Blazing Armor

Gong Yingxian turned the furious Ren Yi around, looking into his eyes and said, “Don’t get agitated, reduce oxygen consumption. We won’t die here; I will definitely take you back home.”WDtXnYkomzeWIJVipislcObAteyHJI

MPrNUlcMIPVeeHZ

Ren Yi closed his eyes, calming his emotions. Even though he was furious to the extreme, this was not the time to be angry. He nodded, “Calm down.”IgXdyyECQUTNIikmSfITfpfvKwGXLY

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“Let’s first find the ammonia leak and seal it.”jCMrrXNqbjMkccmeaGrNwshhjtoqcQ

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Following the temperature difference and the white smoke, the two quickly found the leaking pipe. All the pipes here were connected to the outside, and could be damaged from the outside with a hard object.GNAXeWdxElsfaCmMeEiAuwjigRuXjR

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They rummaged through everything to find something to seal the leak, but in the end, they only found toilet paper. They stuffed the toilet paper into the broken pipe, but it quickly froze solid and crumbled at a touch. So, they had to use a large amount of paper towels to block it temporarily, but gas was seeping in everywhere, and a small amount of ammonia was still leaking into the control room.aqSbHBHCyQZsJByuiFMsjDvJBHFYen

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“Let’s do it this way for now; we’ll put Feilan up high first.”JLflnVOPisASLNIBkVKjpFgVRpPdPp

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Ren Yi walked over to Gong Feilan, stuffed her hand into his coat pocket, and then checked her mask for any gaps and whether there was any exposed skin. Fortunately, it was early spring, and everyone was dressed warmly. After stuffing paper towels into her collar, cuffs, pant legs, and socks—places where gas could enter—the two climbed onto a stool and worked together to place her on top of the cabinet.rDiZMuwPpRAfAVtROJMRpUPeGfjQmM

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Most of the ammonia gas would accumulate and sink, so the higher up, the safer and warmer it was.WTEXjOLjTYFjRaNiLXfMkLWzPWaRCY

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Ren Yi looked down at his empty air supply: “How much do you have left?”VazhugaNzJNsWcyrBZMdlKKoSzRWuq

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Gong Yingxian glanced at it: “90% left.”diXZwfHAWiaQRudTENtavhJTrSlBjx

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“I didn’t have time to change the air tank earlier, so I don’t have much left. Combined, our air tanks will last us at most twenty minutes.”SGLFGQhodzqzrucUuwHogrnkOKZgqT

IPTaRDPCdZqVPWC

If they couldn’t leave within twenty minutes, their lives would enter a countdown. Once the ammonia filled the control room, they wouldn’t last long without oxygen.ysJYsUtPEvvCqPgLhFJYFmfgDyrgHb

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Gong Yingxian said, “You go seal the pipe; I’ll think of a way.”RRknrKCyMzJPvOBijGFUcRnzYeOTIA

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Ren Yi grabbed the toilet paper and continued stuffing it into the pipe. The closer he got to the ammonia leak, the colder it became. He wore gloves, but both his hands were numb from the cold, and he still couldn’t stop the increasingly deadly gas from leaking.wRJZnimSHGXRRvbAVBsjtLzpKDRPee

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Gong Yingxian was looking around the control room. He first felt around near the door, then searched the entire room, not knowing what he was looking for.zzArgHkGLCmNfLXyqTaoXdxHFdmnOo

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“What are you looking for?”PwHhLjXfNLEJsfYVWYhFGYCCRBoOTH

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“Looking for something useful,” Gong Yingxian replied. “Do you remember how the control room door is locked? Mechanical lock? Electronic lock?”kjxxLupEDDELUhvxjYRxlZZVBFbwXl

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Ren Yi tried to recall: “It should be a mechanical lock.” They had rushed in to find Gong Feilan and hadn’t paid much attention to the lock. Now that he thought about it, it was strange that such an important place wasn’t locked; they had been too anxious.deBVFhkEBQLDtrpMFiCiKOsipNXSwm

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Gong Yingxian handed Ren Yi three portable fire extinguishers from the control room: “You’ll need this.” He was holding a toolbox.ITIROkEVGKhMEnUuNuByzfJyXEyCxV

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“Ammonia won’t burn without an open flame.”rrObYTkpWLPlfIzsnYvUxcpdWHQYrq

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“That will change soon.”CRXBPryMZyFEqgZwZNBxVoXeWUpyIm

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Ren Yi’s eyes widened: “What do you want to do?”awJxbxQrxstDOswlPIljmJWTgyYOfk

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Gong Yingxian didn’t answer but started dismantling things. He first pulled the wires out of the control panel, stripped the insulation, and twisted the thin wires into a thick bundle. “Smash that computer case and help me find a transformer.”DnzULFoBJlkWRPhJSFjtwIAMpBDjjk

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“Okay.” Ren Yi used a chair to smash and pry open the case, pulling out a transformer and handing it to Gong Yingxian.EUDDINTRdjfynWdCKlvYqMYvmMncjR

ThIRfpAnAlAqTXM

Gong Yingxian directed him again: “The outer shell of that clock on the wall is insulated plastic; find a way to take it off for me. The handles of those two cabinets over there are copper; take those off too.”whiRVvWbvOxRryyLjXwnewAtmthoaF

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Ren Yi took a hammer and other tools from the toolbox. He was good at violent dismantling and soon got them off.lLHkZaHfWsynmlTkDpVmqysJADfkpz

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He handed the items to Gong Yingxian, watching him lower his head, not knowing what he was assembling, and asked, “What are you doing?”NMySLvYnweSHPMzKMejrFjdgaGrFTY

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“Making a simple electric hot cutter. This copper door isn’t very thick; if we can break a small hole, we can reach out. I remember there should be a latch outside.”hASgAMRJtafIyddiPwtAVuQuXQlvrk

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Ren Yi frowned: “Isn’t that going to create sparks?”drUrGQZkDSmTDJxDgmQzEewHikMBxb

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“Right, there’s a risk of burning or exploding. I’ve thought of several ways; to quickly destroy metal, we need high temperatures. This method produces the least sparks. While the ammonia hasn’t leaked in too much yet, when I start cutting, you’ll dilute the ammonia with water.”QFhuVkoiqedUSiGASmwnwgIIXvFruD

vxSdHCmbtAggFoG

Sparks appearing in a room filled with ammonia meant something, and both of them were very clear about it. They could only hope that the ammonia concentration hadn’t reached the limits of burning or exploding. Ren Yi, feeling anxious, paced back and forth. He glanced at the unconscious Gong Feilan and then at the hope for life just a wall away, filled with anger and unease. He grabbed an iron stool and smashed it against a corner of the glass wall.MWhoyrfNSNphUOaRcXxcLTvHaOMUeY

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He thought he had used all his strength, but the glass only gained a slight crack.QfdaKpbAbykRltrNVApZEFIMPNUOAF

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“Stop smashing; that’s high-strength double-layer tempered glass,” Gong Yingxian said quietly. “Save some oxygen.”aZpgqLzriibUIojNtZEnNstCLeSUMW

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Ren Yi dejectedly put down the stool: “What else can I do?”UvJwhrEqYopcAUmDoxcgoGUPWCUYPm

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Gong Yingxian was silent for a moment: “Just sit next to me.”JVvuYubTKoZkpMYNmBITokfYRlSLdb

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Ren Yi’s heart trembled slightly, and he obediently sat beside Gong Yingxian, silently watching, trying to see more of the face he loved through the tightly covered mask. At this moment, he could only see a pair of focused eyes, and he couldn’t bear to look away.SqixoVJHDSBEuqobokyAOAzqAMrWWB

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His air tank was almost empty. In two or three minutes, they would have to take turns using one air tank to breathe oxygen. By then, saying even one more word would be a luxury.TtELdGPaLkemtCwAUHMwmBPBNLIyHO

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Then, in another twenty minutes, they would face the challenge of life and death.LCdNKHPKLMNFTlbhPwTWjXYxYQTwbW

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He deeply realized that some words, if not spoken now, might never have the chance to be said in the future.kZnOzXSFrjcKZjxpCUXXknahszGvdw

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Originally, he had planned to confess to Gong Yingxian on New Year’s Eve. If it weren’t for his father’s incident, what would their situation be like now? Perhaps they would be in a sweet romance, or perhaps they would have already gone their separate ways. He didn’t know; as long as it was an unknown, there would always be hope.LLPPHRBbSHerYDktWSUbSuAdOghGxt

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But if they died, there would be nothing left.FykAoLvjCVYzlhvnIanejJlikJkCLe

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Ren Yi suddenly felt a wave of sadness. His brain heated up, and trembling, he blurted out, “Gong Yingxian, I like you.” As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes turned red. He had thought that when he finally said this, he would be fully prepared, that he would have laid the groundwork repeatedly, best to test the waters first, predict his chances of success, and then muster the courage to find a moment with some sense of ceremony, somewhat romantic, to solemnly reveal his long-hidden feelings.CvbOkoWpzpXVbTdUOdKwKLRgeTMlID

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But at this moment, his heartfelt words were like a new sprout eager to break through the soil, needing to see the sunlight at this moment, because he was buried deep in the abyss under the threat of death, the only remaining hope in his heart. If he was going to die, let him express his love openly. He no longer wanted to hide; he no longer wanted to escape. He wanted to stand in the sunlight, look directly into this person’s eyes, and face his long-embarrassed desires and pure feelings.LaRLLFvwSXdAMFwHfAMznzIajrzrwD

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Gong Yingxian was struck as if by lightning, his whole body stiffened. He mechanically turned his neck, staring wide-eyed at Ren Yi, his face filled with shock.JNGTfxflZzaWSlATVMrcvBLOYVEmFs

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Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian with blurred, tear-filled eyes. He had harbored a crush for so long, always thinking that this moment would be filled with a thousand words, but in reality, the weight of this one sentence was so heavy that it surpassed a thousand words, leaving him unable to utter another.WrCIhRTQgzexWEETIVRytrPxYyrpoX

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Gong Yingxian couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He thought he was hallucinating from inhaling the toxic gas.yMFnTfzIYYZGWAuxySgoVMPbcADYhN

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After a long time, he finally came to his senses, his face flushed, mixed with various emotions that made it hard to discern.FWhoxdMxvRpReSqMgPtqZowbYmJtDN

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Ren Yi was so nervous he didn’t dare to breathe. He couldn’t read his answer from Gong Yingxian’s face.rKaLmEmnnJGBJqVXgrjZeXIpHDrEFL

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Gong Yingxian’s expression finally solidified into anger as he grabbed Ren Yi by the collar.PkHPpPpXDjaIRpGWrYvvteREOLOequ

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Ren Yi’s heart sank. He decided to go all out, choking out, “You didn’t hear wrong. I, I like you. Whether you find it disgusting or not, whether you accept it or not, I have always liked you, for a long time…”bCzvLdUulTqtyhJGfSJcVBEQHuIZaZ

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“Shut up.” Gong Yingxian’s eyes were also red. “You idiot, why are you saying this now? Is this the right time?!”IrmxFxvCpzqyccMdNAimEWknoDuQbQ

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“We’re about to die here; isn’t it the right time?!”MlCrOwhcgdPQGuYCfGFCrkFrUZIDnc

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“No one is going to die here.” Gong Yingxian glared at Ren Yi through gritted teeth. “I absolutely won’t let you die here. You… why didn’t you say it before? If you didn’t say it before, why not just wait a little longer?”SdzFNTwzAxSWBfKOazQmJewVoPqUrx

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Tears were already streaming down Ren Yi’s face, but he didn’t dare to take off his mask, so he couldn’t wipe his tears. He felt extremely sad.cEacixiZbxtbOfAcvcqwwjKuoIDMpU

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Gong Yingxian’s tears were also welling up in his eyes. He opened his mouth, but then remembered that their lives were still hanging by a thread. The only thing they should focus on now was how to survive. He pulled down the zipper of his rescue suit and rummaged inside for a long time, surprisingly pulling out a pure white envelope. He tossed it to Ren Yi, blushing, and said, “Look for yourself.” Then he continued to lower his head and assemble the tools at hand.xrwxnOycjiGjWQltkrHoUQFEZvuUta

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Ren Yi was taken aback, confused as he took the envelope, opened it, and found a photo inside—a photo of a lily of the valley specimen.JgbgqidBYMuDMiacunyYGxczxSkYxG

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For a moment, he forgot his sadness, only feeling puzzled: “Wh-what does this mean?”NXlmeqYibkuWfgPkyBgLpnAJmLwTBM

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Gong Yingxian looked up, angry and embarrassed: “Can’t you see this?!”tmLGEItgMGWvxxjaeBIaMIvinBlmyg

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“What can I see?”MnMSbkWJLrRoNLkUHChhBsveStNYlX

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“…Turn it over.”JWPgrYntyMPHWivceaoVUebcGKpZBU

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Ren Yi flipped the photo over to find Gong Yingxian’s sharp and elegant handwriting, which read: It represents my heart.AuPMttWyidpSdkbZdubPBqtWFydAwu

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Ren Yi felt the oxygen concentration dropping; his brain was somewhat starved of oxygen, making him even more confused. Or rather, he vaguely understood something, but he didn’t dare to confirm it.GDqhGFhELGYRTWaXTHFmKmBQOZLnrT

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Gong Yingxian had been anxiously waiting for Ren Yi’s reaction, but seeing Ren Yi look like a fool, he snatched the photo back, almost shoving it in his face, angrily saying, “The skull of the bearded dragon is heart-shaped, and its tail points like an arrow at this heart. Can’t you see this?! You have 5.2 vision!”OhHeiVwjYdxTfGQziBvHKRDOdfsAra

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“…A heart pierced by an arrow?”ohcTpzfqKdXQSBaqzQRsieSUBApFYg

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“I like you too! One heart, one (lizard) intention! Are you an idiot?!” Gong Yingxian’s face turned bright red, not knowing whether it was from anger, embarrassment, or both. With his IQ of 157, he had racked his brain to come up with this self-proclaimed perfect, clever, and meaningful way to confess, and this idiot hadn’t figured it out?!UDfzIvYyCTdqDipUfYEJCFeLKTEqog

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Ren Yi stared blankly at Gong Yingxian.KqGcSWQtAWRhHyjxYqcdWVmrVJEcKt

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Gong Yingxian quickly lowered his head, his ears completely red.TBQXLTEHNIPXWEtUiQseFySIDMaevM

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Ren Yi finally reacted, holding the photo, crying and laughing as he said, “You, you just… I…” He couldn’t believe what he had heard. Gong Yingxian said he liked him! Gong Yingxian said he liked him!nKzheDBUsTHwEVTIzekaBACDCojOFU

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Gong Yingxian held back his tears: “Let’s talk about it outside.”nCoBMAiFZgzfBdDMKdczPnAgsNqZxs

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“Is what you said true? I…” Ren Yi’s words got stuck in his throat, unable to speak, as his oxygen ran out.RxHjwcJTleFfeAbLCmsdoZygZBYcNU

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Gong Yingxian noticed Ren Yi’s abnormality and said, “Use mine.”AkmytvHXyFCxuCswYXOHxoCQrMZSoz

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Ren Yi pointed at himself, then at him, meaning to take turns, and then heavily unstrapped the air tank from his body, starting to hold his breath.mEiHwFVUPnvMFEDuhmRoUTcbIkjfOF

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He had imagined many times what the scene would be like when he confessed to Gong Yingxian, whether it would be a joyous occasion or a sorrowful one; he was prepared for both. Now that he had received the answer he wanted most, he felt as if he were floating in the air. This should have been the happiest, most joyful moment of his life, yet he couldn’t laugh heartily or express his innermost feelings. He couldn’t even say an extra word because from now on, oxygen was their life.DPAWGopimvJMLlgLKJNELqJwxZbqFA

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Ren Yi could only look at Gong Yingxian with deep affection and sadness.ZuLWOMpeFhDlGqRHwidnNDtBmVBjzW

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He had fantasized countless times about being in love with Gong Yingxian, and now that dream had finally come true, yet they were on the brink of death.EYJmoCUFTONEOueCrPTNAglrqAhsdf

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A mix of joy and sorrow.MxYFmqWpCyvcUeOtsmbtKSbFsqDFIA

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They took turns breathing oxygen and holding their breath. Ren Yi kept using toilet paper to block the pipe, then kept returning to Gong Yingxian’s side, watching him use the limited tools to make a simple electric hot cutter.XblJnAUzNEWFatcLuchYsGcRiSVkYU

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Ren Yi picked up a pen from the table and quickly wrote on the envelope, then placed it in front of Gong Yingxian.xZNAAbDfbarIvHNgJFxbmkShKpxpRj

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It read: I like you, I love you. If we can survive and get out, I hope we will never be apart for the rest of our lives.hDooGFUuMbFPkBYEqOHLUjXaZSRHNf

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Gong Yingxian glanced at Ren Yi and gently bumped his mask against Ren Yi’s mask—this was a kiss of promise.NsYmUFkxEbQFckrGlRdGatTBUWhzRP

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