For now, it was unclear what exactly had happened.
It wasn’t until the next morning, when Gu Jianing stepped out, that she heard everyone around her discussing the news.
Upon listening, she learned that a nearby mountain had suffered a landslide.
At the foot of that mountain was a village called Xinghua Village. After several days of heavy rain, local officials had warned the village committee to stay alert and evacuate immediately if anything seemed amiss.
But many villagers hadn’t taken it seriously, especially since Xinghua Village had never experienced a landslide before. They were reluctant to leave their homes.
Then, in the dead of night, when everyone was deep in sleep, the mountain suddenly rumbled and collapsed.
“I heard that many houses at the foot of the mountain were buried, along with the people inside.”
“So that’s why our military district mobilized last night—to carry out rescue operations.”
“Who knows how many they’ll be able to save.”
“Let’s hope everyone makes it out safely.”
Gu Jianing’s brow furrowed deeply. The thing she had feared most had still happened.
As soon as she entered the Traditional Chinese Medicine department, she saw a small, elderly man rushing in energetically. “Everyone, pack your medical kits quickly. We’re heading to Xinghua Village to assist the injured.”
Then, he walked up to Gu Jianing, looked her up and down with admiration in his eyes, and said, “You must be Xiao Gu. Come with us right away.”
“Understood,” Gu Jianing replied promptly.
With no time for questions, Gu Jianing, Dr. Zhou, Dr. Lu, and the elderly man—four of them in total—boarded a military jeep.
During the ride, Gu Jianing learned that this small, elderly man was none other than Elder Chen, the founder of the military hospital and the one who had requested her transfer to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department.
Soon, the jeep came to a stop.
“From here on, we’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”
After getting out, Gu Jianing saw that it wasn’t just their department—doctors from other departments had also arrived.
From Elder Chen’s brief explanation, Gu Jianing learned that after last night’s landslide in Xinghua Village, not only had soldiers and military dogs rushed to the scene for rescue operations, but doctors and nurses from the surgery and emergency departments of the military hospital had also been dispatched.
However, manpower was still insufficient, and the first wave of medical personnel needed to be relieved.
Thus, not only the Traditional Chinese Medicine department but also doctors and nurses from other departments had been called in.
After all, the military hospital was the only medical facility in the vicinity.
Moreover, since the soldiers had been mobilized, the medical staff couldn’t lag behind.
At this moment, the rain was still falling, though lighter than before.
But it still complicated the rescue efforts.
Now, Gu Jianing and the others trudged along the muddy mountain path toward Xinghua Village, clad in raincoats.
Gu Jianing couldn’t help but feel grateful that she was only a little over two months pregnant. Though carrying twins, her belly wasn’t yet noticeably swollen. Thanks to the Pregnancy Holy Body Pill and Stress-free Pregnancy Pill, her stamina had improved significantly.
As they drew closer to Xinghua Village, Gu Jianing saw numerous makeshift tents and people bustling about—soldiers and villagers alike.
In the distance, faint cries and sobs could be heard.
When they got even closer, Gu Jianing saw the horrifying aftermath: the collapsed mountain had buried houses, and through the curtain of rain, the devastation was stark. Military dogs sniffed desperately, searching for survivors. Soldiers and villagers worked together to dig and rescue, carrying out stretcher after stretcher…
A child cried out for their parents as they were carried away on a stretcher.
A disheveled middle-aged man wailed beside an elderly person, their body covered in mud and long since lifeless.
A young mother knelt on the ground, clawing at the earth with her bare hands, screaming her child’s name…
How could this scene not deeply move Gu Jianing?
Look—how insignificant human strength is in the face of nature.
The only thing Gu Jianing could do was fulfill her duty as a doctor and do her best to treat the injured.
Without hesitation, she immediately entered the tent and began treating patients alongside Dr. Zhou, Dr. Lu, and the others.
Gu Jianing was grateful that she had studied and memorized that mountain of precious medical knowledge and that her surgical skills were solid.
As a result, as long as the patients brought to her were still breathing, she could save them.
Of course, those in critical condition could only be stabilized temporarily and would need further treatment at the hospital.
But for those who had already stopped breathing, there was nothing she could do.
Even though she had the Childbearing System with its exchange shop and some points saved up, there was no medicine that could bring the dead back to life.
Even if there were, Gu Jianing thought, she probably wouldn’t dare to use it.
Outside the tent, people came and went. Stretchers arrived in waves, one after another. The rain kept falling, sometimes even intensifying…
Gu Jianing didn’t know how long she had been working—only that as soon as she finished treating one patient, another was brought in.
Outside the tent, soldiers, military dogs, and villagers searched for survivors, racing against death. The sooner they found someone, the higher the chance of survival.
Inside the tent, Gu Jianing and the other doctors and nurses also refused to stop, fighting against time to save as many lives as possible.
“I can’t—this patient is too severely injured. I… I can’t treat them.”
Many doctors, especially those not specialized in surgery, could only perform basic wound cleaning and bandaging. Even for surgeons, given the era’s limited medical technology, treating critically injured patients in such conditions was extremely difficult.
Hearing this, Gu Jianing, who happened to be nearby, glanced over. The scanner in her eyes analyzed the patient’s injuries in two seconds.
A display only she could see outlined the injuries and the necessary treatment.
After reviewing it, Gu Jianing confirmed she could handle it.
Following the principle of saving as many as possible, she spoke up, “Bring them to me. I’ll treat them.”
The doctor recognized Gu Jianing as the one who had performed the leg surgery on Battalion Commander Cui and brightened. “Right! Dr. Gu might be able to help!”
Soon, the patient was brought before Gu Jianing.
She swiftly took action, stabilizing the injuries and pulling the patient back from the brink.
“Dr. Gu, I have another critically injured patient here…”
“Dr. Gu, this one might need an amputation, but he’s the sole breadwinner of his family. If he loses his legs…”
“Dr. Gu, this person’s bleeding won’t stop.”
“Alright, send them all to me.” Staying true to her principle of saving as many as possible, Gu Jianing didn’t refuse any of them.
Soon, the patients were brought to her.
Gu Jianing worked swiftly, her acupuncture precise and decisive. Patients who would have needed amputations no longer did. Those bleeding uncontrollably, on the verge of death from blood loss, had their bleeding stopped…
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