Lu Ruijin looked at the direction where the sun would rise in the east. He knew that he would never see the sunrise or his family again.
He looked at it longingly for a while longer and then pushed everything to the back of his mind. His gaze was filled with determination again. At the end of it all, he could only bury everything in his heart.
He then stood by the cabin hatch door, fastened the rappel ring on himself, and stuck his head out to look at the raging fire below.
Chen Yeliang's piloting skills were very good. The wild air turbulence did not affect him at all and the helicopter was getting closer to the target building.
"I'm ready!"
Lu Ruijin gave a thumbs up with his back facing Chen Yeliang. Just like all heroes who had decided to take the final plunge, he wanted to leave behind a dashing profile.
However, everything happened in the blink of an eye! Before he could react, someone suddenly grabbed his outstretched arm!
Lu Ruijin felt a strong force yank him back. The lock on his waist was loosened with a loud clear click!
"I'm sorry, Chief Lu. You still have a daughter that you haven't seen in a long time. It's such a shame when you think about it. I honestly think it is better for me to do this!"
Chen Yeliang's voice rang out next to Lu Ruijin's ear.
He was thrown to the back of the pilot's seat by Chen Yeliang. He then saw Chen Yeliang standing at the position previously occupied by him. At some point in time, the electric winch had already started running. Chen Yeliang grabbed the rope with both hands and like an immortal warrior descending from heaven, he swiftly lowered himself into the blaze!
Lu Ruijin's eyes instantly flared up with horror, and he struggled to the cabin door to look down.
Chen Yeliang looked up and gave a two-finger salute. He shouted cheekily, "Hurry up and stabilize the helicopter. The pilot is already awake. Chief Lu, thanks for all your hard work!"
"Damn you!"
This temporary pilot had suddenly gone on strike. The moment he was gone, the airflow seemed to deliberately act up, causing the aircraft to become unstable again! Lu Ruijin did not even have time to scold him as he rushed over to stabilize the shaking aircraft.
Just as Chen Yeliang had said, the pilot who was lying on the floor had already opened his eyes. He raised his hand towards the pilot's seat and said in a low voice, "Chief Lu, lift up the throttle and fly up… Hurry…"
Lu Ruijin clenched his teeth and reluctantly brought the aircraft up.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he cursed Chen Yeliang in his heart, "You've already f*ckin' planned this, haven't you! You have set it up so that I can't tear myself away to jump down myself! B*stard! B*stard!"
At that moment, the pilot, who had regained consciousness, climbed to the back of the pilot's seat with difficulty. He said weakly to Lu Ruijin, "Chief Lu, fly faster, otherwise the air waves will rush up and we will crash…"
Lu Ruijin also wanted to go faster. He wanted so badly to soar high up into the sky and yank Chen Yeliang up before he could land on the roof!
Chief Lu's control of the aircraft was extremely crude, causing the aircraft body to sway left and right. The pilot had to use whatever little strength he had left to help him steer. He was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat.
Chen Yeliang could indeed feel Lu Ruijin's anger.
Just as he was about to land on the roof, the steady rope suddenly swayed violently, and he spun in the air like a merry-go-round gone berserk.
In the process, Chen Yeliang ended up passing through the wall of flames several times!
Everyone watching the live stream felt their hearts jump to their throats. Even the firefighters who were summoned back felt an irrepressible urge to rush there to provide cover for them.
"Oh my god! Chen Yeliang is going to be flung out!"
"Good heavens! Quickly get the helicopter pilot, Chen Yeliang is about to be roasted!"
The two leaders looking in the direction of the helicopter become nervous. Distracted momentarily by the precarious situation, they forgot to stop Xilin TV Station from filming.
The viewers sitting in front of their televisions also happened to see this hair-raising scene. It was as if their minds had gone blank from sheer horror and goosebumps had popped up all over their bodies without their notice.
Chen Yeliang's live stream was even more exciting. The drone that was following Chen Yeliang was spinning around in the air. The terrified live stream viewers were too petrified to send comments. Only a few commenters sporadically prayed for Chen Yeliang's safety.
"Quick, stop it! Oh no, Brother Liang!"
"Female devotee here will turn vegan for 3 years, in exchange for Brother Liang's safety!"
"Help! Someone save him!"
"My Brother Liang can't die. Oh my god, stop spinning!"
At this moment, Lan Sixi was on her way to look for her father. When she saw this scene, she collapsed into a tearful heap, with her hands clamped over her mouth, trembling non-stop.
"Sixi? Sixi, it's fine! It's okay! We'll be able to see your dad soon! Don't be so agitated! Can you answer me?"
Sixi's stepmother held onto the steering wheel. Her eyes had to look at the road and Lan Sixi at the same time. Her heart was in her mouth, but she kept talking to calm Lan Sixi down.
Everyone felt that he was being dragged into the air just like Chen Yeliang was by the helicopter. At about 20 to 30 meters away from the rooftop, he suddenly did something unexpected!
Chen Yeliang did not wait for the helicopter to stabilize, but with one hand released the lock.
Then, he leaped!
Just like raindrops falling into flames, with complete disregard for his life and the surrounding danger!
Everyone who saw this was flabbergasted! The blood in their bodies seemed to have congealed and they even forgot to breathe!
The swaying helicopter finally stabilized, leaving only a thin rope swinging around in mid-air. Then, it hung forlornly in the air.
Lu Ruijin broke down completely at this moment, and tears gushed out like a broken dam!
He grasped the throttle and stared in front of him in despair as he roared, "Chen Yeliang! Chen Yeliang! Bastard!"
Behind him, the pilot held his injured head and with every ounce of his remaining strength hauled himself onto the backrest of the pilot's seat. He said in the loudest voice he could muster, "Chief Lu, calm down! You can't make any rash moves! You still need to navigate the aircraft!"
He still felt dizzy, and the whole world was spinning before his eyes. He could only verbally guide Lu Ruijin to operate the aircraft, and let him take charge of the overall situation.
Lu Ruijin had never thought that the world could be so cruel. He couldn't throw caution to the wind and follow his heart to go after Chen Yeliang. He could not even cry out loud. He had to suppress the overwhelming heartache in his chest and hold on tightly to the cold hard throttle.
Chen Yeliang had fallen into a sea of fire. The camera view of the drone was covered by a blindingly white screen caused by the dazzling fiery light, so bright that it was painful to look at.
But the live stream viewers could not peel their eyes away from the screen. The raging fire was still vivid in their minds. Chen Yeliang's tiny figure was swallowed by the merciless inferno and disappeared without a trace.
Everyone in the temporary safe area fell silent. The two leaders pounded their chests and stamped their feet in anguish. Wave after wave of mournful sighs rose up from the facility compound. Immeasurable regret and sorrow enveloped the entire rescue team.
Other than the driver, everyone buried their heads in their arms. Wu Zhuo was still stubbornly holding his phone. He used his sleeve to wipe away his tears. No one could tell whether the tears were due to the blinding light from the screen or due to sorrow.
Gan Tongtong sat dejectedly in front of the computer, her hands hanging limply by her side. She looked up at the ceiling as her tears fell like rain. Her elaborate eye makeup was dissolved by her tears and she could not stop sobbing.
All the viewers' eyes became blurry. Everyone in Xilin City turned silent and mourned for their lost hero.