Beneath the low-hanging sky, several military trucks sped along the muddy road. Dense raindrops pattered against the canvas roofs, mingling with the droning engines and thunder like a chaotic sonata of disaster.
Dozens of recruits sat silently inside the trucks, their bodies swaying slightly with the jolting vehicles. Slanting rain blew in through the open rear flaps, soaking their collars.
Instructor Hong sat at the very front, pulling black rainproof military greatcoats from a burlap sack and passing them around for distribution.
"The eight disaster-stricken villages are far apart. Some lie east of Jinnan Mountain, some to the south, and some are even deep in mountain ravines. Our trucks can't get in there. After we drive a little farther, you'll have to continue on foot.
"The most distant village is extremely remote, with rugged roads. Add the heavy rain and the possibility of further earthquakes at any time, and an ordinary rescue team would need nearly forty-eight hours just to get from outside the mountains to the village.
"The golden rescue window for a mudslide disaster is seventy-two hours. By the time a rescue team arrives, there would barely be any time left for rescue. But you are different. After several rounds of Extreme Training, even under extreme conditions, you can cross that stretch on foot within twenty-four hours."
Instructor Hong took out a map of Jinnan Mountain, spread it on the ground, illuminated it with a flashlight, then crouched down and began marking it with a pen.
"After a discussion among the instructors, we've tentatively determined the rescue plan. All instructors and recruits will be divided into eight groups, each heading to a different village. The five villages outside the mountains are manageable; the rescue missions there won't be too difficult. The real concern is the three villages inside