Power and Wealth

Two students.

One in each hand.

Dong Xuebing's unexpected behavior and impressive physical strength again astonished everyone present.

Even though both were students, they were high school students, around seventeen or eighteen years old, and had normal weights. The girl looked somewhat lighter, probably around 90 pounds, but the boy must weigh at least 130 or more. For an average strong man, being able to jog while carrying one of them would already be quite impressive. It's much harder to lift someone than to carry them, but these two students in Dong Xuebing’s hands seemed weightless. Holding one in each hand, Secretary Dong was still nimble; the scene itself felt very out of place, leading people to wonder if the two students were made of plastic. However, moments later, everyone recalled the incident with the minibus and collectively realized that Secretary Dong could kick a ton-heavy vehicle over, so carrying two children down the mountain was no big deal for him. People were gradually becoming numb to Dong Xuebing’s physical capabilities.

From an ordinary university?

Or majoring in computer science?

When Dong Xuebing took office, his previous experiences were briefly introduced. But after repeatedly witnessing his brave actions, everyone felt his background was unbelievable. Computer science? Nonsense! What kind of computer science major could have such combat effectiveness? It would be more believable if he majored in superhuman studies!

Zhang Dongfang was still trying to calm the students, but when he saw the students staring wide-eyed behind him, he turned around. He also saw Dong Xuebing's robust figure, and when he glanced at the camera, it was no longer focused on him. In an instant, Zhang Dongfang felt a sense of helplessness. He was quite good at political performances and had always operated this way; since arriving at the scene, he had repeatedly directed public attention towards himself, displaying all the qualities a competent county chief should show. But at this moment, when he saw Dong Xuebing give his umbrella to someone else and rush down the mountain in the rain, carrying two students with high fevers, he truly felt powerless. This kind of show was something he couldn't replicate even if he wanted to. He was wearing a raincoat but giving it away to students? It seemed a bit pretentious. Moreover, his body couldn’t withstand the rain anyway. Carrying the kids down the mountain? That was even more ridiculous. The ground was so wet and slippery; one misstep and he could fall, and he valued his life. The key point was that he couldn’t lift them either. His hefty weight made it difficult enough for him to climb up the mountain, let alone at Zhang Dongfang's age—he was twenty years younger, and it was impossible for him to compare himself to Dong Xuebing.

Because he is human.

Have you ever seen anyone with such great strength and voice?

Everyone had different expressions; the teachers were surprised that the county party secretary personally participated in frontline rescue work. Compared to Zhang Dongfang’s empty reassurances, Secretary Dong's actions moved the teachers; this was a genuine care for the people. The students, meanwhile, were astonished that such a thin person could possess such strength. They still had a deep-rooted sense of individual heroism at their age, and they all admired and respected him. The remaining officials and rescue team members were terrified; after all, that was their county party secretary. To put it bluntly, for them, if someone was in trouble, the county party secretary couldn’t be in trouble, too.

“Secretary!”

“Hey!”

“Put me down! Let me go!”

“Secretary Dong, don’t! It’s dangerous!”

The officials and public servants were in a panic.

As Dong Xuebing ran, he shouted, “You can’t carry them! Both students have high fevers; they need to get to the hospital immediately. We can’t delay! Your job is to escort the others safely down the mountain. Don’t be careless; pull yourselves together. If anything happens, I’ll hold you responsible!”

Chang Lin, holding an umbrella, rushed up as well. He came from a police academy and had much better physical fitness than most. He swung the umbrella over Dong Xuebing and the two children’s heads and said, “Secretary, I’ll go down with you. Don’t let the kids get rained on; I’ll hold the umbrella for you.”

Dong Xuebing lifted his chin and replied, “You stay here and direct!”

Chang Lin was uneasy, “I want to go too.”

Dong Xuebing told the truth, “You can’t keep up with me!”

They had just been on a small platform, and in an instant, they were on a downhill slope. Dong Xuebing didn’t slow down; he continued running at the same speed. There’s a saying that “it’s easier to go up than down,” partly because you can exert your strength while climbing up, but going down is different—one misstep can lead to disaster. However, Dong Xuebing didn’t follow this logic and continued to speed down. The mountain path was treacherous; the ground wasn’t all rocks and steps but mostly mud, which was very slippery. Yet, with each step on the slick mud, Dong Xuebing was as steady as if he were walking on concrete, without a single slip, his pace quick.

And he was carrying two people!

Right now, Dong Xuebing’s weight is over 300 pounds!

The two students being lifted under his arms were still in a daze from their high fevers, which had left them somewhat confused. However, they soon realized the gravity of their situation and were startled awake.

“Ah!”

“Be careful!”

The two screamed in fright.

Dong Xuebing shook the rain off his face and loudly reassured them, “It’s okay; we’ll be down the mountain soon. You can trust me; I guarantee your safety.”

Chang Lin, the police chief, watched as Dong Xuebing ran so effortlessly. He tried to mimic him by holding up the umbrella and following along, but with his next step, his foot slipped, and he fell hard onto the ground, yelping in pain.

Dong Xuebing didn’t look back, “Old Chang, go back and direct; that’s an order!”

Dong Xuebing had already descended more than ten meters down the mountain as he spoke, creating a stark contrast with Chang Lin's clumsiness.

At that moment, Chang Lin understood what Dong Xuebing meant by saying he couldn’t keep up with him. He really couldn’t. He couldn’t even keep pace with someone carrying over two hundred pounds. Chang Lin crawled out of the mud, and a firefighter rushed over to help him, but Chang Lin shook off the firefighter's arm, feeling somewhat helpless and a bit emotional. They were both human; how could the gap be so big? He immediately told the firefighter, “Don’t worry about me; hurry and help the students and teachers. The mountain path is too slippery; remind everyone to be careful and not to run—walk slowly!”

The rain had lessened somewhat, but it still posed significant challenges for the rescue effort.

Meng Hanmei and Su Yan watched as Dong Xuebing disappeared from view, feeling anxious but unable to do anything. With him gone, they couldn’t persuade him otherwise, so they could only follow Dong Xuebing’s instructions and help the rescuers transfer the children and teachers down the mountain.

Everyone moved slowly and cautiously.

On the outside, a ring of rescuers protected the area, while some leaders comforted the children in the middle.

However, an issue arose with Zhang Dongfang just under a hundred meters down the mountain. He was already of advanced age and in poor health. After being startled by Dong Xuebing’s loud voice and exhausted from climbing the mountain, he finally couldn’t hold on any longer. His body swayed, and he almost fell.

The people around reacted quickly, hurriedly supporting County Chief Zhang. Immediately, three or four individuals were assigned to assist him on either side, helping him down the mountain. Why three or four people? Zhang Dongfang was quite overweight, and without a stretcher, it wasn’t safe to carry him, so more hands were needed to help him.

Zhang Dongfang was still stubborn, insisting that they go save the students.

But everyone thought to themselves, "You can barely walk; how can we leave you behind? We have to focus on you first!"

...

Five minutes later.

At the foot of Qing'e Mountain.

All the rescuers had gone up the mountain to save people, leaving no one behind. Only a few ambulances, media vehicles, and rescue trucks were parked there, waiting for everyone to come down. The news that the students and teachers from City No. 1 High School had been found had already been relayed down via the intercom, and those below were excited. Many medical personnel had prepared stretchers and medical kits to assist at any moment. Some reporters had aimed their cameras and lenses at the mountain path, intending to capture the first-hand footage, eagerly waiting for the return.

Of course, this was just preparatory work; they were getting ready in advance. No one expected the rescue team to bring people down so quickly. After all, it was halfway up the mountain, and the path was muddy and narrow; it would take at least half an hour to an hour to come down.

However, something unexpected happened!

Just after the intercom announced that they had found the people, less than ten minutes passed when everyone saw what appeared to be a figure rapidly descending from the mountain.

“Hey!”

“Look!”

“Quick, someone is coming down!”

“No way? How can it be so fast?”

Everyone was startled and wondered if a rescue team member had fled. Why were they coming down before the students? But then they thought, even if someone were to flee, it wouldn’t be possible to descend so quickly alone. It had only been a short while! They were only halfway up the mountain! Could a rescue team member have lost their way and come down without rescuing the students? That had to be it.

Many people thought this way, so they didn’t pay much attention.

But as the figure got closer, everyone realized that the person coming down had no rain gear and was carrying a young child under their arm. The students were from a strict high school, and even for a spring outing, everyone was dressed in their school uniforms, so it was easy to see that the two kids were wearing dirty school uniforms.

“It’s a student!”

“They’ve been rescued!”

The reporters and medical personnel finally reacted, rushing over in a flurry.

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