Chapter 273

They performed emergency treatment and only sent the injured to the hospital once their vital signs had stabilized.

“This was my first time participating in disaster relief,” said Jake. “It was honestly pretty shocking, but luckily no one was seriously hurt.”

Ashley fiddled with his phone. Communication had been temporarily restored, allowing contact with the outside world. Carl had asked about the situation several times and still hadn’t gone to sleep. Ashley replied to his message, then put down his phone and looked at Jake.

“Disasters like this are both natural and man-made. The only thing we can do is try our best to save lives. I did relief work years ago—when you’re truly facing life and death, all other difficulties feel meaningless.”

The road in the early morning wasn’t easy to travel, but fortunately, the rescue team had already gone through it once with Blake. They knew the ground hadn’t collapsed and that it wasn’t too dangerous.

In just over 40 minutes, they reached the building known as Montvue Tower.

By that time, most people had already returned to their rooms to rest. The power had been cut, but the rescue team had restored it before leaving, getting the electricity back up.

So from a distance, the lights in the lobby were still on.

Blake had mentioned to Jessica that the rescue team might return to rest. Shannon had led people to tidy up several rooms on the first floor and had even prepared dinner.

Jessica and Indya were still in the living room. A few people from the project team were nearby. Since the danger had passed, they wanted to leave as soon as possible and were working overtime to sort out the project.

“The extra costs caused by the collapse need to be included,” said Jessica. “But it shouldn’t be too high. Once we’re back, have finance give me a report.”

Indya was propping up her head, looking very tired, but still forced herself to speak. “We’ll need to come up with a PR strategy. But with so many buildings damaged and only Montvue Tower left standing, at least that proves the earthquake resistance. I’ll work with the public relations department on a proposal.”

At that moment, the door was pushed open.

+25 BONUS

A few dusty and disheveled people walked in. Blake, who had been sitting off to the side watching Indya, stood up and walked to the door when he saw it was the rescue team.

“You’ve worked hard. How’s the situation outside?” asked Blake.

“Pretty good,” came Chris’s voice, making Jessica freeze for a second.

Chris removed the hood attached to his raincoat and smiled at Blake. “No fatalities. That’s the best result. The headcount is done, and everyone has been rescued.”

Blake paused for just a moment, then quickly nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Now that this group had arrived, there was no way the Wilder Group could continue the meeting.

Shannon stood up and addressed the rescue team. “You’ve all worked hard. Your rooms are ready, and there’s dinner in the kitchen. Take a hot shower first, and come out to eat afterward.”

“Alright.”

“It’s so late—why did you still come over?” asked Jessica.

Chris bent down and kissed her on the forehead. “I had to see you with my own eyes to feel at ease.”

As the two of them got cozy, Shannon waved her hand, signaling the others to leave. The meeting ended early.

“Ms. Wilder, why don’t you take your husband to your room to settle in? I’ll go reheat the food and bring it to you shortly.”

Chris held Jessica’s hand. She finally came back to her senses and replied, “Okay.”

She then told Shannon to warm up a cup of coffee.

The lobby instantly quieted down, and the bright lights were replaced with warm, dim ones.

Indya didn’t rush to leave. She remained slouched on the sofa, smoking. She was half asleep when she felt someone approach.

“I’ll be returning to the film crew tomorrow.”