Chapter 247 Life or Death on the Brink
Kenneth Fok remained silent.
"I'll go," Huo Wen suddenly stepped forward. "I'm young and agile."
"No way," Fang Lanxin shook her head. "You haven't studied this before, you wouldn't know how to operate it even if you went up there."
"That……"
"I'll go." Fang Lanxin took off her coat. "I studied mechanical engineering; I know how to shut off a valve."
"Mom!" Huo Qibang's voice rose eight octaves, "Are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy." Fang Lanxin looked at him, her eyes eerily calm. "But if we don't do this, we'll all die here. Rather than sit and wait to die, we might as well take a gamble."
"But……"
"No buts." Fang Lanxin interrupted him. "Qibang, you're the president of the Huo Group; you can't afford to be hurt. But it's different for me. I've lived forty years; it's been worth it."
Kenneth Fok's eyes instantly reddened.
He had never seen his mother with such an expression before; that resolute determination, as if facing death, made his heart feel as if it were being squeezed tightly.
"Mom..."
"Stop talking nonsense." Fang Lanxin patted his shoulder. "Find me a set of work clothes and some tools." A five-meter-high pipe might not seem like much under normal circumstances, but in Fang Lanxin's eyes at this moment, it was like an insurmountable mountain.
She stood at the bottom of the ladder, looking up at the port that was emitting white smoke, and took a deep breath.
"Madam, perhaps I should do it?" Huo Wen said once again.
Fang Lanxin ignored him, checked her safety rope to make sure it was okay, and then grabbed the ladder and started climbing.
With each step, the ladder wobbled.
The surrounding air grew thinner, and the pungent smell of chemicals made her eyes water uncontrollably.
But she gritted her teeth and climbed up step by step.
Huo Qibang stood below, his hands clenched into fists, his nails almost digging into his flesh.
He wanted to rush up and pull his mother down, but reason told him that only his mother could do it now.
"careful!"
The ladder suddenly wobbled, and Fang Lanxin's body tilted to one side.
The people below all gasped in surprise.
Fang Lanxin gripped the ladder tightly, steadied herself, and continued climbing.
Finally, she climbed to the side of the pipe.
From this angle, the crack at the interface is clearly visible, and white gas is continuously gushing out of it.
Fang Lanxin reached out to touch the valve, but she was still a little short.
She gritted her teeth, released one hand, and leaned forward.
"Mom!" Huo Qibang's voice came from below, trembling noticeably.
Fang Lanxin did not respond, her attention entirely focused on the valve in front of her.
Just a little further ahead, just a little bit...
My finger finally touched the edge of the valve.
She gripped it tightly and began to rotate it clockwise.
The valve is very tight, probably because it has rusted due to lack of maintenance over a long period of time.
Fang Lanxin gritted her teeth and used all her strength to spin.
The skin on my fingers was chafed raw by the rough metal, and blood flowed down my palm.
But she ignored the pain and just kept turning the valve round and round.
Finally, the valve loosened.
The white gas began to decrease.
"It's working!" someone shouted from below. "The gas is decreasing!"
Fang Lanxin did not relax and continued to turn the valve.
Just then, the pipe suddenly began to shake violently.
"Oh no!" a technician shouted, "It's a chain reaction! Other pipes are leaking too!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than another pipe nearby suddenly burst, spewing out a large amount of white gas.
Fang Lanxin was hit by the airflow, lost her balance, and fell off the ladder.
"Mom!"
Kenneth Fok rushed over and caught her.
The two fell to the ground together, with Huo Qibang's back hitting the concrete floor with a thud.
But ignoring his own pain, he held Fang Lanxin tightly, crying, "Mom, Mom, how are you?"
Fang Lanxin's face was pale, and she had a bloody gash on her forehead, with blood flowing down her cheek.
But she was still tightly gripping the wrench in her hand.
"Is the valve... closed?" Her voice was weak.
Huo Qibang glanced at it and saw that the gas leak from that interface had stopped.
"It's closed." His voice choked with emotion. "Mom, don't speak, I'll take you out right away."
"Wait," Fang Lanxin grabbed his arm, "There are other pipes..."
"Never mind!" Huo Qibang interrupted her, "I'll take you out right now!"
He bent down to pick up Fang Lanxin, but she pushed him away forcefully.
"Are you crazy?" Fang Lanxin glared at him. "If you leave now, what will happen to the other pipelines? What will happen to this factory? What will happen to all the workers?"
"I don't care!" Huo Qibang's eyes were bloodshot. "I just want you to live!"
Fang Lanxin was stunned for a moment.
She had never seen her son so out of control.
From childhood to adulthood, Kenneth Fok was always the calmest and most rational child. Even when his father passed away, he only had red eyes but didn't shed a single tear.
But now, his tears flowed uncontrollably.
Fang Lanxin felt as if her heart had been violently struck.
She raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears on her son's face: "Silly child, Mom is alright."
"You're bleeding, and you still say you're fine?" Huo Qibang's voice was trembling with tears.
"What's this little injury?" Fang Lanxin smiled. "Back when your father was starting his business, I suffered much worse injuries."
She struggled to her feet, and Huo Qibang quickly helped her up.
"This is not the time to act on emotions." Fang Lanxin looked around at the people. "How are the other pipelines doing?"
The technicians exchanged glances, and finally the eldest spoke up: "Pipeline number three has also started leaking, but the leak point is lower, and we can reach it."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Fang Lanxin gave Huo Qibang a push. "Go!"
Huo Qibang gritted his teeth and finally obeyed, following the technicians to Pipeline No. 3.
Fang Lanxin leaned against the wall, watching her son's busy figure, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
In her previous life, there were too many misunderstandings and resentments between her and this son.
She thought he was cold-blooded and heartless, while he thought she was biased and mean-spirited.
The two are clearly mother and son, yet they hurt each other like enemies.
But in this life, she finally understood.
This child actually cares about her more than anyone else.
He just doesn't know how to express himself, nor is he willing to.
"Madam, your wound needs to be treated." Huo Wen came over with a first-aid kit.
Fang Lanxin nodded and let him bandage her wound.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
"What's going on?" Fang Lanxin frowned.
A firefighter rushed in, his face panicked: "It's terrible! The media outside have gone out of control! They've broken through the cordon and are trying to break in!"
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