Freezing river water surged over Qin Haoran’s boots as he tumbled down the muddy slope.
The roar of the raging torrent filled his ears like thunder.
Mud and river silt sprayed into his eyes, but he kept his gaze locked on the yellow safety helmet ten meters below.
Twenty-year-old Xiao Wu was pinned against a splintered wooden post.
The two-ton concrete beam lay across the young volunteer’s legs, pressing him down into the liquifying mud.
The brown river water was already swirling around Xiao Wu’s chest, rising higher with every passing second.
“Help!” Xiao Wu choked out, spitting mouthfuls of brown water. “I can’t move my legs! The current is pulling me under!”
Directly above them, the upper hillside shivered.
