Chapter 1623 - 1675: High-Altitude Rescue
There was consideration to carry out the rescue on the other side since there were no broken cables there, and they were quite loose. However, difficulties included more trees and the risk that if the cables and base couldn’t hold, the Ferris wheel could fall, posing great danger to the rescue personnel who risk being crushed by the massive wheel, leaving little chance of survival.
As the mayor of the city, everyone trapped above must be saved, especially Li Yifei at the very top. Therefore, both Qin Yuanjiang and Song Zhentao were facing challenging decisions.
Fortunately, the fire truck ladder couldn’t reach the top, so there wasn’t the need to decide whether to save Li Yifei first or the others.
The ladder moved up and down, taking quite some time. By now, several people had been rescued including an entire family, who were quickly evacuated.
Those at the highest levels could only wait in terror, especially after witnessing the horrific consequences of a broken cable, causing them immeasurable fear.
Rescue time is precious, and any delay could lead to more severe consequences. Most critically... the wind has picked up, dark clouds suddenly drifted from the west, blocking the sunshine, dimming the entire sky. White clouds swiftly turned into black clouds, and the rustling of leaves continued uninterrupted.
The wind was still mild at this point, not affecting the extended cloud ladder significantly. However, no one could guarantee that the wind wouldn’t get stronger, which would surely severely hamper rescue efforts.
Qin Yuanjiang had a headache, he already ordered to remove a blocking tree to allow the fire trucks in. Safety issues were set aside as the fire truck was directed to the side where the Ferris wheel might collapse, immediately commencing rescue.
The firefighting officers disregarded their own safety, each going up one by one. Many onlookers were moved by this, considering these officers were risking their lives to save others several meters high.
The reporters also arrived, initially filming the leaders, followed by other footage to prepare for the evening news.
Time gradually passed, Li Yifei and his daughters had been trapped for almost an hour. The kids were relatively calm, but the neighboring cabin was occupied by a woman who had started crying. The wind shook the cabin, which might seem fun to kids but adults knew it was more dangerous. Although the cabin was firmly secured and theoretically wouldn’t blow away, the entire Ferris wheel became even more hazardous. Fortunately, the wind was blowing from the west, which was the side the Ferris wheel would fall, a stroke of luck within misfortune. Otherwise, if the wind blew from the east and intensified, the Ferris wheel might be directly toppled, rendering helicopter rescue impossible for those like Li Yifei.
But the wind came, the dark clouds filled the sky, with looming storm winds and oppressive black clouds. The atmosphere seemed heavy, more and more people gathered on the ground yet dared not approach, only watching from afar.
Li Yifei’s phone rang, showing Ye Yunzhu as the caller. Knowing such an incident must have alarmed Ye Yunzhu, who hastily arrived without notifying others, knowing Li Yifei brought the children to the amusement park, thus worrying.
Before reaching the site, Ye Yunzhu heard from her colleagues that The Patriarch of the Li family was trapped on the Ferris wheel...
Undoubtedly, it was grim news, nearly breaking Ye Yunzhu upon hearing it. As her car arrived at the park, she immediately called Li Yifei while hurrying toward the Ferris wheel.
Li Yifei calmly comforted Ye Yunzhu, saying, "I’m fine, the kids are fine too. Secretary Song has contacted the military to dispatch a helicopter, it’s already on the way, so don’t worry."
Ye Yunzhu nodded repeatedly, looking up at the Ferris wheel. A certain area was cordoned off, and visitors were dispersed, leaving Ye Yunzhu to wait on the periphery; she could only observe while the gusting wind made the cabins sway, like autumn fruits stubbornly clinging to a tree, seemingly almost falling off.
Li Yifei continued speaking, "Look, our daughter is waving at you. We’re good, don’t worry. Come, daughter, say something to mom."
The younger daughter took the phone, speaking to Ye Yunzhu, "Mom, I’m playing with dad and Xiaoyao’s mom, don’t worry about me."
With a single sentence, Ye Yunzhu was almost brought to tears, seeing her daughter and beloved hanging in the sky. As a mother, how could she not worry, yet her daughter was comforting her instead.
Covering her mouth, Ye Yunzhu paused for a few seconds before saying, "Good girl, my daughter, mom is waiting for you all to come down."
Li Yifei took the phone, saying, "This incident was planned by someone. You should find the park management and secure a few entrances and the surveillance. Don’t worry about us, the helicopter is coming to get us."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yunzhu immediately asked, "Yifei, are you saying someone’s behind this malicious plot?"
"Very likely, they used explosives and... it’s dangerous. My phone is running low on battery. Once you’re done, call her outside and confirm safety, tell them to step up security."
"Okay, I’ll handle it!" Realizing the severity of the situation, Ye Yunzhu hesitated before saying, "Husband, you all... stay safe."
"They’ll be fine for a short while, don’t worry!" said Li Yifei.
Ye Yunzhu quickly ran towards the temporary command center. Here, Mayor Qin Yuanjiang was personally overseeing the rescue operations, along with a group of other leaders. As Ye Yunzhu approached, Qin Yuanjiang recognized her and hurried over. Without much small talk, Ye Yunzhu went straight to the point: "Mayor Qin, hello, I have something I need your help with."
Qin Yuanjiang didn’t mind that Ye Yunzhu used the informal ’you’ instead of the more respectful form. Hearing her words, he nodded immediately, "Okay, tell me."
Ye Yunzhu recounted what Li Yifei had said, about the explosives damaging the base. Qin Yuanjiang was aware of the situation, but amidst the busy rescue efforts, they had really forgotten to preserve the evidence. After hearing her out, he called over someone next to him and had a few police officers immediately retrieve the video footage.
This would be dealt with later; the most important task now was the rescue.
Ye Yunzhu then called a few women outside, first informing Su Mengxin. Su Mengxin and Xu Yingying, among others, had already left the provincial capital heading back to Mile City. Hearing this news, Su Mengxin took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and asked, "Yunzhu, you’re saying a helicopter has been dispatched for the rescue, and they should be safe soon, right?"
"The helicopter... is already here; they should prioritize rescuing Yifei and the others!"
Su Mengxin gritted her teeth, saying, "It’s not ’should,’ it’s ’must.’ In this matter, they must ensure their safety first. If others suffer losses because of this, we will compensate them!"
"Okay!" Ye Yunzhu nodded.
Qin Yuanjiang had already met up with Song Zhentao. The two top officials of Mile City stood together, looking up at the shaky Ferris wheel with worried expressions. If something happened to Li Yifei, there would be a huge upheaval in Mile City, and the women of the Li family were not to be trifled with...
Fortunately, the helicopter had arrived. Song Zhentao and Qin Yuanjiang exchanged a few words quietly, then took hold of the phone, speaking into it, "Rescue the people in the top cabin first, yes, two children, a boy and a girl. Ensure they are rescued first, this is a political task!"
"Received!" responded a soldier on the plane.
The helicopter hovered closer, but the wind speed was increasing, and at such height, it was even swifter, posing a challenge for the helicopter’s hover. The people in the topmost cabin all saw hope, eagerly banging on the windows, hoping they’d be rescued first.
The two Li Yufei sisters pointed at the helicopter, shouting excitedly, "Daddy, look, a helicopter, a big helicopter!"
There were two helicopters in total; the first one had arrived, and the second was close behind. The pilot quickly identified the cabin with Li Yifei, moving closer, and the rescue personnel began their operation. A soldier, with a rope tied around his waist, secured himself with a buckle and was slowly lowered outside, opening the cabin door from outside. He said, "Quick, give me the children first, I’ll send them up."
"Okay!" Li Yifei turned back, holding his younger daughter, "My dear daughter, you wait in the helicopter for dad, I’ll be up soon!"
The daughter nodded obediently as Li Yifei secured the rope around her and handed her over to the rescue soldier, as the rope slowly ascended, she waved her hand at the others.
From a distance, Ye Yunzhu looked up at this scene, her heart in her throat, but when she saw her daughter waving, she couldn’t help but smile. This little girl was quite brave; in such a high place, not only did she not cry in fear, but she also knew to wave.
The second to be rescued was the elder daughter Li Yufei. At this time, the little girl surprisingly showed courtesy, letting Chu Xiaoyao go up first, but Chu Xiaoyao refused to agree. The two argued for a while until Li Yifei gently patted Li Yufei’s head, "Good girl, you go up first, then your Xiaoyao mom will go."
"Okay... I’ll wait for you all then!" Li Yufei finally nodded, and a few minutes later, she was rescued onto the helicopter.
Li Yifei was by no means relaxed; he wasn’t worried about any errors during the rescue itself but rather about those steel cables. If any of them were to snap, it would be extremely dangerous, potentially inflicting catastrophic damage on the helicopter.
With the two children safely on board, people in the adjacent cabin saw hope too. Someone broke the window glass, yelling towards the helicopter, "Save me, quickly get my son down first!"
Others also clamored to have themselves rescued first, causing a noisy uproar.
The helicopter’s orders were to rescue Li Yifei and his group first, so the soldiers wouldn’t deviate from their mission, and the rope descended again.