CHAPTER 458: CHAPTER 456: NOT ENOUGH TENTS

Beside a collapsed ruin, a towering Titan was lifting a collapsed slab, appearing as if what it was lifting wasn’t a few-ton slab, but rather a small biscuit.

Despite feeling at ease, the Titan Driver remained focused and cautiously moved the slab aside after lifting it.

Previously, other drivers who were eager to save people had been somewhat forceful when moving these collapsed building fragments, resulting in secondary fragmentation and causing unnecessary trouble for the rescue efforts.

Therefore, the rescue team had clearly outlined the operational protocols for Titans, requiring them to handle rescue tasks gently to avoid unnecessary problems.

After the Titan moved aside the collapsed slab, several exoskeleton-armed paratroopers quickly removed the remaining large building fragments, cleaning up rubble with the Titan’s assistance, soon revealing a buried protective door.

Although the protective door was quite sturdy, wrapped in steel plate and made of reinforced concrete with considerable protection capability, it inevitably deformed with the whole building’s earthquake collapse, distorting even the door bolts and hinges, making it impossible to open the door.

Seeing this, the rescue paratroopers weren’t troubled. Instead of fetching tools, they cleared around the protective door and called to the Titan standing behind them, "The door is stuck from deformation, come help us pull it open!"

The Titan Driver acknowledged with a "Roger" and moved the vehicle two steps forward to the protective door, then controlled the Titan to bend down, grip the protective door with both arms, and step on the power pedal.

The ten-ton output force caused the entire Titan to emit a teeth-gritting squeal of metal friction, with the broken rubble beneath crushing further, showcasing the overpowering force of the enormous machine to nearby onlookers.

Yet before this tremendous force, the deformed protective door, no matter how sturdy, could not hold out for long. With a loud "bang," the entire door was pulled directly from its original frame.

The deformed door bolts and hinges snapped directly, even the protective door itself was warped, the welded steel plate on the outside cracked, revealing the rebar and already shattered concrete inside.

However, neither the Titan Driver nor the paratroopers were bothered by this. After the Titan tossed aside the pulled door, those exosuit-clad paratroopers quickly carried rescue supplies into the shelter behind the protective door.

Due to its massive size, the Titan didn’t enter, standing at the doorway instead.

But the Driver was not idle, controlling the Titan to clear surrounding rubble and snow, throwing large building fragments aside, creating a cleared passageway.

After completing these tasks, two paratroopers who had first entered emerged from the shelter carrying a seemingly entirely frozen survivor.

"Quick, get this person to the rescue point!" The two paratroopers ran out with the stretcher, their speed quickened by the power armor despite carrying a person.

The Titan hurriedly moved aside, clearing the path for the paratroopers to carry the person out.

"Looks like luck is on our side; there are survivors in this shelter." The Driver watched the paratroopers carry the person away, quietly reflecting.

The Titan immediately engaged in disaster relief upon arrival in the disaster area, quickly excavating several collapsed shelters with overwhelming power. However, some shelters were less fortunate; despite rescue efforts, entire shelters were void of life upon excavation.

Collapses from the earthquake directly crushed many, and the lack of power and heating in shelters froze many lightly injured who could otherwise survive.

The entire shelter resembled a massive tomb, distressingly silent.

Nevertheless, the rescue team had no time for sadness or distress, as more awaited their rescue.

So upon determining no survivors in a newly excavated shelter, a mere minute of silence was held before they tensely shifted focus to rescuing another shelter.

Shelters without survivors were handed to additional rescue personnel organized by the local municipal government for body clearance.

In fact, even shelters with survivors, like this one, are handed to subsequent rescue personnel for aid and processing, barring critical cases like the recent survivor needing urgent evacuation by two paratroopers.

Subsequent rescue personnel soon entered the shelter, simultaneously searching for survivors and removing the bodies.

Meanwhile, the paratroopers and Titan needed to proceed to the next excavation site for digging and rescue of buried shelters.

This remains the most efficient method, given the limited Titans and engineering machinery numbers. One excavated site is promptly left for the next rather than lingering on the spot.

Fortunately, the rescue team and local municipal personnel possess exoskeletons, albeit not as powerful as military versions, still significantly aiding the rescue of many buried under debris.

At the setup rescue point, with more survivors arriving, it was increasingly busy and crowded.

Four days have passed since the earthquake, three days since the rescue team’s disaster area arrival. Although rescuing numerous survivors was cause for celebration, their accommodation proved problematic.

This city, where the Chenlong sits, is the core disaster zone and one of several large Southwest cities, home to over six hundred thousand pre-disaster, with still over five hundred thousand remaining post-disaster.

Now the earthquake inflicted varying damage on most city shelters, rendering lightly damaged ones unlivable, confining rescued survivors to rescue team-erected temporary tents.

As more survivors are rescued, tents quickly became insufficient.