Chapter 1
In the peak of July, the sun hung high like a blazing fireball, roasting the earth. The temperature in the city soared close to 40°C.
Inside a small canteen, the air conditioning was abundant. The tightly closed doors and windows shielded everyone from the oppressive heat. Several simple dining tables displayed a uniform set of six dishes and one soup, generously portioned with plenty of meat. Yet, most of the food remained untouched because everyone’s eyes were glued to the TV screen showing the European Championship qualifiers.
“Go… go… ah, damn it!”
“I told you, France’s no good this year…”
Suddenly, the shrill sound of an alarm blared, long and persistent, piercing through every corner of the three-story building.
The sound of chopsticks being dropped echoed through the room, and everyone stood up in unison, rushing out the door and down the stairs quickly but in an orderly fashion.
A tall man in the lead shouted, “Whoever’s last, turn off the AC!”
“They scored! They scored! Captain Ren, they scored!”
Ren Yi ignored the exclamation, his long legs moving rapidly as he bolted downstairs in seconds. The others followed closely, reaching the garage, swiftly donning their firefighting gear—clearly well-trained.
The on-duty communicator ran up to Ren Yi. “Captain Ren, there’s a fire in a private room at the café on the fifth floor of Changxing Mall. The alert has been sent to your phone.”
“Got it, let’s send out the first three trucks.”
The garage had no air conditioning, and as soon as the doors opened, a wave of heat rushed in. The flame-resistant, insulated gear they wore might as well have been a built-in sauna, and they started sweating instantly.
Everyone climbed into the trucks. Ren Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Gao Ge, call the person who reported the fire, get more details.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ren Yi pressed the intercom. “Command, request assistance from Changxing Road Police Station for traffic control. The area around Changxing Mall has heavy traffic, and I’m concerned that onlookers might block the roads.”
Gao Ge hung up the phone and reported, “Captain, the café has a mezzanine floor with an internal staircase connecting the fourth and fifth floors. There’s no exit on the fifth floor. The fire started in a private room on the fifth floor. The flames haven’t spread widely yet, but the fire is near the staircase, making evacuation from the fifth floor impossible.”
Sun Dingyi, standing nearby, asked, “Mezzanine? Is this café that English-named one?”
“Yeah, you’ve been there?”
“I went there last week with my girlfriend.”
A chorus of “Ooh” followed.
“You can’t go three sentences without mentioning your girlfriend,” Ren Yi teased.
Sun Dingyi chuckled and pulled out his phone. “Seriously, look, my girlfriend took a bunch of pictures.”
Ren Yi flipped through the photos, frowning. “Tatami floors? That’s a huge fire load.”
“Yeah, it’s a trendy, viral café lately. These sections here are made for girls to take photos. Some backdrops, but they’re not really private rooms. The dividers are just wood panels on dragon bone frames, not even proper walls.”
“You sure?” Ren Yi zoomed in on the photos. The images were full of fabric furniture, curtains, carpets, and other combustibles, along with bright lighting setups that likely drew a lot of power. However, the wall material couldn’t be determined from the photos.
“Positive. I knocked on them.”
“With such a high fire load, the flames are bound to spread fast.” Ren Yi pressed the intercom again. “Truck 4 and Combat Team 3, stand by.”
“Yes, sir.”
Changxing Mall wasn’t far away. In fact, within the 12 square kilometers of their district, nowhere was far. But due to Beijing’s traffic, it still took thirteen minutes for the fire trucks to arrive.
As soon as the truck stopped, Ren Yi jumped out and looked up at the mall’s fifth floor. Grey smoke was pouring out of the windows, but they were bottom-opening windows, so no one could escape through them. Several hands were desperately waving out the windows.
The police had arrived before them and were already controlling traffic. As Ren Yi predicted, vehicles and pedestrians were all trying to stop and watch.
The mall manager, drenched in sweat, ran up to Ren Yi with a panicked expression. “Firefighter, there are at least twenty people on the fifth floor.”
Ren Yi remained calm. “Team 2, raise the ladder, bring tools to break the windows and get people out. Deploy a hose for cover. Team 1, deploy two hoses and follow me inside.” He motioned to the manager, “Lead the way.”
“Yes, over here.”
The manager led them to an elevator that had already been prepared, and they quickly reached the fourth floor.
The entire mall had been evacuated, and smoke was spreading through the café, though no visible flames yet.
Gao Ge and two firefighters hooked up to the mall’s fire hydrant.
They entered the café, where the upper part of the steel spiral staircase was already glowing red from the heat. The sound of cries for help echoed from the fifth floor above.
Ren Yi commanded, “You two, use the hoses to cool the stairs and cover us as we go up.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Aren’t you going to spray water first?” the manager shouted, “It’s all fire up there!”
Sun Dingyi shot him a glare. “We have to get the people out first. If we spray water now, we’ll end up steaming them alive.”
Ren Yi put on his mask. “Let’s go!” With that, he charged up first, followed closely by the rest of the team.
Under the cover of the water spray, they ascended the stairs. The stairs creaked ominously underfoot, threatening to give way, and the intense heat radiated toward them.
No matter how many times a firefighter enters a burning building or how advanced their heat-resistant gear is, the scorching temperatures—often hundreds or even thousands of degrees—are always painful and terrifying to endure.
Ren Yi felt his skin prickling like it was being stabbed by needles. Heat waves wrapped around him from all directions, his skin burning, and sweat pouring from his body.
The fifth floor was filled with thick smoke, and half of the café was already engulfed in flames. As he had suspected, there were too many flammable materials in the place, and the fire was spreading rapidly.
“Is anyone there? Anyone?!” Ren Yi shouted. “If you find people, try to get them out through the ladder!”
Ren Yi turned on the thermal imaging camera and scanned the area for trapped individuals. Soon, the screen displayed a person. He rushed over and found a man collapsed on the floor, with mild burns on his body and unconscious from smoke inhalation.
The man was tall and sturdy, and Ren Yi’s gear alone weighed more than 40 pounds. Straining, he dragged the man by his armpits toward the window. Halfway there, Sun Dingyi returned to help lift the man, and they carried him to the window. Other firefighters were also finding incapacitated people in the smoke.
The second unit had already broken the window open, and the platform was crowded with rescued people. Ren Yi handed the man over to the second unit. “No more room here. Take them down first.”
“Captain Ren, with the window open, the fire is spreading faster. I’m afraid if we come up again, we won’t make it in time. You’d better take the stairs.”
“The stairs are barely holding up either. Move quickly.”
“Understood.”
Ren Yi turned back and retraced his steps. He and his team groped their way through the smoke and flames, eventually reaching the last private room, where they found three more injured, unconscious people.
Gao Ge reported, “Captain Ren, we think that’s everyone.”
“You guys go ahead. I’ll sweep the place one more time along the walls.”
“Captain Ren, the fire is spreading along the tatami mats towards the window. Soon, it’ll be impossible to get across!”
“Got it. Take them out now. I’ll be right behind.”
Gao Ge, Sun Dingyi, and the others hoisted the injured and ran toward the window. Ren Yi quickly searched the rooms again. The smoke was thick, and visibility was low. The thermal camera could make mistakes, especially when people were covered or hidden.
Just as Ren Yi was about to retreat, he suddenly heard a faint moan behind him. In the intense blaze, the sound was barely audible, but Ren Yi caught it.
He rushed back and found a person trapped under a collapsed wooden panel!
Ren Yi used his shoulder to push the panel aside and pulled the person out. It was a young girl, barely in her teens. Miraculously, she had not been burned. Though disheveled, her delicate features were still discernible.
The girl weakly opened her eyes halfway and looked at Ren Yi with exhaustion.
Ren Yi knew she was on the verge of suffocation. He took off his mask and placed it over her face, speaking in a steady voice, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you out of here.”
After she took a few breaths, Ren Yi put the mask back on himself and lifted her slender body, carrying her out of the room.
In just two minutes, the fire had already reached the windows.
Fire behaves like a parched desert craving water, like a wild beast thirsting for blood—it craves oxygen. When a fire burns in an enclosed space, as soon as an opening is made, it rushes toward the oxygen source with a frenzy. Now, the fire had spread along the tatami mats, completely blocking the path to the window. Everywhere Ren Yi looked, flames raged.
He turned back and saw that although the water hose was still cooling the staircase, it was near the fire’s origin, and the flames there were still intense. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the intercom. “Gao Ge, are you all out?”
“Captain Ren, we’ve all made it out. The window is blocked by flames now. You’ll have to use the stairs.”
“Team 1, cover me with the hose.”
“Yes, sir!”
The two firefighters with hoses moved up the stairs, using the water to suppress the flames as Ren Yi prepared to evacuate via the staircase.
Suddenly, the steel staircase let out a sharp, screeching sound. One of the firefighters yelled, “Captain Ren, the stairs are giving out! Looks like they’re going to collapse!”
“Get down, now!”
No sooner had Ren Yi spoken than the steel frame of the staircase crashed down right in front of him, smashing into the floor with a heavy thud. The entire floor beneath trembled violently.
Ren Yi called out in alarm, “Are you two alright?”
“We’re fine!”
“Stand by for support below.” Ren Yi quickly unfastened the rope from his gear and tied one end to an untouched section of the staircase railing that hadn’t been burned. He swiftly made a figure-eight knot, then cradled the girl in his arms and began to lower them down the rope.
Because it was only one story high, and the girl was light, he felt confident taking this route.
The firefighters below caught his feet first, and together they carefully brought him and the girl down to safety.
Once on the ground, Ren Yi carried the girl over to the waiting paramedics. “Reduce one hose downstairs. Don’t add any more weight to the floor. Put out the fire as quickly as possible.”
After placing the girl on a stretcher, Ren Yi finally took off his mask and drew a deep breath.
Suddenly, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw the girl gripping his sleeve tightly.
Ren Yi looked into her bloodshot eyes, gently patted her head, and reassured her in a soft voice, “Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”
The girl, her mouth covered by an oxygen mask, couldn’t speak. She blinked a few times and slowly released his sleeve.
Ren Yi turned back to the café, with the manager following closely behind him. “Captain, when do you think the fire will be out?”
“It hasn’t spread to the neighboring buildings. It’ll be out soon.”
The manager sighed in relief and, after hesitating, asked cautiously, “Are we… going to be fined?”
Ren Yi shot him a sidelong glance. “What do you think? Just from what I’ve seen, there are already six violations of fire safety regulations.”
“Captain, um… could we exchange numbers…”
“That’s not my responsibility.” Ren Yi brushed him off and went to direct his team in extinguishing the flames.
The fire wasn’t too severe and was quickly brought under control. Thanks to their efforts, the neighboring restaurant didn’t suffer any damage.
Ren Yi left the second unit behind to handle cleanup and inspection for any remaining fire hazards, while he led the rest of his team back to the station.
On the way, Ren Yi called the hospital to check on the condition of the injured, especially the young girl he had rescued last. The report was that a few people had moderate burns, but none of the injuries were too severe. Most had minor injuries, and those suffering from smoke inhalation were still under observation but weren’t in life-threatening condition.
Ren Yi finally let out a long breath of relief and shared the good news with the rest of the firefighters, who responded with a round of applause.
Suddenly, he remembered something. “Hey, what happened with the match? Who won?”
“Let me check!” Sun Dingyi pulled out his phone. “France, 2-1.”
“Wow! They actually won.”
Covered in soot and exhausted, they animatedly discussed the game on their way back.
When they arrived at the station, it was already past 3 PM. They had barely touched their lunch before the emergency, and now everyone was starving.
As soon as they walked upstairs, Ren Yi squinted. “Who was the last one out?”
Everyone glanced around, avoiding eye contact.
“Who left the air conditioning on?” Ren Yi chuckled. “Come on, confess now, we’ve got security cameras in this building.”
“Captain Ren, it might’ve been… me,” admitted Lu Jingchuan.
“Did your dad come to visit the station?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
“How do you want to be punished?” Ren Yi asked, grinning.
“I-I’ll go run laps now.”
“No need for that. We’ve all had a tough day.” Ren Yi feigned understanding, still smiling. “How about this—no air conditioning in your dorm tonight. We don’t want anyone catching a cold.”
Groans of protest erupted from everyone.
Sun Dingyi yelled, “Captain, I’m skinny. Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”
Ren Yi rolled his eyes at him. “Trying to take advantage of me, huh?”
Everyone burst into laughter again.
They all sat back at the table, devouring their now-cold lunch with gusto.
Note from the Author:
Hehe, starting a new story~~ Finally introducing the long-awaited 10th member of the 188 Boys!
This time, the main characters are a firefighter and a detective. The story follows a heroic firefighter working on the front lines of disasters and assisting a detective in solving arson, explosions, and biochemical cases. In short, a blend of firefighting and criminal investigation.
The romance arc will be a slow burn, starting from mutual teasing to eventual admiration and a secret crush.
This time, the protagonist isn’t a jerk (though it doesn’t mean it won’t be angsty) →→
I’ll work hard to write a great story as always, and I hope everyone enjoys it~
P.S. Ren’s name is pronounced with a second tone (Rén), and Yì is pronounced (Yì).
Note from Kipzi – And here we go =)
