Chapter 132: Eh, you're blessed!

The night was as dark as ink, with specks of fire dotting the mountain.

Lu Yang shouldered two fire extinguishers and strode up the mountain like a shooting star.

Looking like that, he didn't seem to be transporting supplies up the mountain; it was clear he was hauling ammunition to the front line.

Fortunately, he had just eaten, his stomach was full, and with proper rest, he was now full of energy.

Soon, Lu Yang reached the vicinity of the summit via the safe route from one side.

He happened to see two or three firefighters supporting a soot-covered young firefighter as they descended from the fire scene at the mountaintop.

"With your build, what the hell are you trying to prove? I told you to just help pass things from the rear; why insist on going to the front with us!"

"No wonder you were rejected in the military physical; if you joined the army with that physique, you'd probably be worked to death!"

"Can you still walk? If not, let someone take you down the mountain to rest first."

Upon hearing that he would be sent down the mountain, the young firefighter being supported coughed violently but kept shaking his head in refusal.

The Squad Leader and comrades were at the front line; as a fresh recruit, how could he feel ashamed to go down the mountain to rest?

"I can still keep going... cough, cough, cough, vomit!"

Before he could finish speaking, the young firefighter hunched over, opened his mouth, and dry-retched.

Although the fire was under control, the continued high-temperature work and inhalation of smoke and dust into the nose and lungs

still caused him to suffer from exhaustion, dizziness, and even nausea and vomiting.

Firefighters aren't made of iron, and besides, he had only just joined the fire brigade a short while ago, making him no different from a rookie in the army.

Therefore, these conditions were inevitable; one of the people supporting him happened to be his Squad Leader.

He had originally prepared to scold him a couple of times and have someone forcibly send him down the mountain to rest, but he happened to see Lu Yang shouldering two heavy fire extinguishers, jogging over here.

"Look at his build, then look at yours!"

"With that, you still dare to show off? Want to be a hero without checking the situation? Hurry up and get down the mountain to rest!"

The firefighter Squad Leader waved at Lu Yang and took the two fire extinguishers from his shoulders.

And hoped he could help carry the exhausted firefighter down the mountain.

The temperature on the mountain is high, with smoke drifting about; in poor condition, one shouldn't linger.

Otherwise, it could lay hidden health risks, especially since inhaling too much smoke and dust into the lungs causes irreversible damage.

Lu Yang readily accepted the task and proactively squatted down to put the firefighter on his back.

This made the exhausted young firefighter feel even more embarrassed; being peers, his poor performance really lost face for the fire brigade.

On the contrary, Lu Yang, while carrying him down the mountain, actively comforted him: "Don't think too much; you firefighters are on the front lines, doing the hardest, most exhausting, most dangerous work. We soldiers just follow behind to lend a hand, so our physical exertion is definitely different."

Hearing this, the young firefighter felt much better.

"My name is Zhang Wenbin, a person from Qilu."

"Lu Yang, from Su Province."

"I really envy you."

"Envy what?"

Zhang Wenbin looked at the scar on Lu Yang's shoulder, full of envy: "I've always wanted to join the army, but I was screened out, and then I couldn't get my family to pull strings, so I ended up becoming a firefighter......"

Lu Yang: "Then you're blessed."

Zhang Wenbin: "????"

Lu Yang: "Being a firefighter is great—you're in the city, and you can occasionally go out for a breather. Unlike us, we're stuck digging dirt every day, unable to even leave the camp gate."

Zhang Wenbin gave a wry smile: "But you guys can fire guns—how cool is that? We can only hold high-pressure water guns."

Lu Yang let out an 'eh': "Even more blessed—frequent gunfire can cause tinnitus, and in old age your ears won't work well. High-pressure water guns are fun; one spray can reach far, with considerable power. Since I was little, I've liked playing with water guns."

Zhang Wenbin said impatiently: "Then let's swap."

"No swap."

"......"

"Then you keep saying I'm blessed!"

"If that's not being blessed, who else carries you down the mountain?"

The path down the mountain is not as easy to walk as the way up.

Because it's an undeveloped wild mountain, there is basically no path.

All Lu Yang walked relatively slowly; he had to plant each step firmly, otherwise it was easy to misstep and have both of them tumble down together.

Perhaps he was truly embarrassed, or maybe his strength had recovered a bit; Zhang Wenbin proactively asked to get down from Lu Yang's back and walk.

Lu Yang also agreed, but along the way Zhang Wenbin's mouth was nonstop, constantly asking him many things about the military.

The key is, this guy kept coughing while asking questions, like a consumptive ghost, and Lu Yang really worried he'd cough up his lungs.

What's the food like? What time to sleep and wake? Are there female soldiers? How are the relations among comrades, etc.?

It's clear that Zhang Wenbin is obsessed with the idea of eating the military's iron rice bowl.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to another place to become a firefighter, wielding a high-pressure water gun.

These questions aren't exactly state secrets, and Lu Yang can answer them all.

But the more he listened, the more excited he got, even starting to worry about which unit Lu Yang would be assigned to after leaving the recruit company.

"Not clear for now."

"Ah? You've already been given a rank, so the recruit company should have ended, right?"

"Yeah."

Lu Yang felt somewhat helpless: "We were having the disbandment meal, and halfway through we got the fire order, and then here we are."

Zhang Wenbin laughed and cried: "So this mountain fire delayed your transfer out of the recruit company? I heard that in the infantry, the toughest are the scouts; if you could be assigned to a scout unit, that would be really impressive!"

Lu Yang shrugged: "You can't say that either; each branch has different duties. Just like you firefighters, you hold water guns, carry fire extinguishers, and in the face of mountain fires and various natural disasters, no troops are as useful as you firefighters."

"So, my view is that there is no strongest troop type, only the strongest soldiers; the strong never complain about their living conditions."

"That's also true!"

Zhang Wenbin proudly raised his head, the firefighter helmet on his head sitting very high.

Although he couldn't enlist, being a firefighter is actually not bad.

He even bragged that a female netizen took a liking to his firefighter identity.

For next weekend's holiday, they've already agreed to meet; who knows, they might hit it off and start dating.

Lu Yang asked if he had seen the photo; Zhang Wenbin shook his head, saying he hadn't.

But after a voice chat, just hearing her voice, she sounded very pretty.

Lu Yang laughed: "Then you're lucky."

Zhang Wenbin: "How so?"

Lu Yang said without blushing or racing heart: "A voice like that is probably a great beauty; you haven't wasted being a firefighter. When God closes a door, he opens a window—isn't that lucky?"

Zhang Wenbin chuckled, his mood much better than before.

He found that talking to Lu Yang truly made one feel happy.

Although they are about the same age, he is masterful in the art of language.

Not only does every sentence hit the mark, but it also makes one want to keep listening.

This is much better than his own clueless 'muddle-headed' self; at family gatherings, elders always tell him he lacks etiquette, not even knowing whom the fish head should face.

Lu Yang also wondered why they were so particular about which way the fish head faced.

Simply, one fish per person, eating a whole-fish feast, each person just had a fish facing one direction.

As Lu Yang and Zhang Wenbin were walking down, supporting each other somewhat haphazardly, he suddenly noticed a shadow flash behind the bushes on the lower right.

At first, he thought it was another veteran coming up to deliver supplies, but on closer look the silhouette wasn't one of their own.

"Who is it?"

Lu Yang instinctively shone his flashlight over.

Before he could make out the other's face, he first saw a white plastic bucket in their hand.

Seeing someone, the other dropped the bucket and fled in panic; seeing their frantic escape, Lu Yang immediately realized something was wrong.

He told Zhang Wenbin to stay put, then he himself chased after quickly.

A squelching sound came from underfoot; Lu Yang seemed to notice the grass below was wet and soggy.

He bent down, scooped a handful with his hand, brought it to his nose to smell, and a pungent odor immediately changed his expression.

"Gasoline!"

"Damn it, we're putting out fires, and you're setting them here?"

The next second, a burst of flames suddenly appeared ahead, a wall of fire materializing out of nowhere.

Lu Yang was startled, but if he retreated, the other would likely get away.

He almost instinctively raised his arm to shield his face, turning his body and charging straight into the fire wall...