Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 429 Accompanying You Through the End of the World
“I’ve never felt death so close to me.” Liu Yifei curled up in her boyfriend’s arms, her fingers still unconsciously twisting the edge of the blanket, her voice so soft it was as if she were talking to herself.

“At that time… we had just walked onto the gentle slope outside the enclosure, the sun was shining brightly, and the pandas were lazily munching on bamboo.” Her fingertips trembled slightly. “Then… the ground suddenly shook, and I thought I was dizzy.”

“When you grabbed me, I heard a loud ‘boom’ behind me—” her breathing quickened, “It was as if the whole mountain had been torn apart, with rocks rolling down and crashing into the stream, and mud splashing higher than the trees.”

Liu Yifei rambled on and on, as if she could see the dust that blotted out the sky again, her throat bobbing twice but no sound came out.

She unconsciously bit her lower lip, leaving two rows of white teeth marks, and murmured the same thing over and over again.

"I have never felt death so close to me."

If a drone were to take an aerial view at this moment, it would clearly show that in the Walnut Flat area at an altitude of 2500 meters, the original layered fir forest belt has been torn open by a 300-meter-long fissure in the ground, and the exposed rock strata have a bluish-gray cold light.

Landslides occurred on both sides of the Pitiao River, with approximately 20 cubic meters of earth and rocks cascading down, crushing the steel frame structure of the giant panda rewilding training ground into twisted scrap metal. The river channel was blocked in half, forming a barrier lake, with broken bamboo floating on the turbid water.

The vague fear that Xiao Liu felt at this moment is only natural.

Even the transmigrator beside her couldn't say he could have remained calm during that terrifying moment; it's just that recalling it now fills him with endless fear.

"It's alright now, everything will be fine." Lu Kuan gently patted her back, knowing that she was experiencing acute stress after a disaster.

In order to accurately and realistically depict the reactions of those involved in the disaster when filming "Tangshan", he and Liu Heng, the top screenwriter borrowed from Zhang Yimou, conducted in-depth research and interviews.

The results yielded a lot of reactions from the public that were closer to reality than the director's personal imagination and dramatic portrayal.

For example, in Tangshan in the 70s, most people had just experienced the devastation of losing loved ones and were too exhausted to even cry.

For example, many people, like Xiao Liu now, would tightly clutch their lover's clothes, tirelessly repeating the emotions and feelings they had at that moment.

From a psychological perspective, this is called the emotion processing theory. This repeated chewing and recalling is a natural process by which the brain tries to process extreme emotions.

Lu Kuan was pleased to see this, as he knew the resilient nature of Liu Yifei's character, and that she had also experienced many dramatic ups and downs in "The Sky of History".

Venting and confiding in yourself now will prevent emotional buildup and shorten the recovery period.

"I wonder how those injured people are doing, and poor little black and white dumpling..."

"When I went out to get water just now, I asked and found out that those with external injuries had received first aid and were not in great danger for the time being."

"The veterinarian at the base also gave the giant pandas anesthesia. One of them had a fracture, but it has been bandaged up and there are no major problems."

Boss Lu said gently, "Don't underestimate them just because they are animals; they are actually much more resilient than humans."

In later years, one of the young pandas at the Wolong Base died, but the rest were safely evacuated after order was restored. Six of them were sent directly to the Beijing Zoo for foster care, and they also served as mascots to welcome foreign tourists during the Olympic Games.

Liu Yifei nodded with a little relief, resting her forehead on his shoulder, as if this would gradually squeeze out the earth-shattering fear from that afternoon.

"Am I useless? I'm usually so loud and boisterous, but I wilted as soon as something happened."

Lu Kuan forced a smile: "You haven't used it yet? Today I carried that baby panda that was part of the filming and ran around like crazy, otherwise it would have been crushed under a tree. If the rocks on the mountain behind us had fallen down..."

There is a divine will at play here. I don't know if the one that Xiao Liu saved was a dumpling that perished in its previous life, but in any case, everyone was busy all afternoon reinforcing the cages of the national treasures, and we haven't heard any news of any casualties.

No one dared to speculate about the devastation outside, fearing that just thinking about it would cause them to collapse. They could only find solace in the small world of Wolong, with these surviving beautiful moments.

Outside the tent, the night wind, carrying the scent of dust, seeped in through the cracks, and occasionally the muffled sound of rocks rolling down the mountain could be heard.

The intermittent hum of the diesel generator, like a weary gasp, was the base's attempt to restore emergency lighting in order to better reassure the national treasures and the more than 300 tourists, experts, and staff currently trapped inside the base.

The diesel generator set was Wolong's own emergency reserve, and it was fortunate that the two encountered the sinkhole here.

As a national nature reserve and a core base for giant panda breeding research, Wolong's status is far beyond that of ordinary research institutions.

This place is not only the world's largest artificial breeding base for giant pandas, but also the core area of ​​the "Giant Panda Habitat" World Natural Heritage site, undertaking multiple missions such as species protection, international cooperation, and ecological research.

This is why it has emergency reserve standards comparable to those of military facilities.

Whether it's the solar energy storage equipment that powers the incubator for giant panda cubs and the cold storage for medicines, or the simple survival and medical supplies, compressed biscuits, and bottled water, everything is readily available.

The tent the two are currently staying in is regularly donated by international animal protection organizations, and there are also first aid kits previously donated by the "Tangshan" crew. It can be considered as Lu Kuan giving himself an airdrop across time and space.

This "Panda Kingdom," which has attracted worldwide attention, was meticulously designed to protect the black and white pandas, but when the world turned upside down, it became the last Noah's Ark for three hundred Chinese people.

However, the base's regular reserves are always limited and cannot supply a group of up to 300 people with supplies in the long term. The urgent task now is to contact the outside world to open up rescue channels.

After all, there were still two tourists inside the base whose legs were injured by the landslide, but their injuries were temporarily under control.

Someone was walking towards the tent, and Ah Fei, who was outside, quickly became alert as he held a thick bamboo stick in his hand.

"Who?"

"Comrade, this is Gu Jun. Director Lu, are you still awake?"

"I am here."

Before Afei could inform them, Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei stood up and went out together, looking at this person who had been dragged into the vortex by chance.

Gu Jun's face was etched with exhaustion, and she forced a smile, seemingly not wanting her emotions to affect him.

"Director Lu, Director Zhang and the others have finished their work and would like to ask us to come over for a moment."

"Okay, let's go together."

The Director Zhang that Gu Yun mentioned is Zhang Heming, who was the director and chief scientist of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda at the time.

As the highest-ranking official at the Wolong base, he was directing daily operations within the base at the time of the incident.

In one afternoon, relying on his years of experience in wildlife conservation, he quickly organized personnel to relocate the pandas and assess the damage, and also used Lu Kuan's satellite phone to seek help from the outside world.

Therefore, Wolong at present should be considered a relatively orderly existence in this collapsed world.

"Director Zhang, is the situation alright? Should we organize more people to help?"

"Thank you! Thank you! Not for now." Zhang Heming was lean and muscular, with the scholarly air of a researcher and the competence of a field worker. He stepped forward and shook hands firmly with Lu Kuan.

Then, somewhat apologetically, he turned to Liu Yifei: "Speaking of which, Miss Liu, we've implicated you. We were just filming a public service advertisement, but..."

"No, that's not true." Xiao Liu forced a smile, which was the most vibrant expression she had shown since noon.

"Right now, we're just thinking about what else we can do. I think even the pandas..."

Everyone sighed inwardly at the sight before them.

The base reserved the largest open space for the panda enclosures, where the national treasures were huddled in a corner, their black and white fur covered in dust.

A sub-adult panda clung tightly to the iron bars, its round body trembling uncontrollably. Zookeeper Lao Chen squatted outside the cage, gently coaxing it, "Don't be afraid, little one..."

In the next enclosure, the mother panda "Niu Niu" was frantically spinning around, scattering the hay bedding everywhere. Her cub, which she had just given birth to last week, was quickly taken away by the staff, who were worried that it would be harmed by the agitated mother.

Zhang Heming was naturally very distressed about these precious animals at the base, but there were clearly more important things to do now, and he couldn't devote all the base's resources to the giant pandas.

"Director Lu, there's still some diesel fuel left at the base. See if you can figure out how to charge your drones and shortwave radios? The sooner we can transmit the terrain and mapping information, the sooner we can..."

Zhang Heming's voice suddenly caught in his throat, as if pierced by something sharp.

He instinctively reached for his breast pocket, where a fountain pen was always clipped. His fingers trembled violently as they touched the cold metal.

Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei watched his hunched back as he turned around, shrinking into a small ball in the blue light of the generator.

This tough guy, who once dared to confront poachers while carrying a tranquilizer gun in his youth, now had his shoulder blades heaving violently under the fabric.

A female zookeeper standing nearby, her eyes red with tears, said, "Director Zhang's daughter works right here..."

On that afternoon after the disaster, he never considered his family, but devoted all his blood and tears to the cause he loved all his life.

Only in this relatively empty time can one have the leisure and courage to think about one's loved ones, a forbidden zone that no one present dares to touch.

I dare not think about it, I cannot think about it.

When he turned back, Zhang Heming's dark and thin face was covered with tears: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Lu Kuan didn't feel he had anything to say to comfort him, so he could only hold his hand tightly again, offering his compatriot some warmth and strength.

The old professor coughed twice: "The organization has already formulated a rescue plan for Wolong. Tomorrow, armed police officers and soldiers will enter on foot first, and helicopters from the Rongcheng Military Region will airdrop some medicines and supplies for the giant pandas and personnel."

"Now we are going to provide you with our limited power resources, hoping to do our part to save our compatriots as soon as possible."

Boss Lu glanced at his watch; it was already 7:30 PM. "There's no time to lose. I'll have the technicians come and recharge the battery now, hoping to get the image data out before they arrive tomorrow."

"Can you get a clear shot at night?" Zhang Heming asked in surprise.

Lu Kuan nodded, thankful that a year ago, through the connections of Leader Liu, he had established a laboratory for thermal imaging and infrared technology with Northwestern Polytechnical University and Beihang University (Chapter 387).

"We can take clear pictures, but there are several issues that need to be addressed."

Zhang Heming solemnly said, "Go on."

"Our portable shortwave radio is quite heavy; we'll need Director Zhang to find a few strong men to help carry it." "Carry it?"

Boss Lu sighed inwardly, but his tone remained resolute: "Lift! We're going up the mountain!"

"Absolutely not!" Zhang Heming's expression changed drastically: "Do you know when the aftershocks will come? It's too dangerous!"

"The road is wide!" Liu Yifei couldn't help but grab her boyfriend's arm, her fingernails digging into his flesh with urgency.

Boss Lu raised his hand to interrupt: "Listen to me."

"The battery packs of our generation of drones only have a flight time of about 40 minutes. In addition, the high altitude of Wolong (more than 2000 meters) and the current temperature of only about 5 or 6 degrees Celsius will further reduce their efficiency."

"Secondly, shortwave radios mainly rely on ionospheric reflection to achieve beyond-line-of-sight communication. Mountainous terrain blocks direct waves, so placing the radio at a high position can improve signal stability."

"The cables for the radio and control unit that we brought this time are more than 20 meters long. The operators can hide on relatively safe, flat terrain. There is not much danger."

"In this way, the drone can take off at a higher altitude, fly a longer distance, and capture more coherent image data, resulting in better performance."

In this life, Lu Kuan can be considered a semi-expert on drones. He started planning the drone ignition for the Beijing Olympics in 2005. He was the boss who contacted and facilitated several technology imports and research collaborations with domestic laboratories.

This version of DJI drones is limited by the technological barriers of the era, and can only be operated using this cumbersome method, but it is stable.

Zhang Heming, Gu Yun, and others at the scene remained silent, clearly fearing that someone else might suffer a similar fate.

Liu Yifei's fingers dug tightly into Lu Kuan's windbreaker sleeve, her knuckles turning white.

She looked up, but couldn't speak.

Lu Kuan gently patted Xiao Liu's hand to comfort him, but there was no hesitation in his words: "Director Zhang, arrange the manpower. The plan I proposed is relatively safe."

"The only potential problem now is whether there will be aftershocks or mudslides during the ten or so minutes it takes to lift the equipment."

"So we need experts like you to make a judgment, even if it's just to take a look at the terrain first. If there really aren't the conditions, we'll give up, okay?"

Zhang Heming hesitated, unable to make such a decision at the risk of other people's lives.

Lu Kuan's gaze swept over every silent face, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the drawstring of his windbreaker.

His voice was as deep as the rocks in the valley: "We have drones, we have electricity, and we have the topographical maps that the rescue team needs most right now. All we need to do is find a safe place to operate the remote control."

"I think the armed police officers who are walking in should already be on their way. They can only use their own flesh and blood to measure the length of this rescue channel."

Lu Kuan laughed nonchalantly: "Who isn't afraid of death? I'm most afraid of death. I've earned so much money and haven't even spent it all—"

He then put his arm tightly around Liu Yifei's shoulder: "I haven't gotten married or had children yet, so I can't leave any bloodline in this world, but if we don't do something tonight..."

"I really can't sleep."

His voice rang out softly in the darkness, like a fallen leaf dropping into a still lake, or like a fine needle, instantly piercing everyone's forced composure.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

More and more staff members from the Wolong base gathered at the scene, and it is unknown who was the first to break down in sobbing, which then spread like a plague.

The backs of those weeping lovers rose and fell in the night, like waves crashing against an unseen shore.

At an altitude of 2000 meters in Wolong, on this night when stars and dust slept side by side, people finally rediscovered their most primal resonance—

Faced with the unpredictability of the world, besides embracing each other and weeping, we can also wipe away each other's tears.

“Alright! Let’s do it!” Zhang Heming no longer hesitated and decisively commanded: “Xiao Li, go turn on the emergency lights. I’ll go survey a slope with better conditions.”

"Director Lu, you guys go and get ready, we'll meet here later."

"it is good."

Inside the tent with the wide road.

"It will probably take two hours to connect the cable and charge. I'll take a nap to recover my strength."

Afei stood at the tent entrance and said in a deep voice, "Boss, can I go with you?"

"What are you thinking? Of course you're coming with me!" Lu Kuan raised an eyebrow and teased, "If something really happens, you're the only one who can save me."

Afei gave a simple, honest smile, said nothing more, and strolled back to his tent to rest and recharge.

He didn't think too much about it, nor could he think too much about it.

Just stick close to the person who gave you this surname for the rest of your life.

Lu Kuan lay wearily on a makeshift bed made of wooden planks and blankets, his hands behind his head.

Liu Yifei stared at him intently, her pupils slightly dilated, reflecting the eerie blue light of the generator outside the tent, like two turbulent lakes.

Boss Lu joked, "Why didn't you try to persuade me? Aren't you worried about me?"

Liu Yifei wiped away the two lines of tears that had unknowingly fallen from her face and gently lay down beside him: "I also need to rest and recover my strength."

Lu Kuan understood what she meant. Feeling his girlfriend's tenderness in his arms, he turned around and rested her smooth forehead against his chin.

Liu Yifei said sweetly, "Why didn't you try to persuade me? Don't you care about me at all?"

The last few words were almost breathy, like a feather falling into my collar, both itchy and numb.

Her voice was so gentle and sweet that it seemed every syllable held love.

"I won't try to persuade you, because I'm planning to secretly knock you out later and then become the great hero myself."

"Tch, you're more like a big bear, but even as a big bear, you're not as cute as a panda." Liu Yifei's pessimism was quickly dispelled; he always had this magic, able to crack jokes even in the most desperate moments.

What the girl didn't know was that it was because he had already died once in another parallel universe.

Sometimes, I actually wish you could be a little more yourself, even if it's like before.

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "Then you've misunderstood. I'm not as noble as you think. I'm just doing a good deed because of a pang of conscience, but that's only on the premise of ensuring my own safety and interests."

Xiao Liu ignored his self-deprecating humor: "I was just trying to advise you, but I didn't know how to say it."

"Your life is precious, but what about the lives of other DJI technicians? You proposed the solution yourself, but you don't dare to ask others to implement it. There's no logic in this world."

Lu Kuan gently placed his palm on Liu Yifei's back, and through the fabric of her windbreaker, he could feel her slightly trembling shoulder blades.

He moved very gently, as if afraid of startling a frightened bird: "Don't worry, my proposed plan is the safest, as long as there isn't another cataclysmic event."

"It's not that I'm bragging, but at this altitude and temperature, the flight time of drones is extremely short, and every minute and second is very precious."

“These drone pilots in the company aren’t professional surveyors. If I take control of the camera, at least I can capture some of the landslide areas, the direction of the cracks, and the barrier lakes more completely. Otherwise, we’ll just be wasting our time and energy.”

For example, some landslide cracks need to be filmed in continuous shots, otherwise geological experts cannot determine the risk of secondary landslides.

What he said was meaningless; it was about his painstaking efforts to develop infrared and thermal imaging and payload technologies for drones, and it was also about his own trip to Sichuan. If it didn't yield any results in the end, it would be a great pity.

"Since it's so safe, you won't stop me from going with you, will you?" Liu Yifei didn't look up, but changed her position, resting her forehead against his chest, where she could hear his steady heartbeat.

Lu Kuan's large hand stopped on the back of her head and gently rubbed it, like stroking a kitten's fur, with just the right amount of force.

"Just stay away from me, you and Afei. It won't do you any good if you get close."

Liu Yifei felt a little relieved after receiving his promise and began to adjust her emotions: "I know. If anything really happens, I'll definitely run faster than anyone else and won't care about you."

"Of course! You're Liu Xiaolv, you have four legs, you can definitely run!"

"I can't do it. I only have three legs. I can only say that I am not good at running."

Liu Xiaolv in his arms indeed kicked out, and he gave him a light slap, chuckling, "You really are a big hooligan, but being a hooligan is good, bad people can live for a thousand years."

She suddenly reached out and cupped her boyfriend's face, her fingertips feeling the slight prickliness of the newly sprouted stubble on his chin, before firmly kissing him.

She kissed him forcefully, as if to confirm their existence, until she ran out of oxygen and then pulled away slightly, her forehead pressed against his shoulder as she breathed heavily.

"Go to sleep, and when you wake up we'll play with remote-controlled airplanes and watch the sunrise." Her voice was very soft, like a feather falling.

Lu Kuan looked down at her. The dim light from the emergency light in the tent cast a small shadow on her face from her eyelashes. He couldn't help but hug Liu Yifei tightly, and they fell asleep in each other's arms, fully clothed.

Companionship is the most enduring expression of love. At this moment, couples listening to each other's heartbeats are offering an elegant response to the existential dilemma.

Faced with the ruthless changes of heaven and earth, and the collapse of humanity's existing system of meaning, the girl maintains her spirit by reconstructing the sense of ritual in her daily life.

She took the roar of the generator outside the tent as a morning bell, the aftershocks as the heartbeat of the earth, and the warmth of her lover's embrace to combat the cosmic desolation.

The two, about to head to the battlefield together, are enacting the most profound romanticism of their lives.

(End of this chapter)