Blazing Armor

Last night, Beijing was hit by a heavy, refreshing rainstorm that quenched the lingering heat of late summer and early autumn in a single night. It felt as though the whole world was breathing more freely.

The weather after the rain was cool and pleasant. The entire squad was in the training field for a special drill, preparing for the annual combat competition.

In the past, Ren Yi would always sign up for a few team and individual events at the competition. But since becoming the squad leader, he hadn’t had much time to train, and competing against a bunch of teenagers and early-twenties recruits didn’t feel appropriate. However, both he and Qu Yangbo would still participate in some team events to maintain collective honor.

Just then, the alarm suddenly rang.

Ren Yi looked at the group of soldiers, dressed in their firefighting suits and doing weighted runs with breathing apparatuses on their backs, and grinned, “Let’s go. At least we don’t need to change.”

The group quickly rushed into the garage. The on-duty communications officer ran up to Ren Yi and reported, “Captain Ren, workers have been poisoned during sewer maintenance.”

Ren Yi shouted, “Switch to rescue gear!”

The soldiers let out a collective yell and swiftly started changing clothes.

They had two standard uniforms for responding to incidents. One was the dark blue fireproof suit with reflective strips they were currently wearing—heat-resistant, flame-retardant, and both bulky and heavy. The other was the orange rescue suit, more lightweight and suited for non-fire emergencies.

“Got it.”

After switching outfits, Ren Yi drove the rescue truck and ladder truck towards the residential community indicated on the dispatch sheet. At the same time, he called the person who had reported the incident: “Hello, who are you? Are you the person in charge of the community?”

“I-I’m not, I’m just a security guard.”

“Tell us what happened.”

“Our community floods every time it rains heavily, so we sent people down to fix it. Three people went down and didn’t come back up, and then…” The guard stuttered nervously, “We sent another three to rescue them, and they didn’t come back either.”

“Don’t send anyone else down!” Ren Yi barked. “Before sending people for repairs, did you pump the water? Did you ventilate the area? Did the people going down have safety gear?”

“I-I don’t know, I’m not in charge of that.”

“Then where’s the person in charge? Where’s the property manager?”

“They’re nearby…”

“Wait there and don’t make any more moves!” Ren Yi hung up, cursing, “Every damn year this happens, and every damn year we warn them.”

Gao Ge sighed, “Every year we warn them, and every year it happens.”

The rescue truck pulled into the community. A crowd had already gathered around the sewage well, and the property management and security guards were futilely lowering ropes into the well.

Ren Yi ran over with his team. The stench rising from the sewage well was so foul it could knock someone out. He looked down into the well—it was narrow, with murky water sloshing around at the bottom, its depth hard to gauge. He shouted, “Where’s the person in charge?!”

A middle-aged man walked over, his face pale with fear. “I-I’m the manager.”

“Did you send people down there?” Ren Yi glared at the manager, his tone fierce. “Did you not pump the water before sending them down?”

The manager trembled as he replied, “The water… the water wasn’t deep. The workers said it wasn’t deep when they went down.”

“And did you ventilate the air? Were they wearing masks?”

The manager shook his head. “They had masks… and they had a torch! The fire didn’t go out, so there was oxygen!”

Ren Yi took a deep breath. In a long-sealed sewage well, the air is usually thin, but having oxygen doesn’t mean it’s safe. There could still be poisonous gases—methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide—all of them deadly.

Most of the workers sent down to these wells are laborers, with no knowledge, no experience, and no equipment. If the management is also clueless, then they’re just sending people to their deaths. Every year, there are many accidents caused by illegal well operations.

Ren Yi crouched down and measured the opening of the well—about seventy to eighty centimeters in diameter. With the breathing apparatus, it would be hard for someone of his build to fit. He commanded, “Sun Dingyi, Liu Hui, Awen, Xiaotao, Xiaoqian, you five are slim. Get the ropes ready.”

“Yes, sir!”

Li Sa started filming with the camera. Recording the scene was part of the special unit’s duty.

The soldiers helped tie ropes to the five men. Sun Dingyi led the way, ready to descend.

Suddenly, Ren Yi stopped Sun Dingyi. He turned his sharp gaze to the manager. “Did you shut off the upstream water flow?”

The manager stammered, “I… I…”

“You son of a…” Ren Yi held back the urge to hit him. “Hurry up and shut off the damn valve!”

The manager stumbled away to do as he was told.

Ren Yi shouted to Li Sa, “Have the police been notified? Call the Hongwu District Police and get them to arrest someone.”

“Got it.”

Ren Yi gripped Sun Dingyi’s shoulder, giving him a firm look. “Be careful.”

Sun Dingyi winked at Ren Yi and grinned. “Who else but me would handle such a filthy and stinking job? See? Winning at cards comes with a price when you’re playing with the boss.”

Ren Yi laughed and cursed, “Bastard, get in there and get back quickly.”

The team put on their masks and climbed down the ladder.

Sun Dingyi was the first to reach the bottom. The sewage immediately reached up to his thighs. He shouted, “Captain Ren, the water’s at least sixty centimeters deep. Just in case, we should call for a water pump truck.”

“Alright, keep me updated.”

Ren Yi pressed his radio. “Command, we need a pump truck.”

“Roger that.”

The security guard who had called in the emergency spoke up, “We have a pump in the underground garage.”

“Go get it quickly.”

Sun Dingyi cautiously moved forward. The inside of the sewage pipe was pitch black, and the ground was uneven. The light from his helmet barely pierced the darkness, as if it were shining into a black hole.

Soon, they found a man in a security uniform. It looked like he was one of the rescue attempts. He was sitting unconscious in the well.

Sun Dingyi and Liu Hui lifted him up and passed him to Awen, who was at the rear. Awen hoisted the man onto his back, made his way back to the well’s opening, and tied a rescue rope around him. The soldiers above pulled the man out.

They pressed further and found two more. One was still breathing, but the other had collapsed into the water and had no pulse. Xiaoqian and Awen, who had returned, carried them back up.

Looking at the body being brought up, Ren Yi asked, “Sun Dingyi, what’s the situation?”

“We found the fourth person, still breathing,” Sun Dingyi reported. “Liu Hui, Xiaotao, this is too far. You two need to carry him back together.”

“No way, it’s not safe for you to be down there alone.”

“Don’t worry, Captain Ren. I’ve got a safety rope attached to me. We’ve come quite a distance, and it’s hard to move down here. Carrying the injured by myself will be too slow.”

Ren Yi hesitated for a moment. “Alright, but keep me updated.”

Suddenly, a sharp cry came through the radio, sending a chill through everyone’s hearts. It was Xiaotao’s voice.

“What happened to Xiaotao?!”

“Something… something’s stuck on my leg!”

Liu Hui knelt down, trying to feel for whatever was caught, but he couldn’t lay down the unconscious person he was carrying. “The water’s too deep, I can’t see a thing,” he said anxiously.

Sun Dingyi asked, “Should I come back?”

Ren Yi quickly replied, “No, Xiaoqian, Awen, head back and check on Xiaotao.”

Xiaotao’s voice came through the radio again, strained but urgent. “Don’t worry about me right now, get the person out first. He’s barely hanging on.”

They swiftly pulled Xiaoqian and Awen back up with the rescued individual, and the two returned down to help Xiaotao.

Liu Hui called out, “Get this person out first. Xiaotao, stay calm, I’ll feel around and try to free you.”

Xiaoqian and Awen took the injured person off their hands and began carrying him out of the well. The two had already gone back and forth carrying people multiple times, and their stamina was running low. Ren Yi told them to come up, and prepared to go down himself.

“Captain Ren, how are you going to fit? The opening is too narrow,” Gao Ge frowned, eyeing the well.

“You’re in charge now, Gao Ge,” Ren Yi ordered. “I’ll go down, hold my breath, and you can lower the breathing apparatus to me afterward.”

“Are you serious?” Gao Ge shouted. “That’s too dangerous, no way!”

“I said I’m going, and that’s final. Hurry up, there’s no one else who can fit.”

At that moment, Li Sa ran over. “Captain, let me go down. I’m the slimmest.”

The soldiers around them froze, all staring at Li Sa in shock.

Gao Ge frowned, “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re not fit to go down there.”

Li Sa shot back, “Have I ever skipped training or slacked off? I’m fit enough, let me go down.”

Ren Yi was still wrestling with the decision when Sun Dingyi’s voice crackled through the radio again. “Captain Ren, I’ve found the last two people. One of them is still alive.”

Ren Yi locked eyes with Li Sa and, after a tense pause, said, “Gear up.”

Li Sa turned and ran back to the rescue truck, grabbed a breathing apparatus, strapped it on, and hurried back.

Liu Hui’s voice came through next, “Captain, Xiaotao’s leg seems to be caught on the old, decaying pipe of the water pump. We’ll need a saw.”

“I’ll take it down,” Ren Yi said, “I still need to go down, Li Sa alone won’t be enough.”

Gao Ge, realizing he couldn’t stop him, reluctantly agreed. “Alright, you go first. I’ll send down the breathing apparatus and the chainsaw.”

Li Sa went down the well first, followed by Ren Yi, who held his breath and quickly climbed down. Even though he held his breath, the unbearable stench seeped through, making his stomach churn and almost causing him to vomit. Gao Ge lowered the mask and the air tank with a rope. Ren Yi quickly equipped himself and took a deep breath, finally able to breathe more easily.

With the chainsaw in hand, the two of them ventured deeper into the sewage well.

The pipes, neglected for years, were filled with debris, sludge, and algae. Each step was a struggle, with the ground uneven and muddy, making it hard to walk. The walls of the pipes were coated with indescribable filth.

As they walked, Ren Yi asked, “Everyone, report your remaining air supply.”

“32%,” Sun Dingyi replied. “It should be enough for me to get this person out alive.”

“Liu Hui and I are both at 39%,” said Liu Hui.

Ren Yi ordered, “Sun Dingyi, I’m sending Li Sa to support you. Stay put where you are and don’t waste any more oxygen until she gets there.”

“But—”

“No buts. Stay where you are.”

The breathing apparatus they carried theoretically allowed for 45 minutes of air, but that estimate could be affected by factors like weight, temperature, stress, and physical activity. Oxygen consumption increased significantly during strenuous activity. For safety, they were trained to exit the scene when their air supply could last only 15 minutes. This left time for handling emergencies or escaping from complex, disorienting environments.

Ren Yi and Liu Hui soon found Xiaotao, whose leg was trapped, and Li Sa continued forward to assist Sun Dingyi. Ren Yi, holding the chainsaw, discussed with Liu Hui how to make the cut.

Xiaotao’s leg was trapped underwater, and they couldn’t see a thing. After feeling around for a while without confidence, Ren Yi asked, “Has the water pump arrived?”

“It’s here, along with the pump truck,” Gao Ge responded.

“Hurry up and pump it,” Ren Yi ordered. “Xiaotao, can you hold on? I didn’t feel any damage to your bones.”

Xiaotao grimaced but replied, “It hurts a bit, but I can manage.”

Ren Yi nodded. “I don’t dare cut yet, I’m afraid I’ll hurt your leg. Let’s pump out the water first. Liu Hui, go back and switch out your air tank, and bring one for Xiaotao too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Just as Liu Hui left, a strange noise echoed from deeper in the sewage well, like something being sucked dry, followed by a loud rush of water.

Ren Yi cursed under his breath, “They’ve released the wastewater from above!”

A torrent of sewage began flooding out from deep within the well.

Li Sa had just reached Sun Dingyi, but there was still some distance between them. Sun Dingyi hadn’t stayed in place as ordered—he knew that every second delayed meant a decreased chance of survival for the person he was carrying.

Sun Dingyi braced himself against the wall, trying to withstand the force of the rushing water. As the water slammed into them, the unconscious maintenance worker suddenly regained consciousness, letting out a terrified scream. He lunged at Sun Dingyi, gripping him tightly like a drowning man clinging to driftwood, using every ounce of strength in his body to hold onto him.

Sun Dingyi was caught off guard, pulled down and dragged into the water. His face smashed hard into something, breaking his mask. He watched cracks appear right in front of his eyes, and then a rush of foul air came flooding in.

He and the mechanic flailed and struggled in the filthy, stinking water. Sun inhaled the toxic fumes and swallowed water, making his vision blur as dizziness set in.

Li Sa shouted, “Lieutenant Sun!” She ran toward him with all her might, but the water had already risen to her hips, making every step a struggle.

“What’s happening?” Ren Yi asked anxiously.

“Lieutenant Sun has fallen.”

“Sun Dingyi, Sun Dingyi! Say something!” Ren Yi yelled.

There was no response from Sun.

“Liuhui, are you back yet?” Ren Yi called out.

“I’m almost there, I’ve got Xiaotao! Go check on Sun Dingyi!” Liuhui replied.

Ren Yi started running desperately toward the depths of the sewage pit.

Li Sa finally reached Sun’s side. The mechanic had passed out again, lying face down in the water, motionless. She first helped Sun up, seeing his shattered mask, his eyes glazed over, and barely conscious. “Lieutenant Sun!”

Li Sa held her breath, took off her own mask, and placed it over Sun’s head. Sun coughed out water and gasped for air, breathing with difficulty.

She struggled to pull the unconscious mechanic out of the water, but he was completely limp, unable to stand. She propped him up in the water, lifting his chin to keep his nose and mouth above the surface.

After Sun had caught his breath for a while, Li Sa took the mask back and put it on herself. She kept glancing anxiously down the path, hoping that the man who could put everyone at ease would show up soon.

Finally, a small light flickered in the distance and began to grow brighter, as a figure ran toward them with all their might.

Li Sa shouted, “Captain Ren!”

Ren Yi rushed over, his face turning pale when he saw Sun’s condition. “What the hell happened?”

“Lieutenant Sun’s mask broke,” Li Sa said. “The mechanic still has a pulse.”

Ren Yi held his breath, removed the mask, and placed it over Sun’s head, giving him a firm shake. “Hang in there, brother…”

But Sun couldn’t hold on any longer—he passed out completely.