Sweet Nostalgia of the 80s

Chapter 1433: Chapter 1253: Cruel Choices

”Rest assured! I assure you as a soldier with all my honor,” Qin Jian said with a serious and solemn expression.

The young man clearly did not fully trust him, yet he had no choice but to believe.

Now, time was life. Seeing the man’s stubbornness yet unable to leave him behind, Qin Jian proposed while speaking, ”Give us more details about the location. Our squad can split into two groups, with one group going ahead for the rescue. The rest will accompany you.”

The man thought the plan was feasible and hurriedly said, ”Okay, good, I’ll tell you the exact location.”

It took the man a great effort to clearly explain the situation above.

Qin Jian immediately arranged for some men to go ahead for the rescue, staying behind to accompany the man at a slow pace uphill. Climbing a mountain with an injured person was no easy task. Qin Jian had to take care of himself as well as the man.

Every so often, the two of them had to stop to catch their breath.

Halfway through, the man was extremely tired, his ankle hurt so much that he could hardly walk, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his forehead with every step.

Qin Jian had no choice but to carry the man on his back, step by step.

The man, filled with gratitude, just wanted to cry, tears rolling down his cheeks one by one, ”Thank you! Thank you!”

Qin Jian gasped with difficulty, ”You don’t need to thank me! This is the duty of a soldier! However, I really want to know, why don’t you trust us so much?”

After a moment of silence, the man said, ”Our place is beautiful with green mountains and clear waters, but it’s also plagued with troubles. It seems like heaven especially likes to bring disasters here. The year before last, there was a flood. My family climbed onto the roof waiting for rescue. A troop of soldiers came to save us then. But there was limited space on the lifeboat. Only three of my family could fit. My mother, grandmother, and I got on the lifeboat, but my father and grandfather stood on the roof waiting for them to continue the rescue... And then...”

At this point, the man fell silent, and it was a long time before he spoke again.

Qin Jian seemed to have guessed the ending and solemnly asked, ”In the end, the lifeboat didn’t come back?”

”Mhm,” the man said, then started to sob quietly, ”After we left, the floodwaters rose violently, quickly submerging the roof. Once they unloaded us, my grandmother begged them to go back and check, but they refused! They said that the water had already covered the roof and if my father and grandfather could not swim, it would be a death sentence anyway. They had more people to save. My grandmother knelt and cried; she was over sixty years old, and she knelt there for more than an hour on the ground. They promised to go back to save them but never did. As a result, my grandfather and father were gone.”

Qin Jian could imagine the scene at that time; when it comes to rescuing two people who might already be dead, the rescue team would probably have to focus their greater efforts on those who were still facing danger.

Compared to the names of two people, the lives of the majority were certainly more important; the answer to this question was obvious. From the standpoint of the commander making decisions, if these two people were weighed on the scales and a choice had to be made, the many would certainly be chosen over the few.

Moreover, when it comes to two people stared down by the grim reaper,

after the floodwaters submerged their heads, those who could not swim and breathe would die within a very short period. Even if a boat were sent, it would be a wasted trip.

This was a matter of probability for the rescuers, but for those in pain and peril, it was absolute cruelty.