Chapter 272

“Over here—pull him up! Dr. Green, this way!”

Lucas led a team to rescue those trapped beneath the collapsed building. Everyone was covered in blood, and it wasn’t clear where they were injured. After pulling them out, they dared not move them and simply laid them flat on the ground.

Chris was already in a terrible state, but he paid no attention to his own condition. He grabbed a medical case from beside one of the injured and rushed over.

Everyone present looked the same—disheveled, covered in mud. If not for the name tags on their chests, it would have been hard to recognize who was who.

“External injuries. Stop the bleeding first.”

It had been a full day. Chris had only taken a few sips of water, just like everyone else. Fortunately, it was only one day. The rescue and medical teams had arrived in time. When they did the headcount, everyone had been rescued.

By now, it was already 3 o’clock in the morning. Chris, who hadn’t closed his eyes in almost 24 hours, collapsed onto a large pile of rubble. The rain had eased a bit, but he didn’t care. Instead, he let the rain wash the mud off his hands.

Mandy had just wrapped up the filming. She told her colleagues to take the equipment back to the vehicle and came over to say goodbye.

“We’re heading out,” said Mandy, standing next to Chris. In the darkness, only faint lights dotted the area. Around every light, there was a patient—and doctors keeping watch nearby.

As the head of the medical team, Chris had already finished the final headcount with the local officials. The good news was—there had been no fatalities. The most severely injured had already been sent to the nearest hospital.

“You’ve worked hard,” said Chris.

Mandy handed him a bottle of water. “Not as hard as you doctors. I’ve been on several disaster relief missions overseas, but none as intense as this. No casualties—that’s the best outcome.”

A temporary communication system had been established, and the sound of phones ringing began to echo nearby. Watching the media vans approach from the distance, Mandy said, “I’ve got to go. The major outlets are arriving. I need to publish the on-site report before they do. We’ll talk later.”

“Alright.”

Lucas handed out supplies to all the medical teams—mostly just water and bread. He walked over to Chris and gave him some, then sat down beside him.

“The situation here is under control. I heard your target’s further in. Are you going to find Ms. Wilder?” asked Lucas.

Chris responded with a nod. He didn’t eat the bread, just opened the bottle and took a sip of water. “It’s not serious here. I’m sure there aren’t any fatalities further in. I just… want to see her.”

Lucas took big bites of bread. Chris noticed a wound on his hand, probably from lifting debris. The wound had been soaking in mud for a while, and now it looked red and inflamed. Chris pulled out iodine and gauze from his kit and quickly disinfected and bandaged it.

“Make sure you go to the hospital for a dressing change when we get back. You’ll need antibiotics at home, too."

“It’s just a scratch,” said Lucas.

Chris replied, “Take care of your hands—so you can take better care of others.”

After saying that, Chris stood up. He had already distributed a portion of the medical supplies and was ready to head in.

The rescue team Blake had brought was also getting ready to move out. Those with minor injuries would camp on-site, while the severely injured were being taken away by ambulance.

“I’ll be back by noon tomorrow and take our vehicle back to the city.”

Lucas nodded. “Alright, be safe.”

“Will do.”

Blake’s rescue team was professional. With their help, the operation became faster. They and Chris began heading inward together.

Ashley and Jake were sitting inside a tent. In the neighboring tent was a child they had rescued. The child had been well protected by their parents and wasn’t seriously hurt, but the father had been struck by a beam and was already unconscious when pulled out.