As people across the country busied themselves with the earthquake-stricken areas and rushed to provide emergency support.
Within the earthquake zone.
Li Aiguo, buried under various debris and massive rocks, felt a surge of despair.
Although he had run towards the load-bearing wall when the earthquake struck.
He had never anticipated that this earthquake would be so severe.
Destroying everything.
At this moment, Li Aiguo struggled to prop himself up, shielding his daughter beneath him.
Perhaps from a fall, or perhaps struck by something, Li Guoguo's head was cut and bleeding.
As time slowly ticked by, her eyelids began to droop.
Li Aiguo, however, dared not sleep.
He worried about his daughter's condition while also straining to listen for any sounds from outside.
But perhaps because he was buried too deep, it was eerily quiet outside.
Only the occasional rumbling sound, causing the ground to tremble.
As if something else had collapsed.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly.
So long that Li Aiguo could no longer recall how much time had passed.
The prolonged tension and anxiety had begun to make his senses feel hazy.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone here?"
"Is anyone there—"
Outside, rescue teams and volunteers, holding loudspeakers, were searching and shouting.
Li Aiguo suddenly came to his senses and quickly shouted, "Someone's here!"
"We're here!"
Fearing the rescue team wouldn't hear him, he amplified his voice as much as possible.
But beneath the heavy collapsed structure, this sound seemed incredibly faint.
He shielded his daughter and tried to shift.
*Crash—*
Immediately,碎石 and white sand fell.
The weight pressing on his back felt immense.
"Ahhhhh—"
"Ahhhhh—"
He cried out as concisely as he could.
Whether his efforts made a difference was uncertain.
The sound of the loudspeaker outside did not move further away.
Subsequently, the sound of heavy objects being moved was heard from above.
"Quick! Someone's down here!"
"Be careful, don't cause a secondary collapse!"
"One, two, three! Lift!"
"Throw it over here!"
*Rustle—*
As the objects above were moved, more sand and stones poured down.
Li Aiguo quickly moved his head to shield them, preventing those things from falling on his daughter.
"Guoguo, Guoguo, wake up, the rescue team is here..."
He murmured, paying attention to the sounds outside.
But no matter what he said, his daughter did not respond.
Li Aiguo's heart grew increasingly anxious.
*Screech—*
Another sound of a heavy object being carefully moved away.
After an unknown period, a sliver of light pierced through a small opening, illuminating the buried corner.
Shining on Li Aiguo and Li Guoguo.
At this moment, a dirty face appeared in the opening.
Seeing the pair, he immediately said to the person behind him:
"They're here!"
"Be careful, there's a child down there!"
Soon, with the concerted effort of a group of people.
A relatively spacious opening was cleared above Li Aiguo and his daughter.
Li Aiguo quickly said, "Quickly save my daughter! Her head was hit, she might be unconscious!"
However, upon seeing the situation inside, the rescue team members couldn't help but freeze.
For a moment, they didn't know where to start.
Li Aiguo's heart pounded with anxiety, his expression full of pleading:
"Save my daughter! Save her!"
"Please, hurry and save her!"
The leading rescue team member looked at the several steel bars protruding from Li Aiguo's body, as well as his various wounds.
Then he looked at the child beneath him.
He gritted his teeth, "Get the child out first!"
"Be aware, the child might have injuries!"
As the rescue began, Li Aiguo intently watched their every move.
Only after his daughter was carefully carried out did he dare to speak:
"Quickly check on my daughter, is she unconscious?"
"I called her earlier and she didn't wake up..."
"Don't worry, we will save her!" the rescue team members said as they worked to free him.
And simultaneously sent for paramedics.
When the paramedics arrived, they immediately saw Li Guoguo lying on the ground.
Without needing to be told, she knelt down and began to examine the little girl's condition.
However, as soon as she touched the little girl, she felt something was wrong.
She leaned in to listen to her heart.
...It was silent.
Completely silent.
She quickly placed her hand below the girl's nose, checking for breath.
Her heart sank.
This child... was gone.
"How's my daughter? Is she okay?"
Li Aiguo was blocked by the rescue team and couldn't see the situation over there.
Hearing Li Aiguo's voice, the paramedic did their best with the current situation.
—Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Placing the heel of their right hand on the junction of the lower third and middle third of the sternum, with the heel of the other hand placed on top of the first.
Once, twice, thrice...
...
"Careful!"
The rescue team carefully removed the heavy objects from Li Aiguo.
They dared not pull out the steel bars from him casually.
After a great deal of effort, they finally managed to extract him.
Not far away, the paramedic, after repeated attempts, stopped, sweat beading on their forehead.
Noticing the situation here.
They flexed their sore hands and walked over.
"Don't move around carelessly, let me check his condition..."
"Don't mind me, I'm fine!"
Li Aiguo waved them off, "Where's my daughter? How is she?!"
The paramedic said, "Let me take a look at you..."
Seeing that they wouldn't answer, Li Aiguo became increasingly agitated.
Ignoring the steel bars in his body, to the paramedics' exclamations, he propped himself up with his stiffening body and stood up.
Walking towards his daughter.
One step, two steps...
He reached his daughter, nudged her, "Guoguo, Guoguo, wake up."
"What happened to her? Why aren't you treating her!"
"Why!"
Facing Li Aiguo's anger, the paramedic was silent for a moment.
Before speaking with difficulty, "The child... she... has passed away..."
Li Aiguo froze, then erupted in anger.
"How is that possible! Her head was only bumped!"
"I protected her the whole time! She didn't have any other injuries!"
"If you won't save her, I'll find someone else to save her!"
Before Li Aiguo could get up to find someone else.
The paramedic's hoarse voice sounded again, "It was suffocation! She died of suffocation!"
"..."
Li Aiguo turned his head, looking at her with vacant eyes.
As if his soul had been instantly lost.
"What... what did you say?"
Everyone present fell silent.
Li Aiguo looked at them, yet it seemed as if he wasn't looking at them.
Suffocation...
Why suffocation...
Why didn't he notice?
Li Aiguo's thoughts raced, yet also felt incredibly slow.
That's right.
He had no pain sensation now, and didn't need to breathe.
He had done strange things to avoid dying, and had gone against his conscience.
Could this be retribution?
"I deserve to die..."
Li Aiguo picked up a stone from the ground and smashed it against his head.
He struck himself hard, and blood soon trickled from his head.
Yet he continued, as if driven mad, blow after blow.
"I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Heaven, if you want to take a life, take mine!"
"Give me back my daughter! Give me back my daughter..."
The rescue team members nearby, surprised by his self-harm, were stunned for a moment before rushing to stop him.
Some held his arms, others took away the stones.
All while being careful not to touch Li Aiguo's injured body.
"Brother, this is not your fault."
"Please don't hurt yourself!"
"Yes, if your daughter were still here... she definitely wouldn't want to see you like this."
Li Aiguo struggled, "This is my fault! I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"
Seeing this, the paramedic nearby rummaged through their first-aid kit and took out a dose of medication, intending to calm Li Aiguo down.
Otherwise, if this continued, the wounds would surely tear further.
Just as she stepped forward, looking for an opportunity to administer the injection.
She saw the man in front of her suddenly pause.
As if he had remembered something.
"Yes, it should have been me who died. If he could save me, then he can definitely save Guoguo!"
"If it were him, he could definitely save Guoguo..."
The man, as if possessed, broke free from the rescue personnel around him, his strength surprisingly great.
He looked at his daughter carefully, picked her up, and step by step.
Began to walk outside.
All he could see was ruins.
"Pharmacy, where is the pharmacy..."
The paramedic gritted their teeth and signaled to the person next to them.
Then, with a swift and precise movement, they administered an injection to Li Aiguo.
The rescue team members also moved closer, preparing to catch Li Aiguo and his child when he collapsed.
However, they never expected Li Aiguo to seem unaffected.
Without any reaction, he continued to walk forward.
Like a soulless corpse.
...