SWNOVELXO Chapter 631 - 587 Desperate Mayor_1
Chapter 631: Chapter 587 Desperate Mayor_1
As soon as Wu Peng’s words fell, a section of the seawall was washed away by the waves. Once this gap opened, the seawater surged in, instantly causing over four hundred meters of the seawall’s fence to collapse. It was akin to how dominos fell, one after another due to the combined effect.
Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows furrowed as he spoke ominously, “Colonel Wu, are you really suggesting breaching the seawall? You must realize that the residential buildings are only seventy or eighty meters behind us.”
Wu Peng understood Nie Zhenbang’s sentiment clearly. As a soldier of the people, it was his unshirkable duty and responsibility to ensure the safety of civilians and their property.
Now, as the seawall breach threatened the lives and the property of the general public, it amounted to dereliction of duty. However, based on Colonel Wu’s many years of experience as the commander of the garrison engineering battalion in Wanghai, he acknowledged that the seawall was beyond saving. He reluctantly nodded, “Mayor, I fear it cannot be protected.”
As soon as Wu Peng’s words fell, a lightning bolt streaked across the sky, appearing especially terrifying amidst the dark night. This was quickly followed by a booming thunderclap. The lights on the buildings on both sides flickered sporadically.
Meanwhile, Li Jupeng’s cell phone began to ring. It was Mayor Nie’s number. Upon answering the call, a voice from the other side came through. However, due to the intensity of the rain, Nie Zhenbang and the others could not hear clearly.
At this moment, Li Jupeng loudly said, “Alright, I understand. I will immediately relay this to the mayor.”
“Mayor, just now, the power company reported that two 250,000-volt high voltage lines have been severed. Currently, the power company’s workers are making their best efforts for repairs,” Li Jupeng loudly reported.
Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows tightened even further. This typhoon invasion made Nie feel helpless for the first time, realizing how insignificant humans can be in the face of natural disasters.
Immediately after, Nie Zhenbang sternly instructed, “Tell all the subordinate leaders to prioritize the safety of the people and rescue workers. Under these circumstances, human lives are of utmost importance.”
At that moment, another wave crashed into the seawall, causing it to ripple for a few seconds. An approximately eight-meter-long breach instantly formed. Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang gave a commanding order, “Colonel Wu, relay my command. All soldiers on deck, block the breach immediately. We must not let the seawater pour in, else the entire Wanghai Island will be flooded.”
At this moment, without any hesitation, Wu Peng stood straight and loudly responded, “Yes, we will guarantee the completion of the task.”
But to Wu Peng and Liu Zhiyong’s surprise, Nie Zhenbang rolled up his pants and dashed towards the breach.
This left Wu Peng astounded, who loudly asked, “Mayor, what are you trying to do?”
Nie Zhenbang frowned with slight irritation, “Colonel Wu, we are rescuing! Why are you looking at me? Time is life. We must act now!”
Li Jupeng also dashed up. The torrential rain brought on by the typhoon battered them, but amongst the more than a thousand soldiers standing in the rain at the Wanghai Sea Wall, they quietly admired Mayor Nie, their eyes filled with respect and reverence.
“Mayor, you can’t go, it’s dangerous!”, Li Jupeng cried out loud, trying to stop Nie Zhenbang’s actions.
Nie Zhenbang, seething in anger at this moment, said, “What are you doing, Li Jupeng? Do you want me to hide under a tent like a coward while the soldiers risk their lives? Let me tell you, Li Jupeng, I, Nie Zhenbang, cannot do that. Follow my command and go back there. You are not needed here anymore, or you can stop being my secretary.”
With that scolding from Nie Zhenbang, Li Jupeng was stunned. Yet, he stubbornly insisted, “Mayor, even if you dismiss me, I cannot let you go. I am your secretary, my duty is to ensure your safety.”
Nie Zhenbang, not caring anymore at this point, pushed Li Jupeng away with a wave of his hand. Nie Zhenbang’s physical strength was far superior to that of the scholarly Li Jupeng.
Seeing Nie Zhenbang’s retreating figure, Li Jupeng gritted his teeth and rushed up beside him. Standing at the breach, gazing at the turbulent inflow of seawater, Nie Zhenbang sternly said, “Colonel Wu, order the soldiers to bring two ropes over and form a daredevil rescue team. I’ll lead. Everyone should put on life jackets, connect with ropes, get into the water, and place sandbags to block the breach.”
Nie Zhenbang’s words rendered Wu Peng somewhat shocked. The powerful force caused by the seawater rushing into the eight-meter wide breach was enough to wash away a small car. For a person to enter the water under these conditions seemed incredibly insignificant. Wasn’t this a suicide mission?
Wu Peng gritted his teeth, ready to take the risk. If the mayor, who holds the rank of deputy provincial official, was willing to risk his life, then there was nothing significant about his own life.
Then he resolutely said, “Mayor, it’s too dangerous down there. If anyone should go, it should be me.”
Nie Zhenbang was frustrated at this moment. Why was everyone behaving like this? Did they consider him some sort of precious commodity too delicate to risk? Furious, he snapped, “Nonsense! You’re the commander of the Engineering Battalion. You have a clearer understanding of how things should be arranged, and sandbags positioned. So, are you suggesting that you go down into the water and I take over command? Bullshit! I was also a soldier, and this bit of difficulty won’t stop me. Comrade Wu Peng, this is an order. As the head of the Wanghai City National Defense Committee, I order you to carry out the mission immediately.”
Two ropes as thick as a baby’s arm were quickly brought over. The eight-meter distance was no problem at all, even in this heavy storm.
Nie Zhenbang had also put on a life jacket and was the first to jump in the water. At this moment, thousands of people had gathered around the seawall.
Mayor Nie’s actions moved everyone in the crowd. Many enthusiastic young men shouted, “Let’s fight! Nie is in the water fighting for our homes. Can we just stand by and watch? Even if it means dying, we should block the breach today.”
In the eight-meter distance, twenty strong young men formed a human barrier standing before the breach, step by step they moved towards the opening.
Nie Zhenbang’s noble spirit moved the soldiers and military police on both sides so much that everyone exploded with their full potential. Bags of sandbags were thrown down as if they were worthless.
At the beginning, those below the breach cried out: “No good, the force of the water flow is too strong, we can’t stop it.”
Wu Peng, standing above, was carefully calculating the speed and flow of the water and said in a deep voice, “Bundle six sandbags together and push them down. The flow of the water is too powerful. Throwing them one by one won’t do any good.”
Quickly, under Wu Peng’s command, a unit of people was divided off to stand at the edge of the breach to secure the sandbags as a whole.
But the flow of water was just too fast. In two hours, more than three thousand sandbags were thrown in, but without much effect. Most sandbags were washed away by the sea as soon as they were dropped.
Among the twenty who first jumped into the water, many had already been replaced. The physical exhaustion from the impact of the water flow was no doubt tremendous.
Nie Zhenbang, despite his strong physique, was also beginning to feel exhausted.
Wu Peng, nearby, shouted, “Mayor, come up and rest. You can’t keep going like this.”
Nie Zhenbang shot back, shouting, “Wu Peng, damn you, don’t worry about me, just figure out how to plug this gap. I don’t need your concern. If you succeed in closing the breach, that will be a great achievement. Then I’ll report your merit to the provincial committee and the provincial government. If you fail, don’t blame me for disciplining you.”
As the Deputy Secretary of the Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, Nie Zhenbang was not joking. He did indeed have the power to do so.
The color of Wu Peng’s face changed, and his gaze was filled with respect and admiration for Nie Zhenbang. Such a dedicated mayor was a rarity in his entire life. Such a person was worth admiring.
He quickly calculated in his heart that only over two thousand sandbags remained. According to the current weather, although the typhoon had begun to weaken and shift inland after landing, there was no sign that the heavy rain and the violent wind would stop anytime soon.
Just blocking this way surely wouldn’t work. Suddenly, Wu Peng stood up and loudly said, “Mayor, the only solution now is to gamble with fishing boats. We need to bring a fishing boat over to block the breach horizontally to reduce the water flow. Maybe, we still have a chance to block it.”
No wonder Wu Peng asked Nie Zhenbang for advice. The fishing boats were basically the private property of the locals. Many fishermen in WangHai used their boats as their homes. Using the fishing boats to block the breach would most likely result in damage or even total loss, and Wu Peng didn’t dare make that decision on his own.
Nie Zhenbang thought for a moment and then shouted, “Block it! If we don’t block it here, the loss will be even greater.”
Then he shouted to the crowd, “Fellow villagers, who is willing to contribute their fishing boat? After the event, the loss of the boat will be compensated by the municipal party committee and the municipal government.”
Nie Zhenbang’s prestige had risen to unprecedented heights. As the mayor risking his life for the people, few had truly witnessed it. As soon as he finished speaking, over a dozen fishing boat owners responded at once.
An old fisherman, who looked about fifty and had skin darkened by long term life at sea, stepped forward and loudly said, “Use mine, use my boat. The government and Mayor Nie risked their lives for us, the common folk. What is one fishing boat? I will contribute mine.”
The fishing boat was soon ready to launch. Towed by giant ropes, the boat was slowly brought close to the breach. The bow of the boat rushed into the breach, and hundreds of soldiers held on tightly, eventually positioning the boat diagonally at the breach, reducing most of the water flow. Seeing the rare opportunity, Wu Peng waved his hand and shouted, “Push them all down!”
On the seawall, several large sandbags were pushed down. The sandbags quickly piled up, and the breach was slowly closing. After a desperate hour-long rescue effort, the breach was finally closed. Nie Zhenbang, leading twenty strong men, walked up the temporary dam built of sandbags at the breach. Nearby, thousands of people immediately erupted into deafening applause and cheers. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote and recommend on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)