Koi City had suffered severe damage.
While helping with the rescue efforts, Ke Meng discovered that many residents had already been moved outside.
Most of those trapped inside buildings were in low-rise complexes.
The high-rise complexes, on the other hand, needed little rescue work. When the earthquake struck, someone had moved the high-rises that were likely to cause the most casualties ahead of time.
The collapse of a high-rise would have been devastating, so Koi City's investigators had moved the things likely to cause mass casualties in advance.
Ke Meng saw an empty space where a high-rise had once stood and heard that the building had been relocated.
Still, even moving to the outskirts carried risks during this massive earthquake. At best, it took them away from the epicenter and reduced the danger.
Ke Meng raced back and forth, rescuing people.
His pets also raced back and forth, helping him with the rescue efforts.
Investigators were active everywhere throughout the city. They used items to prop up load-bearing columns, cleared away rubble, and saved the lives trapped inside.
After working his way through an entire district, Ke Meng spotted the Director-General from far away, holding a wooden horn. Its long, resonant hum summoned enormous trees from the ground, which moved the stones and made the rescue work more efficient.
Besides the Director-General, other investigators also used area-of-effect items to rescue people across broad swaths of the city at once.
These items came at a cost, apparently a steep one. Before long, the Director-General collapsed from exhaustion.
Ke Meng received a new instruction from the Divine Beast: "Take over the Director-General's Giantwood Horn. Blow it and move the stones."
Ke Meng ran for several dozen seconds before reaching the Director-General.
"Director."
"Oh, it's you, Ke Meng." The Director-General was already lying