The aerial ladder slowly lifted Zhou Wei upwards, passing through the sea of flames from above. Below, tongues of fire writhed, like hellish hands desperately trying to pull him down.
As the ladder drew closer, floor by floor, Zhou Wei, now fully equipped, began signaling with his hands. Unable to speak due to his gear, he could only communicate with gestures to Wang Yu. Despite the inferno below and Wang Yu behind him, he knew Wang Yu would understand.
"A little further that way?"
Wang Yu gritted his teeth. He should have equipped all the fire brigade members with wireless communicators. He slowly adjusted the metal control lever in his hand.
*Creak… creak…*
With a dry grating sound, Wang Yu could no longer move the control lever. He knew the ladder had reached its limit. Zhou Wei, at the top of the ladder, seemed to realize this too and began to climb along the floors.
Climbing from the third to the fourth floor in full, heavy protective gear was incredibly difficult under normal circumstances, let alone in this raging fire. The only fortunate thing was that most households in the hardware factory's residential compound used coal briquette stoves. If, like Wang Yu's car factory, they had switched to gas cylinders due to improved conditions, it would have been truly dangerous, possibly leading to an explosion.
Zhou Wei tried several times but couldn't climb up, nearly falling once. This made Wang Yu incredibly anxious.
"Han Jun!"
"Little factory manager, what do you need?" Han Jun quickly stepped forward.
"Go drive the vehicle, move it a bit closer!" Wang Yu commanded Han Jun.
"What? Little factory manager, we're already at the edge of the fire. Getting any closer is dangerous!" Han Jun was startled by Wang Yu's order. The car was facing the fire, so moving closer would put Wang Yu directly in the path of the flames.
"Stop blabbering and do as I say! Reverse slowly and steadily. I'll be careful." Wang Yu said sternly to Han Jun.
"Uh… yes sir!" Han Jun knew he couldn't argue with Wang Yu and reluctantly agreed.
"Oh, and let some air out of the rear tires. Don't get too close to the fire, or the rubber might heat up and explode. We can repair the car later!" Wang Yu added. This wasn't a small car; a tire explosion could flip the entire vehicle.
"Got it!" Han Jun replied. The vehicle began to reverse slowly and smoothly, inching towards the fire like a snail.
As the vehicle approached, Wang Yu continued to operate the control lever, and the ladder moved closer to the fourth floor. The fire brigade members and the car factory workers who had come to help now understood Wang Yu's intention. They aimed their fire hoses and extinguishers around him, trying to reduce the flames blocking his path. However, the high temperature caused by evaporation and steam made Wang Yu feel like he was being steamed. He wondered if this was how hairy crabs felt.
Wang Yu's mouth was dry, and the sweat on his body evaporated before it could drip.
"Just… a little bit further, damn it!" Wang Yu gritted out. The closer he got to the flames, the more he felt his hair might be scorching. Wu Lingling would probably mock him for a long time if she saw it. The metal control lever of the ladder was also becoming hot from the heat, burning his palms like a branding iron.
"Sloppy," he muttered inwardly. "I should have added insulation. Practice truly tests truth. As for gloves… damn it, this situation isn't suitable for them either." Wang Yu smiled bitterly but gritted his teeth, stabilizing the control lever with all his might to prevent the ladder from shaking and affecting Zhou Wei.
"A little closer!" Wang Yu roared at Han Jun. Zhou Wei was almost at the top.
"Little factory manager, you can't get any closer!"
"Don't flap your gums, or I'll kick your ass when we get back!"
The fire truck retreated slightly. Wang Yu felt a bit dizzy, a sign of oxygen deprivation. But he still held onto the control lever tightly, staring at the scene.
This time, the distance was sufficient. Zhou Wei finally climbed to the fourth floor and disappeared into a smoke-filled window. A moment later, he reappeared, his head emerging from the window, carrying an elderly person with white hair. Zhou Wei carefully placed the elder onto the ladder and then plunged back into the fire. Wang Yu quickly operated the ladder, slowly lowering it. People rushed forward to help the elder off the ladder. Then Wang Yu raised the ladder again. After a while, Zhou Wei emerged with a little girl.
This process was repeated several times until all trapped individuals were rescued. When Zhou Wei finally descended the ladder, Wang Yu breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"Damn it, being a hero is tough!" Wang Yu slumped to the ground, feeling utterly drained. Han Jun quickly handed him water, and he drank it down in gulps, nearly choking. Zhou Wei, the fire brigade captain, looked equally exhausted. As a professional, his task was even more arduous than Wang Yu's.
With the people rescued, the car factory workers and the fire brigade began their systematic work of extinguishing the remaining fire. The perimeter of the flames was gradually shrinking.
"Little Wang, you should design this ladder to be wider next time. At least I wouldn't have to make so many trips, or I could bring a couple of brothers up with me!" Zhou Wei said to Wang Yu with a wry smile. "Like this, I'm a lone hero, and that last bit almost made me slip, and you wouldn't see me again."
"Can't be helped. Our country's steelmaking technology isn't up to par. The ladder's dimensions were calculated precisely. Any larger and it would fall apart in mid-air," Wang Yu replied with a helpless shake of his head. "But soon, I'll acquire the steel mill, and this problem will be solved."
"Alright, you're the expert in that. Just like you can't fight fires or rescue people, I can't comment as an outsider." Zhou Wei shrugged and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "Have one… Regardless, you've been a great help today. Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. You've built ten and a half pagodas."
"Why ten and a half?" Wang Yu took a cigarette.
"Because three people were saved, and I contributed half the effort in risking my life." Zhou Wei said with a playful grin. As they spoke, the fire was being brought under control and was gradually subsiding.
"Then we've got twenty-one pagodas at three times seven. I'll give you half then."
"Haha, what about all these brothers here? How should we divide it? Should we crowdfund?" Wang Yu relaxed and said jokingly.
"Crowdfund?"
"Think of it as everyone pooling their money together."
"That's quite a vivid analogy."
As they chatted and laughed, Lu Fangquan from the hardware factory arrived with a group of people.
"Arrest Wang Yu and hand him over to the public security bureau!" Lu Fangquan's voice boomed as soon as he arrived.
What? What's going on?