154: Chapter 154 Riding a Bike Through a Mountain Fire

As the three transport trucks turned into the North Gate of the Wutong Mountain scenic area, the smoke from the mountaintop had already descended.

Layers of gray-black smoke were pushed eastward by the wind.

Li Li dialed Jiang Rumu's number for the ninth time.

"Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

He took the phone away from his ear.

The screen went dark, then he lit it up again.

The road outside the North Gate was already packed with fire trucks.

Red truck bodies lined up to the intersection, with the sounds of water pumps, engines, and walkie-talkie static all mixed together.

Scenic area staff were pulling up caution tape, tourists were being evacuated, some were holding up phones to film the mountaintop, and some were looking back as they ran.

The cost of traffic violations in Pengcheng was ridiculously high, so there wasn't even a single private car blocking the road.

Li Li scanned the area.

This was probably one of the few cities in the country where fire trucks could arrive at a scene without having to first curse about "whose piece-of-junk car is blocking the way."

Han Su jumped out of the passenger seat and rushed to the command vehicle.

"Luohu Station reinforcements, three trucks of fire hoses, demolition tools, and spare air breathing apparatus parts. Please confirm the receiving point, Command."

The middle-aged commander next to the command vehicle looked up, his gaze sweeping over the three transport trucks.

"Unload in the open space to the right of the North Gate plaza and stack them according to the numbering."

"Received."

Shen Jue was the first to jump off the truck. He held a twenty-kilogram roll of fire hose in his arms, his knees nearly buckling.

He gritted his teeth and ran toward the open space.

Ji Shen and Jiang Shiyu followed.

Gu Zeyan dragged a bundle of spare fire hoses for two steps, and a pair of hands reached out from behind.

Qin Xiaoshan helped push.

The sausage in his mouth was already gone.

The variety show guests were usually mocked by netizens for being delicate, but right now, no one was complaining about being tired.

One roll.

Two rolls.

Three rolls.

The fire hoses were stacked in the designated area, and the Firefighters immediately split into groups to carry them up the mountain.

Li Li did not unload cargo.

He stood by the side of the road, staring at the entrance to the scenic area.

Up the stone steps, Firefighters came down trip after trip, their combat suits soaked through. Some leaned against the railings, dry-heaving, while others had just brought water to their lips when they were called back by their walkie-talkies to continue carrying.

The mountain road was too narrow.

Vehicles couldn't go up.

The fire hoses could only be carried by people.

Cheng Songyan ran down from the direction of the entrance, his helmet tucked under his arm, the top half of his combat suit open, his face covered in sweat.

Li Li went to meet him.

"Where is the ignition point?"

Cheng Songyan bent over to catch his breath for two seconds.

"The mountaintop. Four kilometers up from the North Gate."

Four kilometers.

Stone steps.

Narrow road.

High winds.

Li Li pulled out his phone and dialed Jiang Rumu again.

The tenth time.

"Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

Cheng Songyan straightened up.

"Who is on the mountaintop?"

Li Li put his phone away.

"Jiang Rumu."

Cheng Songyan froze.

"Are you sure?"

"She sent her real-time location at noon—the summit of Wutong Mountain. She was with her assistant, Lu Cheng, and two dogs. I haven't been able to get through to her since."

Cheng Songyan put on his helmet.

"Don't panic."

"I'm not panicking."

Cheng Songyan raised his hand and pointed at Li Li's right hand.

"Your hand is shaking."

Li Li looked down.

His right hand was indeed shaking.

He shoved his hand into his pocket and pressed hard against his palm.

Cheng Songyan didn't prod him further.

"The biggest problem now is the distance."

He turned and pointed toward the mountain path.

"Firefighters are carrying the hoses up from the North Gate, twenty-five meters per section. To reach the summit, it'll take at least three hundred rolls. They're only advancing one kilometer every half hour, and the higher they go, the steeper it gets, so they'll get slower and slower."

"Helicopters?"

"The wind is too strong; they can't go up."

"Drones?"

"They can scout, but they can't extinguish a fire like this."

"What about reinforcements?"

"They're all on the way, but the firefighting operation won't have water for at least an hour or two."

An hour or two.

Li Li didn't respond.

He stared up the stone steps.

A Firefighter was rushing up with a hose when he slipped, but two people next to him grabbed him.

The three of them didn't stop; they steadied themselves and kept running up.

Humans aren't machines.

Relying on people to carry the hoses up to the summit one roll at a time—there wasn't enough time.

Li Li turned around and scanned the commercial street outside the North Gate.

Milk tea shops.

Convenience stores.

Outdoor gear stores.

Souvenir shops.

Finally, he stopped in front of a sign.

Zhang Xue Motorcycles.

The shop wasn't large, and there were a few display bikes parked out front.

On the outermost side was a dirt bike with deep tire treads, and a promotional sign was still hanging on the body.

Next to it was a silver ADV, with a slightly lower seat height, a bulging fuel tank, and plenty of front suspension travel.

Li Li walked straight over.

The clerk was standing at the entrance, filming the smoke on the mountaintop.

Seeing Li Li approaching in a combat suit, he subconsciously stepped aside.

"The restroom is inside, turn left..."

"I want to buy a motorcycle."

The clerk nearly dropped his phone.

"Huh?"

Li Li pointed at the dirt bike.

"Can this go up stairs?"

The clerk turned back.

"Yes, the 820RR, it can handle slopes and stairs."

"How much?"

"Forty-eight thousand."

Li Li opened his payment code.

"Card payment. I'm riding it away now."

The clerk froze for two seconds, then quickly waved his hands.

"No, no, that's a display bike, it's not for sale. Our shop doesn't have stock on hand; if you want to buy it, you have to order online, and it ships in three to five business days."

Li Li looked up at the smoke on the mountaintop.

"Three to five business days—the people on the mountaintop can't wait that long."

The clerk also took a look.

He hesitated.

But he repeated the same thing.

"I really can't. The display bike is a company asset; if I sell it, I'll have to pay for it. And..."

He paused.

"Do you have a motorcycle license?"

Li Li put his phone away.

No.

Before transmigrating, he had ridden a construction site tricycle.

The global vehicle driving skills the system gave him included motorcycles.

But the system didn't issue physical driver's licenses.

The clerk breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the matter was over.

Li Li spoke up.

"Who at your headquarters can make the call?"

"Headquarters?"

"The boss, the regional manager, the after-sales manager. Whoever can decide if this bike can be ridden away today."

The clerk reflexively gave a number.

He realized what he'd done after saying it.

"Wait, no, that's the after-sales line, it's usually for repairs, calling it won't..."

Li Li had already dialed it.

Other companies' after-sales was just after-sales, but for Zhang Xue, the after-sales could only be Zhang Xue herself.

After three rings, the call connected.

A male voice with a Xiangnan accent came from the other side.

"Zhang Xue After-Sales, may I ask..."

"Boss Zhang Xue, is that you?"

The person on the other end paused for two seconds.

"Who are you?"

The clerk stood to the side, frozen.

This number was indeed in the after-sales system.

But the boss would occasionally answer the phone on weekends, saying it was to experience the front lines.

Today, he actually answered.

Li Li spoke very quickly.

"My name is Li Li, and I'm currently outside the North Gate of Wutong Mountain scenic area, right in front of your store. The mountaintop is on fire, the fire trucks can't get up, and carrying hoses by hand is too slow. I need a motorcycle that can climb stairs to get up the mountain. There's an 820RR display bike in the shop, but the clerk says it's not for sale."

The other end of the line went quiet.

"Wait."

The man's voice rose.

"Li Li?"

"Yes."

"The Li Li from TikTok?"

"Yes."

"The one with one hundred million followers?"

"Yes."

"The one with the May 1st Labor Medal?"

"Yes."

The person on the other end cursed in a Xiangnan dialect.

The clerk stood to the side, his expression shifting.

The boss continued.

"Don't ride the 820RR; that one was used for road testing, and the chain needs replacing. Is there a 650ADV out front? The silver one."

Li Li turned his head.

"Yes."

"Ride that one. It just arrived last month, zero kilometers, full tank of gas. The key is in the second drawer on the left side of the checkout counter."

The clerk stiffened even more.

He had just said it wasn't for sale.

The boss told him to ride it away.

His career began to crack.

Li Li asked, "How much?"

"No charge."

"I'm buying it."

"Buy my ass."

The boss's voice was rough.

"You're helping the Firefighters go up the mountain to save people. For me, a motorcycle guy, being able to provide a bike is worth it. Bring it back when you're done. If you crash it, it's on me; if the chain breaks, I'll replace it; if you wear out the tires, I'll accept it."

Li Li paused for a second.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me."

The other end of the line paused.

"But do you really have a license?"

Li Li looked toward the scenic area entrance.

The caution tape had been pulled up, the mountain path was locked down, and tourists were all being held outside.

"Boss Zhang, the mountaintop is burning. The license thing can wait."

The person on the other end was silent for half a second.

"Fine. Just don't get yourself killed."

The call ended.

Li Li entered the shop and pulled open the second drawer on the left of the checkout counter.

The key was inside.

The key fob for the silver 650ADV had a small wolf head on it, roughly made.

He picked up the key and turned to leave.

Cheng Songyan had already chased after him.

"You're going to ride a motorcycle up the mountain?"

Li Li swung onto the bike.

"People can't outrun the fire, but I can on a motorcycle."

Cheng Songyan picked up his walkie-talkie.

"Command, someone is requesting to ride a motorcycle up the mountain. The scenic area is locked down, and the route is the North Gate stone steps."

There was a lot of static on the walkie-talkie.

"Who?"

Cheng Songyan watched Li Li insert the key into the bike.

"Li Li."

The other end went quiet for a moment.

Station Chief Chen Tao's voice cut in.

"Let him go. Give him a walkie-talkie and a GPS tracker. Clear the mountain path; don't let the hose teams block him."

"Received."

Cheng Songyan took the walkie-talkie from a nearby Firefighter and grabbed a first-aid kit.

"The channel is set. Take the first-aid kit, a fire blanket, and a tow rope."

Li Li strapped on the first-aid kit, tucked the fire blanket under the rear seat straps, and wrapped the tow rope around his waist.

Cheng Songyan gave instructions in a low voice.

"Don't be a hero. Once you find them, report your location first; don't charge into the fire line yourself."

Li Li fastened his helmet and said to Shen Jue.

"Tie two hoses to my bike; I'll transport them up."

Shen Jue ran over holding the hoses and tied them to the back of the motorcycle, sweat covering his forehead.

"Brother Li!"

Li Li turned his head and nodded.

Shen Jue wanted to say a lot, but in the end, he only squeezed out one sentence.

"Bring my sister back."

Li Li didn't reply with "don't worry."

He just dialed the number one last time.

The screen was lit.

Jiang Rumu.

Dialing.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

"Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

Li Li shoved his phone into his pocket.

He turned the key to ON.

The dashboard lit up.

The fuel gauge was full.

He twisted the throttle with his right hand, the engine roared to life, and the exhaust vibrations caused the promotional sign at the entrance to fall to the ground.

The clerk bent down to pick up the sign, muttering under his breath.

"The boss said no charge, so how is my performance bonus calculated..."

No one paid him any mind.

Li Li kicked up the kickstand and turned the bike toward the North Gate of the scenic area.

The caution tape was pulled aside by Firefighters.

Up the stone steps, several Firefighters carrying hoses moved to the sides.

Cheng Songyan raised his walkie-talkie.

"Attention on the North Gate mountain path, a silver motorcycle is heading up. Please clear the way."

Li Li leaned the bike low.

The front wheel hopped onto the first stone step.

The bike jolted violently.

The suspension compressed and then rebounded.

The second step.

The third step.

The fourth step.

The rear wheel bit into the stone surface, and the bike surged upward.

The silver motorcycle roared as it charged up the stone steps.

The sound of the engine drowned out the shouting.

Shen Jue stood by the side of the road, still holding half a roll of hose.

The wind pressed down from the mountain, messing up his hair.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't shout anything out.

Ji Shen walked up beside him.

"He's gone up."

Shen Jue put the hose on the ground and squatted down to wipe his face.

"Sister will definitely be fine."

Ji Shen didn't respond.

Further up the mountain path, the smoke was even thicker.

The silver bike continued up the stone steps, the rear wheel lifting off the ground several times from the bumps, only to be forced back down by Li Li.

Shouts from Firefighters came over the walkie-talkie.

"Clear the second section of the North Gate path!"

"Hose teams, stay to the right!"

"Motorcycle has passed the first supply point!"

Li Li did not slow down.

The stone steps ahead turned into the gray smoke.

The silver motorcycle charged straight into it.