They anxiously worked to reinforce the collapsing dam, a heavy task that had to be completed quickly for fear of another collapse. No one had taken a break, working tirelessly until someone shouted, awakening everyone to the fact that it was nearly dark.

In the gloomy twilight, a dozen or so cars approached from the distance. Ling Chengyan quickly assessed that all of them were trucks, the most common kind used by the military.

Indeed, her judgment was spot on; it was the soldiers who were urgently mobilized for the rescue operations, a total of twelve trucks carrying more than four hundred people.

Li, the chief commander, who had been saved by Ling Chengyan, had been working all day as well, his face and head covered in mud and water. Upon hearing the shout, he wiped his hands on his clothes, wanting to welcome the new reinforcements. After taking a few steps, he stopped and turned around, calling, "Captain Ling, let’s go greet our new comrades."

Ling Chengyan did not hesitate, wiping her hands as well, and followed behind Chief Commander Li.

The person responsible for guiding them was a local from the city and seemed to recognize Chief Commander Li. Upon meeting, he was somewhat moved and stepped forward to shake hands with Li, saying, "You’ve suffered."

Chief Commander Li felt his face inexplicably warm. He pulled back his hand, shaking his head with a bit of bitterness, "No..."

What did his exhaustion and hardship matter? The real suffering belonged to the people displaced by the twice-collapsed dam.

The traffic had been cut off by the overwhelming water, and more than half a day later, the specific area of devastation and the number of affected people had not yet been calculated.

There was indeed a misjudgment during the first breach, resulting in numerous affected people. After the first breach, efforts for rescue and evacuation were organized as much as possible. What he later learned was that after the eighth breach at Xu Family Dam, fewer individuals were impacted compared to the first, and the casualties were significantly lower.

Receiving this news, he wasn’t sure whether he should feel fortunate.

After introductions, Ling Chengyan learned that the newcomers were military personnel from the province, half of them from the bridge and ferry forces, bringing significant equipment and supplies, including large rescue boats and assault boats.

"Additionally, there are some heavy-duty bridge-building and road repair equipment. Due to road damage, they couldn’t get through. But once the roads are cleared, they’ll arrive on site by tomorrow or the day after," Captain Lv, who led the group, explained.

Chief Commander Li was so excited that he was almost in tears. He tightly gripped Captain Lv’s hands, shaking them up and down, "You arrived just in time. On behalf of my comrades and the people, I thank you."

There was little expression on Captain Lv’s face as he said, "No need to be too polite; we are all one family."

Then, Captain Lv turned his gaze to Ling Chengyan. Ling Chengyan saluted, then reached out to shake hands with him, "I’m Ling Chengyan, the Captain of the Special Training Brigade of the East Province Military District."

"Oh, so it’s Captain Ling." The arrogance on Captain Lv’s face fell away, revealing excitement. He returned the salute, saying, "Lv Zheng. Captain Ling, you can just call me Old Lv."

Ling Chengyan smiled and nodded. Those from the military preferred direct and straightforward communication over roundabout and verbose talk, which everyone found comfortable.

Without needing instructions from Lv Zheng, those who came to assist quickly found positions to set up tents and camp.

Lv Zheng then followed Chief Commander Li and Ling Chengyan up the dam to inspect the specifics of the danger.

With reinforcements in place, those who had been struggling all day could finally step down to rest for a while.

Old Lv brought well-rounded personnel, equipment, and supplies, including even a kitchen unit with food supplies like rice, flour, vegetables, and oil. As they conducted their inspection, the kitchen unit had already set up and started cooking, allowing Ling Chengyan and the others to enjoy a hot meal after a day of drinking cold water.

Old Lv sat beside Ling Chengyan with his meal box, chatting casually to learn about the disaster details and each other’s circumstances.

After the meal, Ling Chengyan contacted the team members stationed in another area, learning they would join her the following morning.

Ling Chengyan was delighted to hear the news.

Honestly, during their time in the disaster area fighting the flood, with practical experience, she still believed the Special Training Team’s main duty should be search and rescue, not guarding the dam, reinforcing it, or sealing breaches.

They knew little about that and could only contribute sheer effort, not much different from ordinary young people.

Search and rescue is different; they have considerably strong reconnaissance and exploration capabilities, with excellent abilities in underwater and amphibious operations, increasing the success rate of rescues.

After hanging up the phone, Ling Chengyan led twelve team members and, along with the eight brought by Old Lv, quietly departed from Xu Family Dam.

They divided into several rescue boats and assault boats, entering the flooded area to search for survivors.

At nightfall, the rain finally stopped.

Sitting at the bow of an assault boat, Ling Chengyan was splashed by the water. Despite wearing a raincoat, she was inevitably drenched.

It wasn’t for the thrill, nor did she have a habit of enjoying filthy water. She chose the spot at the bow simply to distance herself from the diesel engine at the stern, reducing noise interference to better discern sounds... If there were survivors, they would have been stranded for at least ten hours, severely exhausted, and their cries for help couldn’t be loud.

If they missed a cry for help, denying survivors their rare chance of rescue after waiting in anguish for nearly ten hours... it would be too cruel, even for someone like Ling Chengyan, accustomed to life and death, to imagine.

The rain had stopped, but the sky remained overcast, with no trace of stars or moon, leaving everything in darkness but for the engine noise and the rush of water.

With one hand on the bow, a flashlight in the other, Ling Chengyan scanned the surroundings.

Amidst the expansive waters, there was no need to search for a path; the boat just randomly sailed forward.

Many houses had been washed away by the water but left traces. Floating timber, furniture, or even debris were signs that would prompt them to circle around, shout for a response, and move to the next target if none was heard.

There were also trees that still stood, especially certain fruit trees commonly planted in courtyards, where they would stop to search thoroughly...

They came with hope, believing that someone must be desperately holding on for rescue atop a collapsing rooftop or a lone tree... But as they searched along the way, unable to count in detail, the hours slipped by. Having begun at 9 pm, by the time midnight arrived, they had been searching for three hours but found nothing.

There was no one waiting, no one crying for help; they didn’t even encounter a single body, as if this vast expanse of water had existed for decades or even a hundred years, a natural wasteland.