012 San Francisco Incident (Part 6)

"Where could Kathy be?" Bai Zhongqi was somewhat annoyed with himself for never daring to strike up a conversation with Han Jiaxue, to the point that he didn't even know which classroom she had class in now.

However, he had a cell phone.

With a nervous heart, Bai Zhongqi dialed Han Jiaxue's number, fearing nobody would answer, with each second of the ringing sounding as long as an hour.

Finally, the call connected.

"Hello," the voice on the other end trembled, also tinged with sobs, making Bai Zhongqi's heart sink a little while simultaneously filling him with anxiety.

"Kathy, where are you, are you hurt?"

"Senior, wuu wuu wuu, I'm not seriously injured, just got a cut on my arm. It's so scary, half of the classroom collapsed all at once, the teaching assistant is trapped underneath, I'm hiding under a table, there are stones everywhere, am I not going to get out?" Han Jiaxue sounded very scared, and the situation seemed extremely urgent.

Filled with all sorts of nervousness and concern, Bai Zhongqi asked, "Don't be scared, I'm on my way to find you, which classroom are you in?"

"2024..."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhongqi immediately started running, "Kathy, keep talking to me, I'm almost there."

Something dawned on Han Jiaxue suddenly, and she asked, "Senior, didn't you leave? Why did you come back? It's too dangerous, get out of here quickly."

Bai Zhongqi's heart softened, but he persisted, "I don't know when the rescue will arrive, I must get you out of there first."

His judgment was quite straightforward, this astonishing aerial battle had swept across much of San Francisco's city center, with a radius of several kilometers being an area of extremely fast-flying combat jets clashing, and the damage inflicted was particularly extensive. Considering the dense population of San Francisco and the scarce rescue resources of the United States, which could not possibly be as prompt as those inside the country, who knew if Han Jiaxue could hold on until the rescue arrived at the school.

So, he was determined to rescue Han Jiaxue from the rubble at all costs.

The classroom Han Jiaxue was in was a large one, with a total of four doors to the front, back, left, and right. The impact and explosion had directly damaged the load-bearing structure of the classroom. A large amount of steel and concrete rubble had fallen, crushing many students and teachers who were in class instantly. Many were killed on the spot.

Bai Zhongqi charged up the stairs toward the classroom, passing a few students fleeing for their lives, some still covered in blood. Kind bystanders told Bai Zhongqi not to go up, but he paid them no mind.

The corridor on the second floor of the academic building was still in relatively good shape, despite some flames and falling rocks; the damage wasn't too severe. The front-facing classrooms, including Han Jiaxue's Room 2024, had suffered the worst damage from the direct collision and explosion; even the architecture above the third floor had collapsed by half. The second-floor classrooms that took a direct hit were completely covered with rubble and debris. Room 2024 was slightly luckier, with only half of it collapsed and the structure above not entirely fallen.

The door on the left side of the classroom remained open, and some surviving students stumbled and crawled out. Bai Zhongqi rushed into the classroom and was stunned by the mess before him. There were severed limbs and brains smashed out everywhere, the entire podium was filled with falling rocks, and one corner of the classroom had collapsed open, revealing the view of the first floor.

"Kathy, I'm in, where are you?"

"I, I don't know." At this time, Han Jiaxue was already in a panic, incapable of remembering clearly.

"I only remember that I was in one of the back seats, a bit to the left."

Bai Zhongqi observed that the right half of the classroom was almost completely destroyed. Of the front and back rows of seats, the front was heavily damaged, while the back was somewhat better, only partly crushed by rubble. Then, Han Jiaxue should be somewhere within that debris.

At that moment, a young-looking American female student saw Bai Zhongqi and called out, "Hey, can you come over here and help? A lot of people are still alive, we need to get them out!"

They were a makeshift rescue team of surviving students, appearing young and inexperienced, yet with good intentions; however, they lacked practical skills and were at a loss amidst the rubble and debris.

Still, Bai Zhongqi ignored them, his gaze searching for Han Jiaxue's possible location.

"Hey, you asshole, did you hear me? Come and help, we need to move this rock."

Bai Zhongqi didn't even look at them. If those idiots moved that largest stone, it would inevitably cause the other stones and dust lying around to collapse, burying anyone underneath, resulting in secondary injuries or even death.

Bai Zhongqi continued to speak to Han Jiaxue on the phone, "Can you hear the sound of a hooting owl?"

Han Jiaxue replied, "I can't hear it."

Bai Zhongqi's heart sank. Although the classroom was large, this indicated that Han Jiaxue might be buried under the rubble and quite securely at that.

However, Bai Zhongqi didn't lose hope. He always seemed laid-back, even timid in front of the girl he liked, but at the crucial moment, he possessed astounding calm and analytical abilities. Han Jiaxue had taken shelter under a table in haste when the incident occurred. The table in a lecture hall was just a layer of wood, whose load-bearing capacity couldn't be very high—otherwise, Han Jiaxue would have definitely been in trouble—which meant that the thickness and weight of the stone covering Han Jiaxue couldn't be too great.

With careful reasoning using the process of elimination, Bai Zhongqi quickly found a section of the rubble with only a layer of debris on top and a whole slab of stone next to it.

"Kathy, I'm going to tap on the stone, let me know if you can hear it," Bai Zhongqi said cautiously, gently tapping on the slab with the bottom of a fire extinguisher.

"I hear it, I hear it!"

Bai Zhongqi heard her voice too. The wretched slab of stone that was the main culprit had also saved Han Jiaxue's life; its angle had blocked the other falling stones but had also trapped Han Jiaxue beneath it along with them. Han Jiaxue thought she had survived because of the protection of the table, but in fact, it was that thick slab of stone.

Bai Zhongqi found a gap between the stones just wide enough to accommodate a fire extinguisher. He guessed the stone slab weighed several hundred pounds, and he wasn't sure if he could lift it, but he had to try. Utilizing the principle of leverage, he wedged the slab up with the fire extinguisher, but only managed to lift it a little.

This wasn't an ideal tool; a longer lever might have worked better. But there was no place to find a suitable lever now. Moreover, if the lever were too thin, it wouldn't be able to pry up a stone slab that weighed several hundred pounds. And it was useless to call for help from others, as more people couldn't exert force on such a small fire extinguisher at the same time.

Nearly exhausting all his strength, Bai Zhongqi's face turned red, and he saw the edge of the table. At this moment, he felt as though he had used up all his energy, but hope triumphed over everything; he couldn't give up like this. He knew he was Han Jiaxue's only hope for survival. Summoning strength from somewhere, Bai Zhongqi wedged the stone slab up with the fire extinguisher. In a critical moment, with swift actions, he propped the fire extinguisher between the stone slab and the rubble below, creating a space forty to fifty centimeters high.

"Kathy, I'm here!"

Han Jiaxue looked up and saw Bai Zhongqi, whose face was covered in dust and grime, but whose eyes were exceptionally bright and expression resolute. He was prying at the crevice with one hand stretched in.

Instinctively, Han Jiaxue placed her delicate hand in Bai Zhongqi's palm. His broad hand clasped around her slender one and he pulled her out of the gap in the rubble with force.

The moment Han Jiaxue was pulled out, the fire extinguisher seemed unable to support the weight of the stone slabs any longer; its top slipped and the two stone slabs closed together. The support structure of the slabs was unstable to begin with and prone to collapse after being pried up. When the fire extinguisher slipped under pressure from both directions, the stone slabs finally caved in. A moment's delay and Han Jiaxue might have been lost.

Bai Zhongqi held onto Han Jiaxue's slender waist. Even though he knew it wasn't the time to be distracted by his junior's charming body, he couldn't help but get carried away—it was their first time being this close. Han Jiaxue, who had just crawled out of the debris, leaned softly against Bai Zhongqi, still feeling somewhat shaken.

"Ah, your bag is still inside." Bai Zhongqi seemed to revert to his previously tongue-tied state, his words missing the point.

Han Jiaxue lifted her head to look at the senior who had just saved her, moved by his actions. Holding onto Bai Zhongqi's arm, she smiled and shook her head, saying, "None of that matters."

Bai Zhongqi saw his junior's most radiant and flawless smile; he was utterly intoxicated, but he didn't get lost in reverie for long. He was aware that they hadn't completely escaped danger yet and said, "Let's go, we're headed home."

Han Jiaxue's cheeks blushed slightly, she hummed in agreement, and nodded.

Several foreign classmates were thrilled to see Bai Zhongqi rescue someone, acting as if they had saved her themselves. They began to shout, "Quick, let's keep going and save more people!"

Bai Zhongqi, however, still didn't even glance back at them, escorting Han Jiaxue out. Han Jiaxue, who felt a pang of compassion, was a girl with astute thoughts. She guessed why Bai Zhongqi ignored those people, and she secretly thought this senior, despite his seeming dullness, was someone decisive who knew when to act and when to withdraw.

Just after Bai Zhongqi and Han Jiaxue stepped out of the classroom, a larger collapse occurred. Bai Zhongqi felt a slight tremor just before the collapse and immediately pulled his junior to stand in a stable corner.

The entire Room 2024 completely collapsed, and the second floor along with the other structures above it smashed down to the first floor. The people who had been lively just moments before were likely gone by now. The larger collapse also blocked the entrance Bai Zhongqi had used to come in.

To get out, they would need to find another way.