After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

Chapter 282: Chapter 223 Your life is really big!

The alarm bell blared.

This time, when they headed out, the fire truck that had been quiet all night finally blared its siren.

No wonder Ye Jiahong looked so grave, his first words as he got in the truck turned everyone’s faces just as grim.

"An auto parts store, a three-story building engulfed in flames, five people are living inside."

A sealed three-floor building, with people trapped.

This condition meant that today there would inevitably be a life-and-death struggle.

Ye Jiahong suddenly realized that no one in the vehicle was talking and felt the atmosphere was too heavy. He exhaled from deep in his throat to lighten the mood,

"Heh, it’s okay, it’s okay." freewebnøvel.coɱ

This belated attempt at reassurance was better than nothing. Everyone relaxed their bodies a bit, but still, no one spoke, just stared intently through the windshield that protected them from the elements, watching the road ahead.

However, Fang Huai was resting with his eyes closed, silently activating his system.

The time had come, he could hesitate no longer.

He exchanged his last third-class merit for immunity.

As the third Military Merit Medal in the Military Merit Shop turned to iron, Fang Huai’s most tangible feeling was that the muggy heat brought by the air conditioning in the truck had disappeared. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

His breathing became more prolonged and, perhaps due to psychology, he felt as if there were subtle changes inside his body.

The truck hadn’t traveled far when the first-row two-way radio crackled to life.

"Ye Jiahong, Ye Jiahong, have you arrived?"

Ye Jiahong glanced ahead and saw they were still some distance from the destination, so he immediately picked up the two-way radio and said,

"Soon, where are you?"

"We’re about to reach the hardware store. When we get there, we’ll deploy first. The people in your truck haven’t put on firefighting combat suits, so once you get out, assist with the outer water supply."

Ye Jiahong frowned tightly, "We’ll be there soon. Wait for me to lead the interior attack."

As he spoke, he made a meaningful look at Fang Hongliang.

A sudden pushback sensation filled the vehicle.

The two-way radio crackled again, "We’ve received the latest information. The neighboring shop owner says two more staff are inside; seven people in total. Time is life."

Ye Jiahong wanted to say something but suppressed his breath, letting it out slowly.

Fang Huai also opened his eyes and looked into the distance.

He saw nothing; it was just a quiet blackness in the distance, with only the sound of sirens on the whole street.

On such a tranquil night, nothing should go wrong.

...

Ye Jiahong said they would arrive quickly, but it was still ten minutes later when they saw the front of the hardware store.

From here, they could see the flickering flames inside.

The communications over the two-way radio also indicated the urgent situation at the scene.

"How about the mezzanine, have you found anyone?"

"Are they still alive?"

"...No."

"And the third floor?"

"We can’t get up there, can’t get up there! I’ll try to drag the ones from the high level out first, the fire’s too intense!"

"Okay! I’ll have Zhao Jinchen suppress the flames on the first floor! You come down quickly! If you confirm they’re gone, just throw the bodies down, we’ll catch them, be careful!"

"Roger!"

"Z..."

"Little Black, Little Black! We’re already suppressing the flames on the first floor, get out fast!"

"Coming!"

Fang Huai’s fists clenched tight upon hearing this.

The site of the fire was getting closer.

"Boom!"

A sudden loud blast.

From the truck, one could now see Hao Chengbin and Zhao Jinchen lifting their water guns and setting them to spray, bravely confronting a sudden jet of fire that burst from the doorway.

Moreover, this jet of fire even had drops of burning oil spattering from it.

Right at the entrance of the fire scene, the first two members were already wearing breathing apparatuses, a testament to the severe heat.

In such a situation, it was unknown how Little Black had managed to enter the fire.

Cao Yi picked up the two-way radio and called out loudly,

"Little Black, Little Black, don’t come out yet, a fuel canister just exploded!"

"Stop spraying water! I’m bringing two people out; the steam is too hot, even hotter than the fire!"

Little Black’s voice was urgent.

Fang Huai quickly got up and noticed a combat suit lying beside Car 1.

He went in wearing a fire-fighting suit!

The current fire-fighting suits were made of seven layers of fire-resistant materials, which could withstand heat close to a thousand degrees. However, the temperature was accumulative and couldn’t withstand prolonged exposure to fire.

Moreover, they were not resistant to water!

Fang Huai snatched the two-way radio from the front row and roared, "Stop spraying! The fire-fighting suits are made of plant fibers, they’re fire-resistant but not steam-resistant! It’s safer for him to come straight out of the fire; wait for him to come out before cooling him down!"

With that, they had arrived at the scene. As the truck stopped, Fang Huai quickly opened the door and jumped down.

Running to the front of the shop, a powerful floodlight had been turned on from the top of vehicle number 2, instantly illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

Fang Huai’s expression turned even grimmer.

The first-floor flames were very bright, deep red, the windows on the second floor were seven or eight meters off the ground and were also burning brightly. Only the third floor was still just reflecting light from the flames.

The first floor must be very tall, at least 6 meters. Given what Little Black had said earlier, it seemed like a mezzanine had been created.

The third floor wasn’t short either, with windows that were at least twelve meters high.

The building was said to be three-storied, but it was actually about as tall as a five-story building.

"Little Black, what floor are you on now!" Hearing Fang Huai’s words, Cao Yi immediately altered the initial reception plan.

At the same time, he quietly reproached himself.

This set of fire-fighting suits had only been issued recently. He didn’t carefully consider its flaws before blindly letting Little Black wear it and enter the fire scene.

Fortunately.

Little Black’s voice came through, still full of vigor:

"The building! I’m near the window position!"

Cao Yi immediately shouted, "Have the trapped individuals been confirmed dead? If confirmed, just throw the bodies down from the second floor! Don’t worry about anything else!"

"Got washed off! I’ll try again! Maybe I can bring them out!"

Fang Huai picked up the two-way radio, "Try my ass! Hurry up and throw the people down! Get out of there yourself! The fire-fighting suits can’t hold on much longer! If they burn through, you’re done for!!"

Cao Yi glanced at Fang Huai and then turned his head to say:

"Execute the order!"

"Yes!"

Only then did Fang Huai breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to the comrades behind him, "Quick, lay out the mats! Anything soft from the truck, clothes, all out. Layer it as thick as we can!"

He now dared not step away from here for even half a step, only continuously calling out to people around him.

Ye Jiahong arrived at this point as well, he heard Fang Huai’s words and immediately shouted loudly, "Rescue Team, take off your clothes, lay them on the ground! Look in the truck for anything soft, hurry up and bring it over, lay it below the second-floor window!"

"Yes!"

At this time, the ground below the second floor was too close to the fire source to dare deploy the massive air cushion. Once the temperature got too high, it would easily burst, and everyone could only do their best to bring out all the soft items to protect the bodies as much as possible.

You with one hand, me with one foot, even the camouflage uniforms came out, and soon it became a little mound.

Little Black’s head also appeared from the window, looked down below, and then slowly moved a male’s feet out.

Then a limp body followed.

As the body’s center of gravity cleared the window, Little Black tried to prop up the legs a bit to let him come down on his side.

"Thud."

The body fell with a dull sound.

The soldiers hurried forward to lift it.

Fang Huai, however, was staring intently at Little Black in the window, checking the condition of his burned clothing.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much damage.

Fang Huai relaxed his expression, raised an eyebrow, lifted his hand, and wiped at his twitching right eyelid.

Soon, another male body hit the ground.

Another man.

When the last one fell, some sparks were lifting from his hair, indicating that Little Black had indeed just tried to lead them through the flames.

The owner of the auto parts store next door came up to identify, confirming that one of them was the owner of this store.

With the second-floor personnel out, Cao Yi once again grabbed the two-way radio to shout.

"Little Black, come down quick!"

"Coming!"

The voice came from the radio, amidst a cluttering noise, a dark green figure with wisps of blue smoke, writhing out of the first floor rapidly.

As this figure emerged, everyone felt a sudden, almost otherworldly sense of relief.

When Little Black went in, the fire wasn’t raging yet, but afterwards, the blaze grew larger and larger with some faint sounds of explosions coming from inside.

The fire spread very fast and the interior was tightly enclosed. With ongoing electrical explosions on the first floor, the layout and potential explosive risks of the car parts arranged were incomprehensible to the team, so they dared not get close, which meant they couldn’t effectively extinguish the fire or cool it down.

They had just realized how important Little Black was to them in such a dangerous situation.

Zhao Jinchen immediately took a water gun and advanced to cool him down, nearly pressing it against his body.

"You alright?" His comrades helped him take off the enclosed helmet and empty call mask while constantly asking.

"No worries, no worries! Just got a bit scorched!" Little Black shook his head and even managed to tidy up his hair.

"Tidy your ass! I’ll shave you bald when we get back!" Fang Huai couldn’t help but laugh.

Little Black also smiled and walked towards Fang Huai and Cao Yi.

Approaching, he punched Fang Huai’s chest, saying:

"Gave out two alarms today, aren’t you thrilled?"

Fang Huai twisted his mouth without replying but said, "You really have nine lives, with such a big fire, and your fire-fighting suit wasn’t even scorched!"

It was the first time Fang Huai cursed in front of his squad leader.

His lingering tension needed that kind of swear word to be released.

Little Black’s eyes widened, he took a couple of steps back, and in a very absurd manner, he tilted his head back, saying:

"What are you playing at? I cherish my life, okay? When the fire started raging, I held up a metal bed frame in front of me!

Such a pity though! There was another on the second-floor mezzanine, couldn’t save him! He was right in the innermost part of the fire source, by now he might have been cremated!"

The people around laughed.

Damned, speaking without restraint at a death scene, they weren’t afraid of ghosts looking for them.

Cao Yi’s expression remained sober, "What about the third floor? Is there any possibility that the trapped individuals could still be alive?"

"Yes!" Little Black immediately nodded, beginning to describe the inside situation:

"Inside there’s a closed wooden staircase that goes up through the center of the building!

"The biggest blaze is on the first floor and the eatery’s mezzanine! The staircase is already too charred to hold weight!

"I almost fell through when I stepped on the stairs!

"When coming down, I actually had to jump! The fire and hot smoke were surging up the stairway!

"The smoke was enormous! I suspect it might burst into flames any moment!

"But the side near the window is relatively cooler, so if the people on the third floor stay away from the staircase, they might have survived!"

His words made everyone fall into deep thought.

Going by this, they would need to head in for a second time quickly.

Fang Huai pointed at the third-floor window, saying:

"Is there any possibility of entering from the outside? A metal ladder plus a hook-and-ladder should definitely do it."

Little Black shook his head vigorously, "That’s not the third floor! That’s the eatery’s skylight! The building is very high! If you go in from there, you’ll have to jump down, falling several meters to the ground!

"The real third floor is up at the roof! Ventilation is only through an irregular crack left at the edge of the eatery!

"To reach the third floor, you can only go via the staircase!

"Commanders, although the stairs are broken, I can use a single pole ladder to get up to the third floor!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Huai immediately said, "No! You can’t go!"