130: Chapter 130: It's over! We can't get out!

"Brother! You can't go back in!" Su Xiao Nuan rushed forward and gripped Su Han's arm tightly, her tears finally rolling down uncontrollably. "The fire is too big! Look, the second floor is about to collapse from the burning!"

Her small hands turned white at the knuckles from the force, her eyes fixed on the bleeding wound on Su Han's back. Her voice carried a sob: "You've already saved so many people! Going in again is just seeking death!"

Su Wu also took a step forward, blocking Su Han's path, his face as solemn as iron. "Third Grandpa, Xiao Nuan is right! The sound of the fire trucks is already very close. Just wait a few more minutes!"

He tilted his head to listen; the sirens in the distance were indeed becoming clearer, but mixed with the traffic noise of the evening rush hour, they were clearly delayed—obviously stuck on the road.

Su Han's brow furrowed as his gaze swept over the windows of the third floor of the blazing hotpot restaurant. Amidst the thick smoke, he could vaguely see figures moving.

The woman from earlier said there were still people unconscious in the innermost private room. Every second delayed was another moment of danger for them.

"Can't wait." He pried Su Xiao Nuan's hand away, his voice low but filled with an unquestionable firmness. "The people inside probably won't last until the firefighters arrive."

"But..." Su Xiao Nuan wanted to argue further, but Su Han pressed down on her shoulder.

"Be good." His gaze fell on his sister's reddened eyes, his tone softening unusually. "This is my duty. I have to go up!"

Su Xiao Nuan froze. Looking at the military-green clothes Su Han was wearing, she opened her mouth but couldn't find the words.

But watching that sea of fire devouring everything, her heart still ached as if it were being squeezed tight.

Black Panther suddenly stepped forward, rubbing its head against Su Han's leg, letting out an urgent whimper from its throat. Its amber eyes were full of pleading, as if saying "let me go with you."

A patch of fur on its back had been singed away, revealing reddened skin, but at this moment, it completely ignored the pain.

"No." Su Han crouched down and gently patted its head, his tone stern. "Stay here and protect Xiao Budian and Xiao Nuan. This is an order."

Black Panther understood the word "order." Its well-trained instincts made its whole body stiffen, and then it dejectedly lowered its tail. It didn't take another step forward, only pawing at the ground anxiously.

"Great-grandfather!" Xiao Budian rushed over and hugged Su Han's leg, her small face buried in his ash-stained pant leg. "You must come back! I haven't taught Xiao Hei the new handshake yet!"

Su Han rubbed her hair and turned to look at Su Wu: "Watch over them."

Before his voice had even faded, he had already turned and rushed toward the fire, his silhouette appearing exceptionally upright amidst the flames.

"Brother—!" Su Xiao Nuan's cry was drowned out by the crackling sounds of the fire.

Meanwhile, on a main road three kilometers away, five red fire trucks were stuck in traffic, unable to move an inch.

"Captain! There's another rear-end collision at the intersection ahead!" The driver honked the horn frantically in desperation. "The navigation shows it will take at least fifteen minutes to arrive!"

Fire Squadron Captain Zhao Feng clung to the car window, looking at the long line of cars ahead, the veins on his forehead throbbing. He picked up the walkie-talkie: "Everyone, listen up! Except for the drivers, everyone get out! Carry your equipment and advance on foot!"

"Yes, sir!"

Twenty firefighters immediately jumped out of the trucks, put on their air respirators, grabbed hoses and demolition tools, and sprinted along the sidewalk toward the scene of the fire.

Their orange rescue suits weaved through the rush-hour crowd, drawing the attention of passersby.

"There's a fire? Is it that serious?"

"Looking at the direction, it seems to be over in the Old City District!"

"Quick, move aside! Let the firefighters through!"

The crowd automatically parted to create a path. Zhao Feng contacted the command center via walkie-talkie while running: "What's the specific situation at the fire? Are there people trapped?"

"Report, Captain. According to witnesses, there are at least five people trapped on the third floor of the hotpot restaurant. A man in military uniform has already rushed into the fire several times to save people. Currently... he just went in for the third time."

Zhao Feng's heart jolted: "In military uniform? Has his identity been confirmed?"

"Unclear. We only saw that he was wearing military clothes."

On the third floor of the hotpot restaurant, the smoke was already as thick as ink, with visibility less than half a meter.

When Su Han rushed into the fire for the second time, the floor of the corridor had already begun to get scorching hot, feeling like stepping on a branding iron.

He tore off his jacket, which had been burned with holes by sparks, and wearing only a soaked military-green T-shirt, he covered his nose and mouth with a wet cloth again.

"Is anyone there?!" His shout was so raspy it was almost unrecognizable, and every breath brought a searing pain.

The door to the innermost private room had already been deformed by the heat. He slammed into it with his shoulder, and with a "clatter," the door panel cracked and gave way.

Inside the room, four young people were slumped on the floor, clearly unconscious from inhaling too much smoke. One of them had a burn on their arm from falling debris, the skin already red, swollen, and blistered.

"Wake up!" Su Han patted the boy closest to him, but the other party didn't react at all.

Time was of the essence. He made a quick judgment, first dragging the two people closest to the door into the corridor and placing wet towels under them to prevent further burns, then turning back to save the other two.

Just then, a fire sprinkler overhead suddenly burst with a "pop," and water gushed out. However, under the high temperature, it instantly turned into steam, making visibility even lower.

"Damn it!" Su Han cursed under his breath. He fumbled and grabbed the arm of the last girl. Just as he was about to drag her out, he suddenly heard a crisp "crack" from behind—it was the sound of a load-bearing timber splitting!

His heart tightened. He looked back and saw a hideous crack appearing on the wall in the corner of the room, expanding continuously along with the billowing smoke.

"It's going to collapse!"

Su Han's pupils constricted. He threw the girl onto his shoulder and charged out.

Just as he ran out of the room, a thunderous boom came from behind. The entire wall completely collapsed, and burning bricks and wooden planks instantly buried the room.

He stumbled out of the smoke and dust, placing the girl on his shoulder next to the other two.

When he dragged the last person out, he discovered that the entrance to the third-floor stairs was completely engulfed in flames!

Su Han's face darkened: "We can't get out!"

...

There will be another update in the early morning!