Chapter 23
After the team event, Ren Yi sat with Gong Yingxian and Gong Feilan in the stands, cheering for the warriors participating in the individual competitions.kHAyNOjMToOTlfsODCtvePVZfiNzxR
YJKkuuZyWcDsdQFAlthough many friends and relatives of the competitors were present, the brother and sister duo stood out due to their striking appearance, attracting the most attention.KtkZTYNaUKQPWnhZDtIRPunyzxxHBU
dqxoZyDfrAUoPXEAs they watched, Wang Xuan came over carrying two boxes of iced cola. Ren Yi took a few bottles, handing them to Gong Yingxian and Gong Feilan. Gong Feilan gladly accepted, while Gong Yingxian firmly declined, saying, “I don’t drink carbonated drinks.”FkLHlBNcrZAEUEjzqlEQhERcoaWFlZ
GRNgNcFtPJPnGJF“Hard to please, aren’t you,” Ren Yi remarked, swapping the cola for a bottle of water.TkbvbNrejEKZyEOWuXEaxfUywbSKek
SVafLwWeyLrMbFkGong Feilan couldn’t help but nod. “Cousin is really picky about his food.”lWkzzEmctXLwnHOffGuTMyjBCaJgaJ
tANBkLjOgTdkFgd“Choosing what’s right for your body isn’t called being picky,” Gong Yingxian retorted.IzrECCUQqfvDDkANvstzJgzZgxaqLP
wYTCvjhqkTqjkTrRen Yi scoffed. “Not eating this or that? That’s exactly what being picky means in layman’s terms.”kjHuwHUZNLGWlzkhNHXGSOgrBcgWbo
faKbqTGGPJGeYRgGong Yingxian shot him a sidelong glance. “I didn’t ask you to cater to me, so why are you complaining?”TULAxeoBRHfSJadOqlPtcnOmPaANkv
kTngjNOlXfnsmSv“Who would dare complain,” Ren Yi replied sarcastically.LZLjuOfKHqmVmAGmPxdkQBCQnTyhzi
HGcyCsIweUBMXjTGong Feilan sighed in exasperation. “You two, can you stop bickering?”OemXJFDEBJlNRssDaWelYqcPTnXBWV
bUOqdupZkCqoawbRen Yi cleared his throat and changed the topic. “So, what’s the progress with the Cai Wan case?”IXqPZbuiwXDYJirMkjjtxlJIwDPAcP
wEXFFlZOYROEekS“I followed a lot of leads and connected it to Cai Wan’s brother, Cai Cheng. This guy’s been a drifter for years, doing odd jobs like security work and delivering parcels here in Tianqi, but he never stuck around long. Last year, he went back to his hometown. There’s evidence he came back to Tianqi recently, but he didn’t use any state-run transport systems, and there are no ID records.”XudxtEduNPbtZwouQUYlJCujgzngGr
staAkOopiBkQKEa“Did he come after the bar fire?” Ren Yi asked. “That’s pretty suspicious.”qgpoevoUkhEUZrzamkujigaPxPjpaF
LFzbndecneoJWfn“Exactly. And he deliberately avoided public attention when returning to Tianqi, making him difficult to track. I had Captain Qiu help me contact local police, and after a bit of investigation, we found Cai Cheng’s been spending money unusually lavishly, likely from some shady source.”UyAQdOapSJdwhJJgQHXjZkbKscXksm
yVvLuouNUWkWOQc“Have you caught him yet?”NQVANUvskQPbYLyZfIoLzVOJoGhHAL
iMcCBmstruqgTQo“Not yet. Cash transactions are hard to trace, so we need solid evidence first. But it shouldn’t take long.”JcdZzwcffKAEdqbDGRFCMIGxGbwfEV
hAkEOvOFhwghRCU“If we manage to bring Cai Wan to justice, we’ll have to thank Captain Qiu,” Ren Yi said nonchalantly. “Didn’t you call her ‘Sister Yan’?”SpujEDmEYAoZskRBfROPfyBWXcEtgn
RJiNwPORsRxegVX“Yan-jiejie? What about her?” Gong Feilan turned to ask.gYEGXhMoTiYiCpLmmIgShLBkmkTKkW
WLDRvwWTuxvZVfR“You know her?”uFJAOzjONTWevTrvRexHZcbDdpMsts
lgQNOeYIjDwbFdl“Of course! Our families go way back. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”ODTIheCuCgxzOFOoKjFCGghzRWfDFJ
LRiQXJehCbeflUF“…”fsIbJzfPyWTundgRLQnhMTWShUJHNR
iUTEowwnBMiPmUJAt that moment, Gong Yingxian’s phone rang, and he stepped aside to take the call.PSdatGYxDXvGUUfDcScklOUMuUjofy
UdgmSOZJytqkoIDUnable to resist, Ren Yi turned to Gong Feilan and asked, “Feilan, are your cousin and Captain Qiu really childhood sweethearts?”YxrIOceaGTidJHjCGZAUNMQOdEKUad
EgurNHWFcmNgPun“Definitely not. They’re seven or eight years apart. How could they have played together growing up?”ZbGxKJGmfsjmsqJmrMsUECKQhcrezS
yopdxstCreKNzcJRen Yi nodded.QYGMsxYiOxXGKUhcHWnJPYXcPdGnad
VdFzevODkfraabg“But I’m sure my cousin likes her,” Gong Feilan said confidently.fepDlribCpAkoTqzahFfSeoeNTqXsQ
DTlKcxNKQvTNYTgRen Yi was taken aback. “…Really?”kllXRNzSUXEdjTOGseytikSAyBmqyv
LlikaspQjznHcSX“Yeah, she’s the only woman he’s close with. And she’s so beautiful and talented. Knowing my cousin’s personality, if he didn’t like her, he wouldn’t treat her so well.”sikWcrrzIJDRkfZdvABaykfxteMvJM
mhdVPYaikVsFEMhRen Yi muttered under his breath, “That makes sense. They do seem like a good match…”xdsBcqwjvsgQxHxikdJJceTZABrvbR
EmQVGzjyFQtfWUK“Ah!” Gong Feilan suddenly exclaimed, looking nervously at Ren Yi. “Captain Ren, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Sister Yan too?”JGrKxCUxeKtmyAjEKdSyvRSyUkITon
XUmQHlQfbWCcIJgRen Yi smiled faintly. “How could I? We’ve only met for two minutes.”oMQWlFIGUnFXzELGiwFJiFWvnnHfkK
aShLnvbWhdpcsMUGong Feilan eyed him suspiciously.chboYgZEIEPTyhlCovOVJLHvTZUtaD
mQqADLGCeLIRSqB“I was just curious since your cousin seemed so at ease talking and laughing with her,” Ren Yi explained.fNIixtRAFXRZPofTJRBQVdNhWOEboX
tWSZVYwNLMxbTKl“Oh, good. That makes sense. My cousin really is different around her,” Gong Feilan sighed. “It’s a shame he’s been back in the country for so long and hasn’t made a move. It’s frustrating.”YsBFDduclgKpKFLZgGWtwsIdOCpPDQ
CVBcAMGXwMOtCVYRen Yi wasn’t sure how he felt. He suddenly felt a little down but also amused. So, Gong Yingxian wasn’t as unattached to the world as he seemed—he just had his sights set on one person.MwJdsHvCoYZczExTEeyDnSDDmhebbw
mIHzGrmCFLbHpmHWhen Gong Yingxian returned from his call, both Ren Yi and Gong Feilan tried to act casual. He immediately sensed something was off and asked, “What were you two just talking about?”CniXuIuidDnAaQVgnLHCfSguEZIyaY
kOhAvKjdJiUkvCq“Nothing, just cheering for the warriors,” Ren Yi replied casually.wTNgUfhPMCJlvfVJxAqZOJfdFYEaxr
AHoAZrVwRWwqQiaGong Feilan smiled mischievously but said nothing.AfIlzdDMGLtOKrTNjnJMRNegpxFUMX
gCAIfaKygFRuZseGong Yingxian squinted his eyes, clearly not buying it.VUpSXJXmOoQZbaCCDSaIrrWmxMsiUk
RLazRDwAIfMMFAPJust then, Ren Yi’s phone rang again. He looked down and saw that it was Xu Jin calling: “Hello, Chief of Staff.”QQdBenVfxTaeAyDJyAaWFHvKUmDJOr
TNVQjxsyaIeAucW“Ren Yi, where are you?”iDfxPeaoXbRSGRUNQUrCkYzHKNSwWu
VeyzUPMWZpXhmdg“I’m at the competition grounds.”VTOBckVtlSZLseayHteOSZPypnMwlp
ZVjXYHBzFdVeyyO“There’s an emergency. A high-rise apartment on Anmin Road caught fire, and the blaze is severe. Get over here immediately.”eeZJftokNVzjVTqNffEuWWldiBhPDT
scIbsOPWSzQmFzPRen Yi shot to his feet. “Wang Xuan, stay here and look after the participants still competing. Everyone else, we’re responding now. Let’s go.”SYmnPJIBaMrAtyPYvbbpTzOisHfAGw
xQvffjLcfWNXCZjThe group quickly stood up. Cui Yisheng asked, “Captain Ren, what’s happening? Where’s the incident?”CKNJHDjTeUARTqMAcgkUdOiMkuGnSN
PDUHhnjeZYRtdZZ“A high-rise apartment on Anmin Road,” Ren Yi explained as he led his team toward their fire truck. “Chief Xu just called me.”GwgWHrzFEcZuNxXKRONfJyVITkEmzR
QYflUdiUBErNMnvAlthough Anmin Road wasn’t within Ren Yi’s jurisdiction—it was under the Aixin Bridge Squad—it was closer to the competition grounds. For large emergencies, multiple squads, or even several brigades, often had to collaborate. Judging by Xu Jin’s tone, the situation was dire.tmUllIsxthrjSqONtqifAfydxUrhuz
GCYKWxClEhnJUILAs Ren Yi was putting on his gear and getting ready to board the truck, Gong Yingxian’s voice came from behind: “Captain Ren, can I come with you?”snccGpTIlaQJfzrBgrMAlISwgMwleM
xBBglvyZVpCJUgWRen Yi turned around, just now remembering the two of them. Whenever there was an emergency, he would get so focused that he forgot about everything else. He nodded toward the truck. “Get in.”KicAqtaPBVSOOClboWgOgduEBptjzs
pwfJnFVPgFyPHYbGong Yingxian turned to Gong Feilan. “Wait here. I’ll have a driver come pick you up.”CHumgXvpSxNyyWakVXXuYmPXYVnOAo
ohtRLNDbQsJAsHx“Cousin, can’t I come with you…”hSfQwZhVSoFSUYDJoUmHKbletQvjJb
cGhsqumJwgrPwSv“No. Call me when you get home,” Gong Yingxian said before climbing into the truck with Ren Yi.sMFKxjVERmmCoHfxcVrpRYsggUNoHD
LaCxEyEfVddNBtBAlongside Ren Yi’s truck, three other fire trucks also left the competition venue, all clearly dispatched to the scene. Ren Yi sent Gao Ge a quick message on WeChat, asking if his team had received the alert. Gao Ge replied shortly after, saying they hadn’t, likely because they were too far away, and traffic would be terrible at this time.YWTBRuJhthinGeqpOcJQYFDEmMRUTI
NTpAXSAJOLpNgfuIn the truck, Ding Qing asked, “Captain Ren, what’s the situation?”oekVhmMqCfojuvsQEvFCBuvLkMzzEh
nkTkusXJtujeGRZ“I don’t know yet. Chief Xu is probably extremely busy right now. We’ll find out more when we get to the scene,” Ren Yi frowned. “A residential building on fire at this time of day—it’s going to be tricky.”pSAuQHYGXfxgfcCuvKawcHRZaRCcXe
ALpGsKQrWqGhfoxIt was now Wednesday at 5 p.m. From their experience, most young, able-bodied people and students wouldn’t be home at this time, leaving behind retirees, homemakers, and young children. In incidents like these, the most vulnerable groups—elderly, women, and children—were often at the highest risk, both in terms of self-rescue and being rescued.DvZmhgMyNDzVCoTmetFqDpeINEPyKd
aNtbjuiIFNcYgkbAnd this was a high-rise…RiTCtpPxUvgHnwEtjYLywutdduGfJG
ugvMjpHyFpsmTUYGong Yingxian sat beside him, looking grim and remaining silent.ffBrvCvuDWunIgtSdzcrvibsBmisyg
RVMAgOycPvxMkvDRen Yi glanced at him and softly asked, “Why did you want to come along?” He knew Gong Yingxian wasn’t keen on seeing fire scenes; the last time they visited a burnt-out site, he’d vomited.vCnfoUOxwkaqvrsZxPelyrDzQlmiMh
trUydcdGhrAvBBd“If it’s a fire in Hongwu District, the case might eventually land on my desk,” Gong Yingxian replied in a low voice. “I need to get a head start on the situation.”QQFoDHLYIeKnkyjSPDrQYmXezPRxin
IeHSluDetNvZIkb“Most likely, this is just an accident, given it’s a residential building catching fire during the day.”zZCuqCxmWzSpZxMjnqgIzwdDWLbShh
APFjwdwCazgnAxF“What if it’s arson?” Gong Yingxian stared intently at Ren Yi. “I won’t rule anything out.”eufCHdXJeFqwtiepOFxvwYYlGAjcqn
jpjsNVMlHlsMLIJRen Yi sighed internally. “When we get there, don’t wander around. Follow my instructions.”PjgApEmsdgMCBFlcfRkUgUCbFdVwjy
RGcqEQlZkAKqZvlGong Yingxian nodded.szqXKyDxlzTwwYjwzpgmuXfUslFDFY
YhebvSXZLJyqHoABefore they even reached the scene, they could see a towering column of smoke rising from the distant high-rise. Ren Yi felt a sinking feeling in his gut.TUQLlKygZxxEOXpEYPumnEJBeXKXSr
JSXbnYnwfLxyWRXWhen a high-rise catches fire, if the smoke from a certain floor drifts out at an angle, it usually means the fire hasn’t spread too widely yet. But when smoke starts rising vertically from the top of the building, it indicates the fire is out of control. The building’s stairwells, elevator shafts, ventilation ducts, and utility shafts all act like chimneys, rapidly accelerating the fire. All floors above the initial fire zone are now in danger.ZWQfcuyxHOZtoyukfOcYbJChLwMZlg
IfysQJlfzIxAmBmThe “chimney effect” in high-rise fires is as terrifying as a demon for firefighters. Once a fire breaks out, it feeds the flames, causing them to spread quickly and intensify. Due to the vertical nature of the fire, it’s incredibly difficult to extinguish. In some super high-rises, even the water cannons on aerial fire trucks can’t reach, leaving firefighters with no choice but to watch the building burn.qmbstdSTNoRsihARAgbmEePboXiawk
eyDlTdzyiuzHNXITheir fire truck arrived at the entrance of the residential complex. The first team on the scene had already cleared a path and guided them to a parking spot.yrLZFCXUEMLHpiQLEkyKhfrEsaqnsJ
uOvAWaGISvyUeQPOnce the truck was parked, everyone got off.RSOdEMZKxOgTMjapCEgBdOnbEOmpMs
uKPpNTglmPSalpERen Yi was the first to spot the team leader from the Luo Alley brigade, Wang Meng. “Wang Meng, what’s the situation?”JlNujYfGUMaxdDSngXvAZyjFEDTcsN
omFseyaYdENctbhWang Meng quickly reported, “The fire’s on the 22nd floor of a 28-story building. The people below have been evacuated, but a large group is trapped above. The platform truck has already rescued some, but the fire’s getting worse. The chief of staff wants you to report to him as soon as you arrive.”CiNvVGJsWnbUWKgdRZgblgbJCQGYVg
KBONFgMEYAHeOdxRen Yi led his squad forward, quickly spotting Xu Jin, who was discussing strategy with other team leaders.yxzmNCWbozaGfVeEGpRNwUXYoXNAUp
dEYAqcejVhDQjCgNot far from them, two large fire rescue cushions were laid out. Honestly, those things were pretty useless in high-rise fires—anything above the sixth floor, and it didn’t matter if there was something to catch you or not.TYXcUMveSZfXZCIHUozmfgnqUrcdGA
jkgGXHdMJNVpWGRXu Jin saw Ren Yi and immediately called out, “Come over! We need to head up for search and rescue right away.”hjdDleTFJByOojvRHAZBIdxZsCiTRx
iJvimrwzSCjwyHBRen Yi glanced at the thick smoke billowing above them, his expression grave.NUNaSgZTfkZhTVkBURJqZpBblKsZka
TwrhyTpvMOVQmkNXu Jin pointed at the building’s blueprints and said, “The fire on the 26th, 27th, and 28th floors is under control. We’ve already sent two teams up with the platform truck and successfully rescued all civilians on those floors. We’re now working on finding accessible windows for the next four floors. At the same time, we’ll split into two groups—one will search from the 26th floor down, and the other from the 21st floor up. The fire on the 22nd floor is the worst. Ren Yi, you and Wang Meng take four teams up. You’ll be the on-site commander. If you really can’t make it up, report back immediately. No heroics.”fItUtMKxYGmEHpvfSwKyrdPvCdfXJO
TvvapgiOpnCkqtA“Understood.”IbMnWVigzlBhlhAEOQlIwVimACBeDx
HajNXjiZnKwIfGwAt that moment, a group of firefighters nearby was shouting, “Don’t jump! Don’t jump!”JAPPbBtecjzfnMlggmYFMKMPXZXUrm
glNmOTcJTItcwOeRen Yi looked up just in time to see someone leap from a window with flames licking out of it. He quickly turned his head away, but the sickening thud of the body hitting the ground still pierced through the chaos of the fire scene, reaching everyone’s ears.aRRnmWfpKEbmFFooRDNFzFHASRVkdi
yhjmzFaPKNsmynGSome of the onlookers started to cry.NiakaltBceLvGPjbvyXmWYyjUVwTLN
EqwpCOWebAJHhgxRen Yi shook his head to clear it and began organizing his team.cQQAVaWExqAotnCvazhvWztniBuWbB
RJJnapBrgOywPShAlong with their firefighting gear and oxygen tanks, the squad carried 65mm hoses, axes, crowbars, hydraulic cutters, chainsaws, spare oxygen tanks, and other equipment. Each man bore at least 50 pounds of gear, and they were about to climb the stairs up to the 22nd floor.WvsdxSmVsINGhdyTGiSGLYAKuulChq
nUFQxYpSWgTgiVNOnce everything was ready, Ren Yi led his men forward. Suddenly, he noticed Gong Yingxian standing off to the side, watching him, his face pale as a sheet.XUCwyaLQhqkGDadJGdmGFtwLGQxPnd
kBEDBYnWRANpebpRen Yi felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He took off a glove, gave Gong Yingxian a thumbs-up, and mouthed, “Don’t worry.”eYcykfuNpnHpYPkAEBeqMYVOsgUkCG
itGkOMIWjBhNXlNGong Yingxian’s chest heaved with emotion. He also removed the gloves he always wore and returned Ren Yi’s thumbs-up.uDeqkInJlIMUGMVLHClDUoaDAvQdPP
pOfvnBcxKpJMrPfxOngXjwfhaOquOclOIAFYsLRbyoBlU