Chapter 146: Xu Dezheng’s Second Investigation

The main force for this rescue consisted of Mi-26 and Zhi-8 helicopters, forming a formidable rescue operation.

The first wave consisted of twenty Mi-26s and ten Zhi-8s. Their mission was not limited to rescue; they were also responsible for establishing communications channels.

In eight hours, one hundred and sixty-five aircraft could make only four round trips. Assuming thirty people per trip, the entire fleet could evacuate 4,950 people in a single run, meaning that two runs would be enough to rescue everyone.

But that was not how the calculation worked.

At Zhujia Town, Lan-005 had already notified everyone to gather.

Everyone sat in front of the town government building. The entire town had only this one open area. To ensure that any rescue forces could land, Lan-005 had also ordered Zhu Pingsheng to lead people in clearing a large stretch of ground.

Unfortunately, without sufficient tools, they could not clear very much.

Buzzzzzzz—

The people who had been sitting with their heads bowed suddenly frowned.

Lan-005 had already risen to his feet and was looking up.

When the first Mi-26 helicopter appeared, everyone heard it. The moment they raised their heads and saw the helicopter, they all burst into tears.

“Quick, quick, quick! Turn on the lights!”

Zhu Pingsheng was crying as he ordered the prepared lights to be switched on.

On the cleared ground, several guide lights made from flashlights had already been set up with Lan-005’s help. The electricity came from two diesel generators—the only two generators that could be found anywhere in Zhujia Town.

Buzzzzz—

With the ground lights guiding it, the first helicopter soon landed.

“Which of you is in charge?”

“I am, I am! Commander, I’m the deputy mayor of Zhujia Town. I’ve gathered everyone together. I knew the country would never abandon us!”

“Deputy Mayor Zhu, please make the arrangements. Thirty people in each group, boarding in an orderly fashion. We have only five hours!”

“What? All right, all right! I’ll arrange it immediately!”

The first group to arrive consisted not only of helicopters, but also a large number of soldiers. Each helicopter could carry thirty-five soldiers, but because of the equipment that had to be transported, only ten soldiers were aboard each one. The remaining space was occupied by various devices and supplies.

There was not much room for the helicopters to land. Only five could touch down at a time; most of the others flew outside Zhujia Town to observe the surrounding conditions.

Outside the sinkhole, after all the aircraft had descended, the first helicopter came back up, and everyone crowded around it.

As soon as the helicopter doors opened, the doctors and nurses waiting nearby rushed forward and helped the first group of survivors into the vehicles.

All around them, countless flashes went off. Chinese and foreign media had been allowed in, but they still could not approach the sinkhole. They were restricted to an area three kilometers away.

When the first rescued survivors emerged, every reporter was energized.

“Hello, viewers. What we can see now is that the first group of survivors has been brought up. Their condition appears to be very stable!”

“This is good news, isn’t it?”

Zhu Lan stood not far away. Qin Jun was beside him, with Shang Hang standing on his other side.

Hearing Zhu Lan’s words, Qin Jun smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“Zhu Lan, on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I invite you once again.”

Shang Hang turned to Zhu Lan and spoke solemnly.

Zhu Lan smiled and shook his head. “Elder Shang, I think I’ll pass. I value my freedom, and I can’t stand all those rules and regulations.”

Shang Hang nodded regretfully. “If you ever change your mind, the doors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences will always be open to you.”

Zhu Lan smiled and nodded. “I will keep that in mind.”

“Zhu Lan, thank you. Truly.”

Qin Jun turned and looked at Zhu Lan with an earnest expression.

Zhu Lan jumped in surprise. “Hey, don’t look at me like that!”

Qin Jun fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

“Since there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first. The rest is up to you. I’ve suffered a tremendous loss today!”

Qin Jun gave a helpless, bitter smile. “You…”

Zhu Lan waved and walked away.

Since all the transport helicopters had been mobilized, Zhu Lan had no choice but to return in a small helicopter.

Back at Fantasy Technology, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

When he awoke the next day, Zhu Lan felt somewhat dizzy. He asked Red Queen to bring him some medicine. After taking it, he felt considerably better.

“Boss?”

As Zhu Lan entered the office, he ran straight into Cheng Xue.

“You’re back?”

Cheng Xue nodded.

Compared with before, Cheng Xue had become much more mature.

She was now the deputy manager of the Foreign Trade Department, responsible for handling external orders. At present, the company’s only foreign-trade order was the genetic optimization fluid.

“Come on. Since you’re back, you must have brought me some good news, right?”

Cheng Xue nodded and followed Zhu Lan into the office.

“Boss, the company is definitely going to become famous this time!”

Zhu Lan smiled and nodded. “How are the foreign media reporting it?”

“Boss, you haven’t seen it?”

“I just woke up. I haven’t had time to look yet.”

Cheng Xue shook her head. She had long since grown accustomed to her boss’s habits.

Seeing her expression, Zhu Lan smiled, turned on the computer, and opened a random news site.

The entire page was filled with reports about the sinkhole incident. Some reports had even emphasized that Fantasy Technology had been the primary force behind the rescue operation.

Zhu Lan smiled when he saw that, but said nothing.

“Boss, the overseas orders have changed again. Five agents can no longer meet the current demand.”

Zhu Lan folded his arms and thought for a moment. “What else?”

“Companies from many countries have submitted requests asking us to grant them agency rights in their countries. But since we haven’t received your instructions, we’ve been putting them off.”

Zhu Lan nodded. “We’ll discuss it after the New Year. You’ve worked hard. Go on down. This year’s bonus will include a particularly generous share for you.”

Cheng Xue beamed. “Then I’ll thank you in advance, Boss!”

Zhu Lan smiled and waved for her to leave.

As Cheng Xue opened the door, Lan Tianxin was already standing outside, her hand raised as she prepared to knock.

“Cheng Xue? You’re back?”

“Hello, Manager Lan!”

“I’ll come find you later.” Lan Tianxin smiled and pointed at Cheng Xue.

Cheng Xue smiled and nodded before walking away.

Lan Tianxin said nothing. She turned and entered Zhu Lan’s office.

“Boss!”

“You’re here?”

Zhu Lan had just poured himself a cup of tea. When he saw Lan Tianxin enter, he gestured toward the tea, asking whether she wanted some.

Lan Tianxin smiled bitterly and shook her head. She really could not understand why her boss loved tea so much. Almost every time she saw him, he was drinking it.

What Lan Tianxin did not know was that many people were aware of Zhu Lan’s fondness for tea—and that the tea he drank was the finest of the finest. Even Li Hongjin and Luo Guoqiang occasionally could not resist asking Zhu Lan for some to take home.

“Sit down.”

Lan Tianxin took a seat while Zhu Lan continued preparing his tea.

“What is it?”

“Boss, the impact of the sinkhole incident has continued to spread. Fantasy Technology has already entered the top three in today’s search rankings.”

“Excellent.”

Zhu Lan carried his tea over and sat down. “What other reactions have there been?”

“The Canglong Group hasn’t shown any reaction. Since the sinkhole incident, nearly all the obstacles Fantasy Technology faced in various areas have disappeared. It seems that even they understand which way the wind blows when faced with overwhelming public support.”

Zhu Lan sneered. “Fantasy Technology is standing at the center of the storm now. Countless eyes are on us. It’s time to reclaim what we’ve paid out through other means.”

“Boss…”

“Notify Yu Dongming to strengthen the company’s security management. I don’t want to see any suspicious people making their way inside.”

“And regarding the invitation list: if we haven’t received a reply within three days, drop them and draw up a new list. If they want to act important, let them. They can go play by themselves.”

“As for Chenweng Harbor, supervise it with all your strength. The schedule must be accelerated.”

“And Sheng Tang Media—urge them along. We don’t have much time left.”

Lan Tianxin nodded silently, memorizing Zhu Lan’s instructions.

“All right, Boss. I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”

Zhu Lan nodded and waved for her to leave.

Lan Tianxin said nothing. She nodded, rose, and walked out.

Holding his tea, Zhu Lan turned his chair toward the window and looked outside with a cold smile.

The work at Chenweng Harbor was still proceeding very poorly. No—that was not quite right. It was the invitations for the New Year’s Eve gala that were proving troublesome.

Because of Fantasy Technology’s growing reputation, many people were deliberately putting on airs before Zhu Lan. Some second-tier celebrities were even courting disaster by hinting on Weibo that Fantasy Technology was nothing more than a bunch of country bumpkins.

Zhu Lan truly wanted to drag those few wretches over and beat them soundly.

What angered him even more was that certain so-called directors had openly hurled insults at him by name.

“Hmph!”

Zhu Lan’s face darkened.

“You’ll have your time to cry.”

The sinkhole incident dominated the headlines.

When the magnetic field returned to normal, all 7,863 people beneath the sinkhole had been rescued. The rescue teams also discovered seventeen people in critical condition. Because time was limited, however, most of the bodies below could not be brought back up.

It was a failed rescue.

Yet no one blamed the rescuers. After the military and the government disclosed the conditions below, many people understood that the difficulty of this operation had been no less than that of the Wenchuan earthquake. Compared with that disaster, the challenge this time could arguably be considered one of the most difficult rescue missions in the entire world.

After the rescue was completed, international relief organizations sent messages of sympathy and highly praised the performance of the Huaxia government. They announced that the sinkhole incident would be included among the world’s classic rescue case studies and shared internationally.

Many countries sent messages of sympathy to Huaxia and highly praised the speed of its response. Several countries also made veiled references to the reactor. The senior leaders of Huaxia maintained complete silence on that matter.

After the sinkhole incident, Xu Dezheng once again made a public visit to Fantasy Technology for a second inspection.

Although this visit was not as grand as the previous one, it sent a clear signal to the outside world. It was an action taken immediately by the central government, and General Xu Dezheng had already departed from Yanjing.

To be continued.