Blazing Armor

In the middle of the night, Ren Yi woke up once. He realized that Gong Yingxian was squeezing into the same quilt with him, the two of them almost sleeping with their necks entwined.

Gong Yingxian’s breathing was light and steady, indicating he was sleeping soundly.

Perhaps because he was half-awake, or maybe because the dizziness hadn’t completely faded, Ren Yi overlooked the shock this scene should have given him. Instead, his entire body and mind were immersed in a warm, gentle atmosphere, floating, lazy, and comfortable.

Maybe this is a dream. If it is, why worry too much? Ren Yi boldly wrapped his arm around Gong Yingxian, adjusting to a more comfortable and closer sleeping position, fully enjoying the warmth of Gong Yingxian’s body.

If this is a dream, let him not wake up too soon.

—

When Ren Yi woke up again, it was already daylight. He hadn’t slept this soundly in a long time, so much so that he felt a little tired from it. But he quickly remembered that the exhaustion was because he hadn’t stretched his body all night. The reason was…

But the spot next to him was empty.

Ren Yi touched the place where Gong Yingxian had slept. There was still warmth—he hadn’t been gone long. Ren Yi felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped for an ambiguous morning gaze, or at least the closeness of waking up together from the same bed, which would have been enough for him to savor for a while.

But where did he go? Could he have felt embarrassed and left early?

Ren Yi hesitated, unsure whether to keep pretending to sleep and wait for Gong Yingxian to return, or to go back to his own bed. But he couldn’t bear to leave, still lingering in the warmth and scent left by Gong Yingxian in the quilt.

He lay on the bed, rubbing his cheek against Gong Yingxian’s pillow. The pillow was indeed quite comfortable; no wonder Gong Yingxian insisted on it. Ren Yi even felt a little jealous of the pillow. But the fact that they could share a bed proved that his place in Gong Yingxian’s heart was unique, right?

Ren Yi smiled contentedly.

Suddenly, the hospital room door opened. Ren Yi shuddered and quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

“Stop pretending,” Gong Yingxian said with a slight smirk, mercilessly exposing him. “I saw you wake up.”

Ren Yi had no choice but to open his eyes, deliberately letting out a big yawn. “Just woke up. Where did you go?”

“Made a phone call,” Gong Yingxian said with a hint of satisfaction on his face. “The police have simultaneously locked onto three suspects and are now verifying them one by one.”

“Wow, that’s incredible! How’d they find them so fast?”

“No crime is without a trace,” Gong Yingxian explained. “By tracking the raw materials and equipment needed to purify chemicals, they narrowed down a rough range. Chlorine-related chemicals have a strong, pungent odor, so it’s impossible for them to be used in densely populated areas or communal apartments, which ruled out some places. Then, based on the preparation and crime time, the methods used, and other details, they profiled the killer’s age, personality, and habits. Surveillance footage helped determine the suspect’s height, build, and features. All the clues combined, and there were only a few people left who fit the profile.”

Ren Yi slapped the bed. “Have they been caught?”

Gong Yingxian nodded. “The police have already been dispatched. They’ll be brought in for questioning first.”

“Do they have a background in chemistry?”

“Not a single one,” Gong Yingxian scoffed. “It seems someone else is responsible for making the bomb.”

“Follow the clues, and sooner or later, they’ll all be caught.” Ren Yi got out of bed. “By the way, sorry for taking up your bed.”

Gong Yingxian raised an eyebrow. “You’re only just now feeling embarrassed?”

Ren Yi chuckled, thinking that since they were at the point where they could share a bed, it made him feel all warm inside.

“Hungry?” Gong Yingxian glanced at his watch. “Uncle Sheng will be bringing breakfast soon.”

“I’m okay,” Ren Yi stretched and got out of bed. “I usually eat breakfast around eight.”

“Eat a little more later,” Gong Yingxian said, his gaze unconsciously soft as he looked at Ren Yi.

Ren Yi opened the curtains, and the sunlight poured in, but the distant explosion site, still visible, cast a heavy shadow over the scene. “How’s the cleanup going?”

“Should be done in two days,” Gong Yingxian said gravely. “The death toll is currently at six. They’ve found parts of Zhou Chuan’s remains… one of my colleagues was killed as well.”

Ren Yi clenched the curtain tightly, a knot of anger building in his chest, neither rising nor dissipating. Only the news of the culprit being brought to justice could ease this rage.

Just then, a knock came at the door, and Gong Yingxian thought it was Uncle Sheng. “Come in.”

The door opened, but it was Li Sa, carrying a boxed meal.

“Why are you here?” Ren Yi was a bit surprised.

“Everyone wanted to visit you, but they were too busy. The instructor asked me to come instead,” Li Sa said with a smile, greeting Gong Yingxian. “Dr. Gong.”

“You have female firefighters in your unit?” Gong Yingxian looked at Li Sa’s uniform, surprised.

“Yeah, didn’t you see her last time? This is Li Sa. She’s a full-time firefighter we recruited this year.”

“I’m still in the special duty class,” Li Sa said as she placed the meal on the table. “But I’ll be able to go to the frontlines soon, right, Captain Ren?”

Ren Yi nodded. “Next year, I’ll take you into a fire scene and see how you perform.”

Li Sa beamed. “I’ll do my best.” She opened the meal. “The instructor said the hospital food isn’t great, so Chef Li made a special nutritious meal for you.” She glanced at Gong Yingxian. “I heard Dr. Gong only eats food from his own home, so I didn’t bring any for you.”

“No problem,” Gong Yingxian replied, sneaking a quick glance at Li Sa as she efficiently tidied up Ren Yi’s bedding and began gathering his dirty clothes. His brow furrowed slightly.

“I’ll take your clothes back to the station to wash.”

“Okay.” Ren Yi bit into a bun. “Ah, it’s vegetarian. I wanted meat.”

“You can’t eat greasy food while you’re in the hospital,” Li Sa said as she finished packing his clothes and then started sweeping the floor. “Oh, the instructor also said to charge your phone soon.”

Ren Yi didn’t even realize his phone had died. After plugging it in and turning it on, he saw a WeChat message from Qu Yangbo, sent early in the morning: “Your uncle knows you’re in the hospital. He said he’s coming to see you. Call him back quickly.”

Ren Yi almost spat out his bun. Sure enough, there were several missed calls from his dad. He hurriedly dialed back.

“Hey, Dad. Oh, no big deal, just a little carbon monoxide poisoning.”

“Seriously, no need to come. You saw the news, right? The hospital is a mess right now. I’ll be discharged in a few days.”

“I promise I’m fine. Be good and stay home. As soon as I’m discharged, I’ll take some time off and come see you.”

After finally calming his dad down, Ren Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He grinned at Gong Yingxian. “Actually, my dad was a firefighter too, just retired a few years ago.”

Gong Yingxian looked surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah, and my dad…” Ren Yi glanced at Li Sa, “I’ll have to tell you some stories about him. He’s quite the legend.” He hadn’t yet had the chance to explain the connection between his father and the Gong family. Initially, he had hoped to share this after gathering useful information from his dad, so as not to get Gong Yingxian’s hopes up too early. But it seemed now that whatever his dad remembered had already been passed on, and the rest was up to them to uncover.

“Alright.”

Li Sa finished sweeping the floor and took the garbage out.

As she left, Gong Yingxian watched her with a hint of discomfort. She was bustling around as if she were the mistress of the house, helping Ren Yi with everything. “Does she often do… this kind of housework?”

“This isn’t housework. It’s ‘internal duties,'” Ren Yi replied matter-of-factly.

The public chores at the fire station were done in shifts—officers did less, and rookies did more. Of course, personal duties were always handled individually, except for injured personnel who got special treatment.

“She often helps you with these ‘internal duties’?”

“Yeah.” Ren Yi was too focused on his meal to notice any oddness in Gong Yingxian’s tone or expression.

Gong Yingxian stopped talking, leaning back against the bed, silently brooding for reasons even he couldn’t quite place.

“Will Uncle Sheng bring some meat? I don’t feel full without it.”

“I don’t know,” Gong Yingxian replied, a bit sulky.

Only then did Ren Yi notice that something seemed off with Gong Yingxian. “What’s wrong with you?”

Before Gong Yingxian could answer, a sudden loud bang erupted, and the building shook.

They both jumped up from the bed as if shocked by electricity, locking eyes, their faces filled with alarm.

The explosion had happened very close—within the same building! Thinking of the incident from two days ago, a chill ran down their spines.

Before they could fully process what was happening, a second explosion sounded, similar in intensity. The building shook again, but the force didn’t seem enough to damage the structure.

Screams and running footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.

Both Gong Yingxian’s and Ren Yi’s phones rang at the same time.

“Li Sa, what’s happening?!”

“Yan-jie, what’s going on?!”

Li Sa, breathing heavily, whispered into her phone, “There’s a guy—someone trying to force his way into the hospital. The police at the entrance tried to stop him, and then he threw something—something explosive.”

Through Li Sa’s phone, Ren Yi could hear frantic, blood-curdling screams, the kind that sounded utterly crazed. But with all the chaos in the background, he couldn’t make out what the person was shouting.

Li Sa quickly added, “That lunatic claims he has a gas bomb. He’s saying something about ‘purifying’ everyone. He’s blocking the entrance and won’t let anyone in the lobby leave!”

Kipzi – Sigh…. Maybe tomorrow..