Chapter 710 - 484 - Night’s Watch_3

"Here they come, here they come!"

Excitement instantly surged in the surrounding area.

The local villagers were sensible too. They saw the firefighters tirelessly putting out fire and helping to save property. Immediately, they said to the old man whose house was on fire:

"Liu Erzhong, shouldn’t you go buy the guys a couple of packs of cigarettes?"

The old man came back to his senses and immediately said, "Eh, eh! Wait a moment, comrade! I’ll go buy you folks a couple of packs of cigarettes!"

Fang Huai stepped forward to stop him, "No need to buy them, hurry and see if there’s a place you can stay tonight. Your house is gone, and whatever could be taken out has been taken. Go find a place to rest first, and come back to tidy up tomorrow. Remember, you can’t go in tonight!"

After saying this, he still felt uneasy and shouted to the people around, "Cadres! Supervise! No one should enter the house tonight!"

A distant voice came, "Understood, rest assured comrade!"

The old man looked at his own house and then at his neighbors’ houses, his throat choked up again.

"Comrade! You’re a good person! Thank you!"

Fang Huai looked at the pile of remaining pots and pans on the ground, not a single intact piece of clothing in sight, and sighed to himself. He reached into his inside pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, squeezed it in his hand, and slipped it quietly into the old man’s outer pocket in the cover of night.

"Pack it up!"

...

The return trip was silent, without the flashing lights or sirens, and under the illumination of the street lights, the vehicles seemed somewhat weary.

The two-way radios in all three cars simultaneously broadcast Fang Huai’s voice.

"Instructor Cao, you and Car No.1 go back to the squadron’s door to refill water; there’s a hydrant by the roadside. Car No.3 will refill here."

"Alright."

At this moment, Hao Chengbin’s voice came through the radio: "Fang Huai, this kid doesn’t want to leave, he wants to return to the squadron with us."

Fang Huai smiled, "Alright, consider him lucky to have met me. He can stay one night at our squadron before joining the new recruit group. That’ll give him something to boast about."

Following Fang Huai’s order, Hao Chengbin, driving the pickup truck, stopped behind Car No.3.

The people in the vehicle got down to pull the hoses and refill water.

Fang Huai also got out of the car to get some fresh air.

As the water supply truck refilled, Zhao Jinchen, Zhang Yang, and Fang Huai simply sat on the curb, observing their surroundings.

The vicinity was a night market road, with bright lights in the distance, all around them were unfamiliar faces, the lively sounds of finger-guessing games, and the echo of the commotion that added a touch of solitude.

From the rear vehicle, Hao Chengbin, Zhang Tianwang, and Qin Hongjun also got out and leaned against the curb, enjoying the tranquility within the hustle.

Yu Ming followed, not daring to sit, he stood beside them, curiously looking at everyone.

Zhao Jinchen propped himself up with both hands on the ground, tilted his head back, rotated it a couple of times, and let out a groan.

"Ah... my shoulders and neck are killing me; I’ll need some ointment when I get back."

Hao Chengbin laughed and patted him, "When we get back, I’ll introduce you to an old Chinese doctor."

Zhao Jinchen became interested, "Is he any good?"

Listening to them, Fang Huai also laughed, "Don’t worry. Our squad leader here is a senior intermediary of the provincial Chinese Medicine Association."

Hao Chengbin glared, about to raise his hand, but seeing Yu Ming beside him and thinking about giving Fang Huai some face, he let it go.

Suddenly, Fang Huai’s combat uniform chest pocket two-way radio crackled again.

"Fang Huai, Fang Huai!"

Fang Huai picked it up, "Received, go ahead."

"Just reported to the Command Center. They said Jinyang has received a report that a mountain villa’s many snakes have escaped; the snakes are venomous, and the surrounding roads are frequently traversed. I’m sending you the location!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Fang Huai frowned and pressed the radio again:

"Has 110 gone yet?"

"They’re on the way now, but they’re not professionals. We’ll head over first!"

"Received!"

Fang Huai shouted, immediately getting up.

"Let’s go, let’s go. We’ve got work to do."

Zhang Yang sprung to his feet, "You guys pack up the hoses! I’ll go look for some pliers!"

No one cared whether the water was full or not; they started to unhook the hoses.

Yu Ming quickly followed Fang Huai and said, "Captain Fang... Aren’t firefighters supposed to put out fires? Is this also part of the job?"

Fang Huai turned back and looked at him, thought for a moment, and pointed to the busy traffic not far away:

"You see that? How peaceful is the night in this city? We firefighters have another name; we’re called ’the Night’s Watch.’"

Hearing these words, the surrounding comrades stopped their work and straightened up, smiling.

Hao Chengbin was particularly moved, recalling a phrase that had etched itself in his memory, he laughed loudly and proclaimed, "With the brightness of a thousand homes, a soldier must be the sword-wielding guardian!"

They looked at each other and said in unison:

"So it is tonight, and so it shall be, every night!"