Chapter 40: Organizing the Rescue Effort

“Hello!”

“Village chief, everything has been arranged.”

“Are you sure? Don’t cause any other trouble. Can you guarantee it will be foolproof?”

“Trust me, there won’t be any problems. This time, not only will that kid suffer, but even Hong Haifeng, who’s in charge, won’t escape. It’s a two-birds-with-one-stone plan. Just wait and watch the show,” Wei Bin declared confidently over the phone.

“Be careful not to backfire; otherwise, you’ll be shooting yourself in the foot,” Li Haotian said, somewhat uneasy.

“Impossible. The inspection team’s just going through the motions. There have never been any incidents in the forest before. They don’t care. Besides, it’s Friday, so tomorrow’s a day off—no one will be patrolling. Relax,” Wei Bin reassured him with full confidence.

Only then did Li Haotian hang up, satisfied, and hurried from home to the township government office.

He planned to stay at the office tonight, ready to rush to the scene at the first call, putting on the appearance of a dedicated and conscientious official.

...

Meanwhile, Lu Hao was riding around the mountain roads.

He first went to the forest far from the chemical plant. The mountain breeze was refreshing; the air was noticeably better than in the villages near the plant, and he could hear the gentle sound of flowing water.

But when he patrolled the forest near the chemical plant, he caught a whiff of a foul stench. He got off his motorcycle to take a look and found the river water darkened, clearly polluted, and the air quality was poor.

Although Li Haotian was right that Fangshui Township’s forests had development potential, the chemical plant had to be shut down and the environment restored first. Otherwise, the natural surroundings would only deteriorate further.

After this long circuit, it was already past midnight.

Just as he was about to go back to sleep, he suddenly noticed a flicker of firelight on a distant mountaintop. Lu Hao’s nerves instantly tightened.

Could it be a fire?

He quickly revved his motorcycle toward the spot. The firelight soon turned into flames, and Lu Hao’s heart sank.

The fire was up on the mountain; the motorcycle couldn’t go any further. He had no choice but to jump off and run up the hill, calling the village cadres below to organize villagers immediately for firefighting.

Not only that, Lu Hao also called the inspection team, notified the fire department, and reported the situation to Hong Haifeng.

On his way up, he spotted a figure sneaking down the mountain from the woods.

“Hey! There’s a fire up on the mountain! Don’t run down, come with me to put it out!” Lu Hao shouted at the top of his lungs.

If he hadn’t shouted, it would have been fine, but now the person ran even faster.

Seeing the flames growing larger, Lu Hao had no time to think and sprinted upward alone.

When he arrived at the fire’s origin, his heart sank.

Half the mountaintop was ablaze, the fire spreading rapidly. The forest consisted of three ridges, dense with trees and shrubs. At the foot of the mountain lay a village; if the fire spread to the homes, it would be a disaster.

Lu Hao wanted to fight the fire, but the terrain was steep and thick with trees. Without tools, one person’s effort was like a drop in the ocean. He could only stomp anxiously on the spot.

What made it worse was a strong wind blowing. The gusts fanned the flames, making the fire surge. Lu Hao instinctively stepped back several paces, his heart plummeting.

Fortunately, the village party secretary arrived at the foot of the mountain with many villagers, all armed with buckets and tools, ready to fight the fire. But faced with towering flames, everyone trembled in fear. Who dared approach such a blaze?

“Director Lu… what do we do now?” the village secretary was completely stunned.

“First, notify all villagers at the mountain’s base to evacuate immediately.”

“That’s been done, but Fangshui Township is poor. If the fire burns people’s houses, how will they live? We must put it out, Director Lu! Call the fire department!”

“I already did on my way up, but the fire is too big. By the time they arrive, it will already be a sea of flames,” Lu Hao said, pacing anxiously.

“Then… what now?” the secretary asked, utterly at a loss.

Annoyed by the noise, Lu Hao calmed himself and gritted his teeth: “Before the fire department arrives, we must stop the fire from spreading!”

“Ah? It’s so huge, how can we stop it? Our water won’t put it out, and who would dare get close?”

“I’m going in first to check the situation. Wait for me here.”

Lu Hao snatched an iron hoe from a nearby villager and charged toward the fire’s edge.

The village secretary grabbed him: “Director Lu, what are you doing? You can’t go! You’ll die!”

“I know what I’m doing. I have to see how the fire is spreading to plan the next step. The forest is vast; if the fire grows, the consequences are unimaginable. Stay here and wait for me. Don’t panic, understand?”

Breaking free from their grasp, Lu Hao yelled and plunged into the inferno with the hoe in hand.

Everyone was shocked by his boldness.

Minutes later, Lu Hao emerged from the fire, his clothes riddled with burn holes, his hair singed, bleeding from several wounds—utterly disheveled.

“Director Lu, you’re burned! You need to go to the hospital…”

Lu Hao waved him off and quickly ordered, “I’m fine. No hospital. Gather all the villagers—I have something to say.”

The fire was too fierce, the wind fierce; although he had reported the situation, by the time help arrived, it would be too late.

Seeing the villagers gathered, Lu Hao took the village secretary’s megaphone and shouted, “Fellow villagers, listen up! I just went in to check. The fire has spread completely. Further down the mountain are mostly shrubs and grass—it will only grow bigger. We cannot put it out, but we can cut a firebreak at the mountain’s base to block the flames.”

Based on the terrain and conditions, Lu Hao made a swift decision.

During his time in the military, he had assisted local firefighters in extinguishing fires. Creating a firebreak was the most effective method.

“Everyone, follow me immediately! Wherever I say cut, cut! We must clear this firebreak before the flames spread!”