171: Chapter 171 Jiang Rumu arrives at the scene, ready to start cursing.

Song Yaoshan was still on the third floor.

When Li Li stepped onto the stairs, a wave of heat poured down from above.

No turnout gear.

No self-contained breathing apparatus.

His left hand was still wrapped in gauze.

He only had a fire axe left.

Visibility in the second-floor corridor was less than five meters. The emergency lights were still on, their green glow pressing into the smoke. Li Li bent over, hugging the wall as he walked, pulling his jacket collar up to cover his mouth and nose.

The aquarium entrance was in the middle of the corridor.

The glass door was half-open.

Li Li kicked it open and slipped inside sideways.

The decorative panel on the wall near the atrium had already fallen, and the metal keel was glowing red from the heat. The floor was covered in debris and display signs.

That water tank was still there.

Five meters high.

Twenty meters long.

The water inside was sloshing. Thousands of goldfish were crowded at the end furthest from the fire, their tails flicking frantically.

Li Li walked to the front of the water tank and tapped it with the back of his axe.

Thud.

The sound was dull.

Acrylic.

Not glass.

Damn it.

An acrylic sheet of this size—if he struck it with the blade of a fire axe, he would leave nothing more than a white scratch. There was no time to grind it out.

He circled to the side of the tank.

There was a row of inspection ports at the bottom, connected to thick drain pipes. They were PVC, joined by flanges. The bolts had changed color from the high heat, and the gaskets were starting to turn brittle.

Don't smash the tank.

Smash the pipe.

Li Li squatted down and touched the flange with the back of his hand.

Hot.

That's enough.

The first axe blow landed on the drain pipe elbow.

Crack.

It split.

The second blow fell.

Snap.

The pipe wall opened, and water sprayed out, splashing over half his body.

Not enough.

This amount of water wasn't even enough to soak his shoe soles.

Li Li adjusted his angle and brought the third blow down directly on the flange connection.

The heat-weakened joint couldn't hold up.

The entire drain outlet burst open.

Water surged from the bottom of the tank.

First, a single stream.

Then, it poured out in a deluge.

The five-meter-high water pressure crashed onto the floor, rushing along the tiles toward the atrium.

The goldfish were swept out too.

Red ones.

White ones.

Variegated ones.

They landed on the floor, flipping and flopping.

A palm-sized koi flopped to Li Li's feet and slapped his shoe with its tail.

Li Li looked down at it.

"Brother, sorry about this."

"I'll have the insurance company process your claim later."

He didn't have time to worry about the fish.

The water rushed to the edge of the atrium and poured down through the gaps in the second-floor railing.

Dozens of tons of water crashed into the fire on the first floor.

White steam billowed upward.

The exterior flames were suppressed, and the temperature dropped by a notch.

Not much.

But enough for the third floor to hold on for a few more minutes.

Li Li switched the fire axe to his left hand.

His left wrist throbbed with pain immediately.

He switched it back to his right hand.

"Don't panic, just a basic maneuver."

After saying that, he turned and rushed toward the third floor.

The smoke was thicker on the third floor.

After the steam rose, the heat was slightly lower than before.

Li Li felt his way forward along the wall.

The Xinrongji Restaurant sign was hanging crookedly.

The emergency lights inside were still on.

He passed through the lobby, rounded the bar, and kicked aside chairs that had fallen to the floor.

A wooden sign hung in the depths of the corridor.

Lanting Room.

The door was closed.

Li Li approached the door panel, and coughing sounds came from inside.

Found him.

He stepped back half a pace and raised the fire axe.

One strike.

The door frame shook.

Two strikes.

The wood cracked.

The third strike.

Half the door panel shattered.

Smoke curled into the room through the opening.

Li Li pulled away the broken wood, bent over, and crawled inside.

Song Yaoshan was curled up in the corner of the private room, a wet cloth over his mouth and nose, his phone screen still lit.

Seeing Li Li, the wet cloth in his hand dropped.

"Bro... Brother Li?"

Li Li scanned the table.

Sichuan-style chicken.

King crab.

Truffle fried rice.

This kid really knew how to eat.

Sixteen years old, eating alone in a private room at Xinrongji Restaurant.

When he was sixteen, he was still fighting people for the last vegetable bun in the cafeteria.

Li Li walked over and hauled Song Yaoshan up from the floor.

Song Yaoshan was a bit taller than last time, his face covered in ash, his lips trembling, but he wasn't crying.

He looked down and saw the gauze coming undone on Li Li's left wrist, and the blood dripping down mixed with water.

"Your hand?"

"Just a scratch."

Li Li took off his soaked jacket and covered Song Yaoshan's head with it.

"Keep your head down, stay close. Don't take big breaths."

"Can you run?"

"Yes."

"If you can't run, tell me, and I'll carry you."

Song Yaoshan coughed twice.

"I'm one meter seventy-five now, you can't carry—"

"Less talk."

Li Li gripped the fire axe and pushed open the broken door panel.

"Let's go."

The two of them rushed into the corridor.

—Cantonese restaurant private room.

Jiang Rumu was still holding Li Li's phone.

The screen image was shaking violently.

Ceiling.

Floor.

Emergency lights.

Smoke.

Everything was a chaotic mess.

Song Yaoshan was running in a hurry, and the phone lens couldn't stay steady at all.

But Jiang Rumu heard the footsteps.

Two people.

One after the other.

The one in front was fast.

The one behind was stumbling.

Cen Ye stood by the table, his leg bumping it until it shook.

"Did Brother Li find him?"

Han Xubai put down his cup.

"He found him."

"But they haven't come out yet."

Cen Ye turned his head.

"Can you stop holding your breath?"

Han Xubai pushed up his glasses.

"Coming down from the third floor means passing the edge of the fire on the second floor. Without protective gear, that part is the most dangerous."

Cen Ye was so annoyed he kept rubbing his head.

"Where exactly do you get all this firefighting knowledge?"

"Consumer rights protection cases."

"Can you change your source of information?"

Fang Ruowei sat in the corner, hands clasped, maintaining a prayer position toward the camera.

The posture was standard.

But her hands were shaking.

This time, it wasn't acting.

Yin Ruoying put the phone face down on the table.

She didn't check the data.

She didn't look at the comments.

The number of viewers in the live stream had already exceeded fifty million.

The comments were so dense you couldn't see the screen.

[They found him! They really found him!]

[Going in with an axe and no gear, Li Li, you're really risking your life!]

[Smashing doors with a fire axe to save people, what kind of hardcore variety show is this?]

[It's not a disaster-prone constitution, it's a disaster-relief constitution.]

[My hands are shaking, just get out first.]

[Jiang Rumu, go scold him! You have to scold him!]

Wen Tang sat in the furthest seat, holding a water cup with both hands.

She didn't get up.

She didn't try to grab the conversation.

She didn't say "Should we go help" again either.

She had taken those words from Yin Ruoying to heart.

At a time like this, the camera wasn't something just anyone could take.

Take it wrong, and you're going to crash.

Jiang Rumu put Li Li's phone on the table, screen facing up.

The image was still shaking.

She stood up and picked up her car keys.

"I'm going to the mall entrance."

Yin Ruoying looked up.

"The fire truck is almost here. Even if you go, you can't help—"

"I'm not going to help."

Jiang Rumu picked up her bag and pushed the door open to leave.

"I'm going to scold him."

The door closed.

The private room was quiet for two seconds.

The comments exploded.

[Scold him! Scold him to death!]

[They agreed on reconnaissance and evacuation, but he ended up going in with an axe.]

[Queen Jiang: I told you to save people, not to throw your life away.]

[Firefighters aren't afraid of fire, they're afraid of their girlfriend waiting at the door.]

[Li Li, don't catch your breath when you come out, write a self-criticism first.]

Cen Ye slowly sat back in his chair.

"Lawyer Bai."

"Yes."

"Do you think after Brother Li comes out, he should go to the hospital first, or run?"

Han Xubai took off his glasses and wiped the lenses.

"Judging from past cases—"

"Speak like a human."

"Run first."

Both of them looked toward the private room door.

Outside the door, the sound of Jiang Rumu's footsteps had already faded.

In the distance, the siren of a fire truck wailed.

It was getting closer and closer.

Huarun Mall, second-floor staircase.

Li Li led Song Yaoshan down from the third floor.

The smoke on the second floor was a bit thinner than before.

The water from the aquarium was still flowing out, and the floor was covered in water. A few goldfish lay in the water, some still jumping.

Song Yaoshan ran past a koi and slipped.

Li Li grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"Watch your step."

Song Yaoshan looked down.

"Why is the floor covered in fish?"

"Don't ask."

Song Yaoshan took another look.

"These are the fish from the aquarium, right?"

"Shut up and run."

"That five-meter-high big water tank?"

"Song Yaoshan."

"Yeah?"

"If you ask again, I'll throw you into the pile of fish."

Song Yaoshan shut up immediately.

The two turned the corner of the corridor and rushed toward the side door.

Outside the mall, red and blue police lights were flashing against the smoke.

The fire truck had arrived.

The water cannons were already set up.

Li Li led Song Yaoshan out of the side door.

Cold air poured into his lungs.

Song Yaoshan bent over and coughed violently, holding his knees, coughing until his face was red.

Li Li leaned the fire axe against the wall.

He was panting too.

The gauze on his left wrist had completely come undone, and blood and water mixed together, dripping down his hand.

A crowd of people had gathered outside.

Phone screens were glowing everywhere.

Lao Zhou squeezed out of the crowd with his camera on his shoulder, aiming the lens at the two of them.

"They're out!"

"They've saved him!"

Someone on the scene shouted.

The crowd started to get chaotic.

In the distance, a silver-gray SUV braked sharply by the side of the road.

The car door opened.

Jiang Rumu got out.

Her orange-red cardigan was very bright under the streetlights.

She stood by the car, looking at Li Li, who was soaked from head to toe and bleeding from his hand, twenty meters away.

She didn't shout.

She didn't run.

She just stood there.

Li Li saw her through the crowd, raised his right hand, and made an OK sign.

Jiang Rumu didn't move.

The car keys in her hand were gripped very tightly.

Song Yaoshan finally caught his breath.

He looked in the direction Li Li was looking.

He was stunned.

"Is that Jiang Rumu???"

Li Li lowered his hand.

Jiang Rumu was already walking toward this side.

One step.

One step.

Very steady.

Li Li looked down at his feet.

That koi from earlier—he didn't know when it had been washed out by the water too, and it was flipping on the ground.

Its tail slapped the ground once.

Li Li stared at it for two seconds.

"Brother."

"Why don't you help me block for a second?"

The koi slapped the ground again.

It didn't block.

Jiang Rumu had already walked up to him.