Free Web NovelChapter 498: Chapter 399 The Curtain Falls
Nations came to celebrate.
In the evening, inside the Bird’s Nest, on the second-floor golden VIP hall, more than thirty heads of state, government leaders, and royal representatives had arrived today.
The Olympics isn’t a meeting but a grand celebration, hence the reception was held here. The sofas in the hall had been removed and replaced with rows of dining tables.
As guests started to enter, Fang Huai stood by the VIP elevator’s adjacent passage at the entrance, watching wave after wave of blond-haired, blue-eyed guests, or those with black skin walk in, and his heart was filled with infinite emotions.
In his childhood, he had seen many TV dramas and books depicting the Tang Dynasty when it was said that it received tributes from three hundred nations. And it was not only during the Tang; after any dynasty had unified Huaxia, the neighboring countries that bordered China had to pay tributes, and those from across the seas, to trade and learn.
Of course, the rewards were often greater than the tributes, which also represented China’s inclusive spirit.
As long as you submitted, you wouldn’t be attacked, and you were even given sweets to eat.
A thousand years later, the Imperial Court was weakened. The mighty Huaxia was humiliated among the nations, looked down upon by foreigners. Hong Kong was ceded to the UK, Taiwan to Japan, and Portugal took the opportunity to colonize Macau.
Starting fifty-nine years ago, the new China began to rise from the ruins again, through the Korean War, land reforms, cultural education, independent diplomacy, and Reform and Opening Up.
At Tiananmen Square, a great man’s simple declaration that "the Chinese people have now stood up" was witnessed under the awe of so many foreigners for the first time after fifty-nine years.
The new generation of children need not worry about national affairs, wars, or sufferings, because the older generation had already borne all the hardships for them.
And a small part of that generation, like him, and like the young soldiers guarding outside, needed to endure the remaining hardships to safeguard the rest and this era.
Today’s scene symbolizes the foundation of a new century.
was no simple matter.
Fang Huai’s gaze was riveted as he felt the nation, from this moment, officially completing its runway takeoff, starting its ascent into a new decade.
...
August 8, 2008.
PM, 4:20.
The lieutenant colonel who had always led them, from the BJ Team—rumored to have been promoted to colonel, the head of the Fire Prevention Office from Xuanwu Detachment and manager of the Bird’s Nest’s firefighting, Cao Guangwen, today took off his military uniform and put on a gray shirt. Still, he stood before everyone with an unprecedentedly solemn expression, took out several pills, and washed them down with mineral water.
"Um... Comrades."
The eighteen cadres and thirty-three soldiers, including the five from the training class, stood at attention in all seriousness.
"I want to reiterate the Level Four firefighting plan. From the moment a spark is detected in the venue to a fire exceeding ten square meters, the corresponding extinguishing times are 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes!
That is to say, the maximum time to extinguish a fire is 10 minutes!
If it exceeds ten minutes, the reinforcements from outside will have to come in! Do you want to let others come and provide backup to save the Bird’s Nest that you’ve been guarding for so many days?"
"No, we don’t!"
"Good! The fire hydrants, fire extinguishers, our surveillance, and the command communication system are all your weapons!
Now, everyone charge your communicators to full battery and carry spare batteries, then, after one final visit to the toilet, put on this!"
Cao Guangwen took a bag from the cardboard box beside him and gave it a shake.
The first step to genius was actually a diaper.
The big, blue package of adult diapers made everyone chuckle a bit, despite themselves.
A soldier, finding it somewhat hard to accept, stammered:
"Director Cao, actually, I can hold it."
Cao Guangwen waved his hand:
"If you can hold it, think of it as extra warmth! Don’t be shy, man. When you’re old, you’ll inevitably have to wear one someday!
My advice is to hold it if you can! I’ve tried it; it holds up well, but it gets a bit hot down there! Uncomfortable!
But today, for the state, for the people, wearing this is nothing to be ashamed of!"
He’d begun pulling out the big guns again.
Military officers must learn this phrase.
"For the motherland and the people."
This sentence was the soldier’s seal of silence, a battle charge when heading into combat.
Cao Guangwen indeed cherished the big call time and began distributing immediately after speaking, with soldiers obediently receiving one each.
Then, he resumed a solemn and serious tone:
"Brothers! From 4:30 to 12 o’clock, when all the spectators have left! Seven and a half hours! You will stand a very long watch! This will also be the most important watch of your military service. Comrades, do you have the confidence?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Good! Ten minutes to prepare, take your positions according to your assigned posts!"
...
Potential dangers are more critical than an open fire, safety more significant than Mount Tai.
Almost all the duty positions were located near the trash cans in the spectator aisles, because comprehensive analysis deemed that the most likely fire hazard was someone smoking near the trash cans.
The five reinforcement trainees were also placed well as reinforcements, with Fang Huai being assigned to a central post on the First Floor.
Many people would be passing in and out of this location.
Of course, this also included sports and performance stars.
Based on the Olympic opening ceremony ticket prices ranging from 200 to 5000, not including scalper markups, he was saving at least 3000 yuan.
The only downside was the lack of a seat.
But some cadres could only stay in the control room, even some soldiers were positioned inside the building, spending over seven hours with only the spectacular yet tedious scenery for company.
...
Pm, 5:30.
The center of the venue was bustling with activity.
A group of stars went through their final rehearsal in the venue and was led by staff to have a meal.
Liu Huan and Stefanie Sun passed by him one after another.
Stefanie Sun in 2008 was genuinely beautiful.
However, Fang Huai still kept a straight face and reminded a staff member following her.
"Comrade, don’t throw burning cigarette butts into the plastic trash cans!"
"Oh... okay, okay! Sorry about that!"
The staff member quickly stopped their action.
Stefanie Sun turned her head and offered Fang Huai an apologetic smile.
Fang Huai smiled back with a nod and gave a thumbs-up:
"I like your ’Believe’! Keep it up!"
Stefanie Sun’s smile brightened, and she tilted her head to say:
"Alright, thank you!"
...
Pm, 6:20.
"All posts, ticket checking will start soon. Pay attention to each entrance to prevent stampedes. Report immediately if there’s any issue. Guests will be entering from Gate 15 and Gate 17 soon; please pay extra attention to the surrounding situation."
Fang Huai pressed the talk button: "Gate 15, copy that."
The voice of Lin Chong also came through: "Gate 17, copy that."
A group arrived from above Fang Huai’s post within minutes and sat in the VIP area just above Fang Huai’s First Floor post.
The area above Fang Huai’s post was unassigned to anyone.
That must be the entrance area for important figures.
...
P.M., 6:40.
Audiences began to enter the stadium.
Fortunately, there were many entrance gates, and Fang Huai’s location was not one for audience entry. He did not need to worry about crowding and noise.
But the surroundings were starting to get noisy.
"Mom! Guess where I am!"
"Right! I made it to Beijing! I got a ticket! The Bird’s Nest is so beautiful! Kobe’s going to be here in a bit! I saw their cars from outside! The athletes are coming into the stadium one by one from the Olympic Village! I even saw quite a few celebrities!"
"What? No Zhao Benshan! This isn’t the Spring Festival Gala!... Guo Baldhead isn’t here either!"
"Alright, alright, I’ll see if there’s anyone you recognize later and get you an autograph!"
Fang Huai couldn’t help but smile.
Zhao Benshan, I’d like to see Ma Sanli too!
...
P.M., 7:30.
A sea of people.
Over ninety thousand were seated; a single person starting a call could bring a wave of response:
"Go China!"
"Go WC!"
"Rise up!"
A mountain cry and a seashore roar didn’t suffice to describe the grandeur within the stadium; the cheers of ninety thousand people echoed throughout the Olympic area.
The China People’s Liberation Army Military Band was also in place. As soon as it hit 7:30, the conductor’s baton fell, and they struck up "Welcome March."
People’s voices gradually turned into applause, clapping to the rhythm of the music.
This song, which usually played fifteen minutes before the start of a video conference, had never sounded so good to Fang Huai before.
To really appreciate a performance, you had to be there. That echoing, vibrating sound, which even caused a slight tremor in the eardrums, resonated with everyone.
The Military Band’s live repetitive performance, lasting close to 20 minutes, had Fang Huai clicking his tongue in admiration.
With his keen eyesight, he could see the trumpet players’ faces were slightly red; to hold such heavy instruments aloft for 20 minutes without a tremble while playing...
Military band music was also physically demanding.
...
P.M., 7:50.
Suddenly, a burst of vigorous applause and cheers erupted.
The door upstairs finally opened, and two men in suits swiftly entered the center, stern-faced, and positioned themselves on the second floor right above Fang Huai.
Fang Huai couldn’t help but stand up a bit and look askance.
The top Leadership had arrived!
The top Leadership and a few members of the International Olympic Committee conversed and laughed as they entered, waving to the audience inside before sitting down at a nearby table in succession.
Unfortunately, the high-ranker from the Beichuan incident hadn’t arrived. Today’s BJ was so lively; perhaps that elder was still in front of some office desk.
The band’s music gradually faded, and once again, cheers and ascendants’ chants rose, along with some foreign spectators blowing long whistles, which quickly drew the attention of the police inside, but they merely glanced and did not stop this conspicuous behavior. freёwebnoѵel.com
Some Chinese spectators, unwilling to be outdone, stood up and led their compatriots in the stadium in chant.
The lights gradually dimmed.
The bright yellow sundial appeared on the massive LED screen above the field.
The surroundings instantly quieted.
The fireworks show began.
Fireworks overhead, displayed through the surrounding big screen, set off a thunderous roar in the arena.
With a "whoosh," a firework shot across the stadium, extinguishing before it reached the ground.
This time, it was real.
All the Firefighting personnel in the arena were on high alert, looking everywhere. Fang Huai also took a couple of steps forward and observed for a while before pressing his talk button.
"Entrance 15, safe."
Reports came in from all around.
The on-field countdown began with lighted drums, 2008 soldiers forming a massive screen with instantly illuminated drums, counting down in unison.
Rhythmic, the drumbeats created a picture.
The excitement was palpable.
What constitutes a big scene? This is a big scene!
"Oh my god!"
"Forty!"
"Twenty!"
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
Everybody counted down with the numbers on the field scroll.
"Two!"
"One!"
Above, a great light burst forth, thundering, with colors in the sky too beautiful to view in full from here.
...
The performances, one after another, had the foreigners exclaiming "amazing," "unbelievable," while the Chinese shouted "awesome."
The firefighters’ hearts, however, were always held tight.
Because the earpieces kept reminding them, "Attention! Attention!"
As the host began the English introduction, the arena dimmed once again.
Outside, fireworks flickered.
The big screen inside suddenly lit up, broadcasting the scene outside. freēwēbnovel.com
Giant footprints, coming from the capital’s central axis, through Tiananmen Square, step by step arrived here.
Everyone watched the grand fireworks display intently, while the Firefighting staff inside raised their vigilance, watching for any fire hazards.
The bigger the fireworks, the more they feared.
Voices came through the earpieces.
"Trash bins, grounds! Everyone pay attention! Check your surrounding areas for any falling sparks! It’s best to move the trash bins to a more interior area! Absolutely no open flames allowed!"
"Received, received!"
The fireworks lasted a long time.
While everyone was in the throes of reluctant excitement, the firefighters were so nervous they felt like they might need diapers soon.
Finally, the last firework marked the end of the display.
"It’s over, it’s over!"
The voices in their ears let the forty or so people who were absent-mindedly watching the program breathe a sigh of relief at the same time.
(The previous Chapter was closed, 10 minutes)
