Blazing Armor

Gong Feilan, who hadn’t appeared in nearly a month, suddenly showed up at the squad again, completely unannounced.

Her timing was perfect—right after they finished their morning training, during their free time before lunch. Clearly, she had already gotten a good grasp of the squad’s daily routine.

The squad members all recognized her and immediately started teasing her. “Feilan, it’s been a while! Haven’t seen you around. Still stuck on summer homework?”

Gong Feilan let out a small snort. “I finished that a long time ago.”

Ren Yi patted her on the head. “Does your brother know you’re here?”

“He’s not my guardian. Why should he know?”

“Well, I’d better tell him then.” Ren Yi pulled out his phone.

“He knows!” Gong Feilan quickly said. “I just came from his place.”

“Oh? He didn’t stop you?”

“I brought a lot of good food for you all,” Gong Feilan pretended not to hear Ren Yi’s question and dumped the bags she was holding onto the table.

Ren Yi sighed helplessly. “Feilan, how many times have I told you not to bring stuff here?”

“It’s just food, it’s not worth much. Besides, I didn’t bring it.”

Ren Yi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. Could it be…

“It was Steward Sheng who told me to bring it.”

Ren Yi suddenly felt a little disappointed. “Steward Sheng is too kind.”

“He knows you’re the firefighter who saved me, so he insisted I bring these snacks,” Gong Feilan said as she waved to the others. “Come on, everyone, dig in!”

“Better food!” someone shouted excitedly.

Qu Yangbo laughed and scolded, “The squad’s meals are already good enough. What do you want, a gout-inducing feast with sea cucumbers and shark fin every day?”

Everyone laughed as they shared the snacks.

Gong Feilan sat next to Ren Yi, holding a piece of pudding and offering it to him, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

Ren Yi took it and had a bite. “Hmm, it’s tasty. Your school should be starting soon, right?”

“Almost. Captain Ren, Steward Sheng can’t stop praising you. He said you were working on a case with my cousin and even went to his house.”

“Yeah, it was the bar fire case a while ago. We weren’t really investigating together; I was just asked to help with the fire-related part of the investigation.”

Gong Feilan smiled happily. “My cousin has never brought anyone home before, so it’s amazing that you two became friends.”

“We’re not—”

Before Ren Yi could finish, Gong Feilan clapped her hands together, looking serious. “If we get married in the future, it’ll make the family ties even closer!”

Ren Yi choked on his pudding, his face turning bright red as he coughed violently. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Don’t say such things, you’re just a kid…”

Gong Feilan giggled. “I came here today to let you know I haven’t given up. Now that you’re friends with my cousin, I have even more chances.”

Ren Yi was already too tired to keep explaining that he and Gong Yingxian weren’t friends.

“I’m really happy.” Gong Feilan’s expression softened. “I’m especially happy that you’re friends with my cousin. It’s not just for myself, but also for him. You’re such a genuinely good person, and it’s comforting for everyone that he has a friend like you.”

Ren Yi frowned. “Has he… never had any friends?”

Gong Feilan shook his head. “He’s shut himself off from everyone. Even family members can hardly get close.”

“Why is he like that? Was he born that way?”

“Of course not, no one is born like that.” Gong Feilan sighed. “My cousin is the most handsome and intelligent person I’ve ever met in my life. Someone like him should have been very popular, but…”

Ren Yi silently watched Gong Feilan.

“His family passed away when he was very young.”

Ren Yi froze. “…Why?”

“I don’t know. It happened before I was born. The adults never talk about it, as if they’re afraid to mention it. Anyway, my cousin’s had a rough life.” Gong Feilan pursed his lips. “I know he can say some really hurtful things sometimes, but I hope you don’t hold it against him.”

Ren Yi’s mind flashed to the cold and distant demeanor that Gong Yingxian always showed, and for a moment, he was in a daze.

Childhood trauma can truly change a person completely. He hadn’t expected Gong Yingxian to have gone through something so painful. No wonder his personality became so…

Ren Yi took a sip of water, trying to hide his emotions. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against him.”

Gong Feilan smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t. Maybe you’re the only one who can get along with him.”

“We don’t really get along that well,” Ren Yi couldn’t help but say.

“Look, today when I said I was coming to hang out with you, my cousin didn’t stop me. He just told me to come home early because he trusts that you’re a good person.”

Ren Yi carefully thought about Gong Feilan’s words, and suddenly, he felt a bit pleased. When he and Gong Yingxian first met, the tension between them was palpable. Back then, Gong Yingxian had even suspected him of having ill intentions toward his underage sister. Now, he could comfortably let his sister come over and hang out with him. Maybe, in Gong Yingxian’s heart, Ren Yi really did stand out in some way.

Just then, another group of people walked into the cafeteria. Qu Yangbo called out, “Li Sa, come try the snacks.”

Gong Feilan turned his head and was instantly wide-eyed in surprise. “Ah, there’s a female firefighter here?”

Li Sa was also surprised. “Why’s there a young girl here?”

Gao Ge and the others exchanged sneaky glances at Ren Yi.

Ren Yi shot them a look. Sun Dingyi cleared his throat. “This is Captain Ren’s rescue from last month at the café, also the younger sister of one of his friends.”

“Hello.” Li Sa smiled and greeted her.

“Wow, sis, you’re so cool! Why did you become a firefighter?”

Without hesitation, Li Sa replied, “Because I wanted to be a firefighter.”

Gong Feilan’s eyes lit up. “Then can I become a firefighter too?”

“Of course you can.”

“How do I become a firefighter…?”

Watching the two of them chat so happily, Ren Yi couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

—

At noon, Gong Feilan joined them for lunch, and afterward, they all gathered to play *Three Kingdoms Kill*.

Liu Hui yawned. “Captain Ren, is there any reward for winning or losing?”

“Yep, the loser has to wash the winner’s car and maintain their equipment.”

“Alright, alright, it’s my turn this week, I *have* to win,” Liu Hui slammed a card down on the table with determination, shouting, “Fire Attack!”

“Bagua Shield check… hey, it’s red!”

“Reckless Life!”

“Reckless again?” Ren Yi complained, “I didn’t even get to play a card last round.”

Li Sa added, “Captain Ren, if you lose, you still have to wash the car. No special treatment.”

“I’m not going to lose.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Sun Dingyi teased with a sly grin. “You can’t use your ‘goddess’ to cheat this time.”

“Who’s the ‘goddess’?” Gong Feilan chimed in. “Captain Ren doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Ren Yi noticed he only had one health point left and began thinking of ways to cheat. As the squad leader, washing the fire truck would be pretty embarrassing—it was his own fault for running his mouth earlier.

Just as he was about to sneak a card while Gong Feilan kept asking about the “goddess,” the alarm suddenly went off.

The soldiers instantly stood up and ran downstairs. Gao Ge called out, “We’ll pick this up when we get back!”

Ren Yi deliberately slowed down, walking last, and as he passed by, he casually messed up the whole deck of cards on the table.

Gong Feilan pointed at Ren Yi. “You—”

Ren Yi winked at her. “Head home early.”

Downstairs, the dispatcher reported to Ren Yi, “Captain Ren, there’s a fire at Ganlan Paper Factory. Their internal fire brigade tried to put it out but failed.”

“Ganlan Printing Factory?” Ren Yi called out while suiting up, “Li Sa!”

“Here!”

“Suit up and go with the first truck.”

Li Sa’s face lit up with excitement as she shouted, “Yes, sir!”

Once on the truck, Ren Yi asked, “You recently scouted the area near Ganlan Printing Factory, right? Any changes in the route?” The three new team members had been familiarizing themselves with the area, but each had chosen different routes. Ren Yi vaguely recalled Li Sa’s report from Monday.

“No changes. Mintai East Road is the shortest, but at this hour, there might be traffic. Cutting through Haide Road to Fengyuan Road might be faster.”

“Let’s take Haide Road.” Ren Yi added, “Didn’t the environmental department already require all paper factories to relocate outside the Sixth Ring?”

Li Sa nodded. “Yes, Ganlan moved production, but the raw material warehouse might not have been relocated yet. When I went there last time, it was eerily empty—only security guards. I really doubt their fire prevention capabilities.”

As they neared the area, a thin column of smoke was already visible in the sky. Judging by the size of the smoke, the fire didn’t seem too large yet.

The firetruck stopped in front of the burning warehouse, which spanned a significant area. Inside, one of the stacks was glowing with a red hue. A few security guards were standing around, holding fire extinguishers but looking helpless. “Captain, the fire hydrant has no water. We couldn’t put the fire out with just extinguishers.”

Ren Yi asked, “It’s just you guys here? Is anyone trapped?”

“No, no one’s inside.”

“Gao Ge, get the water ready. Sun Dingyi, come with me and check it out.”

“Captain, can I come too?” Li Sa asked.

Ren Yi glanced at her. “Alright, come along.”

The group walked into the warehouse, which was filled with bales of materials like straw, sugarcane residue, and jute—everything highly flammable.

Ren Yi barked, “How can you store these things so haphazardly? It’s a mess, stacked so densely, and the temperature inside is this high? Why haven’t you done anything to cool it down?”

The security guards exchanged helpless looks.

“Li Sa, explain the fire safety requirements for storing solid combustibles.”

Li Sa quickly recited, “Raw materials should be stored according to type. If you can’t ensure that only one type is stored per warehouse, you need to divide them into separate areas. The distance between stacks must be at least 1 meter, and there should be at least 0.5 meters of space between the stacks and the walls. Each stack should cover no more than 100 square meters. If the temperature of paper-making raw materials exceeds 60°C, the stacks must be dismantled for cooling. You haven’t met a single requirement.”

Ren Yi nodded in approval.

One of the security guards, with a pained expression, said, “The higher-ups sent a notice demanding that everything be moved by a certain deadline. The whole factory’s been chaotic, and some things just got thrown around.”

“In this heat, most of the materials probably ignited on their own. This is seriously irresponsible,” Sun Dingyi remarked. “The fire is about to spread to the third stack. The heat radiation here is intense; it could cause the other stacks to catch fire as well.”

Ren Yi began giving orders, “Connect the fire hydrant outside, deploy two water hoses to suppress the fire at the ignition point, and use a third misting hose to cool down the whole area. Move any nearby stacks that can be relocated.”

“But we only have one truck right now…”

Ren Yi pressed the radio: “Headquarters, this is Phoenix Squad. The paper factory’s raw material stacks are on fire, and we need to move the combustible materials. Requesting support from the engineering vehicle.”

“Copy that.”

Gao Ge led the first team in containing the fire, preventing it from spreading, while Sun Dingyi coordinated with the engineering team to move the stacks of raw materials one by one away from the fire.

The warehouse, already stifling from the hot weather, became even more unbearable with the fire’s intense heat. The firefighters silently carried out their assigned tasks. After three hours of grueling work, they had cleared a large area around the burning stacks, and the blaze had consumed all the combustibles in the affected stacks. Finally, the fire was extinguished.

The paper factory owner arrived later, trailing behind Ren Yi, pleading and offering explanations, but Ren Yi ignored him. Fortunately, the fire had only reached the warehouse. The paper production process involves a large amount of hazardous chemicals and pressurized equipment, making it a highly flammable and explosive environment. A warehouse fire was a stroke of luck in such a dangerous place. However, even a stack fire posed a significant risk and could have resulted in a catastrophic chain reaction. Luckily, the team acted swiftly, minimizing the damage, though a hefty fine was inevitable.

After the fire was extinguished, every firefighter was covered in black soot. Wearing 40+ pounds of protective gear for several hours in the intense heat, sweat and ash mixed together, leaving their faces marked with resilience and exhaustion.

Ren Yi caught sight of Li Sa’s “ghost face,” her features smeared in a comical, smoky mess, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Li Sa wiped her face with her hand, only to see a palm full of soot. She laughed too.

Ren Yi teased her, “You know, you’re a perfectly beautiful girl—why on earth did you choose a job like this?”

Li Sa met his gaze directly, her eyes unusually bright. “Am I doing it well, Captain?”

“Yeah, you did great today.”

“I can do the job I chose well.” Li Sa smiled confidently.

Ren Yi patted her on the shoulder. “Keep it up.”