Chapter 454: Crisis Appears! That Person Is Ning Guan master?

"Why is the community's fire lane blocked?!"

Sitting in the lead fire engine, Zhang Meng saw the two BMWs and a Mercedes blocking the fire lane. He was so anxious he was ready to curse someone's mother.

These owners had the money for luxury cars but couldn't be bothered to pay for a parking spot, opting to block the fire lane instead.

Right now, a large crowd had gathered at the bottom of the apartment complex.

When the major fire broke out, the residents had immediately rushed downstairs to escape the danger.

"The fire lane is blocked! The fire trucks can't get in!"

At this moment, a resident of the community shouted loudly.

"Whose cars are these? Move them, hurry!"

"There's no time! Everyone, let's lift these cars and move them into the garden next to us! Let the fire trucks through first!"

"Right! Let the fire trucks in first!"

The scene was incredibly chaotic, but a few older men remained composed and immediately rallied the crowd to help move the vehicles.

Led by those few men, the residents swarmed the emergency lane. They hoisted the luxury cars into the air and deposited them onto the adjacent sidewalk, rapidly clearing the path for the fire engines.

Watching from the sidelines, firefighter Zhang Meng was deeply moved.

"Let's go!" he said to the driver, settling back into the passenger seat.

The three fire engines surged forward once more.

The surrounding residents watched them with utmost respect. Many were still shouting:

"Stay strong!"

"Stay safe!"

"Please make sure to stay safe!"

Hearing their words, Zhang Meng's gaze grew even more resolute.

The fire engines gradually approached the site of the blaze.

Even though the firefighters had undergone professional training, they were still shocked by the sight before them.

This massive fire had started on the third floor and was burning its way upward.

The building had a total of 32 floors.

Fortunately, it was a standalone tower with only six apartments per floor. If it had been a terraced block, the fire would have likely been much worse.

Billowing black smoke poured out. Often, the true horror of a fire wasn't the flames themselves, but this thick, suffocating smoke.

"Reporting to the captain, we have arrived at the scene. The fire has currently spread to the 13th floor and shows signs of continuing upward!"

"According to the residents, everyone in the building noticed when the fire broke out, so they all managed to escape."

"As of now, we haven't discovered anyone trapped inside."

"Extinguishing this by manpower alone is too difficult. We are requesting a helicopter for backup!"

After assessing the fire, Zhang Meng immediately reported to Commander Wu Qi.

Hearing his report, Wu Qi's expression remained stern.

When it came to high-rise fires, as long as no one was trapped, things were manageable.

Generally speaking, when a fire first started, the blaze wasn't large. It was easy for people to notice and react accordingly.

However, in these situations, it was never guaranteed that everyone would be able to react in time.

As long as there was even a fraction of a chance that someone was still inside, Wu Qi couldn't relax.

Meanwhile, Ning Fei had also driven up to the outskirts of the Wenxin Garden Community.

"What a massive fire."

Ning Fei looked at the billowing black smoke pouring from the building, feeling a heavy weight in his chest.

Thanks to his skills, his eyesight was incredibly sharp.

At that moment, he seemed to catch sight of something.

"What is that?"

"No way!"

Ning Fei suddenly exclaimed.

Through the black smoke, he saw the silhouettes of two children in a 26th-floor window.

They were definitely children. His vision was excellent; there was no way he was mistaken.

"Crap!"

"I have to go take a look."

Seeing this, Ning Fei couldn't worry about anything else. Anxious, he quickly parked his car on the side of the road and rushed into the residential community.

A few people noticed Ning Fei. Without having time to think much of it, they just cried out in surprise:

"I can't believe we're seeing Ning Guan master here!"

Just as Ning Fei was entering the community, the firefighters also spotted the situation on the 26th floor.

"Captain, look up there! On the 26th floor, it looks like there's someone inside!" one of the firefighters cried out.

Zhang Meng rapidly connected a fire hose while looking up at the high-rise.

In that instant, his mind practically exploded.

The 26th floor. That was a height their aerial ladders simply couldn't reach.

That meant the fire engines couldn't perform a rescue at all!

Furthermore, the fire from the 3rd to the 13th floor was still spreading. The temperatures were far too high; it was absolutely impossible for anyone to go in through the stairwell.

What could they do?

Only one thought occupied Zhang Meng's mind right now: Save them!

They had to figure out a way to save those people!

"Aim the water cannons higher! We need to control the upward spread of the fire first!"

Zhang Meng issued the order.

The firefighters on the three engines immediately took hold of the high-pressure water cannons, sending thick streams of water blasting straight toward the flames on the high-rise building.

Meanwhile, just outside the police cordon a short distance away.

Countless reporters were swarming in!

Shouldering their heavy camera equipment, they filmed this horrifying disaster while delivering live commentary.

Moreover, in this era of universal social media, many netizens had already filmed videos of the fire and uploaded them online.

The hashtag #WenxinGardenCommunityFire suddenly skyrocketed with terrifying momentum!

"Look over there! There are two children!"

"Whose kids are those? Why didn't they come down earlier?"

"The adults must have gone out on errands and locked them at home for safety!"

"What are we going to do!"

It was at this moment that someone in the crowd below noticed the anomaly.

Instantly, people stared up at the peak of the fire in horror.

Everyone saw two young children pressing themselves against a 23rd-floor window, looking down at the crowd below.

In that single moment, a wave of despair spread through the hearts of the onlookers.

"Captain, let me rush up there and save them!"

On the fire department's side, a firefighter approached Zhang Meng and volunteered for the rescue.

"Don't be an idiot! With ten floors on fire, even an immortal couldn't charge up there!"

"Control the fire first. The helicopter will be here soon, and we can rescue them from above!"

Zhang Meng was frantic, but he remained rational.

Right now, their only option was to wait for the helicopter to arrive.

However, this blaze was spreading far faster than anyone could have imagined!

They were currently in a race against the Grim Reaper, so they had to contain the fire as much as possible!

"Captain, there's no time!"

"It'll take at least another half-hour for the helicopter to get here from the airport!"

"In half an hour, the fire will definitely burn its way up to them!"

The firefighter stubbornly stood his ground.

After all, it wasn't as if the people on the 26th floor would only be in danger when the flames actually reached them.

Once the fire reached around the 20th floor, the intense heat and thick smoke would surge upward. If those kids were up there with no one looking out for them, it was highly likely they would lose their lives!

A dilemma lay before Zhang Meng.

If they went in, there was a ninety percent chance that both the firefighters and the children would perish inside.

If they didn't go, the children would certainly die.

Sometimes, making a choice was excruciating.

Outsiders loved to use moral blackmail. If they didn't go, there would undoubtedly be a sky-high wave of curses, questioning why they stood by and watched people die.

Zhang Meng clenched his teeth tightly, his eyes turning bloodshot.

He still vividly remembered that one rescue operation where his teammate had perished.

Firefighters' lives were lives too. When Zhang Meng had gone to his teammate's home and told the man's mother that her child had died fighting a fire, he could never forget the look in her eyes.

"You stay here and hold the water cannon steady!"

"I'll go up and rescue them!"

Zhang Meng made his decision.

"Captain!" the firefighters cried out in shock.

The scene was tragic and the situation critical.

Everyone felt as though a sharp sword was hanging right over their heads!

Right at that moment, a somewhat gentle voice suddenly spoke up.

"Gentlemen, do me a favor."

"Sweep the water cannons downward a bit and briefly cool off the exterior of the lower floors."

Hearing this voice, all the firefighters froze.

Zhang Meng turned his head and saw someone he never would have dreamed of seeing here.

That person was none other than Ning Fei.