novelxo Chapter 1578
Rescue missions in water were extremely difficult. Any carelessness could result in an even more critical situation. No one dared to act rashly without any instructions from superiors or absolute certainty that they could rescue those who were still alive.
After the distress signal, Levi and the others waited while continuing their search and rescue mission. Soon after, a reply came from the higher-ups telling them to wait for the professional rescue team to arrive before working together to rescue the survivors.
The mission was very complicated, but Levi and the others were cooperative with the professional rescue team. Their heart lit up with joy seeing two survivors getting rescued but little did they know, worse news awaited them.
After the rescuers entered the ship cabin, they saw many dead bodies laid in front of them. It was heartbreaking, but they did not let this slow them down. Everyone did their best to rescue as many survivors as they could, and also brought the deceased back to shore.
The rescue operations continued on. One by
one, each body was found and retrieved. No other survivors were found. Those on the mission gradually felt a mental breakdown... The first group of rescuers was then summoned ashore, followed by the second group.
Seeing the corpses on the deck, Levi's eyes suddenly turned red, and he punched his own thigh out of frustration. "D*mn it!" He shouted.
He only learned of his helplessness in the face of natural disasters. Although he had military training every day, which was funded by taxpayers, Levi felt that he failed to keep his fellow citizens safe. He though about how these dead souls had just been alive not too long ago...
Monique sat right next to Levi. When she saw Levi beating himself up, she shouted at him angrily, "Now's not the time to be emotional, Levi. There are others waiting for our rescue. We must not give up until the very last moment."
Levi looked up when he heard Monique's voice. Although he was irritated by her in the past, now, she seemed to glow with determination, vehement to save every person she could.
All of a sudden, he no longer felt that Monique was as unpleasant as before...
She continued, "We're frontline soldiers. If our strength crumbles, where else would the people find hope?"
Levi replied, "Got it."
He was not the only one going through this. Other soldiers who were involved in the rescue operation were new recruits who just had their first-ever mission, and who had just witnessed so many deaths for the first time in their lives. Regardless of how mentally strong and resilient they were, they would still need time to process and accept what they saw.
Things were so dire that some were not even able to continue doing rescue work due to their inability to accept the cruel and harsh spectacle before their eyes. Despite this, there were still a couple of recruits who were able to pull through who excelled at their rescue work and did not drag anyone behind during the rescue process.
After a short break, they joined the rescue operation again. The rescue mission lasted seven days before the sunken cruise ship was finally salvaged. Only six out of hundreds of people, including the captain and crew, were saved during the search and rescue.
On the last day of the rescue, the soldiers silently mourned the dead for three minutes before returning to the army. Even though the
rescue work was over, they seemed shrouded in gloom...
The group that used to be full of laughter became silent. When they met, everyone's eyes were red with distress. The higher-ups had psychologists provide them with support and guidance, but the therapy results did not look great. Whenever some of the soldiers closed their eyes, they would see the bodies in front of them again.
After a few days of therapy, the soldiers were in a much better condition. The superiors gave orders to have all the soldiers who participated in the rescue mission return home for a week. They wanted everyone to adjust and regulate their state of mind so that they could serve the people better in the future.
On the day they were meant to return home, before Levi got into his car, he saw Monique whom he had not seen for a few days. She was not as high-spirited as before. She hung her head down like a defeated stray. Levi raised his voice at her as he greeted, "Hello?"
Monique turned around. "What's the matter?"
Levi patted her on the shoulder and said, "What has happened has happened. There's no point for us to feel sad about what's passed. It's best that we cheer up and serve the people better in the future, and to protect our home and country."
This was what Monique had said to Levi during the rescue mission. He had remembered them and was now using them on her.
She lowered her head and muttered softly, "Oh."
It was rare for her not to argue with him. This was something he was not used to. "Monique, are you still scared?"
Monique sniffed as tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "Hundreds of lives... Gone just like that..."
She choked on her sobs as she spoke.
Levi stretched out his arms to hug Monique. "Don't be upset, it's all in the past."
Monique took a deep breath and said, "I know. You don't need to comfort me."
During the rescue, she was on the verge of a breakdown but her strong willpower made her persevere through gritted teeth. She collapsed as soon as the rescue was over. After a few days of suffering from a high fever, her condition finally improved. She had been in her best condition when Levi saw her.
Levi said, "I heard that you were ill when you came back?"
Monique replied, "I'm fine. I'm fine now." While they were talking, Cecil rushed over and said, "Monique, we agreed to visit the families of the deceased tomorrow. Where are we going to meet and at what time?"
Monique immediately switched out of her melancholic state and said, "Gather at the Chatterton Town train station the next morning."
Cecil said, "Alright, we won't be returning to our hometown this time. We'll go help the families that need our help tomorrow."
Levi asked, "You're going to give your condolences to the victims' families?Why don' 11 know about this?"
Cecil said, "Young Master Brown, if you are interested, you can come with us."
"Okay, then we'll gather at the Chatterton Town train station the next morning at 8 o'clock."
Monique took a look at Levi and said, "Young Master Brown, condolence work is not easy. Are you sure you have the patience for it?"
"Am I a person who can't finish what I started?" Levi asked disapprovingly.
Seeing that they were about to quarrel again, Cecil hurriedly interrupted, "You two, let's not care about your personal grievances for the time being. Let's focus on how we can help the families that need our help. Apparently, there were several young couples that had perished in the disaster. Amongst them were a couple who were both the only child in their family. They left behind a baby, and their families are devastated."
What Cecil mentioned was merely an example of one of the many cases from this tragedy. There were plenty of others who needed help. However, they had no choice but to help those that were in the worst situations as they were not able to help every one of them, but could only help a little.