At this moment, the most bewildered person was none other than Doctor Jiang.
When the child had burst into her office earlier, crying and talking frantically, it had genuinely startled her. She had initially thought something had happened to Comrade Hu...
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
Without hesitation, Doctor Jiang closed the door, drew the curtains, and began examining Hu Meili.
Of course, before the examination, she had to disinfect her hands thoroughly.
This was Jiang Si’s first time witnessing a prenatal check-up up close.
Honestly, it left quite an impact on her.
She had always heard doctors mention how many centimeters dilated someone was, but she never imagined it was actually determined through manual examination...
Before she could dwell on it further, Doctor Jiang had already finished the check-up.
"There’s no need to send you to the hospital now—you’re already seven centimeters dilated."
As she said this, Doctor Jiang couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. This... this was progressing far too quickly.
Hu Meili also wore an expression of disbelief.
Earlier, when the frequency of her contractions had slowed, she thought she’d have to lie on her side for another day or two before labor truly began. She hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
Hu Meili: "So does that mean I’ll be giving birth at home?"
Doctor Jiang didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she first checked the baby’s position.
The baby was in the head-down position, perfectly aligned.
Its head was slightly smaller than her previous two boys, and there was no umbilical cord around the neck.
If everything went smoothly, the baby could be out within an hour at most.
But if they tried to move her to the hospital now, not only would the journey be bumpy, but the hospital was also in complete chaos at the moment.
Ever since the announcement that morning about the impending super typhoon making landfall, military families had swarmed the hospital at noon, scrambling for fever reducers, anti-inflammatory drugs, diarrhea medication, and the like.
Due to recent shipping delays, the hospital’s medical supplies were already running low.
How could they possibly withstand such a large-scale rush?
Even now, those military families hadn’t left yet.
After weighing the situation, Doctor Jiang decided it was best for Hu Meili to deliver at home.
She had brought her emergency medical kit with her.
All they needed now was some hot water.
Hu Meili had no objections either—after all, this wasn’t her first time giving birth.
She was well-versed in when to push and how to do it effectively.
About ten minutes later, Doctor Jiang had all the instruments prepared and disinfected once more.
Just then, there was another commotion outside the door.
Xiao Zhengjun had rushed back after finishing his work, sprinting the entire way. By the time he reached home, he was still gasping for breath.
"Mei... Meili, how—how are you?"
Bracing his hands on his knees, he panted heavily while knocking on the door. "Don’t... don’t be scared. The boys and I are right outside. If... if it hurts, you can scream."
"Don’t listen to his nonsense," Hu Meili immediately corrected, never missing a chance to educate her good friend. "You must never scream during childbirth. It’ll disrupt your breathing rhythm and drain your energy."
Jiang Si nodded with a smile.
"Meili, how are you now? Is it very painful?" Xiao Zhengjun’s voice persisted from outside.
Hu Meili hadn’t felt much pain before, but his incessant questioning seemed to summon a wave of contractions. She sucked in a sharp breath, wincing from the sudden intensity.
Infuriated, she roared, "Xiao Zhengjun! Can you shut up and let me have some peace?"
Hearing her fiery, full-throated scolding, Xiao Zhengjun didn’t take offense. Instead, he quietly exhaled in relief.
Glancing around the living room, he felt like something was missing.
After a moment’s thought, he frowned. "Where’s your brother?"
The younger son thought his father had lost his mind and reached up to feel his forehead.
Hmm. No fever.
"Didn’t my brother go looking for you?" the boy said, pursing his lips. "You didn’t leave him behind somewhere, did you?"
"..." Xiao Zhengjun froze.
Only then did he remember that he might have run back too fast, accidentally leaving his son behind at the hangar.
Fortunately, the older son returned shortly after, accompanied by Huo Tingzhou.
On the way back, the boy had explained the situation to him, and it sounded rather precarious.
"How’s your mother doing now?" Huo Tingzhou asked.
The younger son, accustomed to chiming in, answered without thinking, "Uncle Huo, Mom’s fine! She just yelled at Dad, and it was super loud!"
Xiao Zhengjun couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.
"My slaps are pretty loud too. Want to test that theory?"
The boy wasn’t stupid. He immediately ducked his head and scampered away, muttering under his breath, "Hmph, I won’t stoop to your level, adults. I’m going to wait by the door for Mom. When my sister comes out, I’ll be the first to hold her!"
Xiao Zhengjun couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. Remembering something, he called Huo Tingzhou into the room where the two boys usually slept.
"By the way, has your squadron’s fleet been secured in the hangar yet?"
Huo Tingzhou shook his head. "Not yet."
Xiao Zhengjun frowned. Seeing the gravity on his face, he pressed, "What’s wrong?"
"The hangar might not withstand this typhoon."
"That can’t be right," Xiao Zhengjun said. "I remember a typhoon of similar magnitude about ten years ago. Back then, they only used six ground anchors and six tie-down cables. This time, they’ve installed eighteen of each, and the hangar’s been reinforced. It shouldn’t be a problem."
"And what if the typhoon exceeds Category 15?"
Category 15 was only the preliminary estimate based on current radar readings.
But in reality, radar detection only covered a range of 200 to 300 kilometers.
Meaning, the exact intensity of the typhoon could only be confirmed one to two hours before landfall.
Having worked with Huo Tingzhou for years, Xiao Zhengjun recognized the tone in his voice—he already had an answer in mind.
"No wonder you were nowhere to be seen all morning. What did the division commander say?"
"They approved it."
Xiao Zhengjun wasn’t surprised by this answer.
The Fourth Division’s aviation regiment was responsible for safeguarding the entire southern airspace. From the moment it was established, the higher-ups had allocated every available resource to it.
Aside from the pilots’ benefits, the Fourth Division had always been equipped with the most advanced aircraft in the country.
If anything went wrong, no one could bear the responsibility.
Xiao Zhengjun thought for a moment. "So what’s the next step for headquarters?"
Huo Tingzhou kept it concise. "Leave ten percent of the older aircraft at the base. The rest will be relocated in batches, avoiding the typhoon’s path. The first squadron will transfer to Wuxu Airport in Nanning, Guangxi, and the second squadron will move to Bailian Airport in Liuzhou, Guangxi."
Both airports were under the jurisdiction of the Guangzhou Military Region, with established flight routes.
The direct distance was between 500 to 800 kilometers, reachable in about an hour.
"When’s the departure?" Xiao Zhengjun asked.
Huo Tingzhou: "No later than tomorrow morning."
"Any word on when they can return?"
Huo Tingzhou paused. "Not for now."
Especially for those like him, whose names were on the priority list—they would have to remain in Guangxi on standby.
He understood this was the organization’s way of protecting them.
But at this moment, his loved ones were all on the island.
This was the moment when they needed protection the most.
Yet, at this very time, he had no choice but to follow military orders.
"Don't overthink it. There's nothing we can do about it," Xiao Zhengjun said, patting his shoulder. "Once we put on this uniform, we owe it our duty."
Huo Tingzhou fell silent for a long moment. He understood the reasoning perfectly.
But the mere thought that the relocation plan had been entirely his own doing made him want to slap himself twice over.
Just then, the excited cheers of Weidong and Weimin erupted from outside the door.
"She's given birth—she's given birth—!"
"Mom had the baby!"
