Free Web Novel"Group One to the left! Group Two follow Natasha! Group Three on standby!"
"You, you, and you!"
"Go over there! Move the wounded out!"
Katya's voice pierced through the night sky, louder even than the roaring flames nearby.
She stood on the stone bridge by the canal, with the orderly gas streetlights of the New City behind her and the soaring flames of the Old City before her.
Several tables dragged from a nearby tavern were set up on the bridge, covered with maps of the Old City from an unknown source, their corners curled by the wind.
A few oil lamps stood precariously at the corners of the tables, their flames flickering in the heatwaves.
This was the temporary command post.
It was laughably crude.
But at this moment, it was one of the few things they had.
Katya's short hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat and dust; her trench coat and scarf were no longer their original colors, covered in soot and blood of unknown origin.
Her voice was already hoarse, yet she continued to shout.
She continued to command.
She continued to send wave after wave of people into that hell and bring them back out.
...
About forty minutes ago, when they reached the canal, the first thing Katya did was take a head count.
One hundred and seventeen people.
Sixty-three were veteran members of the Dawn Brigade, and the rest were civilian students who had responded on short notice.
It wasn't many.
But it wasn't a small number either.
At least it was better than those noble lords hiding in their dorms watching the spectacle.
"Dawn Brigade members!"
Katya shouted from the bridge.
"Divide into your original squads! Squads One through Five, take charge of your own people!"
"Everyone else!"
"Those who don't know each other, stand together! Groups of five! Choose the fastest runner as your group leader!"
"Group leaders, come forward to report!"
The Dawn Brigade had its own organizational structure on normal days; though loose, it was usable in critical moments.
Assault Squad, Logistics Squad, Communications Squad—
The formations used for messing with each other during the start-of-term drills had now become the life-saving skeleton of their operation.
As for the students who had joined spontaneously...
Natasha moved through the crowd, pulling them together one by one and grouping them by physique, strength, and running speed.
"You, you look strong, go to the stretcher group."
"You, you have long legs, go run messages."
"You... do you know how to drive?"
"I... a little?"
"A little is fine, go over there."
As they ran all the way here, they brought everything they could carry.
Ropes, blankets, and buckets from roadside shops.
Someone had "borrowed" several axes from a roadside warehouse.
Someone had stuffed the first-aid kit from their dormitory into their backpack.
There were also several Steam Cars parked quietly by the road at night, which a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ few "crafty" students managed to start in less than three minutes.
"Technical skill," one of the students said, his fingers still stained with engine oil.
"My dad used to be a mechanic."
No one asked where his dad was now.
Now was not the time to ask such things.
Reinhardt and Alicia appeared ten minutes after their arrival.
Reinhardt's black hair was messier than usual, his clothes were covered in ash, and the scar on his lip was particularly prominent in the firelight.
Alicia wore her gray cloak, her hood pulled low, almost covering her entire face.
Her long platinum-blonde hair was covered in dust, looking like a dirty gray snake in the dark night.
"Status,"
Katya asked.
"Bad,"
Reinhardt replied.
"Nonsense. If it were good, would you two have run out?"
Reinhardt did not argue.
He walked to the table and glanced at the map.
"Fire range."
He drew a circle on the map with his finger.
"Roughly this area. From Dock Street to Blacksmith Lane, then to Old Church Square, and looping back."
"Didn't they say they planted bombs throughout the entire Old City?"
"They did."
Alicia spoke up.
"But only a portion of them exploded."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
She paused for a moment.
"Perhaps something went wrong with the plan, or perhaps someone stopped some of them."
"Or perhaps, they only intended to blow up this much from the start."
Katya's brow furrowed even tighter.
"How large is the scope?"
"Hard to estimate," Reinhardt said, "but there are at least a thousand people involved."
"And the fire?"
"Still spreading."
"Tonight's wind is blowing northeast; the fire will burn in that direction."
His finger slid across the map.
"If it isn't controlled, the entire Old City will be ablaze within two hours."
Katya fell silent for a moment.
The situation seemed slightly better than expected, yet also slightly worse.
"How is it inside?"
"Chaotic."
"Some are looting, some are stealing, some are..."
He paused.
"...killing."
"What?"
"I don't know which factions they are, but there is fighting inside."
"I saw people fighting in at least three places, and it wasn't just common brawling; it was organized combat."
He glanced at Katya.
"Frederick hasn't returned since he went in."
Katya's fist clenched.
"What about the Eisenburg fire department?"
"They've been deployed,"
Alicia said.
"But..."
Her voice trailed off, as if searching for the right words.
"They're useless," Reinhardt finished for her. "The equipment is too old, there are too few people, and they can't even manage to control the fire's spread."
"The garrison?"
Reinhardt remained silent.
Alicia remained silent as well.
"Damn it."
Katya cursed under her breath.
"Those sons of bitches."
"They aren't even pretending anymore."
She took a deep breath.
Then she slowly exhaled.
"Fine."
Her voice became cold and hard.
"Then we'll do it ourselves."
She lowered her head, looking at the map.
The reflection of the firelight danced on the paper.
Dock Street.
Blacksmith Lane.
Old Church Square.
The edge of the fire zone was like an irregular red line, slowly expanding outward.
Her finger slid across the map and stopped at that red line.
"We don't have enough water, we don't have enough people, and we don't have that bullshit firefighting equipment."
"Now there is only the method that suits us."
"We use bombs to fight the fire."
She said.
Everyone around her was stunned for a moment.
"What?"
"Extinguish the fire with bombs."
Her finger tapped the edge of the fire zone on the map.
"For some unknown reason, the Children of Dawn left us a considerable number of bombs. We can dismantle them and use them to put out the fire."
She looked up and turned to Reinhardt.
"Roughly how much stock is left?"
"A lot." Reinhardt understood her meaning. "The documents we recovered marked the locations of all the bombs. By my count, there are at least dozens of crates that haven't exploded." freewebnøvel.com
"That's enough."
Katya turned to the crowd.
"The principle is simple. Blow up the buildings at the edge of the fire zone to create a firebreak. Without fuel, the fire won't be able to burn across."
"But before that—"
Her gaze swept over the crowd before her.
"We have to rescue the people inside first."
Ten minutes later, the plan was finalized.
Group One: Demolition Group.
Responsible for blowing up buildings at the edge of the fire zone to create a firebreak.
Led by the 'technical personnel' of the Dawn Brigade, this was what they usually loved to play with most.
"Remember, wait until everyone inside has evacuated before you blow it up," Katya emphasized.
"I know," the student leading the group nodded.
Group Two: Rescue Group.
Responsible for entering the fire zone to rescue trapped civilians.
Led by Natasha.
"Prioritize the elderly, children, and the wounded. Let those who can walk do so on their own."
"Understood."
Group Three: Intervention Group.
Responsible for entering the fire zone to stop those bastards who are looting.
Reinhardt and Alicia would be in charge.
"Persuade them if you can; if you can't..."
Katya paused.
"Make them shut up."
Reinhardt nodded without saying a word.
Alicia's cloak shifted slightly, like a silent response.
Group Four: Settlement Group.
Responsible for receiving the wounded on this side of the canal, arranging medical care and housing.
A group of female students who volunteered to stay behind would be in charge.
"We need more blankets and clean water."
"Go borrow them from nearby shops," Katya said.
"...Borrow?"
"Do you think they can refuse?"
"...Fair point."
The crowd began to disperse.
Group after group of students ran toward the fire.
Some carried axes.
Some carried ropes.
Some pushed handcarts filled with water buckets.
Their faces were covered in dust and sweat.
The reflections of the firelight shone in their eyes.
Young faces.
Naive faces.
Faces that should have been sitting in classrooms listening to lectures.
Now, they began their charge into hell.
Natasha stood at the bridgehead, watching the crowd disperse.
Beside her stood a girl with a brown ponytail.
It was Anna.
"Natasha."
Anna's voice was a bit low.
"What is it?"
"Have you noticed..."
Anna hesitated.
"Your brother, Igor, he didn't come."
Natasha's movements stiffened for a moment.
"And many students of Usar descent didn't show up either. At least a dozen."
Anna's brow was furrowed.
"Especially those who usually hang around your brother the most—not a single one came."
Natasha did not speak.
She began to look toward the distant firelight.
That burning hell.
"But don't worry too much, maybe... maybe they have their own things to deal with."
Anna said tentatively.
"Maybe."
Natasha's voice was very soft.
She took a deep breath.
Then she turned.
"Now is not the time to think about this."
"Let's go."
"We have more important things to do."
Anna looked at Natasha's back.
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, she said nothing.
She followed after her.
