Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 667 Rescue and Rescue
I stayed up all night, and although I was terrified, I was thankfully safe and sound.

The surging river seemed to provoke Lin Ge and Liu Shuangquan as it rose and fell before their eyes, but it remained within the warning line and did not cause any further trouble for the city.

However, when the weather forecast extended the rainy days from seven or eight days to ten days, not only government officials but also ordinary people began to feel the looming crisis, and conversations about the floods became more frequent.

Even so, if the flood didn't happen, it didn't happen!
Although Zhangzhou's underground water network was built decades ago and is somewhat outdated, the government has been making great efforts to improve it over the years with the development of industrial zones and urban planning. What used to be a source of complaints from pedestrians—road repairs taking months or even a year or two—has now become a huge help in dealing with floods thanks to the new pipeline system. Those large underground pipes deliver enough rainwater into the rivers, greatly reducing the burden on the surface waterway system. So, even though the water levels of several rivers in Zhangzhou are currently high, they can only hover around the warning line; no matter how badly the weather changes, they won't flood.

Of course, this does not mean that the water situation in Zhangzhou is completely safe.

There are limits to the load capacity of water supply networks, and the water volume that major rivers and water conservancy facilities can withstand also has its limits. If the torrential rains continue like this, Zhangzhou City might actually experience a repeat of the major crisis of 1998.

"The province and city have made all the necessary preparations! Once it is confirmed that the danger is likely to erupt, the People's Liberation Army will immediately enter the scene and do everything in its power to fight the flood and carry out rescue operations!"

Yu Zhengwei reassured everyone at the meeting.

Seeing that everyone's expressions remained serious, Yu Zhengwei couldn't help but smile wryly, "This flood has affected more than just Zhang City. With the Shanxia Dam releasing water due to pressure, the Yangtze River water level, which runs through Chu City, has reached a ten-year high. With the rainfall and the upstream flood peak, the river has already submerged both banks of the river and could reach the city center at any time. Compared to them, we are much more relaxed here. Everyone just needs to continue in an orderly manner."

"Chu City has suffered many disasters!"

Zheng Mingxing couldn't help but sigh.

The Tiger virus incident that had been threatening Chu City had finally subsided, but before half a year had passed, another flood struck.

Not to mention that the disaster has not yet spread, just imagine the psychological pressure on the people of Chu City, especially those living near the riverbanks on both sides of the Yangtze River, seeing the water level so close and teetering on the brink of collapse.

Right now, the news is reporting daily on the fluctuations of the riverbank water level warning line, and every slight rise touches the hearts of the entire nation. If the city were to be flooded, how many people would be displaced and left homeless?

Although compared to Chu City, Zhang City seemed relatively fortunate, and such schadenfreude was unacceptable, the mood of everyone in the police station did improve considerably after hearing Yu Zhengwei and Zheng Mingxing's words.

After all, no matter what, it's not the most arduous or tiring job!
With comparison, I feel more at ease.

"How are Lao Nie and Mimi doing? Who's on duty during the day? Do you need someone to take their place?"

After finishing his business, Yu Zhengwei then talked about the situation at the police station.

“During the day, Chief Nie patrols with Huo Guangping, and at night Liu Shuangquan takes Mimi on duty. It’s basically a 12-hour shift system. I called Chief Nie to ask, and he said that the police station doesn’t need to worry about their situation for the time being.”

Zheng Mingxing answered Yu Zhengwei's question.

"Twelve hours! Mimi is so sensible now. It's really hard on a cat to work so hard."

Yu Zhengwei shook his head and sighed. Although he felt sorry for the situation, there was nothing he could do. Even though almost everyone at the police station was present for the meeting, there was only a ten-minute gap at most, and the emergency call bell might ring.

You have a new police report. Please check it!

Before he could finish speaking, an emergency alarm sounded outside. Not only that, but Yu Zhengwei and Zheng Mingxing's phones also rang simultaneously. The two exchanged a glance, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over them.

"Old Yu, something's happened at Wanda Plaza!"

"Instructor Zheng, send your people over immediately to help! Wanda Plaza is flooded. The drainage system outside the underground parking lot is either blocked or overflowing, causing water from the street to flow directly into the underground parking lot! In just over an hour, the second basement level has been completely flooded, and the water level has spread to the first basement level and is still rising! Not to mention how many cars are submerged inside, we don't even know if anyone is still inside and hasn't escaped!"

The two people's phone calls caused everyone present to change their expressions drastically.

Although it was expected that some places would inevitably succumb to the flooding and cause localized flooding, no one anticipated that the Wanda Plaza in a bustling area would be the first to be affected.

That area is indeed a low-lying area, but when Wanda Plaza was built, drainage issues were seriously emphasized. How could something like this still happen?
"Why did you only notify us now! Why didn't anyone call the police when the flood happened? Why did they only come after an entire floor was flooded!"

Yu Zhengwei slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily.

"Sigh! The Wanda manager thought it wouldn't be a big deal, and since there were drainage pumps on the second basement level, they told the parking lot security guards not to report it to the public. Plus, it was only before 8 o'clock and the mall hadn't opened yet, and there weren't many cars on the second basement level, so we didn't even notice what happened! It wasn't until the water level rose so high that the drainage pump room was flooded, and the water had even reached the supermarket on the first basement level, causing panic, that we found out about the situation..."

The person on the phone could only manage a wry smile. Who could have foreseen this indoor situation? Government officials are extremely busy these days; who knew Wanda's management would suddenly pull something like this!
If they had called the police and notified the fire department and municipal authorities immediately when a problem occurred, it would never have escalated to the point of flooding one or two floors.

"We're coming right now!"

Yu Zhengwei hung up the phone.

Looking around at the serious-looking people in the office, he didn't say much, but just waved his hand to signal everyone to hurry over and rescue the people.

One group of people realized the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly turned and ran.

Although the sky was covered with dark clouds, it was a rare break from the rain. The air was thick with moisture, and raindrops dripped incessantly from the tree trunks on the street, which was incredibly annoying.

Lin Ge was always worried about his underlings.

Especially those lone wolves who didn't gather in groups, who knows if they found a suitable place to take shelter from the rain.

If someone foolishly gets soaked to the bone outside and doesn't know to find another place to hide, but instead stupidly tries to tough it out thinking the rain will pass quickly, that kind of idiot probably won't last long.

So, taking advantage of the improved weather after his evening work, he decided to go for a walk before going back.

Along the way, we didn't see any truly stupid things. There were a few drenched chickens, but they were already squatting in safe places, looking pitiful at Lin Ge from afar.

Furthermore, while passing by a fire station, I noticed that the fire trucks in the garage had already gone out to work, leaving only seven or eight stray cats running around, playing, and jumping around inside. The firefighters stationed there didn't bother with them and even provided them with food and clean water.

As I passed another patrol post, I saw two fat creatures lounging on the desk inside. The police officers in the post had already gone out to work, leaving only the two of them leisurely dozing off with their eyes half-closed.

Seeing this, Ling Ge's mood improved considerably.

He knew that the fire department, police department, and urban management department would definitely keep their promises. With the help of these government departments, the chances of the silly cats being harmed by nature were much smaller; their chances of surviving in the city were also much greater.

"Have you heard? Wanda's area has turned into a fishpond, and there are even yachts sailing on the streets."

"A yacht? How deep would that flood!"

"The foundation of this building is submerged in water. It's dozens of stories high. What if it collapses?"

"That's true, what if the foundation gets soft..."

The conversation between two passersby suddenly caught Lin Ge's attention.

Although he found the two men's words somewhat absurd—that yachts could run on land or that torrential rain could wash away a building's foundation were practically impossible—Lin Ge still decided to go and take a look, knowing that Wanda Plaza was just a short distance away.

When he got closer, Lin Ge was dumbfounded.

"Holy crap! Boats can actually drive on the road now? What the hell is going on?!"

Lin Ge couldn't help but swear, then watched in astonishment as a lifeboat sped past on the road, or rather, the water. The entire Wanda Plaza, buildings A and B, were indeed submerged, with water still surging in from all directions.

To the east of Wanda Plaza is a steep, upward-sloping hill, and to the north, the side Lin Ge came from, is also an upward-sloping road. Lin Ge had always assumed that its south and west sides were flat, at least not noticeably curved. However, witnessing firsthand the water rushing towards Wanda Plaza from all directions, Lin Ge suddenly realized that this place was actually the lowest-lying area in the entire perimeter, even lower than the adjacent ecological sports park.

In other words, all the water in this basin, whose size is currently unknown, is now accumulating towards Wanda Plaza. Wanda Plaza originally had an extremely reliable drainage system, but no one expected that it could, and had already, reach its drainage capacity.

The floodwaters flowed in more than they drained out, and the resulting submersion made it impossible to drain the water, resulting in the exaggerated scene of a vast ocean.

Lin Ge didn't know who to blame for this incident. But seeing the various rescue workers and excavators wading through the water on the road, and looking at the water that was up to waist-deep, he gave up his plan to join the fray. Besides Wanda Plaza, the residential area across the street was also affected to some extent.

The torrential rain and floodwaters, which had been blocked by the city's underground pipe network for five whole days, finally found an outlet at this moment, surging in like a madman and forming incredible flood waves on the road.

Lin Ge hesitated for a moment, then quickly forced himself to climb up the tree trunk to a safer height, despite the wet branches and leaves.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Ge suddenly spotted a group of people from the Zhanghe Police Station. They appeared on the second floor of Wanda Plaza, helped a disheveled woman wearing a life jacket out of a window, and quickly handed her over to a lifeboat to be taken away.

The window on the second floor was originally a huge billboard. Zhang Yong forcibly opened it, tearing a large hole in the billboard, finally creating the only escape route on the second floor.

The windows on the third and fourth floors are mostly intact, but it would be too dangerous to send someone down from there.

Lin Ge suddenly felt a sense of relief; thankfully, the rain had stopped. Otherwise, if the downpour had continued, the rescue operation would have become even more difficult. As for the damage to houses and property, that became insignificant in this situation.

‘Boom! ’

A sudden rumble of thunder made Lin Ge's expression change drastically.

Not only Lin Ge, but also the staff from various departments who were busy in the floodwaters all looked up at the sky and cursed through gritted teeth.

"Boss! If it rains heavily, the floodwaters will be even stronger, and my excavator might be washed away!"

Over at the ecological sports park, on an excavator that was struggling to dig open a drainage outlet, the operator stopped working and grabbed the boom, shouting loudly in this direction.

"If you break it, we'll get you a new one!"

Standing on the roof of an SUV that was mostly submerged in the middle of the road, a government worker wearing a white hard hat retorted without hesitation, using a megaphone.

Is this a time to worry about an excavator? If the waterways here aren't cleared quickly and the floodwater isn't drained away from the river behind the artificial hills in the sports park, who knows how much more serious damage this could cause.

At this point, the residential areas on both sides of the road are only barely affected, but if the water level continues to rise and floods the entrances and exits of buildings, then it will involve the evacuation and resettlement of tens of thousands of people.

'Crash...'

The heavy rain, which had only stopped for less than three hours, began to pour down again.

Lin Ge was instantly drenched.

Feeling that his colleagues at the police station, who were helping to rescue people inside the building and preventing curious onlookers from getting close to the scene, were safer than he was, he shook off his soaking wet hair and decided to quickly retreat back to the police station.

"Flowers? Flowers!"

Halfway there, Lin Ge suddenly heard a sobbing voice coming from not far away.

Turning around, I saw a little girl who looked only four or five years old wading in knee-deep water, shouting. She was soaked to the bone by the torrential rain, but she was still stubbornly groping for something in the water, yelling and crying.

"Was it a cat or a dog that fell into the water? Could it have been swept away?"

Lin Ge looked at the water level, which was already up to his toes, and then at the surging water in the alley. He suddenly remembered the time Yan Ziming laughed at him for not being as high as the water level.

If it's just a pet, risking drowning or being swept away to save it seems a bit unworthy.

Lin Ge hesitated.

Of course, I also have to remind this little rascal not to keep walking forward! If he falls down and can't get up, things will get serious.

‘Poof! ’

Just as she finished thinking, the little girl cried out "Ouch!" and plunged headfirst into the water.

"Fuck!"

Lin Ge's eyes widened in shock.

This little guy probably can't swim, right? It must be really difficult for him to stand up again in such strong current.

So... what about the little guy's family?

Lin Ge looked at the open door behind him, but found that no one came out.

"Damn it!"

With a fierce grit of his teeth, Lin Ge quickly rushed towards the alley. As the water level gradually rose, submerging his four legs, Lin Ge simply plunged into the water and, holding his breath and gritting his teeth, frantically swam towards the ground where the child was splashing.

The water was flowing towards Lingo, making it extremely difficult to swim against the current. However, the longer it went on, the greater the chance that something might happen to the child. Lingo didn't care about anything else and simply plunged into the water, thrashing forward on all fours.

The water was filthy, with mud and debris making it impossible for Lin Ge to open his eyes.

Even so, just by the ripples in the water, Lin Ge could still sense where the little girl was struggling. He jumped up and took a deep breath, but was unexpectedly pushed back more than half a meter by the current, and Lin Ge dived back underwater once more.

He even risked opening his eyes underwater, feeling incredibly uncomfortable but luckily seeing the little girl being swept towards him by the current, spinning around and getting closer and closer to him.

"What if we miss this opportunity? Wouldn't that be a disaster?"

Lin Ge thought to himself with relief, and seized the opportunity to reach out and hook his claws, using his nails to snag the little one's clothes and stop her from being swept away.

The little one wouldn't be swept away, but she was still struggling in the water, unable to stand up. Her struggles grew stronger, and Lin Ge, who already had difficulty controlling his strength in the water, was now being carried downstream with her.

How can we help her stand up?

Lin Ge's head was a little fuzzy from the rushing water. The child had clearly choked on water and how long he could hold on was a question he didn't know and couldn't answer.

But no matter what, we've already gone into the water, we can't just give up halfway through, can we?
Isn't there anyone around here? Someone hurry up and see what's going on here, you bastards!
Lin Ge gritted his teeth, pushed off the ground with his right leg, and lurched forward a few steps with the child in his body, slamming her head against the wall of the house next to them.

"Guluuluulu..."

With her head submerged in the water, Lin Ge used all her strength to push against the child's belly, finally managing to get her little head above the surface.

In other words, Lingo's body and hind legs are the child's support. No matter how frantically she jumps around, as long as Lingo stands still, the child won't fall into the water again and be swept away.

Of course, if this little brat doesn't wake up quickly and stand up on his own, Lin Ge won't be able to hold on for long.

He is a cat, with limited strength, and he also needs to breathe.

"So, you better stand still!"

Lin Ge gritted his teeth, wishing he could kick the little guy. What on earth are you doing with those tiny arms and legs?!

"Wang!"

Suddenly, a dog barked from behind.

(End of this chapter)