Chapter 1622 - 1674: Trapped on Top
Li Yifei immediately contacted Secretary Song Zhentao of the Municipal Committee, requesting his help.
This time, returning home, because of his previous conversation with Old Master Su, Li Yifei decided to change his strategy. He was not planning to be too close with government officials, but this time he couldn’t help but seek Song Zhentao’s assistance, because he was the only one who could connect with the military stationed near Mile City, and arrange for a military helicopter to come for the rescue.
Otherwise, at such a height, even if a fire truck arrived, the ladder might not reach even halfway up.
Of course, this is based on the premise that... the cables and other bases on the Ferris wheel are strong enough to hold the heavy Ferris wheel in place and prevent it from collapsing, otherwise, any effort would be in vain.
Song Zhentao had just returned to Mile City from the provincial capital, and his car had just exited the highway. His trip to the provincial capital was very successful; Mile City’s economy had been developing rapidly in recent years, and the security situation had improved significantly, even better than that of the provincial capital. Because of this, Song Zhentao gained admiration from the province’s main leaders. Additionally, a vice-provincial official had recently retired due to illness, leaving that position temporarily vacant.
Song Zhentao had been eyeing this position for a long time, as it was vacated by the Li family. The official who had retired had close ties to the Sunx Family. This time, going to the provincial capital, Song Zhentao was essentially being evaluated by the top leaders of the Provincial Committee, with a high chance of being promoted from a regular department head to a vice-provincial level. Although he might not have as much real power as he did governing Mile City, the promotion was still very tempting to Song Zhentao.
He had to thank the Li family, though the Li family had caused him some troubles before, they had also brought him many benefits. For instance, if he could advance further this time, Song Zhentao’s political career could be extended for several more years, which for him, would be the best outcome.
Receiving the call from Li Yifei, Song Zhentao was quite pleased, as he had planned to call Li Yifei to express his gratitude. As the call connected, Song Zhentao didn’t speak immediately, still gathering his emotions, but then he heard Li Yifei speaking rapidly on the other end: "Secretary Song, please help me contact the military and have them send helicopters immediately to the Ferris wheel at the children’s amusement park. The Ferris wheel has had an accident; I, along with the children and over a hundred people, are trapped on it, and there’s a risk of it toppling over at any moment."
Li Yifei didn’t bother with formalities and directly stated his request, explaining the situation. While he was speaking, two steel cables suddenly snapped with a swishing sound, flying out in opposite directions. The cables, tens of meters long, crashed into a ticket booth, smashing it to bits. Luckily, no one was inside, otherwise, they would have been severely injured.
The sudden change startled the rescuers below, and a few people ran away in fright. The cable didn’t just harmlessly bounce off an object; even hitting a concrete wall, it could likely splinter it. These people were intent on helping save lives, not risking their own.
Some rescuers fled, but the ten bodyguards from the Li family diligently assisted in the rescue efforts below. In fact, two of them risked climbing to certain heights to rescue tourists trapped slightly lower. It wasn’t that they weren’t scared; rather, as their clan chief was trapped there, even if they remained safe, what else could they do? There’s a saying, "If you partake in the lord’s bounty, you must serve the lord faithfully." Li Yifei never treated them poorly, and at such a critical moment, they could not afford to falter.
Song Zhentao’s good mood evaporated instantly. After hearing Li Yifei’s words, it took him only seconds to react quickly, saying: "No problem, I’ll contact them right away. Yifei, stay safe!"
Li Yifei mentioned that it’s not just him trapped up there, but also his children... This matter was extremely grave. Song Zhentao knew Li Yifei had several children. Except for the one who went missing, the other children were still young, probably referring to those two adorable daughters.
Damn, how could they be so unfortunate? Song Zhentao hung up the call and immediately told his secretary in front to find the phone number of the military leader and called directly. Coincidentally, the leader was attending a gathering today and was drinking at lunch, having left his mobile phone behind. Song Zhentao’s two attempts to reach him were unsuccessful, prompting him to become anxious. He decided to drive directly to the military base while trying to call Li Yifei. But Li Yifei’s line was busy, so Song Zhentao called the mayor, explaining the situation. Qin Yuanjiang had just learned of it, and he was preparing to head to the site and had sent some people there.
Li Yifei and his children being trapped at a height of tens of meters is a very significant issue for Mile City. Handled well, it could cement good relations with the Li family, earning a huge personal favor and a commendation. If not handled well, and if something happened to Li Yifei or his children, then...
The consequences would be very severe. Qin Yuanjiang understood this too. Didn’t his old rival—oh, his old partner—ascend to the next level due to good relations with the Li family? Simultaneously, he too had the opportunity to further advance and occupy the Secretary’s position, managing the entire city.
Understanding this, he had to take it seriously.
Song Zhentao and Qin Yuanjiang made a plan: Song Zhentao would request helicopter assistance, while Qin Yuanjiang would go to the site to command and oversee operations. Finally, Li Yifei’s call went through, and after Song Zhentao explained the arrangements, Li Yifei said: "I understand, thank you, Secretary Song."
"It’s no trouble, don’t worry, we will do everything we can to rescue them as quickly as possible."
Li Yifei had no mind for more talking; he wasn’t worried about himself but was concerned for the two children. In five minutes, three cables had already snapped. The risk of the Ferris wheel toppling was evident, and the most dangerous part was their position. From a height of tens of meters, if the Ferris wheel collapsed, the force upon impact would be enormous.
Upon hearing from Song Zhentao, Li Yifei was anxious. Even if the military agreed to send helicopters now, it would likely take over ten minutes for them to arrive. Could the Ferris wheel hold on for ten more minutes?
Most of the supporting cables were already taut. Under normal circumstances, these cables might have a bit of elasticity, but now, one side was taut while the other was slack, producing squeaky sounds.
No, he looked down. The Ferris wheel had already tilted slightly, though not significantly, but it was indeed tilting. The bodies of the two children leaned against one another, pressing to one side.
Chu Xiaoyao, at this moment, was holding the two children, biting her lip. Her face was pale, but her eyes were resolute. She was even comforting the children.
Li Yifei could now climb down himself, assuming nothing unexpected happened in the meantime, but he would never do that. Leaving his children and wife, escaping alone, what kind of person would that make him, and besides, it hadn’t come to that yet.
Holding the phone, Li Yifei turned and gently pinched Chu Xiaoyao’s cheek, saying: "Don’t worry, it’ll be okay."
Chu Xiaoyao nodded, saying: "If the helicopter comes, they should save the two children first."
"Alright."
Just as Li Yifei was about to call the provincial capital directly, Song Zhentao’s call came through. He had already reached the military, and they had promised to dispatch two helicopters immediately for the rescue. In reality, the whole base only had three helicopters, and one was under maintenance. Dispatching two was quite an accommodation.
With this call, Li Yifei was slightly relieved. Below, several police cars had arrived, unloading more than ten officers, but they too were without any tools, feeling helpless. Another fire truck arrived shortly, but due to the terrain, it took several attempts to maneuver in. A few trees were in the way, costing another two minutes to adjust the angle.
The captain of the fire brigade had come too, running over to Qin Yuanjiang, who immediately instructed the rescue, stressing the urgency of getting those trapped down safely.
They hadn’t ruled out the idea of stabilizing the Ferris wheel to maintain the current situation, but it was incredibly difficult. Not to mention the enormous force required to hold the Ferris wheel in place, they currently lacked the proper equipment. Importantly, they didn’t dare to move anything recklessly. The cables and supporting structures on either side of the Ferris wheel were still in play, and although very tense, at least it hadn’t tipped over further. Using external force might have the opposite effect, risking breaking the cables actively providing support.
With a crack and a loud noise, another cable snapped. The long cable whipped around, striking an electrical pole, snapping it along with the rebar inside, breaking the wires as well.
Amid shocked cries, even Qin Yuanjiang and others took a deep breath. The pole was less than twenty meters from their location. If... if that cable had struck them, they would likely have been pulverized.
It was too dangerous. Someone quickly advised Qin Yuanjiang to move further back to a safe spot.
Qin Yuanjiang didn’t dare stay put any longer. He was there to save lives, not risk his own. Having come in person was already commendable, so he quickly withdrew with his people, but not before advising the rescuers to pay attention to safety and ensure proper protective measures were in place.
The amusement park manager also arrived, but was immediately subjected to a torrent of abuse from Qin Yuanjiang. Although, the amusement park manager was justifiably aggrieved, since the attraction was actually sabotaged with explosives, which really had nothing to do with the park.
But Qin Yuanjiang ignored that point. How was it even possible for someone to bring so many explosives in your venue’s security process?
After venting his anger with a few insults, Qin Yuanjiang ignored the manager further.
But soon, a new issue emerged. Due to the surrounding trees, only one fire truck could get in. There were three more outside, requiring the trees to be felled before they could enter, otherwise entry and thereby rescue speed would be hampered.
And those cables, which could snap at any moment, presented another significant threat. The more people and vehicles inside, the greater the risk should they break.