words further. The security guards raced against time, good news also arrived as rescue teams from surrounding cities and counties reached the scene, and even emergency search and rescue equipment arrived.

Li Yifei had already entered the water and must seize the time, though this task was even harder as he needed to swim across the original riverbed to reach the other side to rescue people.

This hundred-meter distance was indeed a significant challenge even for Li Yifei, as people are rootless in the water, and the current was swift, with trees and other debris often floating by, the depths were varying, just this moment, Li Yifei had bumped into two structures; if not for True Qi for protection, these collisions might have fractured his bones.

Although danger was present, one cannot refuse to save lives due to danger. Li Yifei was also memorizing the underwater conditions along the way, hoping to avoid obstacles on the return.

The people on the shore anxiously watched Li Yifei, as he appeared above and below the water surface, tugging at their hearts. The strong light continually guided him, fearing he might lose his sense of direction in the water, everyone clenched their fists, praying for Li Yifei’s safety and for him to successfully rescue the girl trapped in the tree.

This was a battle no less than combat on a battlefield, young soldiers like Yang Rui received baptism; being soldiers, they must charge forward in times of danger.

Li Yifei soon swam halfway, reaching the spot with the fastest current, waves rolling and rushing down. Originally, there was a turn here, but now the riverbed was blocked by sediments and stones, raising the water surface and straightening the waterway, water from the dam rushed down almost without slowing down.

Li Yifei caught his breath slightly, driving his True Qi fully, swimming almost parallel toward the tree and the girl teetering precariously.

It took seven or eight minutes for Li Yifei to finally get under the big tree, noting that the tree had indeed been swept down, it was fortunate that the girl managed to climb up; otherwise, being swept away by the flood was close to being fatal, and as the water surface rose, the current increased, fearing the tree might not hold for long.

Seeing Li Yifei approaching, the girl shouted, "Uncle, go back, it’s too dangerous here."

Her initial reaction wasn’t to ask for help, but to tell the rescuer to retreat, concerned for his safety. Li Yifei was in the frigid water, constantly needing to move his limbs to maintain his position, yet hearing that made his heart warm. He reached the tree, holding onto it, shouting, "Don’t worry, uncle is here to save you, don’t move for now, when I come up, I will take you back safely."

The little girl with tears on her face forcefully nodded, saying, "Uncle, be careful, this tree seems just held by the stones, it could fall any time."

"Mm." Li Yifei used both hands and feet, climbing up the tree with several moves.

On the opposite bank, a group cheered as the spotlight revealed Li Yifei had successfully swum across and climbed the tree; rescuing the little girl seemed even more hopeful.

"Who is this Mr. Li, he’s incredible!" a local resident asked.

Yang Rui looked at him and said excitedly, "He is a soldier, our role model!"

"Soldiers are great, thanks to you all; otherwise, so many would have died!" A resident praised promptly, sincerely complimenting, as not only residents sought self-rescue in the incident, but these People’s Liberation Army soldiers arrived first and began rescuing immediately.

"You definitely deserve praise, when your leaders arrive, we’ll surely speak well of you, urging your leaders to reward you!"

Some people couldn’t stop praising Li Yifei; just now, he went back and forth three times, rescuing four people. If not for Li Yifei’s appearance, those two women and two children would be soaking in the water now, possibly already drowned, as where they were has completely disappeared, washed away by the floodwaters.

Li Yifei climbed onto the big tree, only to find that it was completely unstable, swaying constantly with the current, feeling like it could fall into the water at any time.

Seeing the thin clothes on the girl, Li Yifei regretted not bringing a cotton coat. He quickly took off the ’leather strap’ on his back and said to the little girl, "Put it on; it’s waterproof, or else you’ll freeze."

"Uncle, what about you?" Although the little girl’s face was tear-streaked, she still showed concern.

Li Yifei patted his chest and said, "Uncle has trained, I’m not afraid. Quickly put it on, and once you have, I’ll carry you to a safe place!"

The little girl hesitated for a moment, nodded, and with Li Yifei’s help, put it on and secured the straps. This thing isn’t entirely waterproof; if water pours in from above, it’ll seep in, so Li Yifei could only do his best to keep her dry.

Once the little girl was dressed, Li Yifei let her climb onto his back, but then thought it wouldn’t work because he had to move up and down. After pondering for a while, Li Yifei first jumped into the water and let the little girl jump down, catching her with both hands. Then, Li Yifei did something he had never done before, not even for his own child. He lay flat in the water, letting the little girl ride on his back.

Like riding a horse, Li Yifei even tied a rope around his neck for the little girl to hold onto to keep her steady.

"Whatever you do, don’t let go. Hold tight, or if you fall into the water, Uncle won’t be able to find you. If the current is too strong and you can’t stay seated, then hold onto me!" Li Yifei said.

The little girl nodded vigorously, tears in her eyes, and said, "Thank you, Uncle. If... if it’s really dangerous, you should just leave me. You have to be safe."

"Don’t talk nonsense; we’ll make it back!" Li Yifei finished speaking and began to swim. This too was a significant challenge for him. In such a current, he had to swim steadily and avoid sinking into the water; he had to stay afloat, or the little girl would submerge.

Seeing Li Yifei entering the water, people nearby grew tense. Those who had been talking moments ago fell silent; some clenched their fists, others tightened their expressions, and some even knelt on the ground facing Li Yifei, muttering prayers.

Li Yifei was carrying someone while trying to stay afloat, which was quite difficult for him. He could only rely on True Qi, and in fact, by rescuing people until now, Li Yifei had used nearly half of his True Qi. If he went back two more times, he might not be able to enter the water again.

Like the Divine Beast in a TV drama, Li Yifei carried the little girl and slowly swam back. For stability, he couldn’t swim too fast or move too abruptly, so he didn’t swim straight back this time. Instead, he drifted far away, even drifting over three hundred meters, before swimming to the opposite bank. A group of people was standing there, and when they saw Li Yifei finally arrive safely, they all started clapping and cheering. Yang Rui and others helped lift the little girl from Li Yifei’s back, allowing him to finally stand upright, hands on the water’s edge, panting heavily.

Swimming in this way is a tremendous test of physical strength, and his True Qi had been depleted by another fifth.

Li Yifei felt somewhat exhausted, so he sat down, instructing people to quickly get the little girl into the car for a change of clothes to prevent frostbite.

"Mr. Li, I, Yang Rui, admire you. I don’t know what to say; in you, I see the glory of every soldier!" Yang Rui snapped his heels and gave Li Yifei a standard military salute.

Li Yifei grinned, returned the salute, and said, "I won’t stand up; it’s what I should do, but we must know our limits. Otherwise, in situations like this, if you go into the water, you won’t save anyone and might only risk yourself."

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Li. You’d better go inside the car and rest for a bit, warm up after being in the water for so long..." Yang Rui advised.

Li Yifei waved his hand and said, "I’m fine. You organize the rescue efforts; I just need a break. By the way, the water level is rising continuously, and it looks like the breach in the dam is enlarging. Let the residents retreat to a safe place. I brought some tents, food, and water; my people are already distributing them. You should organize them to set up the tents. Sigh, it’s so cold, these people are really suffering."

These words came sincerely from Li Yifei, without any hint of showmanship or pretense. If it were just for show, he wouldn’t have jumped into the water to exhaust himself rescuing people.

Yang Rui quickly went to carry out the instructions, while Li Yifei sat by the riverbank, draped in a coat. But it didn’t really help in the cold weather; he was half-naked, and a coat was of little use. When he saw a bureau official only wearing a sweater, shivering from the cold, Li Yifei casually handed his coat over for the official to wear.