Chapter 231 Longevity
While Ulysses was still hesitating, Caroline grabbed the rescue rope and started putting it on him. "Don't drop the ball at a critical moment, hurry up."
"Leaving you here alone, what kind of thing is that?"
Before Ulysses could finish, Caroline heard a low rumbling sound from behind again, like the earth trembling slightly. There were sounds of breaking branches and colliding gravel. Listening carefully, it was the sound of houses collapsing. Caroline had a bad feeling.
"Quick, hurry!" She urged.
Ulysses also realized that upstream had opened the floodgates again to release water. Just as he was about to unbuckle his waist clasp, Caroline pushed him away. She shouted into the radio, "Quick, pull him up."
Someone commanded them to start pulling the rope. It took fifteen people to pull one person across. Ulysses was tall and heavy, so even more people needed to join the team pulling the backup rope.
The firefighters directed everyone to pull together, but Ulysses's build was really too much for the rescue team, who had been working continuously. People on the shore joined in one after another.
Caroline was completely focused on watching the person on the river surface, not noticing at all that the rope fixed to the electrical tower had several strands cut through by friction. Moreover, as the force pulling Ulysses increased, the rope damage became more and more severe.
Maddox tilted his ear to listen, looking shocked toward the dark depths. He nudged Leopold, his voice shaking a bit. "This is bad, upstream must be releasing floodwater. The flood peak is coming."
Hearing this, Leopold also joined the team rescuing Ulysses. "Quick, pull faster, upstream is releasing floodwater."
It happened so suddenly that no one expected this emergency. More and more people joined the team.
Ulysses was pulled to shore. Without bothering to get up, he started removing the rescue rope, shouting as he unbuckled, "The flood peak is coming, save her quick."
The flood peak roared like a demon, signaling that the approaching force and destructive power would be significant.
As the floodwater approached, the waves hitting the electrical tower became turbulent and fierce, sounding like thunder, rushing like ten thousand horses galloping.
Facing the unknown flood peak, Caroline trembled uncontrollably. She looked toward the pitch-black night. The raindrops became denser and denser. She didn't know if the clothes underneath were soaked by rain or sweat. Wind poured in through her sleeves and collar, and the wet clothes stuck to her body, ice cold.
The black flood peak emerged. Caroline's heart tightened, but facing danger, she became calm.
The rescue rope was pulled back again. Caroline grabbed it and put it on herself. The radio kept shouting, "Ms. Tudor, quick, quick, the flood peak is coming."
The second after Caroline fastened the buckle, a huge wave rushed toward her. She was instantly knocked into the muddy water and disappeared.
The firefighters shouted, "Pull, pull—"
Even Ulysses, who had just been rescued, joined the rescue team, gritting his teeth and pulling the rope with all his might.
Leopold stood on the shore, nervously watching the rushing river water. Only when Caroline was pulled out of the water did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.
The release of floodwaters from the upstream caused the water level to rise suddenly. The height at which the rescue rope was originally tied had some distance from the water surface, but now they are almost level.
Caroline lost consciousness immediately after being smashed into the water, and her entire body hung on the rescue rope above the water surface, unresponsive. Leopold's heart was pounding wildly, almost about to jump out of his chest.
On a highway, a sports car accelerating could cover one hundred and fifty feet in just over a second, but the one hundred and fifty feet span before Leopold's eyes seemed like a distant distance.
The person was pulled closer to the riverbank bit by bit. Maddox ran over and also noticed something was wrong with the person in the water. "Why isn't she moving?"
Leopold just watched the person on the rescue rope, silent.
They were about to succeed.
Suddenly, the rope on the electrical tower snapped. The person instantly fell into the rushing floodwater. Before Maddox could react, he saw someone jump in from the corner of his eye.
"Leopold—"
As Maddox was about to turn back to get a life preserver, Erica rushed over holding one, chasing along the riverbank. "Maddox, chase after them—"
Leopold jumped into the water. Underwater whirlpools lurked, the environment was complex. Caroline was almost sucked into a whirlpool. Leopold grabbed several times before catching her.
Leopold passed his arm under her armpit, supporting her from behind and swimming toward the shore. But the current was too strong. After swimming several times, they were getting farther and farther from shore. If they couldn't get to shore soon, both of them would be swept away.
Suddenly, someone on shore shouted, "Leopold, catch—"
Leopold saw Erica throw the life preserver toward him with all her strength. He stretched out his long arm and caught it, putting the life preserver on Caroline.
People on shore grabbed the rope. Erica shouted, "They've got it, pull—"
Maddox and several other firefighters pulled the rope together. Seeing the two being pulled to shore, Erica ran over and grabbed Caroline's raincoat with trembling hands, dragging her onto the bank.
Leopold followed right behind onto shore. Without caring about anything else, he turned her over, unzipped her raincoat, and started doing CPR.
His heartbeat was faster than ever. He bent down, pinched her nose, and gave two breaths of artificial respiration. Caroline still didn't respond. He continued pressing on her chest.
Erica's eyes reddened beside them, saying with a crying voice, "Caroline, Caroline, wake up..."
Maddox also nervously clenched his fists, his brow tightly furrowed.
More and more people gathered. Some held umbrellas, some provided light. Everyone looked worriedly at the person on the ground.
Leopold kept doing CPR while calling to her, "Caroline, Caroline... Caroline, Caroline..."
After he finished artificial respiration for the third time, Caroline finally responded, spitting out a mouthful of water.
Leopold quickly turned her on her side. Caroline lay on the ground with her mouth open, water she had choked on flowing out.
Everyone's anxious hearts finally settled, especially Ulysses. If something really happened to Caroline, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.
Caroline had just woken up. She was weak and exhausted, gasping for breath.
At this moment, Erica finally couldn't hold back and cried, hugging Caroline and sobbing, "Caroline, you scared me to death."
Leopold knelt on the ground and closed his eyes. His hands, hanging at his sides trembled. Only he himself knew how scared he was while resuscitating Caroline.
Maddox held the umbrella over the two of them and said to Erica, "Erica, the rain is too heavy, let's get in the car first."
"Oh, right."
Only then did Erica sniffle and wipe the tears on her face with the back of her hand. But her whole face was covered with water—she couldn't tell if it was rain or tears. She quickly tried to help the person up, but Caroline couldn't stand.
Leopold's hands passed under Caroline's body and picked her up horizontally. Seeing him, her heart settled. She closed her eyes and rested peacefully on his shoulder.
"Maddox," before Leopold could speak, Maddox said, "You go first, I'll handle things here myself."
With so many people at the scene, someone helped Maddox secure the assault boat. Leopold nodded and walked toward the car carrying her.
Leopold lowered the seat back and covered Caroline with a piece of clothing.
Both of them were soaked through. He turned on the heat. Inside the sealed, quiet car, the heater made a whooshing sound.
On the way to the hospital, Caroline kept her eyes closed, as if asleep, but his heart couldn't calm down for a long time.
This night, they had experienced life and death, but it also made him realize that when you love someone, you really hope they'll live to be very, very old.
"Honey."
Caroline responded softly.
Leopold said from the bottom of his heart, "You have to live to be very, very old."
She was too tired. She curved her lips. "You too."