The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 146: Risking Lives to Plug the Gap!

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Risking Lives to Plug the Gap!

Several cars fell into the water one after another, slowing down the speed at which the mud and sand of the dam were being washed away, but it was still extremely dangerous.

Originally, the riverbank at the Qinglong Waist section was about twenty meters wide, but now it had been eroded by the river water to more than half, leaving only ten meters. If it weren’t for the trucks loaded with stones that fell into the water and countless sandbags and rocks piled on the outer side of the dam for reinforcement, the riverbank would have collapsed long ago.

Given the current situation, although the speed at which the original riverbank was being washed away had slowed, it was still not enough. Xu Qianli commanded his troops to continuously throw heavy objects into the gaps created by the erosion, whether it was vehicles, rocks, or anything else; everything was thrown in.

He even had his own car, worth several hundred thousand, pushed into the water.

Thus, Xu Qianli and a large group of people fought from day to night, and from night to day, yet they still couldn’t protect the riverbank. One place was breached by the flood, and the torrential river water rushed down, bursting through the gap.

After bustling around for a day and night, their efforts were in vain, and Xu Qianli was extremely frustrated.

Seeing the gap getting bigger and bigger, threatening to destroy countless farmlands and houses, causing incalculable losses, Xu Qianli still refused to give up. He ordered a truck loaded with stones to immediately go and block the gap, believing that as long as it could be sealed, there was still hope.

The driver shook his head repeatedly, noting the current situation on the dam, to block the gap, he had to personally drive the truck there. Simply using wood to hold down the accelerator was not going to work, as the road conditions ahead were far from simple.

But if he personally drove the truck, there was a big risk of falling into the raging river waters to the right, and there would be no chance of survival.

That was risking his life, and he didn’t have the guts.

The driver was scared, Xu Qianli gritted his teeth and rushed onto the truck.

Wu Kai, who had always been by Xu Qianli’s side, panicked, "Dude, you’re insane, didn’t you see the situation on that section of the riverbank? You’re risking your life. What if you lose it?"

"If I lose my life, I still have to give it a shot!"

"Kai, don’t say anything else. If I cherish my life now and don’t give it a shot, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!"

Without time to say more, Xu Qianli started the truck and drove towards the gap.

The gap was getting bigger, but there was still a chance to seal it. Xu Qianli, determined, disregarded everything, pressed the accelerator to the floor, and with the roaring sound of the engine, approached the gap.

In the pouring rain, everyone’s hearts were in their throats.

This move by Xu Qianli, not only concerned his life but also whether the dam could be held. If it failed, the nearby dozen villages would soon be submerged, and possibly, with the increasing rain, the disaster would extend to a larger area, submerging half of Qingshan Town.

Determined, Xu Qianli continued to drive forward, finally approaching the gap, but the truck stopped moving, its front wheels stuck in the mud.

Xu Qianli frantically pressed the accelerator, but it was futile.

At the critical moment, Wu Kai rushed over, holding two large pieces of wood, and stuffed them under both front wheels.

With the logs as leverage, the wheels finally moved out of the mud and reached the gap, successfully sealing it.

The crowd watching from a distance erupted into a thunderous cheer, and after cheering, many people desperately rushed over, carrying sandbags and stones to seal any remaining gaps at the gap.

Not long after the gap was sealed, fortune smiled upon them as a ray of sunlight broke through the dark clouds, shining down on Qinglong Waist.

The clouds gradually dispersed, and the sky soon cleared.

"Haha, it’s cleared up, it’s cleared up. Heaven has opened its eyes; it’s finally cleared up. Great, this is great. Qinglong Waist is saved, the dozen villages below are saved! Good, good, this is great!"

"Thank heaven, thank heaven. We’ve been busy for a day and night, and it wasn’t in vain. It’s all thanks to Director Xu, all thanks to him."

"Hey, where’s Director Xu, where is he? Why hasn’t he come down from the truck?"

After everyone cheered, it suddenly occurred to them that Xu Qianli had driven there and had not yet gotten out of the car.

Wu Kai hurried over, climbed onto the vehicle to check, and saw that Xu Qianli had already passed out in the car.

He reached out his hand and felt intense heat, "Oh my god, he has passed out! Quick, someone help me get him down and take him to the hospital right away!"

With Wu Kai’s shout, people immediately stepped forward to help, clumsily extracting Xu Qianli from the vehicle and quickly arranging for him to be taken to the hospital.

...

Three days later.

Jiang City County People’s Hospital, Intensive Care Unit.

Having been in a coma for a full three days, Xu Qianli finally woke up.

Opening his eyes, he saw himself lying in a hospital room with a haggard Ding Meixin slumped by the bedside.

Observing her worn-out face and dark eye sockets, it was clear she had been caring for him by the bedside for a long time and was exhausted.

Xu Qianli felt so heartbroken, and he reached out to embrace Ding Meixin and let her rest properly on the bed.

However, as soon as he moved his arm, he found himself completely drained of strength, as if his body had been hollowed out, and he couldn’t even move his fingers easily before falling back into sleep.

When he woke up again, it was a day later.

This time, the room was filled with more people, not only with Ding Meixin, but also Liu Qian, Ge Pingping, and He Caixia.

Besides them, County Party Secretary Ge Changhong and County Magistrate Lan Qianrong were also present.

Both were representing the County Committee and County Government, specifically visiting to check on Xu Qianli’s condition.

Seeing Xu Qianli awake, Ding Meixin burst into tears, crying uncontrollably.

Liu Qian, Ge Pingping, and He Caixia also cried, the women forming a tearful group.

Having waited for several days, they finally saw her awaken.

It was wonderful, truly wonderful.

Lan Qianrong, seeing the women crying messily, didn’t even need to ask and could guess that they had a special relationship with Xu Qianli, thinking to herself that Xu Qianli was really something to have so many close female friends privately.

Ge Changhong held Xu Qianli’s hand and gently patted it.

"Xu Qian, I’m glad you’re awake; you know, you really scared your Uncle Ge."

"You had a high fever that wouldn’t break, reaching up to forty-three degrees, and the doctors issued several critical condition notices, saying you were almost gone."

"Thankfully, you made it through this ordeal, truly fortunate!"

"How are you feeling now? Is there anywhere else that’s still uncomfortable?"

Xu Qianli responded, "Uncle Ge, thank you for your concern. I’m feeling much better now, much better than yesterday. But let’s not talk about me; how is Qingshan Town, Qinglong Waist? Did we manage to hold it?"

Hearing this, Ge Changhong instinctively exchanged a glance with Lan Qianrong, "County Magistrate Lan, perhaps you should tell him."

Lan Qianrong said, "Xu Qianli, thanks to you, Qinglong Waist was safely guarded. More than a dozen villages, nearly ten thousand houses, and over a hundred thousand acres of good land were all protected. On behalf of the County Government, I want to thank you for your efforts. You did well this time, you didn’t let the County Government down, and I must properly reward you!"