Just as Ren Yi had said, they ran into traffic, and the two of them began inching along at a snail’s pace.
After finishing his lunch, Ren Yi had nothing to do. The car was so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing, and the atmosphere was unbearably awkward—at least, that’s how Ren Yi felt.
He wasn’t the type who could stand awkward silences. He cleared his throat. “Want to listen to some music?”
Gong Yingxian pressed the play button.
A heavy, profound piece of classical music came through the speakers.
“…” Ren Yi said, “Maybe just turn it off.”
Gong Yingxian shot him a sidelong glance, the look seeming to say, You sure are troublesome, and reached over to turn it off.
After a while of silence, Ren Yi spoke again. “Have you collected the statements from the other suspects? Didn’t the bar owner say someone wanted revenge on him?”
“Mm. He used to be the owner’s boss. Now the two of them are competitors. But that person has an alibi. He was working at his own bar when the fire started, and there are plenty of witnesses.”
“Why was the emergency exit at the bar locked?”
“To prevent people from sneaking in without paying. According to the employees, it had been locked for more than a year.”
“Based on the evidence we have so far, it doesn’t look like arson.”
Gong Yingxian nodded. “But we still can’t rule it out. The suspect has publicly made threats about burning down the bar before, and it’s also possible that he hired someone to commit arson.”
Ren Yi thought for a moment. “That Cai Wan seems even more suspicious.”
“Let’s wait for the results of her urine test. Over the next few days, I also need to take statements from every employee and customer we can find, and there are still plenty of surveillance recordings to review.” After saying this, Gong Yingxian subconsciously rubbed his brow, clearly overwhelmed by the workload.
“Why did you become a police officer?” Ren Yi blurted out.
The moment he said it, he regretted it. Although he’d been curious for a long time, it had nothing to do with him. It was all Gong Yingxian’s fault for being so strange and mysterious. It was only natural for people to be curious.
Sure enough, Gong Yingxian fell silent, and Ren Yi inwardly regretted it so much he wanted to punch himself.
Just then, Gong Yingxian’s phone rang, appropriately rescuing Ren Yi from the awkward situation.
“Hello.” Gong Yingxian answered the call. “I’m not coming home for dinner tonight. Mm, no need. Mm, I know. Okay, okay.”
Ren Yi secretly glanced at Gong Yingxian. His tone wasn’t the cold one he usually used with Ren Yi. This was the tone he used when speaking with his family.
After hanging up, Gong Yingxian said, “Your station is just ahead.”
“Oh.”
Gong Yingxian pulled over to the side of the road.
Ren Yi said, “If the fire investigation lab has any news, I’ll let you know. We’ll keep in touch if either of us discovers anything.”
Gong Yingxian nodded.
Ren Yi got out of the car. He had originally wanted to say goodbye, but he didn’t want to seem too enthusiastic. After all, Gong Yingxian had always been cold toward him. Ren Yi pursed his lips and walked away without looking back.
——
When Ren Yi returned to the station, the others happened to be coming back from calls, and there were two groups of them.
Ren Yi asked, “How’d it go? What kind of calls did you get?”
Gao Ge said, “A brat got his head stuck in a security grille. When we got there, he was even singing for us. It was hilarious.”
Liu Hui laughed. “Yeah, his parents were incredibly enthusiastic. They gave us a whole jar of dried radish. They wouldn’t let us leave without taking it.” He hugged the large glass jar. “We’re having pickles tonight.”
“Great. A change of flavor.” Ren Yi then asked Sun Dingyi, “What about you guys?”
Sun Dingyi gave a cold laugh. “A trash can caught fire.”
“And then?”
“Fortunately, we got there quickly. If we’d been any slower, the fire would’ve already gone out.”
“Hahahaha—”
Qu Yangbo shouted from upstairs, “Is everyone back? Come upstairs for a meeting.”
Once everyone had taken their seats in the conference room, Qu Yangbo said, “There’s something I need to announce today. We’re about to welcome three new comrades.”
Someone slapped the table, while someone else started applauding. Liu Hui excitedly asked, “I heard one of them is a woman. Is that true?”
“Really?! A woman?!”
The whole group became excited.
Ren Yi gave a heavy cough.
Qu Yangbo said, “That’s right. We’re about to welcome the Phoenix Special Operations Squadron’s first female firefighter.”
Cheers immediately erupted throughout the room.
“What are you all getting excited about?” Ren Yi said sternly. “We’re in a meeting. Watch your discipline.”
Ren Yi was usually easygoing and treated everyone like brothers, but whenever he became serious, no one dared fool around. Everyone knew that when it came to serious matters, Ren Yi didn’t tolerate even the slightest carelessness.
Qu Yangbo glanced at Ren Yi and continued, “This female firefighter already served in a fire department when she was in the military. After leaving the service, she went to college and graduated from the Firefighting Command program at the Armed Police University. She’s Junior Sister Ren’s—Captain Ren’s—schoolmate. In short, she’s a professional firefighter.”
Ren Yi took over. “Female firefighters are extremely rare throughout the country. Her arrival will inevitably have some impact on our squadron. We’re holding this meeting today mainly to remind you of a few things. First, I will not allow anyone to make any frivolous or disrespectful remarks or gestures toward this female comrade. If I find out anyone does, there will be severe consequences.”
Everyone listened quietly.
“Second, in work and daily life, we’ll do our best to treat everyone equally. But gender differences are an objective fact. We should do our best to accommodate her and show her consideration. We don’t coddle spoiled young ladies, but we should still have the manners and gentlemanly conduct expected of men.”
“Third, once she joins our squadron, she’s family. Help her adapt and integrate into the environment as quickly as possible. Is that understood?”
Everyone shouted in unison, “Understood!”
“Any questions?”
Sun Dingyi raised his hand.
“Go ahead.”
“Captain Ren, you don’t really intend to let her…” Sun Dingyi smiled. “…go into the field, do you?”
“Yeah, Captain Ren,” Cui Yisheng said. “We warmly welcome female comrades, but some things that are men’s business—let’s not have her get involved.”
Ren Yi said, “You don’t need to worry about that. Just do what you’re supposed to do.”
“Yes.”
——
The next morning, three full-time firefighters arrived to report for duty.
Qu Yangbo held a small welcoming ceremony for them in the study room, while a group of young firefighters secretly sized up the new female firefighter—Li Sa.
She was tall and slender, with an upright posture and short, neat hair. Her features were regular and composed, with a distinctly heroic air about her. Even without makeup, and despite wearing a training uniform that did nothing to emphasize her femininity, she was still a beautiful young woman.
Ren Yi introduced the squadron to the three newcomers. “Our Phoenix Squadron has a long history of thirty-two years. Our number is 37, and we’re under the Hongwu District Firefighting Detachment. We’re one of the first firefighting squadrons to receive the Special Operations designation. The history and major events of our squadron are recorded in detail in the squadron history museum. You need to familiarize yourselves with it as soon as possible.”
The three answered in unison, “Yes.”
“Our squadron currently has forty-two people. With you three, that’ll make forty-five. You’ve already met Instructor Qu and me. This is Deputy Captain Gao Ge, and this is Platoon Leader Sun Dingyi. Our squadron has five squads in total. This is the Special Duties Squad leader, Wang Xuan. This is the Driver Squad leader, Mao Xiaoli. This is Combat Squad One leader, Liu Hui; Combat Squad Two leader, Cui Yisheng; and Combat Squad Three leader, Ding Qing. You also need to get to know the rest of your comrades as soon as possible and integrate into the collective.”
“Yes.”
Ren Yi assigned the two men to Combat Squad One and Combat Squad Two respectively, then looked toward Li Sa.
Li Sa stood ramrod straight, a trace of anticipation flickering in her eyes.
“Li Sa, starting today, you’ll be assigned to the Special Duties Squad.”
Li Sa froze for a moment, obvious disappointment appearing on her face.
“Sun Dingyi, show the new comrades around, familiarize them with the environment and the regulations. Dismissed.”
Ren Yi returned to his office and began writing the reports for the calls they’d responded to recently, especially the Fourth Perspective fire. Every squadron had dedicated clerks responsible for recording the details of every emergency response. Those documents needed to be reviewed and signed by him, and he also had to write a report from the commander’s perspective. The more complicated the accident, the more complicated the written report naturally became. Ren Yi hated writing reports, just like students hated doing homework, but he had no choice.
He was in the middle of writing when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Ren Yi looked up and saw that it was their new female firefighter—Li Sa.
“Captain.” Li Sa saluted.
“Sit.”
Li Sa sat down in the chair.
“Is there something you need?”
“Yes.” Li Sa pressed her lips together. “I want to ask, Captain Ren, why did you only assign me to the Special Duties Squad?”
Ren Yi blinked and quietly stared at Li Sa.
“Because I’m a woman?” Li Sa looked directly at Ren Yi without backing down, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly. “So I can only do logistical work?”
“Do you know why you were able to join my squadron?” Ren Yi asked.
“…I was hired.”
“You were hired. Your qualifications also meet the requirements, but just like many other squadrons throughout the country, I wasn’t willing to hire a female firefighter.” Ren Yi spoke frankly. “You were hired because the instructor took political considerations into account.”
Li Sa swallowed, but her expression didn’t change.
“There are many female comrades in the firefighting system, but the vast majority work in clerical or logistical positions. Our reluctance to use female comrades isn’t discrimination or prejudice. It’s because this job involves physical fitness, strength, and psychological endurance. Have you thought all of that through?”
Without hesitation, Li Sa said, “I’ve thought it through. I’ve served in the military, served in a fire department, and then studied Firefighting Command. No one knows better than I do what I’m getting into. I am determined to become a firefighter. I don’t think physical strength is the only standard for determining whether I’m capable of doing this job. I have extensive professional knowledge, excellent adaptability, and good psychological endurance. My physical strength isn’t as good as that of male comrades, but I also have advantages that men don’t have. For example, I can enter narrow spaces more easily, I’m lighter when suspension is required, and I can comfort people who are suffering. I believe that through cooperation, we can complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
Ren Yi raised an eyebrow. There was a vitality about this young woman that made one’s eyes light up. If she weren’t his subordinate, he would have been happy to admire her. But this job concerned real personal safety. He couldn’t recklessly entrust his back to someone he couldn’t trust.
He said, “Li Sa, why are you so determined to become a firefighter?”
Li Sa paused. “I have my reasons.”
“You’re not wrong. You have your own strengths, and this job does indeed require coordinated teamwork. But neither I nor the other firefighters have ever worked with a woman before. This concern isn’t limited to me. If I rashly put an uncertain factor into a combat squad, it could also have a negative impact on everyone else. I can’t allow the combat squad that charges into danger to have one person whom the others don’t trust. So whether you’re convinced or not, for now, you can only go to the Special Duties Squad.” Ren Yi stared sharply at Li Sa. “If you really are a qualified firefighter, prove it.”
Li Sa took a deep breath. “I will prove myself. Thank you, Captain.”
“Go get busy.”
After Li Sa left, Ren Yi sighed helplessly, propped his two long legs up on the desk, and started playing with his phone.
He hadn’t had the time or the mood to pay attention to the Fourth Perspective news over the past two days. Or perhaps, subconsciously, he didn’t want to revisit what had happened that night through this particular medium.
Now that he’d finally recovered somewhat, he opened some trending news articles and comments from independent media.
Most of the public discussion focused on the cause of the fire and who was responsible. A small portion also criticized them for failing to put out the fire properly, such as spraying water to the side instead of directly at the fire, failing to enter in time to rescue people, and so on. The arguments in the comments were fierce.
They were already accustomed to the media’s irresponsible slant and the public’s lack of understanding, so this incident wasn’t considered particularly serious. But every time he saw those words, he still couldn’t help feeling upset and angry.
When he was younger, he had been hot-blooded. He would argue with passersby who cursed at them, clash with reporters who broke the rules, and had even nearly hit someone who called in an emergency. He had received disciplinary punishment and learned his lessons. But after becoming a squadron captain, he knew that his words and actions affected the entire squadron. From then on, he was never impulsive again.
So as he looked at these comments, Ren Yi merely gave a mocking smile. He shifted into a more comfortable position, preparing to transform into a goddess and play a game to relieve his stress.
At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.
It was Gong Yingxian.
Ren Yi immediately answered the call, then immediately regretted answering so quickly. He could only deceive himself by saying “Hello” in a lazy tone, dragging out the final syllable.
“The results of Cai Wan’s urine test are back. Positive,” Gong Yingxian said bluntly.
“What did she take?”
“Methamphetamine, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, and buprenorphine. I asked my colleagues in the narcotics squad. There’s recently been a new type of drug circulating on the market called ‘Immortal Water.’ It’s a mixture of these three substances.”
“What? What the hell is the middle one?” Ren Yi knew what amphetamines and buprenorphine were, but the middle one was beyond his knowledge.
“Hydroxylamine hydrochloride. It’s a material used to make ketamine.”
“Oh. Even if she was using drugs, how do we prove she caused the fire?”
“This ‘Immortal Water’ requires a special method of consumption: heating. First, this makes it easier to vaporize and inhale. Second, when the temperature reaches 210°C, it undergoes a chemical change that makes the effects much more intense. So the heating device needs to be something that can continuously provide a stable heat source, is easy to obtain, and easy to carry. So they like to use…”
“…An alcohol lamp?!”
“Exactly.” Gong Yingxian said, “The results from the fire investigation lab aren’t out yet, right? I suspect that piece of glass belonged to an alcohol lamp.”
Ren Yi said solemnly, “So they got high, knocked over the alcohol lamp, and ignited the sofa? Alcohol is volatile, which explains why we couldn’t find traces of an accelerant. But there should be residue on the alcohol lamp’s container.”
“So far, that’s the most reasonable conclusion.”
“Okay. Once the lab gets the results, I’ll notify you. Once we have conclusive evidence, we can close the case.”
After hanging up, Ren Yi let out a long breath.
Finding and punishing the perpetrator was the only comfort they could give the victims’ families.