Chapter 313 - 249: You Could At Least Bring Something!

"Meng Qiang, what’s the emergency!" Cao Yi’s loud voice echoed through the building.

"High-rise residential fire! The caller said three rooms are on fire, and no one’s trapped!"

"Firefighting Squad One, Special Duty Squad, dispatch Car 1 and Car 2! Aerial platform truck!"

Under Cao Yi’s command, the entire squadron sprang into action.

"Wait for me."

Fang Huai heard the orders clearly, gently squeezed Yang Shaoqing’s hand, and gave her a reassuring smile.

Because he could feel Yang Shaoqing’s grip was a bit tight, and there was a slight, subtle dampness in the center of his palm.

The furrowed brows made her beautiful, large eyes brim with anxiety.

"Don’t worry, lately they’re mostly false alarms. We put it out upon arrival and I’ll be back in a jiffy, haha."

As he spoke, Fang Huai patted Yang Shaoqing’s hair and waved to his parents behind him.

"Squad Leader Kong, please take care of them!"

Fang Huai yelled towards Kong Xiangzhong in the guard pavilion.

Kong Xiangzhong stepped out of the pavilion and gave an "OK" sign.

Only then did Fang Huai rush to the garage. Because he had delayed for a moment, he directly picked up his combat uniform and boarded Car 1.

Faced with a high-rise fire, even Cao Yi had finally stopped carrying his hidden "wounds" and rushed downstairs with a limp, also picking up his combat uniform and getting into the co-driver’s seat of Car 1.

This matter also concerned Little Black. It was one of the reasons everyone quickly forgave and understood Cao Yi; he would never feel comfortable letting the rather impulsive Ye Jiahong lead the team alone when deploying more than three vehicles on a major call, even if Ye Jiahong was on duty—Cao Yi would follow in the vehicle.

Seconds later, the vehicles left the station. Fang Huai, who was seated by the window, stared straight ahead without making a sound, only glancing sideways at the door with the corner of his eye.

But the moment Cao Yi rolled down the window, he spotted Fang Huai’s parents, and also that impressive Little Yang.

"Fang Huai, your family’s here? Stop the car, stop the car!" Cao Yi bellowed.

A sudden brake in the car sent the four men in the rear lurching forward.

Cao Yi turned around: "Fang Huai, get off!"

Fang Huai had anticipated this from Cao Yi and, with an annoyed click of his tongue, impatiently waved his hand forward, saying,

"Go, go, go! I’m the squad leader of the Special Duty Squad, and I’m on duty. If I don’t go, what’s the point? Squad Leader Fang, hurry! Don’t block the way and waste time!"

In the time it took to say that, Fang Hongliang, who was driving, didn’t have time to offer a second chance to exit the vehicle, immediately released the brake and sped up sharply, shifting gears.

Seeing this scene, Fang Kaiyang stood proudly at the door, his hands on his back, boasting,

"That’s my boy... after all these years, the genes have finally corrected themselves. Being a soldier means prioritizing public duties first!"

Zhang Mei, with a worried expression, pinched Fang Kaiyang hard, intending to scold him, but when she saw Yang Shaoqing intently watching Fang Huai’s fire truck, she held back.

What is seen is learned; she couldn’t scold, she couldn’t scold.

Fang Kaiyang cried out from the pinch and turned around, glaring: "Why are you pinching me?"

Zhang Mei quickly applied force with her hand and pinched him again.

"When did I pinch you?"

Fang Kaiyang grimaced in pain: "Ow... no no no, you didn’t pinch me!"

Watching the old couple, the worry in Yang Shaoqing’s brow unfolded, and her eyes curved into a happy smile, very contented.

Uncle Fang is so cute.

Fang Huai is just as adorable, tough on the outside and soft on the inside. That must be in the genes.

...

Fifteen minutes later.

Before their eyes was a high-end neighborhood mixing high-rises with townhouses.

There were two entrances to the complex: the left led down to the garage, and the right led up into the residential area, with pedestrian and vehicular traffic separated.

As soon as the horn "honked," a security guard from the guard pavilion emerged and opened the large iron gate to let them in.

This scene brought relief to everyone.

At least they hadn’t delayed the police dispatch time, and in such a complex, facilities like aerial platforms should be well-equipped and accessible for vehicle deployment.

The vehicles advanced further inside, passing through the townhouse district on a wide asphalt road clear of obstructions, where they encountered only a few young men and women in high-end workout clothes out for a walk, all of whom politely made way, further easing everyone’s mood.

"Tsk tsk, mom... if I lived in a place like this, I could live several years longer."

Hao Chengbin, seated next to Cao Yi in the front row, sighed with admiration.

In such a tranquil environment, even the swear words that were on the tip of his tongue seemed to be restrained.

With a hint of sarcasm, Cao Yi laughed: "The housing prices here start at six thousand per square meter, and those high-rises in the back are over five thousand. Calculate how much you save in a month, can you afford half a square meter?"

"Damn," Hao Chengbin, upon hearing the price, realized this place had nothing to do with him. He couldn’t fit in, and the national curse slipped out.

He then smacked his lips: "This housing... for one square meter, it’s damn near enough to bury someone. Forget it, I’d rather live a few years less."

Yet, Fang Huai laughed, "Squad leader, don’t make a fuss. In a few more years, burying someone will cost tens of thousands, and as housing prices for the living soar, so will those for the dead."

This time, Hao Chengbin wasn’t spooked and casually waved it off: "No problem, if I die in the troops, the state will take care of the burial. If I die after being discharged, worse comes to worst, I’ll find a mountain to scatter my ashes. Save even the cost of an urn."

The whole car burst into laughter.

Their casual approach to life and death, and the dark humor they joked about all the time, really did build up quite a few people’s courage.

The car drove on, and when it entered the area with tall buildings, they finally saw some chaos.

But underneath the burning building stood a large crowd, and not a single enthusiastic person came up to guide them; they parked nearby, and only then did a security guard appear.

In this regard, even the residents in the lower and less sophisticated structures seemed much better.