Chapter 152 Chapter 149: Trapped in Fragrant Tea Mountain

Along the entire route, cars drove with their hazard lights flashing, making it impossible to see the road ahead clearly; nothing was visible except for a vast expanse of water. It seemed as though the ocean had encroached upon the land, swallowing the entire city of Jianghuai. Driving along the road, no one knew whether the path ahead had reached a dead end, nor did anyone know if there lay a hidden trap. Ye Chen could no longer care about such concerns. He pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor and sped frantically forward. The water he churned up crashed against neighboring vehicles, drawing a stream of curses from the frustrated drivers.

Ye Chen sped along all the way, racing frantically toward Mount Xiangming at top speed. The velocity was immense, and the rain outside was torrential. A hurricane had struck, shattering the surrounding landscape trees and blowing numerous coconut trees flat onto the ground. Massive leaves plummeted from the sky, casting the entire city of Jianghuai into an apocalyptic despair. Cars on the road began to accumulate, and the rising rainwater caused severe traffic congestion ahead, stalling vehicles as water flooded into their engines. People trapped inside the cars were unable to open the doors, screaming frantically from within; some simply shattered their car windows and fled.

A large crowd stood atop the roofs of their cars, where the water had already reached knee-height. In this desolate wilderness, there was nowhere left to escape. There were the cries of weeping women, the piercing wails of frightened children, and the helpless pleas for help from men...

Yet, Ye Chen could no longer spare a thought for any of that. At this moment, his mind was entirely consumed by the image of Li Ruo; how could he possibly have the time to rescue strangers? Ye Chen’s little Alto was the only car capable of plowing wildly through the water. He swerved violently, smashing through barrier after barrier as he surged toward Mount Xiangming.

On Mount Xiangming, Li Ruo and Lin Ziwen huddled together at the foot of the mountain, where the water had already risen into the houses where they were staying. They had come here today for a site inspection, not up the mountain, but at its base. This area was relatively remote in Jianghuai City, rarely visited on ordinary days. They had arrived for the inspection in the morning, but shortly afterward, a fierce hurricane blew in from the sea, nearly knocking Li Ruo off her feet.

Immediately following that, torrential rain poured down from the skies. Several bodyguards had gone missing while trying to protect them, their fates currently unknown. Li Ruo and Lin Ziwen squatted together at the base of the mountain, leaning on one another. When they first realized a typhoon was approaching, they had practically sprinted all the way down from the summit, but how could they possibly outrun the speed of a typhoon? In the blink of an eye, the typhoon seemed to have reached the foot of the mountain, trapping them alongside several tourists who had been visiting Mount Xiangming. By now, these tourists were in a complete panic, frantically making phone calls for help and calling the police. However, calling the police at a time like this was futile; the authorities could hardly reach the scene. Not only were cars unable to make it to the base of Mount Xiangming, but the number of emergency calls across the entire city of Jianghuai was countless. Thus, the police simply could not manage to respond to everyone.

The Jianghuai City Police Department, the Fire Department, and the border defense armed police brigade stationed in Jianghuai mobilized a total of over three thousand soldiers in a collective operation. Armed police officers draped in straw rain capes drove military trucks at high speeds through the city streets, and even assault boats and motorboats were deployed.

"Captain Zhang, this is bad!" Fang Qin rushed frantically into Zhang Yantong's office.

"What's the situation?" Zhang Yantong asked, startled.

"We just received an emergency report—President Li of the Tianya Group is trapped at the foot of Mount Xiangming!" Fang Qin shouted anxiously, "We are short-handed right now; should we send people to rescue her?"

"Damn it!" Zhang Yantong leaped up from her chair immediately and said, "Gather some people to come with me right now!"

Without delay, Zhang Yantong requisitioned a Honda SUV, which had a slightly higher chassis, believing it could make it to Mount Xiangming under current conditions. Accompanied by a few police officers, she sped hurriedly toward the mountain. Zhang Yantong's determination to rescue Li Ruo stemmed purely from humanitarian considerations.

Ye Chen arrived at the foot of Mount Xiangming just a few minutes ahead of the police, but the mountain now resembled a gloomy, ghostly realm. Rolling dark clouds gathered over the peak of Mount Xiangming, and a torrential downpour cascaded from the heavens. More terrifying than that, the road leading to Mount Xiangming was completely submerged by muddy floodwaters, leaving nothing in sight except a wide, raging river. What worried Ye Chen most was that this river appeared virtually bottomless; the gentle stream that once meandered around Mount Xiangming had now transformed into a life-devouring demon.

"Dammit!" Ye Chen gritted his teeth as he looked at the scene before him, his heart filled with extreme worry for Li Ruo. He strained his eyes, staring across at Mount Xiangming, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xiao Ruo! Xiao Ruo!!"

His voice was immense, yet it failed to pierce the torrential rain, and there was no response whatsoever from the other side. All that could be seen was a layer of ominous clouds shrouding Mount Xiangming.

Screech...

A car pulled to a stop behind Ye Chen's little Alto, and Zhang Yantong leaped out, dressed in a raincoat. Ye Chen turned his head and asked in astonishment, "It's you?"

"Ye Chen, why are you here?" Zhang Yantong asked, startled as she looked at Ye Chen in his black suit, which was already thoroughly soaked by the rain. Ye Chen cast an anxious glance at Zhang Yantong and said, "Li Ruo is trapped on the mountain. She's in trouble!"

"We just received an emergency report, but because the entire city of Jianghuai is entangled in various crises, we couldn't spare more manpower for the rescue. So I brought three people personally, hoping to help!" Zhang Yantong's words revealed a hint of anxiety. Rain plastered her face, streaming down her delicate features, and a stray lock of dark hair clung to her damp forehead, making her appearance exceptionally pitiful.

"Yeah!" Ye Chen nodded and said, "There could be mudslides and flash floods on the mountain at any moment. I'm worried about Li Ruo..."

"No, she'll be fine, she definitely will!" Zhang Yantong shook her head hurriedly. Although her uncle Zhang Siyang had various conflicts and even business rivalries with Li Ruo, Zhang Yantong did not want to see anything happen to her. As for why, she herself wasn't entirely clear. Turning quickly to Fang Qin, Zhang Yantong commanded, "Get the rescue equipment down!"

"Yes, Captain Zhang!" Fang Qin hurried over and immediately unloaded the gear from the car: a rope, an extra life ring, and a life jacket. Securing this much equipment was already a minor miracle, considering how scarce such items were throughout Jianghuai City at the moment. Zhang Yantong quickly took the items from Fang Qin's hands and said, "Let me do it!"

"No, Captain Zhang, with water this fierce, you won't be able to handle it!" Fang Qin shook her head instantly, saying, "Let me go instead!"

"Stop arguing, I'm the only man here!" Ye Chen interrupted with an authoritative sweep, pushing the two women aside and snatching the rope, life jacket, and life ring from their hands. With practiced efficiency, he stripped off his suit jacket, put on the life jacket, looped the life ring over himself, and looked at Zhang Yantong. "Captain Zhang, let me handle this trip!"

"Ah?!" The two women were taken aback, staring at Ye Chen's sudden solemnity. Through his gaze, they unexpectedly found him looking remarkably handsome and captivating. Indeed, Ye Chen's determined demeanor carried an irresistible charm that made people want to throw themselves into his arms. Zhang Yantong suddenly felt her face flush slightly warm. She nodded hastily and said, "Then... you must be careful!"

"Yeah!" Ye Chen nodded.

Zhang Yantong, Fang Qin, and two other female police officers tightly grabbed the rope, the other end of which was securely fastened around Ye Chen's waist. Wearing his life jacket and carrying the life ring, Ye Chen slowly stepped into the water. What he needed to do was carry the rope across to the opposite bank, find Li Ruo and Lin Ziwen, and bring them back. Ye Chen firmly believed he could succeed because, at this moment, failure was synonymous with death.

He waded slowly into the river. The current was exceptionally swift, forcing Ye Chen to refrain from taking large strides; instead, he could only inch forward step by tiny step. Deeper and deeper he went, the water rising past his knees, then climbing to his waist, reaching his chest, and finally creeping up to his neck...

On the bank, Zhang Yantong watched Ye Chen anxiously. Amidst the water, only the floating life ring was visible moving slowly forward, with Ye Chen himself almost entirely obscured.

At the foot of Mount Xiangming, Lin Ziwen gazed anxiously across the hazy, rain-drenched expanse when she suddenly caught sight of Ye Chen walking over from the opposite shore. She cried out in sudden shock, "President Li, Ye Chen is here! Ye Chen has come to save us!"

"Where? Where is he?" At that instant, the primal instinct for survival had never burned so intensely. Li Ruo immediately sprang up from the base of the wall, straining her eyes to look across the river, and sure enough, she saw Ye Chen stepping forward one pace at a time. Her heart began to pound violently; never before had she felt such profound reliance on Ye Chen as she did today. She cried out in joy, "Ye Chen, I'm here! Ye Chen, I'm here!"

However, the torrential rain drowned out her voice. The typhoon drifted closer toward the mountain peak, and massive gusts of wind battered the surrounding trees, causing them to sway wildly. Li Ruo and Lin Ziwen did not dare step inside the house, because once the typhoon struck full force, anyone trapped indoors would surely perish. The tourists, however, cared little for such caution; they all rushed inside in a chaotic swarm.

Ye Chen continued his slow, grueling advance. The water had surpassed his neck and risen past his mouth, forcing him to walk entirely on his tiptoes as he moved forward at a painfully sluggish pace...

He held onto the firm belief that he would reach the other side, that he would rescue Xiao Ruo. For reasons unknown, a sudden wave of deep tenderness flooded Ye Chen's heart for Li Ruo—perhaps it was affection, perhaps it was sheer devotion. At that very moment, his feelings for Li Ruo underwent a profound sublimation...

"Captain Zhang, it's bad, a flood is coming down!" Fang Qin cried out in alarm.

Zhang Yantong whipped her head around to look, and sure enough, a massive wall of floodwaters was surging down from the upper reaches, threatening to submerge Ye Chen in a matter of seconds. Panic seized Zhang Yantong, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Ye Chen, run back! The flood is coming!"