Yellowish-purple liquid kept seeping from the corpse, mixed with undried blood and charred fabric scraps, dripping down Cheng Muyun's clothes and emitting a pungent, fishy stench that made those nearby turn their faces away, their stomachs churning.
The morning light fell on the mess, making the charred corpse's gruesome state even clearer.
Cheng Muyun was still unconscious, but his brows were furrowed even more, and his lips twitched unconsciously, as if he were calling out that name.
But the person in his arms would never respond to him again.
...
When Chen Hede burst open the rickety wooden door downstairs, thick smoke and scorching heat rushed towards him, choking him and causing him to cough violently.
Through his blurred vision, he immediately spotted the almost frantic figure in the firelight—Cheng Muyun was gripping a crowbar tightly with both hands, smashing it repeatedly against the iron door leading to the second floor.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The dull thud sounded particularly jarring amidst the crackling flames.
The door, which should have been unobstructed, was now firmly locked by a thick iron chain, the two ends of which were deeply embedded in the door frame, gleaming with an eerie red light under the high temperature.
Not only that, the door to Xu Zhuohua's room in the second-floor corridor was also locked with chains, and even the rooftop entrance, which was never locked, was firmly locked, like an airtight net that trapped the people upstairs in the sea of fire.
Chen Hede's heart tightened, and a chill mixed with a scorching heat wave rushed through his body.
He saw that Cheng Muyun's movements were already somewhat unsteady, but he still swung the crowbar with all his might, and the bulging veins on his arms were clearly visible in the firelight.
Upon closer inspection, the crowbar in Cheng Muyun's hand was already glowing red from the flames, the scalding metal making his injured right hand sizzle, and the smell of burning filled the air with the thick smoke.
The hand was now raw and charred, the wounds mixed with blood and sweat, a horrifying sight in the firelight.
Chen Hede grabbed Cheng Muyun's hand, "Cheng Muyun, stop! Your hand is almost rotten!"
Only then did they realize that Cheng Muyun's eyes were frighteningly red, his bloodshot eyeballs looked like they had been tempered with fire, burning with frantic anxiety and despair.
Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, mixing with the charcoal ash on his face and leaving black streaks on his cheeks. His face was a stark contrast of black and white, resembling the sorrowful and indignant mask in Peking Opera, exuding a heartbreakingly tragic aura.
Cheng Muyun's left shoulder was hit by a falling piece of debris at some point. The dark fabric of his clothes was soaked with blood that kept seeping out, and dark red blood droplets slid down his arm, gleaming brightly in the firelight.
But he seemed completely oblivious, ignoring the crackling sounds of the surrounding wood and Chen Hede's anxious shouts, his eyes fixed only on that menacing iron chain.
Blood trickled down between his fingers as he gripped the crowbar, pooling on the metal bar before dripping onto the already scorching hot floor with a soft "sizzle," instantly evaporating into a wisp of white smoke.
But the chain was incredibly strong—it was a military-grade aviation chain, commonly used on cargo planes to secure heavy cargo. The links were thick, and the joints were welded tightly, maintaining amazing toughness even at high temperatures.
Cheng Muyun's all-out impact only left a few shallow white marks on it, without even a hint of loosening.
The crowbar fell again and again, making his hands numb and his arms so sore that he lost all feeling. But the iron chain remained motionless, like a cold-blooded giant python, tightly strangling the escape route for everyone on the second floor.
Chen Hede roared and waved to the firefighters, and two firefighters immediately squeezed over carrying heavy hydraulic pliers.
Those pliers were originally a powerful tool for breaking and demolishing, and ordinary iron locks were like rotten wood in front of them. But now they were defeated by military iron chains. The team member gritted his teeth and turned the lever. The jaws gripped the chain links tightly. The hydraulic device made a laborious hum, but the iron chain only deformed slightly and still stubbornly locked the door.
"Get out of the way!" Cheng Muyun suddenly roared, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded.
He shoved his teammate aside, snatched the still-vibrating pliers, and gripped the handles tightly with both hands.
The injured shoulder and arm throbbed with excruciating pain when he exerted force, but he seemed oblivious to it. His muscles tensed up suddenly, and the veins on his arms and back bulged out like gnarled roots of an old tree. His taut military uniform was stretched taut by the surging force, as if it would burst open at any moment.
"Hoh—!" A suppressed scream exploded from his throat, a sound filled with pain and despair.
With a crisp "click," the sturdy military chain finally snapped before everyone's eyes, sparks flying as the chain links broke apart.
Cheng Muyun released his grip, and the pliers clattered to the ground.
He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows, and sweat mixed with blood dripped down his chin.
She only glanced at Chen Hede briefly, her eyes filled with the bewilderment of someone who had just escaped a disaster, but even more so with an urgent sense of urgency. Then she staggered around, almost stumbling as she pushed open the door that had finally opened, and rushed upstairs like a madwoman.
The stairs were also made of wood, and they were charred and brittle from the fire. When Cheng Muyun was halfway up, a plank cracked under his foot, and he lost his balance and fell down.
Chen Hede quickly grabbed him, "Don't rush!"
Cheng Muyun's voice was extremely hoarse, as if it had been drained of moisture, stiff and strained, "Thank you."
When the two got upstairs, the fire had grown even larger because the stairwell door had been opened, allowing more air to rush in, and the flames quickly shot up to the ceiling.
The bedroom door was locked, but Cheng Muyun ignored it and kicked it open.
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