Blazing Armor

After Ren Yi returned to the team, he prepared to change his clothes to meet the leadership. However, just as he entered the building, he was called out by Qu Yangbo.RCcHlfbKiXjWJTOdKEnNcznTQyJfuO

“Come, come,” Qu Yangbo beckoned him. “Follow me to the garage.”uZVtiYgpqOzuOgUMWRyqwKbCPyfdeH

Ren Yi looked at the DSLR camera in Qu Yangbo’s hands. “What are you filming?”ZkvDVdwxcnlUXOtCCREpNFZRTQLhWG

“An action-packed adult film,” Qu Yangbo replied offhandedly.FTQINrHEtyxFlwJKQrpsAbjunbWXyC

Ren Yi chuckled. “Now this is the kind of thing I’m made for.”YvKeZrrwDtRuwZGaxYhvrUzBqlJzEQ

When they arrived at the garage, Ren Yi saw that the fire ladder had been extended, and Li Sa was hanging upside down from it while the other soldiers below clapped and cheered her on.qwRJoNuWvnyMAqGxxHiZFCgXgZTWsi

“What the hell is going on here?” Ren Yi asked, a bit on edge. “Who let her up there?”wCaqAxheetlaxgOwbHzwqNHYlbFXKm

“The instructor wants to shoot a short clip for our Weibo page,” Sun Dingyi gestured with his chin. “Everyone was assigned a few seconds, but she volunteered for this part.”vxOzVMbmVbYDNsLeYMKQwxbpkorYXb

Li Sa waved at Ren Yi with a smile. “Hello, Captain Ren!”bGXivBmPpwEDKvFcnKocdhPRsnPtGF

“Hello, my ass, you crazy girl.” Ren Yi shot Qu Yangbo a glance. “What are you filming? Finish it quickly and get her down.”VMYEyZPRmGbNBgqsEqQuonLPmAzilB

Qu Yangbo said, “Li Sa, I’ll count down three, two, one, and then you start. This time, don’t laugh at the end, alright?”MmkCmmBqHWoBsCkkHiiVFUKOuYCXQb

“OK.”LBxTQAboyybprXtgQEEtZJSxpVwCYJ

“Three, two, one.” Qu Yangbo aimed the camera at Li Sa.BqqWVrVjYrWIviDFuOFRYHVJMmjcBM

Li Sa, still hanging upside down, started doing sit-ups with quick, fluid movements, easily doing twenty in a row. On the last one, she grabbed the ladder with both hands, swung her long legs down in a straight line, barely swaying, and then, with a slight release of her hands, landed steadily on the ground. The whole sequence was smooth and impressive, making her look incredibly cool.lVFUkAYcCRFrsYcYdHdZIbFvHATkBu

“Nice!” The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.yAlSleafGYFzDYYypyMlDpvvboTWQJ

Qu Yangbo shouted, “Great, great, that’s a wrap!”OAjNwFMhnxXJzMYfqKiiKbMfRkNJqG

Ren Yi sneered. “Why all this fuss?”onSMMKnvdfhLCckVaDVxfoFWpSzlbK

“Li Sa’s really popular now. Lots of fans want to see her,” Ding Qing added. “Captain Ren, why don’t you make an appearance too? If you show up, our Weibo following will shoot through the roof.”nKEHqBFgQAKcWfejRcDzqOLUJqOlnt

“No way.” Ren Yi curled his lip. “I was teased for years after I appeared in that promo for Tianqi Fire Department. Every time I meet up with my buddies, they mock me.” He pointed at Qu Yangbo. “You’re the one who insisted I do it back then.”BRybGRvgeGVYNHpkxoMtFhpYmzkAlL

A newly recruited soldier grinned and said, “Captain Ren, I grew up watching your videos.”ZFCAUCarLGFbSWKZqTKkDnzlcARxwD

Sun Dingyi suddenly stood up straight, puffed out his chest, put on a serious face, and with an exaggerated air, recited, “Fire safety is everyone’s responsibility. Prevention starts with you, me, and him.”wxlParLqtjmTmtrtvCRdApPmECNxLW

Everyone burst into laughter. Ren Yi raised his long leg, ready to kick them.QdpHSayeimAJTUwDadISCbHmyQwfIb

Qu Yangbo shrugged innocently. “I’m just following orders from above, same as now. Do you have any idea how heavy the promotional workload is? You don’t need to show your face, but at least show some skin.”pULDjADsuRvqEkFzQNYZYDErdjAwwE

Ren Yi pretended to be serious. “What kind of person do you take me for?”YahiHbEekpJXpmddPiXJxJsCZWmDCe

“I don’t see you as a person.” Qu Yangbo glanced at his watch. “The leadership’s about to arrive, so hurry up and strip.”voxdfhGwUwPZBODpPXIgmsZowjRiKE

Ren Yi complained, “It’s damn cold…” but still took off his shirt, revealing a muscular torso without a trace of fat. A gust of wind blew in from the garage vent, making him shiver slightly.cUEPlAGKPMehOFdbpLMAClzoZsHHTc

“Wow, look at that chest, that waist. We’re gonna blow up!” Liu Hui clapped enthusiastically.aiYbdKoKVArAbNnmVVsEvsMKnwmeMf

Qu Yangbo snapped several pictures from different angles and said with satisfaction, “Not bad. We’ve got material.”JnNONbFOZsCstUMEluEcxPEKQlYLts

Ren Yi leaned over to look at the screen and was pretty pleased himself. “Send them to my phone.”MauvQjgamdTUkQLWuJLvJYWanpReec

Qu Yangbo shot him a sideways glance. “What for?”UjDSippAPUxVFTBUAgaRxdGqIzKXrz

“Do I have to report to you how I use my own photos?”BDXrasQURdgKeShGENOesHDYuprDCx

Qu Yangbo adjusted his glasses with a mischievous grin and lowered his voice. “Si Huo, who are you planning to flirt with?”QGZlKEQPVpQzzdveHSmjFDdbfwwDLO

“None of your business, just send them.” Ren Yi was already thinking about how to casually let Gong Yingxian see these pictures.IjeAgIIpfFdtLTNpbPRLhmjzlHxWbF

“Got it.”ChAFdsRkihncFICEywkzfsrREFmXmO

“By the way, how’s that thing I asked you to check?”nypuFosMPDJvfZoKTcjfWArNBCNfWd

“I looked into it. The division’s archive is quite complete, but I haven’t found a reason to pull it yet. I’ve got a friend helping out.”IlrZnEOJfMlhsDrBPeBoTrWKTIOdAL

“Thanks.” In fact, he could’ve asked Chen Xiaofei from the division to help, but precisely because Chen and his father were old comrades, Ren Yi wanted to avoid any suspicion of favoritism. Given his age, leading the Special Ops Team already made him seem underqualified. He knew he was up to the task, but others might not see it that way.uSXDVgmUadQFhKMEhmuFaZRvdFImkH

In the afternoon, the Fenghuang Squad received a visit from the leadership. Since the fire service reforms and the establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Management, all the squads had been adapting to changes, especially in terms of personnel and promotions. As the only special ops team in Hongwu District, they had to set an example, and Qu Yangbo’s workload had indeed been heavy lately.hiLXGInGfuKHehcCAxgicwoGQVXdeP

Chen Xiaofei accompanied the leadership from the headquarters. In front of them, he didn’t hold back on praising Ren Yi and Qu Yangbo’s work. But before leaving, Chen discreetly reminded Ren Yi that two officers from Fenghuang Squad had been hospitalized in recent months, urging him to be careful.sxNpRnwyiquXVEVWXDHtOkYMUfwXZQ

Ren Yi felt uneasy. Although Sun Dingyi and Gao Ge’s injuries weren’t serious and were practically unavoidable, any incident was still the responsibility of the commander. He wasn’t afraid of taking the blame; his fear was not being able to bring his brothers out safely and then back safely.APOCqguFwbYlsPgNCcpNuQYMJcuBbq

After sending off the leaders, Ren Yi felt more exhausted than after responding to a police call, his cheeks stiff from smiling. Qu Yangbo thrived in such social settings, but for him, it was like sitting on pins and needles. That’s why others joked that one of them handled things inside while the other managed the outside, which wasn’t far from the truth.orrDaNFfQeQDnLYqFvYmXyQqNwIyKl

Ren Yi didn’t even bother with dinner and went straight back to his dorm to relax, his mind still preoccupied with Gong Yingxian’s phone call.sMTgMUPatXENEGTRBvtfKPbBwWopjc

He stared at his phone for a long time before grabbing Miao Miao, snapping a few pictures of the cat, and sending them to Gong Yingxian along with the message: “Our cat has grown a bit.”wpXVEJXcXeGaoGOfKSKCzvIjcjHWXo

After a long while, Gong Yingxian sent back a picture of a large sky-blue python, saying: “Can it play with Sachiel?”aEshTYOtEQrQWPkgtMrLCzJfIgRMVA

Ren Yi grinned and replied: “No way.”KsAbtWjAfwZLVtPpCAdcqGlzAzNwXM

Gong Yingxian didn’t reply after that. Ren Yi figured he must be busy, so he repeatedly looked through their chat history, thinking that next time, he must find a chance to take a photo together.nSmjqBcXFYybGKZVIhkRTXyihbWpJt

Ren Yi glanced at the clock—it was still early. He decided to head home and talk to his dad about the Baosheng Chemical Plant case.IoHcQtjbBlDXUwVaLjJPxqRrXmFqSt

When he arrived, Ren Xiangrong had just finished dinner.HOyNPJUWbeizZTUTWNKrbVjQERtzzS

Ren Yi dismissed the maid: “Old Ren, remember the thing I talked to you about last time? Have you thought of anything?”GEZMcPZDKciCUTCQrlZiORkdQHnhIs

Ren Xiangrong’s expression turned serious. “First, you tell me—why are you suddenly asking about a case from so many years ago? Last time, when we talked about it, I could tell from your expression something wasn’t right.”eobViYLRjgHxtGjVHqgekewGXIunmx

Ren Yi glanced at the coffee table next to Ren Xiangrong, piled with a thick stack of documents, all related to the case. He walked over, pulled out an old yellowed sheet of paper, which was the newspaper with a photo of his father rescuing Gong Yingxian from the fire. Pointing at the little boy in the photo, his voice grew heavy: “This kid, his name is Gong Yingxian. He’s now a detective at the Hongwu Police Station. Lately, I’ve been assisting the police in investigating an arson case, and he’s the one I’ve been working with.”uBkUIRJDhfpZEsEZzPCohwCCfJTYHr

Ren Xiangrong was shocked: “When did you find out?”BimmEHyFkDnAIubKmnkzDDloWmiLpt

“It was the last time we talked about this case. I’d heard some rumors about Gong Yingxian and thought the surname was uncommon. I looked it up online to confirm.” Ren Yi spoke softly, “Dad, Gong Yingxian’s family of four—he’s the only one who survived that fire. He insists that his father didn’t commit suicide, but was framed as a scapegoat and silenced.”WJtwAfnEvfJhYDWKDiICCeaoYWJUjo

Ren Xiangrong stared at Ren Yi in a daze, as if struggling to process everything. He muttered: “Silenced… because of the Baosheng Chemical Plant case?”TEskAizJOShdwimoCpbAFAHIRhCYET

“Without a doubt. His father was deemed the primary party responsible for the Baosheng case. A dead man can’t defend himself.”BUECNYlLrBnVGOBrPMRYADljqTxmuj

Ren Xiangrong frowned and fell silent for a long time before saying: “That child was so young back then, too young to understand anything. How can you be sure all this isn’t just a fantasy he’s created because he can’t accept the truth?”aIhgwfmUPFCfAGRcEqsoKQWQJNIWgj

“I believe him,” Ren Yi blurted out.qIgVWrqGaWlYzDItNaxKuDUSvLZmmZ

Ren Xiangrong stared at Ren Yi.BiTfvLURghUsfNiuvKtHZsvZARrkqK

Knowing full well that this statement held little persuasive power, Ren Yi continued, “I understand that trusting someone can’t be the basis for determining the truth, but there really are suspicious points in this case.” He then shared the details about the suspect wearing a bird mask. “If Gong Yingxian’s childhood memories are unreliable, the statements from the criminal we caught now can fully corroborate that there was indeed such a person at the scene back then.”ifoWOZknYIouHWEOfBmzkCnGQhrsln

Ren Xiangrong gasped, his weathered face showing a complex expression. He muttered, “Could it really have been murder…”lfxGnPwKEPmoqhZMESFkRrHCeOiMxI

“Dad, Gong Yingxian and Captain Qiu have been pursuing the truth for eighteen years, and now they’ve finally uncovered a new lead. You might be the only firefighter still alive who was involved in both the Baosheng Chemical Plant case and the Gong family massacre. Please, help us.”EDjyPUwzQWsoAjuFOTNXqxmjnSFlbP

Ren Xiangrong looked at Ren Yi gravely. “I might be the only one left alive now.”rxtMelHGCDqJJnWfrQLwLxtssJYSHS

Ren Yi frowned. “Can you remember anyone else? I’m planning to speak to other veterans.”cuTdUwnaPqeaTWYpaohNaXcMjbYayH

Ren Xiangrong thought for a moment. “Twelve companies were dispatched to the Baosheng Chemical Plant. There aren’t many still alive who were involved in the frontline rescue. And since the Gong family was in Hongwu District, two companies participated in the rescue. As for those who were involved in both operations…” He paused, thinking. “I’ll have to look at the old rosters. Right now, I can only remember me and Old Chen.”mAsuUHqyWPZTxgOmCZeRbTEgAprGpf

Chen Xiaofei had been his dad’s deputy captain back then, which Ren Yi had anticipated. “Before we have solid evidence, I don’t want to alarm Uncle Chen.”EMVgCOGWNZQggihFhSjExctTPgyTsO

Ren Xiangrong nodded. “I was just about to remind you—Xiaofei is a battalion chief now. Don’t rashly disturb him about this. If you believe there’s something suspicious about the case, I trust my son. I’ll tell you everything I remember, from start to finish.”ybTBrUKdEuVfJTpthiqlfqXmjltoNx