Blazing Armor

Several police officers quickly transported the chemical reagents and equipment needed by Gong Yingxian from X University.AttLRDQDIXjMEReuNwKGUJZGPxWNjF

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Gong Yingxian instructed someone to take test strips and sweep them extensively across the carpets at every elevator exit that had not yet been tested, marking them accordingly.CiLpoRbboVpLljtNbRCHbAmosvvNED

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He set up bottles and jars on the table in the lobby.etTEPdBemMdWMXBGTFhseKDPLRBTaY

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Ren Yi watched him curiously but didn’t dare to ask, fearing it might distract him.xkRfheOCXHLzzIxTGJEqQPtdNTLBqa

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Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Gong Yingxian, who was dripping reagents into petri dishes while explaining, “Do you remember the explosives from Hongwu Hospital?”FbttZjHZGfiskAsPRBrPpIGruFstyN

jFbPQEPPsFNMsiD

“Yeah, hydrogen peroxide and organophosphates, along with something that could explode.”tJJGPWHhYPcMgkeoOxXBQeLxjHndAj

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“Bai Chicheng still has those things on him, but based on your description, they should have been modified.”xMYqGoUOTsMLyjMUSBJdEabdjPjqOX

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“I remember that stuff could blow holes in marble floors with just a little bit.”uYSgFitQbGWkmjotRMlJsbDbuIwLsV

QxBZLUWYPegOFEN

Gong Yingxian nodded, “Its explosion range isn’t large, but its power is immense. It can kill, injure, or poison, posing a significant threat to humans. The two instruments we brought are too slow, so I’m directly using metal salt reagents for phosphorus removal, generating phosphate compounds that are invisible to the naked eye but detectable under a microscope.”IgSGRkkmWAxBcuYXwztvpgPdBzIcRh

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“Is that the test strip you’re using?”FXJkpajdbOUyBHQSuFfZpuIQXLexyC

vkAXysSqHvzPUcy

“Exactly. When you enter the airport, the security personnel will rub a strip on your bag and then use a device to test it. These chemical particles are extremely small and can form ions that drift around a person’s electric field. If you’ve come into contact with hazardous chemicals, even if it’s not visible, the instruments can detect it. Bai Chicheng hasn’t left his room much since entering the hotel, but his accomplices have come and gone. If they’ve walked on the carpet on a certain floor after contacting him, there will be residues, allowing us to know where his accomplices have been.”YmAstxwCqtLlFKWzDzaRkUzAxiHFwv

vxRMFMjmUetUeXN

Ren Yi thought of something, “But you just said his accomplices left the hotel in the morning, and Bai Chicheng hasn’t really left his room, so who’s the one kidnapping the hostages?”bhuEaxohoITlEKCoWsHhnBnvjIrzmT

uKwDeHimXuEXMsD

“We’ll know once we find the hostages.”fTiJpGmaESVcmRUUYwHekVXFbbVHbV

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The test strips from each floor were quickly collected.korqFivOBosPsgLCPtevUOpVpRvODG

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Gong Yingxian placed them into containers with reagents and then collectively observed them under a microscope. Before long, he said, “Found it, on the twelfth floor, right above Bai Chicheng’s room.” He added, “Have Xiao Tan check the twelfth-floor surveillance to see if we can pinpoint which room it is.”QTPihxSHodXCMBQwtvlWeCIkyKCnLC

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Qiu Yan waved his hand, holding a universal key card between his fingers, “Let’s go take a look first.”sTPmBmfiTysOFngfUplenZKIWVTuep

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Qiu Yan and Gong Yingxian led several police officers upstairs.caoOfZTmLlPohQdncXptkViVBJXets

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At the end of the deep, narrow, and dark corridor was a window. Due to the westward sun, the window was enveloped in bright light, barely revealing its outline, evoking thoughts of a passage to another world.yztNkcLAgCijqQzhduEMCshWXdfBZS

AkzAtmaveIRNTIC

Everyone’s hearts were tense, knowing the cunning and cruel enemy they were facing.oeVXtXKWjqEutlhmqXoBxsVInSQYfy

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A few minutes later, Tan Haochun had news.OCkxsGuBEFVgZpOVgpAxroVsOsYSsE

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“It should be room 1206. No one came out during the evacuation, and the surveillance shows that a staff member knocked on the door and swiped the card during the evacuation, but for some reason, the door didn’t open. The staff member, worried about elderly guests, left.”FReYQoGvHeaXrAGaFrNhMOemctUyfK

SOFjEtsJyOALCcc

They all arrived at the door of room 1206. Qiu Yan glanced at the “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging on the door handle and knocked forcefully, “Is anyone there? Is anyone there!”bxYCZEYWkSmWaWBovmfWQyUsfZNKMJ

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There was no response from inside.ahxCZWSqsIZEWFfWIfDeyRJVkUhIOd

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Qiu Yan swiped the key card at the door.IsMPXseySsctodTihGyZSDntjXgeRb

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The door indeed showed no reaction.AKdhHxViGoKlXRwHjVgpebyFVgNSDa

kkLTrZxkIOESOJP

“Could it be demagnetized?” Qiu Yan tried the card on the adjacent room, and with a ding, the door opened, “Looks like the door magnet was damaged from the inside.”guLoTojKpGxrhLroPdeeLDUMIVsxFY

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“Yeah, the staff swiped every room door during the evacuation, and only this one didn’t open.”wNhjBgOESmAgNpnXkQibyUapMIdPWm

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“What should we do?”hyDfjNclQLcGOvZmmGFKLZLbQoAMsG

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“Let me handle it,” Ren Yi said, “This kind of lock is easy to open, as long as it’s not deadbolted or chained.” Lock picking was an important skill in their firefighting work; they even had a full set of lock-picking tools, but they preferred to use them to save people rather than to be locksmiths.rgKOQQSqxqigDehEKPtdSBAHHrdlAZ

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Ren Yi took the key card from Qiu Yan, carefully inserted it into the door crack, fiddling with it for a while, and soon heard a click as the small room card popped the lock open.PYPmXkuAOPUCifGTTBxWCZdTuCxclz

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Qiu Yan said, “Captain Ren, you have some skills.”XKcNpYSofblMwlzTOWyZcanpiFLMqZ

ONrMEBDylxlpduU

“Yeah, but I don’t dare to show off easily, especially in front of the police,” Ren Yi said as he prepared to push the door open.thXwXfNAUYwayLRzyeENyolQHBrKGl

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“Don’t move!” Gong Yingxian quickly grabbed the doorknob.vDCLrSHVHNCfdrlZecvJaSQgAdiKOO

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Ren Yi was startled.OJoDGcymRTNvVVZVTjGvVKvCsXeJwY

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“Be careful, step back.”PnnZbLzoCLvfhewowpUxoZwUcgcOoE

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All the police officers drew their guns.XwvxGYfaCeCdPKCUugwpCYVDgWWHMf

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Gong Yingxian held a gun in one hand and the doorknob in the other. He leaned against the door, cautiously pushing it open while carefully observing the door crack. Only after confirming there were no traps did he kick the door open, raising his gun and quickly searching the area within sight.jHkjDDILDsDBaNcRUhbnPHttgPzofw

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It was a suite; upon entering, they saw the living room, and they had to pass through it to reach the bedroom.HILieVJMplENZftnshgSyyDisNOxWF

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At that moment, Ren Yi didn’t dare to interfere and waited behind until they all entered before curiously peeking inside, only to hear a few curses from within.cfpFQinJjogQQZkxaRvtYYzgRzltHO

PHqUIrbxerrxewP

Ren Yi followed in and arrived at the bedroom, shocked by the scene before him.VHPizzGDbSonMRsbxRXzNqaIKcoDTD

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On the large white quilt of the two-meter bed, a huge English word—FIRE—had been burned into it by chemicals.LtyuQXVSGuvOspVPmljGrDvciiIsuj

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But there was no one there.OlWFNQzdSCgMqOwEtkQgnBjZfAvsDt

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Qiu Yan cursed angrily, “Damn it, we’ve been played.”qxwGbiqetfQAKxRXBCZqoFJOONVxXf

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Gong Yingxian said expressionlessly, “If it were that easy to find the hostages, it wouldn’t be their style.”ajrSqmPDRfrVkymGLEnfDVfdllokCo

HRambiLAnwBxqfn

Qiu Yan irritably ran her fingers through her thick, long curls, “What are we doing here? Leave two people to collect evidence, and the rest go out.” She herself was the first to walk out, “Check who booked this room and if we can contact them.”loHHxIZCtmTSQaAAwffeeWQlLCmyAY

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Gong Yingxian said, “I’ll have Xiao Tan specifically check the surveillance for this floor to see when someone entered and exited this room.”nlYimGMtSPoFpTtgQsSrhBJJPIiqgC

ImtdbtPWEUyZOKk

Ren Yi frowned, his mind filled with the large, corroded “FIRE,” feeling extremely uncomfortable. They had prepared for any hostage situation, but they never expected it to be “no hostages.” To be precise, the hostages were not here, and as for where they were, who they were, and how many there were, they still had no idea.EKZOacugtinscbLTLEQVZhgOsnsbvM

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This hotel has over five hundred rooms, located on a major traffic route, with a very high occupancy rate. Today, the number of people evacuated—guests and hotel staff—was at least six or seven hundred. To find out who went missing today was nearly impossible.jkCswCnWKknSvfzItterlQtMkGnDRX

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No wonder Bai Chicheng said they would come back to find him.wmLJHKxNHueoAusBLrgPuaNXjXQnQe

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After finishing a call, Gong Yingxian was about to say something to Qiu Yan when her phone rang as well. She answered the call, and after hearing just a couple of sentences, her face turned pale with shock, her voice trembling, “What’s happening to him now! I—I’ll go over immediately!”AkNpJLdFAmEpTXebjmTeBoiHGMJPBt

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“Captain Qiu, what’s wrong?” Ren Yi looked at Qiu Yan’s suddenly pale face, feeling his scalp tingle.GqVOBPsPhFcIKTBfEPQFbXqjpKsJoJ

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Qiu Yan gritted her teeth, her shoulders trembling with extreme anger, “Zhang Wen’s room was rigged with traps, and A Qiang and six others were injured in the explosion.”DLVvCctvmqnBRtAkRYBjhrrdNrFjDD

UUNZRCnHuaQTuKW

Ren Yi felt a momentary blankness in his mind.nrjafFkVXdaCuHwJFnpNjoKWENBSMU

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The last shred of hope he held was shattered.EzzPfbeGChkIlntbdbrNoqyvqGZoZz

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It really was Zhang Wen.zOEWAmyBYPNNkzSzCZbOflMKXJpWSE

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That seemingly ordinary, inconspicuous young man…wPVJXEPFGjgEBilkMZhWMiuSEiLWyy

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Just thinking about how this person had been plotting against them and using them all along during the time they spent together, even having countless opportunities to harm them, sent chills down his spine.YnedZGOVTDXJSBHxajTsWnVYFqllJq

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Gong Yingxian asked urgently, “How’s Cai Qiang?”dgsOlHsKIUlJMDSxNJVjHEMkMisaJl

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“In the hospital, I need to go handle the scene now.” Qiu Yan took a deep breath, suppressing her grief and anger, her face weary as she said, “Yingxian, I’m leaving this to you, is that okay?” The phrase “is that okay” carried an almost instinctive plea.JcvyWzilHNOloqvEtBuaezuEQfHEsP

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Gong Yingxian squeezed her slender shoulder, “Sister Yan, don’t worry, I’ll take care of this.”PxrIJCbGQvLprhJrYthYUqRqYDoBSL

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Qiu Yan hurriedly left, and Gong Yingxian watched her figure disappear at the elevator entrance before allowing his emotions to slightly unravel. He kicked the door of the adjacent room, his jade-like face now clouded with gloom.iBpLmMkEOwWueXLWtaarLZeEUSjBOg

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Ren Yi comforted, “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.” As soon as he said this, he felt weak and powerless himself.MpoTMjdByLCXzPwdEkrGoAktervMYu

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Gong Yingxian gazed deeply at Ren Yi, his voice hoarse, “I think about it every day, if I could have caught Purple Flame earlier, many people wouldn’t have had to get hurt.”JKUpWBermWdziJpcxXjhBLLDxygPeo

RLOtpjwoRuHGOLX

Ren Yi scolded, “I’ve said it many times, don’t take everything upon yourself. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; we’re still fighting against an X cult organization that has been rooted for many years. You’ve done very well. The casualties of the innocent are the fault of the perpetrators, not yours.”IswrEExrPJvKSJViozuEgiHNsNWZpG

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Gong Yingxian’s lips trembled slightly.vsYECxHtAtoVnXPYwfTuOILdtUOIDS

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Ren Yi softly said, “Yingxian, I also have many moments of frustration, times when I couldn’t save someone, watching victims die right in front of me. Every firefighter goes through pain, guilt, and helplessness to grow into a mature firefighter. When I face the self-doubt of young warriors, I often tell them what my captain told me: we’ve saved more people than we couldn’t save. You’re the same; you only see the people you couldn’t save. Do you know how many people you’ve saved?”UdSwxbMYtKmlSjKbVyGCJSIANmOlDy

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Gong Yingxian quietly said, “You always comfort me.”PhyAnWluhuBjWwdBKqDOLodqfFSafQ

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“It’s to comfort you, and it’s also to encourage you, because it’s all true.”mjqpDFPiygEVBRrZIYXFuMaeKfMRBs

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Gong Yingxian looked at Ren Yi with gratitude; no amount of praise or medals could compare to a single word of understanding and compliment from this person.jEwxwKRxgZLZcDhOEqWEfqWrZmrSPp

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He wanted to say something else when his phone rang again; it was Tan Haochun.KvxypxaFZOGBXXVqHZsgQLrcoVwXUJ

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“Hello, did you find anything… What? Why didn’t we notice this before?”qwXnMAgavQoDYnduxiWUbzVwuOApXQ

EzzTqIixaRpOZuY

After hanging up, Gong Yingxian’s expression remained grim, “The surveillance on the twelfth floor had dropped out a few times, and there are missing pieces of content. Because there was so much surveillance footage, we hadn’t paid special attention to this floor before and didn’t notice.”WJqZJaILgyaNwcoPwODebJpHGbiemN

aDUDQSNdUyPLCYR

Ren Yi had already anticipated this outcome: “Bai Yan played us; he’s probably waiting for us to come back and laugh at us. Let’s go?”lSjlPoDhfBMRjtmmvcPOFfOSMfZPaC

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Gong Yingxian quietly squeezed Ren Yi’s hand.ZXkMvTucQcuXAiATiiMecTKUhdoRQw

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“Even at this moment, I’m not afraid,” Ren Yi said, “Do you know why? Because every time you’ve turned danger into safety, every time you’ve brought me home safely, this time will be no exception.”OVUCtwjOcNYaeBqmUikYnQLxknfUyq

XvvxYWySzSQTJam

Gong Yingxian looked at Ren Yi with grateful eyes; Ren Yi always said he had saved him countless times, but that statement was not comprehensive.UikqBioobexfzRvjkIcxpGTHxENRmj

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They had been saving each other all along.AYHESghHcPULtVoxHlPAAicgUIHubb

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