Han Changhong was working as the Vice President of the Han Corporation. He had almost finished reading his documents when he heard his cell phone ringing. When he looked at the screen, he saw that it was his brother Han Ying Wei, and felt a bit uneasy by the unexpectedness. He swiftly answered the call when he heard the faint, raspy voice of his brother adjacent to the harrowing cry of his niece.
"Xiao Wei! Respond to me! Please…" Han Changhong's voice had succumbed to his anxiety, as the phone connection weakened. He knew that he couldn't sit there idly. Without hesitation, Han Changhong leaped out of his chair and dashed towards the door.
Han Ying Wei's assistant, Tong, was working in his boss' room just when he heard the door fling open without any warning. Assistant Tong was startled as he turned around to face who came in. It was Han Changhong, with a face painted in anguish. "Vice President Han, what's the matter-"
"Track Xiao Wei's location. Something happened to him." Han Changhong interrupted.
Assistant Tong stared at his vice president with disbelief.
"Now! Immediately!" Han Changhong ordered, his voice beginning to strain.
"Yes sir." Assistant Tong tentatively took his Vice President's cell phone as his fingers mechanically danced over the keyboard. In the meantime, Han Changhong used his brother's office phone and dialed Han Ying Wei's friend – a high ranking policer named Zhao Jie.
Zhao Jie was on duty so he couldn't answer the call straight away, but Han Changhong's persistent calling finally caught the inspector's attention. "This is Zhao. President Han, is everything all right?"
"No, this is his brother," Han Changhong retorted.
Zhao Jie said, "Oh, Vice President Han! It's been a long time. Is something the matter?"
"Xiao Wei…" the Vice President began. "Something happened to him and his family. We are tracking him down. He's in the mountain area, returning from a camping trip. He sounded like he was in danger and most likely he will need an ambulance. We will send you the location as soon as we find his spot." Han Changhong said everything he could in a breath. He didn't want to waste a single moment.
Zhao Jie furrowed his eyebrows in surprise, yet the urgency of the Vice President's tone signaled that he needed to act quickly. "He's in the mountains so he needs the fire department. I'll try my best to help you, Vice President Han."
"Don't hang up yet!" Assistant Tong exclaimed, "Inspector Zhao I am sending you the location right now."
"You heard the man," Han Changhong added, the tone of his voice darkening.
"Roger that." Zhao Jie hung up and acted on the information he had just received.
Han Changhong hurried his brother's assistant. "Tong, call for a helicopter. We need to get there."
"Already on that. We should go to the rooftop now." Assistant Tong's sharp-wittedness irradiated a wave of optimism within Han Changhong. He hoped that the two of them could save the president from danger.
"Let's go," Han Changhong declared as he exited the room. Assistant Tong obediently followed after him.
When they had arrived at the building's rooftop, the helicopter was meekly waiting for them. The duo sprinted onto the helicopter and sat down without any words; the journey there began with silence. The two men were muted by fear.
The clouds had dyed the sky into a grayscale sheet, as the moon lacked the power to penetrate its light through the thick layer. Han Changhong could hear his unsteady heartbeat ring in his ears, yet he tried to maintain the flame of hope inside of him. The silence had begun to unsettle him. "Keep your eyes out for any cars."
Assistant Tong didn't hesitate to reply. "Yes, sir."
Both men examined the surroundings, finding it difficult to see in the absence of light. Han Changhong's eyes followed the faint path of the road, looking for any signs of a car. "You see anything, Tong?"
Assistant Tong regretfully replied, "No sir. Nothing yet-"
"There! Look there!" The duo drew their attention to a car – flipped on its back and its body pletely mangled. "Oh, God. Oh my god!" There were no trees. No plants. Only clear land and a car carved into an incongruous boulder. The grassland was stained red by the sea of blood.
"Vice President Han," the pilot announced, "I've let down the rope ladder."
"Understood." Han Changhong's voice trembled at the sight of the accident; the embodiment of a nightmare. He cringed at the thought of any deaths, but he suddenly remembered that little Luo was crying. Han Changhong's heart wrenched for the little girl, making him remember about his own daughters. He knew how precious little Luo was to his brother. He knew he had to save them all.
Assistant Tong had begun to climb down the rope ladder already. "Vice President, are you ing?"
"I am. I am now." Han Changhong regained his posure and began to climb down with Tong. The two men came to an abrupt halt. "Vice President," Tong paused for a short moment. He could hear the faint cries of a child. Han Luo. "Do you hear that?"
"It's my niece. We need to go there." Han Changhong's motivation to save his brother and his family heightened. He was nearly there – just a few steps away – from saving them. The duo followed the sound of little Luo's crying, running towards the fateful direction. There they saw the car firmly grounded into the boulder.
Assistant Tong already went on the side of Qin Zheng and attempted to open the door. It was no use – the door refused to be let open. He saw that the window was wide open and used this as his opportunity to carefully inspect the state of Qin Zheng, but he was thrown off by the amplified cries of little Luo. Her tear-filled eyes slowly looked up and made eye contact with Tong. He felt a deep pull in his heart, trying to keep his tears in.
"Hey Luo'er, it's uncle Tong. Remember me?" He smiled weakly.
Han Luo remembered him and nodded shortly, and to Tong's relief, her crying had eased. The mother and daughter were interlocked with each other, making the task to take them out of the car difficult. "Vice President, I need assistance!"
Han Changhong moved to his assistant's side almost instantaneously and, almost out of pure impulse, he tore the door off the car.
"That… works too." Assistant Tong muttered in slight awe.
The Vice President had carefully removed both Qin Zheng and Han Luo. "Take Luo'er."
As Assistant Tong reached out his hands, she went into his embrace. Assistant Tong hugged her and then put her away from the car. Han Changhong gently lay Qin Zheng on the ground. He felt his heart begin to twist.
"Xiao Wei!" Han Changhong had run to his brother, also carrying him out of the car. The dedicated brother lay Han Ying Wei's body on the ground, relieved at the sound of his peaceful breathing.
"I don't know how, but it's a miracle the car didn't ignite." The Vice President exhaled with a sound of solace. "How's Xiao Zheng?"
Assistant Tong's eyes were protruding – motionless – as though time had stopped his ability to move. Han Changhong's candle of hope lost its flame. His smile dropped, his eyes widened, his fists clenched.
Han Luo poked Assistant Tong's glum countenance. "Mommy… uncle… mommy… what... what happened?" She looked like she was going to start crying again.
"Your mommy is sleeping, Luo'er. She's just a bit… tired." Assistant Tong quickly put on a smiling façade, trying to hide his true feelings from his boss' innocent daughter. Feelings of failure and grief eating away his heart.
The distant ambulance sirens echoed in the solitude, as the overcast sky had begun to weep.
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