Chapter 143
The two people’s car was stopped outside the blockade line. Gong Yingxian showed his credentials and then ran towards the factory entrance with Ren Yi.lxbOOmkxznKMWkkyajWSFpoJIFqPeF
vEVLMzDmxBvrpDsFrom a distance, they saw a group of students and employees hurriedly evacuating.ryxCRfPmUnIwEfmHifqMMilnqQadMv
rzbJzOSGBwYonCfGong Yingxian said to Ren Yi, “You go find the captain to understand the situation, I’ll look for Feilan.”cMxkZBlQASToajKHEXjhXQpRDlxYHp
RRlBvcwRAWpPISHRen Yi nodded and squeezed his hand tightly, hoping to give him strength from this brief but powerful contact.vFgsOZBGdAfmiiFaOyxiMFJfyEsrCy
oMtvEUmzvEAtQUTThere were dedicated fire truck access routes both inside and outside the factory, and nearly ten fire trucks had already parked, with more expected to be on the way. Ren Yi found the innermost one—definitely the earliest to arrive—which belonged to Liang Wei’s squad.IjiIzvUHVRRqKFeAjOtTAUsAwdWrZT
YvuUIpSOxLYkslPRen Yi grabbed a firefighter, “Where’s your Captain Liang?”lRWlQyUBxVpNRihcUqIuovWfUtTOGR
LdVcdqaQPhmnSLJ“He went in a long time ago.”zZFvfcRdOImegdpARWunmsWsIkPFBM
DWbLEwkHdoajjRy“Has any team leader come over?”TyGhhhZwniTwMLPaTXglBmknjnNWaj
IPdRtcuiDJIcrhY“He’s inside too. You are…” The firefighter looked closely at Ren Yi, as if he noticed something, and his expression immediately became strange.bzdSVFfesThuKEbjjsDtwZdaWxgWAH
DPJUHQSqJvApsxMRen Yi, anxious, didn’t pay attention to his oddity: “Brother, lend me your walkie-talkie so I can contact your captain.”WtWqiibvSAgErBWGOBtyhURCTCcZnG
FsZGWGdUhRItRAPThe firefighter rudely shook off his hand: “How could we lend our walkie-talkie to outsiders?”HMqxtVDOkDkHdmsjSXGMKvmGmHfbLu
fqgRmrXNiEmsoTC“I’m also a firefighter, I’m your captain’s…”KuDmpfaltnnxVTbjXqpBkeyQtbEAUk
zPzeLsdlMyOADtW“I know who you are.” The firefighter turned away, “Don’t interfere with our work.”RtTHPcWlkxGOpMtzaSGuzxtAFEnJLj
ayZCIDpUkyjElkJRen Yi was taken aback. He grabbed the firefighter’s arm and said sternly, “Brother, I don’t care what you think of me, this is a serious matter. I need to know what’s happening inside. If this is a premeditated crime, Wei Ge will be in great danger.”XNKmOzkgtrtcvVhBqbsJUxryXVKPqN
GPijfZRRpmnwtuuHearing this, the firefighter was momentarily stunned.aFurJKijjGTPhKlwELnbdtrVmUxvxb
ZJDanxHSzFIdInW“Ren Yi.”fQPygCDdCjXaBTYiSUIloreVnGikGU
PllvBRkUWQNFXiDHearing a familiar voice from behind, Ren Yi turned around.YmlFoIXXToeXjCesBvhpksuUVlEAVH
yCFAdCphKuxerdWYan Jue, who had arrived at the scene at some point, waved at him: “Come over here.”lTHglNzwmwzReWKoOFfCiXaMJEGxNM
XbnAWaYoEedRwlmRen Yi jogged over, and Yan Jue handed him a walkie-talkie set to the right channel. Ren Yi gratefully glanced at him and immediately pressed it to his ear: “Wei Ge, Wei Ge, it’s me, Ren Yi, do you hear me?”svdwGsIsNCaCRJwmNeLiJucFMGlZHj
dlZmmwqjXwzcBnOA noisy static sound came from the other end: “Ren Yi? You arrived…”NCOiTerNXzGROVDwPCVFzXlufeejEl
TmbzBSFjcgbSRDJ“What’s the situation inside, Wei Ge?” Ren Yi asked anxiously, “Have all the students evacuated? Have you found the fire source? Is there anything unusual?”xxmQHQNdLGTnhRJDnuqgzycEGEAUFS
XXhGkWhQqHpRaTb“Ren… I’m inside… the cold storage is…”YwKGgfEueaCOXwYzqyJgMOlAKRprMU
cQBmQNXTLjNZwwO“What? Wei Ge, I can’t hear you clearly, the signal is so bad.”EYIAAKjbvafArratnfPcwxwTqaQlge
CmnobPbDiHqOGTq“I’m in…” After a while, it seemed Liang Wei had changed locations, and the call became clearer, “Ren Yi, what did you just say? I couldn’t hear.”orkIMZyxeykLlKzyEzozfBVLFXJdWF
PZeTBbXYkEEEEWX“Have the students evacuated?”UYaZUFIjoWvxfTxuvmYffSxRARcpEX
fXDDkOOUCoInsvX“Not yet. They brought an entire grade, so the visiting order and time for each class are staggered. One class is still in the cold storage. We have over two thousand employees and students to organize for evacuation, and we are seriously understaffed.”SdyBumGlEgzpBXoGsQlyadwPvmbAxb
yRFLDXCyndyIClM“There’s still a class in the cold storage? What’s the fire situation now?”KYgnBcRWxDpMCBEBPcZrpsPtWKrENY
CcfqObixHUosvDg“I can see open flames now; the fire is burning in the interlayer, and it’s particularly hard to extinguish. We’re figuring out where to break in.” Liang Wei said, “I don’t have time to talk to you now; you should hurry and find your sister.”bULlpBImwYtAPsEzuWkMxzVVpFNnVk
ybjDkzyeWqdCbBWRen Yi looked up at the thick smoke in the distance, his heart twisted in knots. Had Gong Feilan come out? Even if she had, with the scene so chaotic and so many people, it would probably take a while to find her. Gong Yingxian must be extremely anxious.GlPnDTdFKMmZqWNyyGGQkfumeAgGCS
KgqfEiSqLIOthlTRen Yi knew worrying was useless; the most important thing now was to extinguish the fire and prevent a larger accident, which would make it possible for everyone to leave safely.gxSFAtLLuGqxyWIGLDcNdyCYZvoDxj
hnfshkkRNEDTwKcYan Jue looked at Ren Yi’s expression and asked worriedly, “I didn’t know you had a sister. Is she inside?”OfklhNmpSasMlAIzEcnpqGodTIzHNY
PdoRHNGBxKPxCLN“She’s Gong Yingxian’s cousin.” Ren Yi took a deep breath, “I don’t know where she is now; her phone is unreachable. This was supposed to be a normal visit, but a male student from her school is connected to the previous case involving X, and we’re very worried he might be targeting her.”KgOBIosaRkyocoXEvDAoudtScAtiRU
qFlLfhVZgFSYMmvYan Jue comforted him, “Don’t panic; maybe she has already come out. A large portion of the students has already been evacuated. Send me her photo, and I’ll keep an eye out when I go in.”vGFyaMlsJKEZXkMOFoauwifoZtRgac
oQlpWehvYnkSeZo“Take me in with you.”dKlyxsHAbXQAWcHZrAgGDmAwLYzqRX
RrCbBugYbARBQUzYan Jue frowned, “Ren Yi, you are currently suspended.”vsrKcqUPLplokicwvgDNDCtZTHWwNF
DEAIzryNVVnLOZe“Didn’t Wei Ge say they are short on manpower inside? What does being suspended matter now? The most important thing is to evacuate the crowd as quickly as possible.”QgrNMWfPzZImPsLtChyIEwJGrvRxOS
TiEPmMceJQmqkboYan Jue hesitated for a few seconds and called over one of his firefighters: “Prepare a set of gear for Captain Ren immediately.”OJLLfHAYCZEvXEghbWjEiBtRTcuveQ
JXBoRiLaUsjJEwQ“Thank you, Yan Jue.” Ren Yi said earnestly.MgRCGLywnwrflmOWTZjDRhEnrjzpMU
vtrtvPcKoBZspYJYan Jue organized his gear: “Let’s go in together as soon as possible.”HTWpfnPlEaujtlDyLWkBuEBzmlkPBc
dDtBzOZpMTrUKQVAs Ren Yi was gearing up, he saw Gong Yingxian running over, looking around anxiously, his face as pale as paper, clearly searching for something, with his driver following behind.QLxHhuwbkDwcEJZZXGydbavYagcZiv
ThdxXFdyVybyeBf“Yingxian!” Ren Yi called out loudly. Seeing Gong Yingxian’s expression, he knew Feilan hadn’t been found yet.RyGQUZLAfUYHlyKuLlPZTneDwkDnec
XrPWpMSruaFropcGong Yingxian turned at the sound and ran towards Ren Yi, trembling as he said, “I haven’t found Feilan. I’ve confirmed that her entire class hasn’t come out.”pnNvwKVFoSxgAvyhBgVekbiGFEkSvm
jmplyjNRgxhdJbYRen Yi cupped Gong Yingxian’s face: “Don’t panic. Look into my eyes; you must stay calm. They are evacuating in batches; she might be just behind. I’m going in to find her right now.”YLUVSnZVGrymjALydAfZtDywDbKWVr
vjbjmwwTBjEMzga“Which class?” Yan Jue asked.hLDDalFReeDJcvprFhQaiqbHzeHJDQ
wuvZSolTQLStaGKAfter what happened last time, the two should have felt a bit awkward meeting, but now there were far more important matters than their conflict, leaving them no time for embarrassment.nfHbzBpHvgUTXoxlwkqnHtyFflmGUo
ARIQMVxUzqFqtDd“Class Three.” Gong Yingxian said, “Let me go in with you.”FTEyWnLfwGUXCrHJWZzTMNszbvEDck
enCzemxiwWAmhuC“No way.” Yan Jue and Ren Yi said in unison.sWupTtfucjIQvQSAeZCqEjduZKYOFO
nSIJTzcUKbXqUJERen Yi explained, “Yingxian, you can’t go in. Even if we let you, you won’t be able to get through; there’s a fire blockade ahead. You must ask for permission from the leaders. Wait for me; I’m going to find Feilan. I will definitely find her.”UMqdHFJRovnBgvCMPoAPhzSqEhEOog
ODtVdLMkFOtMpBwGong Yingxian bit his lip, looking at Ren Yi with an indescribable gaze that made Ren Yi’s heart ache.wqcyelWJaCylqRIcmqrOLttFoYVkkN
JpLTuSGPvDARJJDRen Yi nodded firmly at him, joining Yan Jue’s team as they entered the factory.GlAQiztBCblvyayJOjTsmAFviIhnQf
EgbwXHSEOmPVwCxEveryone in the factory was evacuating. Thanks to the guidance of the firefighters, there was no chaos, but the sheer volume of people made it difficult to maintain efficiency. Just looking at the sea of heads was enough to make one anxious.AkmgPQbKVPWdoVNbGYbVfewbmHXzwb
VYNpsXcVhHDmzsSRen Yi found Liang Wei in front of the cold storage, where Liang Wei and several captains were discussing tactics with their team leader.BezMlishtpHUnPoIUyRmfZWKBcjmRz
HgLxBEfPweovdvpSeeing Ren Yi, Liang Wei hurriedly asked, “Did you find your sister?”TdegzYEsrqkzuGcTdwmiKyLHjkrUgq
JBsVblJxSnaVMhIRen Yi shook his head: “She’s in Class Three; she might still be…”iaUuWcbODSbhHnPlrbUOGsWbPsxCxa
GJCbsfWtkzMXkdA“Class Three is the one in the cold storage.” Liang Wei sighed, “Captain Guo has already sent in two firefighting teams to evacuate them, but the smoke inside is getting thicker, and it’s easy to get lost. Those kids panic and run around, many have gotten separated.”RwMHmskKiBhRoLXvvZnqxKmBVWAqUp
EoszFSHbpPkQZyJRen Yi felt darkness closing in on him. He knew how dangerous it was to get lost in a fire scene. He watched as firefighters and students continued to emerge from the cold storage entrance and ran over to grab a student: “Have you seen Gong Feilan? Is she inside?”LBcjnDHBNsVCOaEbOPXAzBWAAcqUFX
ZsGeZOtmkjjWkWJThe student looked horrified, covering his mouth and nose, coughing from the smoke, shaking his head vigorously: “No, I haven’t seen her.”fVkJOXZKPHBEwuOvrKLtkxrkuRfTGN
PYwnMaLKSARdPpN“How many people are still inside?”eJjChIBfaZXCOuUtvErSefrRBTVaxS
QvUOiZsAKUHcTEw“Maybe… cough cough… twenty or thirty.”UpgiGCHgJAALznHqXALcNvPRUpWCII
ZNzetgsTSReDkZZThe firefighter who brought him out shouted, “Captain Guo, Captain Liang, visibility inside is getting lower; we need to set up markers.”SPFCWVzNhXIZffQXSYUfpxizMvDbmy
fIyoNzUYCUUeObORen Yi wanted to rush in immediately, but he restrained himself and forced himself to calm down, thinking with the mindset of a squad leader. He knew that no one should recklessly enter now.zoOINAVWkqMZrrkokKYwluDHVaHLUI
oTuDCEkbSPkjGBOThe cold storage was a very special environment; many firefighting tactics that could be used in conventional buildings were ineffective here.kbdVQhxGLQVYQHIPuvGcCZGlZELARx
qyxIUhkodypmUroOn the way, Ren Yi had roughly understood the structure of this cold storage. It was a typical assembly-type cold storage, not made of reinforced concrete but constructed from metal panels like a shipping container, though the structure was much more complex and sturdy. To maintain a constant temperature, the walls had multiple layers of insulation, with polystyrene foam sandwiched between the panels.VWVkzkUfHMgwnqKKQvlnOUxHIleCJf
ioVvwMbvVGCFLgyThis cold storage was 200 meters long, 77 meters wide, and 12 meters high, with a large span and area, filled with many materials, shelves, equipment, and several refrigeration workshops, making the terrain very complex. To reduce heat loss, cold storages usually have only one or two exits; this one had only one, with no windows. Now, black smoke filled the cold storage, visibility was too low, and anyone entering would definitely get lost.ygwkQmTwrvzXXoteSNLVgkgBtgtcvL
yCpIWEvTJeLMitSThere had been a real case abroad where a cold storage caught fire, and six firefighters got lost while searching, not finding the exit until their air tanks ran out, resulting in their sacrifice.MxNISlUbJhukkutHfhYoNjxQKMNSGb
VEsVIVQnhmpVqSuTherefore, in large buildings where it’s easy to get lost, they must set up markers, leaving spotlights or reflective signs along the way, and bind together in groups with guiding ropes to prevent getting separated.MpxWOSgEXLiSlGPHkOdUfIrevDRlbY
ITMxDgBMvKKxvRrWhen several classes went in earlier, the smoke wasn’t as thick, so they could find their way out. Now, teamwork was essential; absolutely no one could act alone.kaWSvUrvscdOmjKMRcxvFMqMHAtyfW
yQEqnDvjgHbzQEBThinking of this, Ren Yi returned to Liang Wei’s side and pleaded, “Captain Guo, Wei Ge, let us in. There are many kids inside, and my sister is still in there.”LUvOHrvblAecTLpszSuYmpfVgJfwqo
gLmoYUVhpijZlOACaptain Guo of the Xicheng squad said, “I’m about to assign tasks. Liang Wei, the task of smoke removal and cooling the steel structure is up to you. According to our earlier plan, one person will connect the power to the exhaust vent, two will go to the roof to open the smoke vent, and the others will break through the walls downwind. Two water guns will be deployed to the north to ensure the steel frame’s temperature is lowered.”dSHzOVOhXXBmxvPWDmVUppGexiAmGt
EWPeOzfmBmvPAAv“The Shuangqiao squad will be responsible for closing valves and checking for liquid ammonia leaks, observing the steel structure’s endurance, and predicting explosion and collapse risks. You can arrange your personnel.”lQDhVNGBfhOAwsGGEhlnqCeYMpqpCA
EfgTcWrsPubvlbi“Xiao Xu, your two teams are responsible for water supply. Has the water company increased the pressure in the underground pipeline?” Captain Guo asked, “This fire needs a lot of water.”oGjSMShTsmRCYdhpZUImiywOSKMSWU
xSljqzBGzljRhZf“The pressure has been increased. I will ensure a continuous water supply at the fire scene.”eugglkRUqBPwEMVyXnaUKwPMYpYaNP
ONurKoTSUNyaSqo“Good. Yan Jue, lead the search and rescue team, and make sure to set up markers. No one is allowed to act alone.”KZXTjvWSobltclTqGypAqjDrcgIuHd
uJIMACKHmIRWFUXCaptain Guo looked around at everyone, gravely saying, “I must remind you again how arduous and significant this task is. The fire is releasing a large amount of toxic smoke, and the ruptured pipes leaking liquid ammonia pose an explosion risk at any moment. The steel structure may collapse due to heat, and more seriously, there are hundreds of tons of liquid ammonia stored in the refrigeration room next to the cold storage. If we can’t hold the cold storage, the entire factory area will explode.”jRziOmmoHmhbpmOtuLstHmKANGynds
awBBnIELrEVzuAXThe firefighters silently looked at Captain Guo.pBtfRPwBBynTorGMyIooAPJEmBvRno
WYTXaHrBIISehrF“Can you complete the task?”NlWxjgJggAwqbvesfaquodiFvuAaRL
EsIOCkihCOXmdCkEveryone shouted loudly, “Yes!”wVXvkKtAWmbbbxhvKBehlZQSnrVmkl
jpMyVXZzZDBKasR“Good, let the battle begin!”rqGPTPiBoZJeWsYwentFucjbjyfhhs
txYEQcXdCZMzXCPOHUVvltIeUiLGXkTAxZcHgJpHLFMFp