Blazing Armor

Chen Xiaofei divided the nine squads into four combat units. The first combat unit was composed of the Phoenix Squad, Luo Alley Squad, and Sanning Squad. Their mission was to attack Building B to block the fire and rescue trapped civilians.tjKHvEqMRlpcbFIZodjFtpqlmyhram

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At this moment, Captain Wang Meng of the Luo Alley Squad was leading his team in rescuing people trapped on higher floors using an elevated platform truck. Meanwhile, the Phoenix and Sanning Squads were tasked with blocking the fire from spreading through the connecting corridor from Building A to Building B and searching for any trapped individuals below the 7th floor.UWBuSgJcAKedvzxkUtwyCLccpnVnUZ

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The second combat unit, also composed of three squads, was assigned to Building C, which was under construction. Their tasks included removing flammable materials and, if necessary, creating firebreaks to prevent the fire from spreading further.ftpfzvwPcJUZXFlcDrVmgcUJBSoPpI

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The third combat unit consisted of one squad, which deployed two water cannons between Wenhui Mall and Mudan Mall to establish a water defense line, ensuring Mudan Mall was not affected.hDLnTXUTKOzoOZxHktfEsHBmdbWFjO

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The fourth combat unit, also a single squad, focused entirely on ensuring a stable water supply for the firefighting efforts.NEGdNJDoiEkFWSyuUmfopRpHuvXPjN

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Additionally, a mobile reserve squad was on standby, ready to provide reinforcements as needed.FHgnnyhDcCikvHElFXmTEUFrcOZlFq

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The most dangerous and challenging mission naturally fell to the first combat unit. Among its forces, the Phoenix and Sanning Squads faced the most peril, as they had to confront the fire head-on.JxUSZgwDVJRXFLmqXKgivREeWzIWJt

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Building A had already turned into a towering inferno beyond saving. The most critical situation was in Building B, which was connected to Building A by a seven-story corridor. The fire in Building B was barely under control but at risk of sudden explosion. Successfully containing the fire in Building B was essential to preventing further escalation. Moreover, Building B still housed a large number of trapped civilians.cVkDlnuQQjSdgSoNGeXEthQmlFSVCT

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Ren Yi and Captain He Xun of the Sanning Squad discussed their tactics.YXBHoYncCrKFAgvYbSkxjJiqbawUpa

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He Xun explained, “According to the security guards, the fire started on the first floor of Building A, near the corridor, in a stack of cargo. Due to the dense layout of small stalls in the area, the fire spread rapidly, climbing the stairs and engulfing the entire building within minutes. The fire also spread through the corridor into Building B. Some civilians managed to escape downward, but others fled upward and became trapped.”znIkDtLfYgAwmqGRXYvyHGMvMBZERt

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Ren Yi gazed at the burning inferno of Building A and the severely scorched Building B nearby. The corridor connecting the two buildings was completely ablaze. Flames from the windows of Building A lashed out, licking the sides of Building B. Currently, at least half of Building B below the 7th floor had burned, and floors 8 to 13 were also entirely engulfed. However, Chen Xiaofei had positioned a water cannon to douse the fire from the top down, temporarily preventing it from spreading further upward. The main battleground was now the first to seventh floors of Building B, where the corridor connected to Building A.mDbYSIRRLODmWDcAWNgTIhTzAaiPRa

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Ren Yi studied the blueprints closely. “I think we should deploy another mobile water cannon to spray the connecting corridor from the outside, cutting off the fire from Building A and preventing it from spreading further into Building B. Then, we can enter Building B through the windows on the south side of the 7th floor to assess the situation before conducting search-and-rescue operations and firefighting.”igfClYoIKqrJgshxqFFQogtUiRxmxF

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He Xun shook his head. “Before you arrived, the chief of staff already considered adding another water cannon between Buildings A and B, but there wasn’t enough water, so they could only set up one.”sCUwucgsGYolijQsxHfIilzUSVGlfA

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“Is the water supply situation that bad?”JSWxsRtkABczUqGBCiEORgdvzkNIwI

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“Not optimistic.” He Xun pointed at the fire safety map. “There are four hydrants around the mall, plus four municipal hydrants nearby. The mall’s hydrants weren’t properly maintained and are completely frozen. Of the municipal hydrants, four are usable, but they have a 300mm pipe diameter, and there’s significant loss due to distance. The water supply can’t keep up. Right now, we’re mainly relying on water tankers to relay water. Captain Chen managed to get 12 municipal water trucks, which are barely sustaining three water cannons and several hoses.”YtpmfrFMaZtuMGiVpuaetnZvJeLvOx

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“What about the mall’s internal hydrants?”yFORlrBzFSDjnIaFGpWcPEskoDogSb

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He Xun let out a bitter laugh. “Wang Meng said some work, some don’t. It’s all up to luck.”uPIKFUxRGTUUlnLslqbPOegREMTnhh

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Ren Yi frowned deeply, his face clouded with concern. Winter in the north always presented a major challenge for firefighting water supply. While Beijing wasn’t the coldest place, after the onset of winter, all squads were required to conduct anti-freeze maintenance on hydrants in their jurisdictions. They also notified key fire-prone units to maintain their own hydrants, but oversight wasn’t possible everywhere. As a result, situations like this often arose, where hydrants froze into useless blocks of ice just when they were needed most.xiYvAAkkcQmADWRdTqSozbdTErzoYl

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Refusing to give up, Ren Yi pressed his radio. “Captain Chen, how’s the water supply situation? We need a water cannon to suppress the corridor fire.”QmXbPrjXtuzOrypJKUmTOuuVWPehFu

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Chen Xiaofei responded quickly. “The wind is blowing north. Mudan Mall is in serious danger. We can’t pull back the two water cannons. I’m waiting for the municipal water trucks. Once they arrive, I’ll allocate an additional water cannon for you.”QZIkyyGkdtLZgLCshBpVmGrRwglcvu

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“How long until they get here?”tHyPSteEiwWXMRJLJNmxtFimvmqZjT

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“They’ll arrive gradually in the next 10 to 30 minutes.”aHtYfJXQzOSyDkBPqEIipSKYRnrtaD

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Ren Yi stared at the raging inferno. This half-hour could very well determine whether Building B could still be saved. He sighed and turned to He Xun. “If we don’t suppress the corridor fire, any progress we make inside Building B will be meaningless. I don’t think we can afford to wait that long.”ayVetfcKJkiahysLyftQNWLGrRVoae

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He Xun nodded. “But without a water cannon, it’s impossible for us to extinguish the corridor fire floor by floor.”WmichrMGBuYVcNuxrUOfpqYdobYmlG

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Ren Yi fixed his eyes on the flames, deep in thought. “Divert the elevated water cannon for now and use it to suppress the corridor fire. Have Wang Meng deploy three hoses from the 15th floor to temporarily replace the cannon in controlling the upper-floor fire. We only need about ten minutes.”IRUrftvWtQJbYOwaULYDXQBngWUFGG

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“We can give it a shot.”QwPZNMJtZWAiFvAMvzQaGEspbvAJpt

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Just as Ren Yi was about to propose this plan to Chen Xiaofei, he watched in frustration as the elevated water cannon’s stream drooped like a withering flower—out of water.nBEqQlNvxQhWIyJGqMPRBpQNWxzkwA

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“Shit,” He Xun cursed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “We’re out of water.”FsfszlycuZAVhCXUXNDAUIBcDtgPoH

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Nearby, they could hear Captain Chen Xiaofei roaring in anger from the temporary command post.ceEDVhjkWdaEjOsEdzEpCSPcAFaVQx

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Chen Xiaofei quickly ordered the mobile squad to move into Mudan Mall and deploy four water hoses from the mall’s windows to contain the fire. At the same time, one of the water cannons was redirected to spray the upper floors between Buildings A and B.HVIenZRcXqeDZrMgHydtYMePtrnGFo

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Ren Yi realized he couldn’t request another water cannon now; even supplying two was proving difficult. The water supply situation was far worse than he had anticipated. Clenching his teeth, he said, “We need to control the fire before the water trucks arrive.” Scanning the fire safety map repeatedly, he finally noticed something useful. “He Xun, look at this—are these fireproof rolling shutters?”ZRjOaKCTHPPlFsdQrCcPZdygRVHpKF

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He Xun glanced over. “Yes. Originally, there were fireproof barriers near the A-B corridor. Why didn’t they work?”yyejnbLqQVeOSbOfHONdcKgwMvcgRk

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“Fireproof shutters either failed due to poor maintenance or weren’t linked to the fire alarm system. If we can manually lower the shutters in Building B, it could block the fire for a while.”xiPyIzFdILQXQrmITWwtfNnrvHdGjE

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“But we need to figure out what caused the shutters to fail first.”XhsVSeuBcwWZzmWPFwuTOAJEDuYcbp

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“Contact the person in charge and—”rJIZViBJKMutgbKqjwxcEGmLDWBREj

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“Ren Yi!”qrhhjvkyERJfxlnVXAetYmOjWueApL

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A sudden shout interrupted him.KURPtNmSrMXNvJpkGCDtPQmxcglPza

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Ren Yi turned around, surprised to see Yan Jue. “What are you doing here?!”OuYuOnUMeTrNcBfvSdAHopCbfxttAS

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“The headquarters dispatched our platform truck.”SaUwbjxmrWpXFEDOQiXLzJrJvYZukp

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“Your squad has a 100-meter platform truck?” Ren Yi exclaimed, a little envious.FAmqxGcnkssBEWoQqzhPsZNNEVDteL

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Super-high platform trucks are allocated based on the number of high-rise buildings in a squad’s jurisdiction. A few scattered high-rises wouldn’t justify the cost of such an expensive vehicle. The Phoenix Squad’s area was mostly old neighborhoods with few tall buildings, but Yan Jue’s Xijiao Squad covered many large factories, so they were equipped with more advanced gear.TuNPBPOgulzXzlEWqqZkTiXjMZuOFy

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“Yeah, but we rarely use it.” Yan Jue’s face was grim as he looked at the blazing inferno. “What’s the situation?”WzHZAgVcCeUGIKtbZbeEuTKPodrRsS

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Ren Yi quickly briefed him: “The biggest issue is the lack of water supply. We want to tackle the corridor fire, but we don’t have water cannon support. Right now, we’re trying to figure out how to lower the fireproof shutters.”iZymwSoLlCowumeSrOmtsxhGXggBiZ

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“I’ll cover you,” Yan Jue said, his eyes shining brightly even in the dark night. “Our truck has a 40-ton capacity. We can spare two high-pressure hoses for you.”CqFxvORSDLBbrlBMfBhEKMYjSpSyQm

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“That’s fantastic.” Ren Yi punched Yan Jue lightly in the chest. “Let me set things up. He Xun, how many people do you have? Let’s divide into teams.”XeqzHgWeqOiBdUzOFGLSGBwVelvWul

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Meanwhile, traffic near Wenhui Mall was restricted, so Gong Yingxian parked his car far away and walked to the scene. Using his police credentials, he passed through the cordon and arrived at the chaotic firefighting zone.ZXXukZWOOjFMyfzOHDEWmRDoPStnyT

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The first thing he saw was Ren Yi and Yan Jue in an intense discussion, the atmosphere between them exuding a clear “keep out” vibe.tzSyEbvLAtGIojqCmZMaeSYzQCIKuZ

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From what Gong Yingxian knew, Yan Jue’s jurisdiction was far from here. He hadn’t expected to run into someone he didn’t want to see, even here. But this wasn’t the time for jealousy. Jogging over, he asked, “Ren Yi, what’s the situation?”DOezVnPZTFhUJFqDtEaVpwsJhhGZCx

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Ren Yi saw Gong Yingxian freeze for a moment and quickly said, “Yingxian, stay away from the building. It’s not safe here.”RbAbeyampSUqMrJFbnmTYThcnhTBXw

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Yan Jue frowned. “Officer, this isn’t a place you should be.”TzsjqyutaUBfrUbszImATcezPPyFdR

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Gong Yingxian didn’t even bother to look at Yan Jue directly. “I suspect there’s an arson case here.”ioRzfzdXsdCzXaQvgSRFNCErlmLgou

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“This is a fire rescue scene now, not a crime scene. Please leave and don’t interfere with our work,” Yan Jue said, walking over. “Xiao Wang, escort this officer out.”bvMUYfWJyGiwWAzWHAWCdCdAaOYJzt

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Gong Yingxian slowly turned his head, standing firm in front of Yan Jue. He stared coldly, his expression icy. “This scene is very likely a crime scene. I won’t take a single step away. Can you bear the consequences of the police missing the first scene?”VLigeFWNGDdooZJGNNDQxaiqhrJImE

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“Can you bear the consequences of delaying our firefighting efforts?”FxJqzfCsfSHZiUCJdNwVTOEzcXtKAr

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“What the hell is wrong with you two? Stop causing trouble!” Ren Yi interrupted angrily. “Yan Jue, go prepare the water hoses. Yingxian, if you’re staying here, ensure your own safety and don’t interfere with the rescue team.”EsxVUqhzHhpiyspYPsystTFQfIsAof

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Both Yan Jue and Gong Yingxian looked dissatisfied, but seeing the cold, firm expression on Ren Yi’s face—so unlike his usual easygoing demeanor—they swallowed their retorts.tgvIeqsPntFHLxaLIoLapRydEaepGy

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Gao Ge was assigning teams when Ren Yi jogged over. Spotting Li Sa at the back of the line, he waved. “Come here.”dgibHsCXRNthzjVBMhqXZmZjklGzbv

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Li Sa quickly stepped up to him.QXffqUjCPRAiwjsBldWxAUPqYdQQuL

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Grabbing her thin shoulders, Ren Yi stared into her eyes and said, “I had hoped your first time entering a fire scene would be relatively safer. But here you are, facing a once-in-five-years major fire. From now on, you must strictly follow orders—not just mine, but anyone here. Everyone has more experience than you and is more qualified to give you instructions. Do you understand?”TzLPsyQwvCSNrcSIUVxupgPEZjbHqf

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Li Sa shouted, “Yes, sir!”wfZiUucZKuwnTsYucvzaXsjolbfbUt

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As Li Sa returned to the back of the team, Sun Dingyi whispered, “Don’t worry, Captain Ren. We’ll keep an eye on her and just let her observe from the perimeter.”pywhKIdfReEElcxxmjgXKPpZhjfTYh

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Ren Yi nodded and noticed He Xun approaching with a few people. He hurried over to meet them.HReBpeLLbIzPLsHlPliDcmJZOgoLjW

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“Si Huo, this is Wen Hui’s security captain. He knows about the shutter doors.”fLESTvBLoKCtYLCehkjKVpCQbZgnlr

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The security captain explained, “Sir, the shutters in Building B should be functioning. If they didn’t drop, I suspect it’s because the sensor batteries haven’t been replaced for years, so they’re dead—or maybe the fire damaged them.”ZhptSZvcLLfzoFzAZkzHstdSbLLOBy

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He Xun snapped, “How can such a big mall still use outdated fire partitions like that? They’re practically useless!”ZIXoqIOJorMbGZFEEgINqyIEYTRFNB

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If the fireproof shutters had dropped on time to block the fire, Building B wouldn’t have been so severely damaged in such a short period.GjovudYDicqkKgvhQiNlKbvdgsuqkh

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The security captain forced a bitter smile. “Well, my job’s probably done for anyway, so I might as well tell you the truth. A few years ago, the fire department required upgrades to smart systems linked to fire detectors. But the overhaul would’ve cost a fortune, so the boss only replaced one or two to pass inspections.”gDpDdAlUnMjOBrBDprQltezRkEIymU

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In his career as a firefighter, Ren Yi was acutely aware of one harsh reality: no institution’s fire safety measures were ever entirely up to standard. If fire inspections were strictly enforced, all commercial and non-commercial venues would have to shut down. After seeing it happen time and again, his initial fury at such negligence had dulled into a resigned numbness.ElMSSYxYeMhDPKVQysJGqlDzdDsjcf

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Accountability would eventually come, but right now, it wasn’t the priority. Saving lives and minimizing losses were.ozPKjjQrnzYjZFevpbQmMQRbsjZona

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Ren Yi took a deep breath. “To the warriors of the Phoenix and San Ning brigades: Captain He and I will lead you into the most dangerous area of the scene—Building B, floors 1 to 7—to manually lower the fireproof shutters and temporarily contain the fire. As you can see, water supply is scarce this season, and we don’t have cannon support. This will be a hard and dangerous fight. I ask everyone to ensure your own safety while following orders and completing the mission.”oNChCORYgDWbhxccwJmQSHAXrOVwOX

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The soldiers roared in unison, “Yes, sir!”VXEheAGMWuMKfvhzXxzLMTuLoffcPh

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