novelraw Chapter 120 : Saving People
Chapter 120 : Saving People
Chapter 120: Saving People
Good news, it was not his own home that caught fire.
Bad news, it was right next door.
The weather was scorching hot, and nearly every household had its windows open. Zhang Wei’s home was right next door, so it would definitely be affected.
A large crowd of residents had gathered around, some screaming, some dialing the fire department, and even some running out barefoot.
“Now what do we do? I feel like I won’t be able to go home tonight?” Zhang Wei’s head buzzed.
Luckily, it was only a rented place. There was nothing valuable inside except for his laptop. Otherwise, he really would have panicked.
“Go home? Find somewhere to hide first. What do you think you can do if you go up there now?” Lin Mo pulled the two of them back.
What if there was a gas tank inside that exploded? If it spread to them, things would be bad. After all, a gentleman did not stand under a crumbling wall.
Just as the three of them were about to retreat, a cry suddenly rose from the crowd.
“There’s someone!! Someone’s trapped inside!”
“Hasn’t the fire department arrived yet?”
“It’s too late, the fire is too big.”
The three turned their heads at the words and looked up. At the smoke-filled window of a fourth-floor bedroom, a woman was frantically pounding on the iron security bars outside.
Beside her was a little girl, only a few years old, bawling in fear.
The apartment complex Zhang Wei rented in was much older than the one Lin Mo had lived in before. It only had six floors, with no elevator, and almost every household had installed those iron-barred windows for security.
Originally meant for protection, now they could not be opened and had become a prison.
“Oh my god, there really is someone inside.” Miss Yuan covered her mouth at the sight, her voice trembling.
Disasters like fires or floods were common on television or online, but watching them on a screen was nothing compared to the shock of seeing it live.
Especially with a mother and daughter struggling desperately by the window, black smoke pouring out, and even faint flames visible from outside. Everyone’s hearts grew tighter and trembled more, afraid they would witness a tragedy.
“It’s over. The fire is this big, they probably won’t last until the fire department arrives.” Zhang Wei’s voice shook as he looked at the black smoke pouring from the window.
It was human instinct to avoid danger. If it was a small favor, most people would not mind helping. But when it could risk one’s own life, most would only stand by and watch.
So at this moment, most people only looked on. Some shouted up to the mother and daughter, urging them to use all their strength to break the bars. After all, it was only the fourth floor. Jumping down might not mean certain death, but staying inside almost surely would.
Yet among humans, there were always a few who, with nothing but mortal bodies, still rushed forward without hesitation.
“Everyone help! Hurry!”
An elderly man in a vest suddenly dragged out a folding ladder from somewhere and charged forward.
Several others followed, one of them a food delivery guy in a yellow jacket who quickly climbed the ladder to the second floor, intending to scale the bars and air conditioners higher up.
Meanwhile, a man on the third floor threw open his window. He was bare-chested, overweight, with tattoos covering his arms. Holding a pair of cable cutters, he leaned out, trying to stand on the ledge to help cut open the security bars.
Behind him, a woman tugged at him, clearly not wanting him to get involved. After all, he had no safety equipment. Even from just the third floor, a fall could be fatal.
No one could blame the woman. The man hanging out of the window was her husband, her child’s father, the pillar of their family.
Many on the ground spontaneously tried to join the rescue. At this moment, heroes were not just individuals, but the masses—ordinary people from all walks of life.
The tattooed man managed to cut through one hollow pipe, but just then, flames burst violently out of the living room window upstairs. People below gasped and staggered back.
The woman clutched her daughter tightly, both of them crouching under the window because thick smoke billowed above.
The fire grew fiercer, spreading to the bedroom door. The woman began to despair. Even if the bars were opened, it was still the fourth floor—rescue seemed impossible.
“Ah~” Miss Yuan cried out, covering her eyes, unable to watch.
Zhang Wei pulled Yuan Meng back: “Get further away, looks like it’s going to blow. Old Mo—eh? Where’s Old Mo?”
At some point, Lin Mo, who had been right beside them, had disappeared.
“What? Where’s Xiao Black Dog?”
“No idea, he was just here!”
Just as they were searching for Lin Mo’s figure, the sound of heavy tracks rumbled.
‘Beep~ beep~’
Two sharp honks. Everyone turned their heads to see a huge excavator slowly approaching.
Its red paint was still muddy, clearly just driven from a construction site. Coincidentally, there was one right next to the neighborhood.
The fire had broken out in an outer unit, so the excavator did not even need to enter the complex—it could work directly from the roadside.
People quickly cleared out of the way. Even Zhang Wei and Miss Yuan stopped searching and moved aside.
It was obvious the excavator was here to save lives. Even if they could not help, they could at least avoid causing trouble.
Soon, the excavator stopped. Under everyone’s gaze, the long arm slowly lifted.
As it rose, Miss Yuan and Zhang Wei’s eyes widened in shock. In the cab sat a familiar figure, operating the machine.
“Lin Mo?”
“Xiao Black Dog?”
They never would have thought the same Lin Mo who had just told them to hide had, in the blink of an eye, appeared with an excavator.
And that was not even the point. The point was—could he even drive this thing?!
Their exclamations were lost in the noise of the scene.
Inside the cab, Lin Mo’s hands were steady and smooth on the controls, but his heart raced uncontrollably. This was his first time doing such a thing, and it was to save lives.
In short, he had the skill, but not the nerves.
Sweat trickled down his forehead, but he dared not wipe it. Any distraction could spell disaster.
“Hitachi Construction Machinery, ZAXIS360 Long-arm Excavator, boom length 18 meters, plenty of height.
Come on~~ slowly now, in the little garden~ dig, dig, dig~”
Lin Mo muttered nervously about the machine’s specs as he worked.
With just two gentle pushes of the bucket, the once-sturdy bars shattered into pieces.
Once the opening was wide enough, Lin Mo honked twice to signal the crowd to move back, then adjusted the excavator sideways and pressed the bucket firmly against the fourth-floor window for the mother and daughter to climb in.
Once stabilized, Lin Mo opened the cab door and shouted: “Don’t be afraid, get on!”
He worried the woman might be too scared, but he underestimated her will to survive.
Holding her child, she climbed in with steady steps. Luckily, the bucket was big enough to hold both.
Once they were seated, Lin Mo carefully lowered the bucket.
Just as it descended, the bedroom window behind them was completely swallowed by fire.
The crowd below retreated further in fear. If Lin Mo had been any later, the outcome would have been unimaginable.
As the bucket reached the ground, people surged forward. The woman clutched her child and broke into sobs.
While the crowd swarmed the mother and daughter, Miss Yuan and Zhang Wei stared at Lin Mo jumping down from the excavator, eyes full of shock and joy.
Just as their mouths were about to form a curse of disbelief, Lin Mo grabbed each of them by the arm and pulled them to run.
“Eh? What are you doing?” Miss Yuan asked, baffled.
Zhang Wei: “You just saved them, why are you running?”
Lin Mo: “That excavator—I stole it from the site next door. They don’t know yet. Shouldn’t we get out before they make me pay for damages?”
The two: …
They had just wanted to praise him for saving lives anonymously, but he told them the machine was stolen?
Truly, as the saying went, a gentleman did not stand under a crumbling wall. He really avoided every risk he could!
Meanwhile, after ensuring the mother and daughter were safe, some people turned back to find the excavator driver. But by then, there was no trace of him.
They could only sigh—there were still good people in the world, doing good deeds without leaving their names.
Lin Mo: ???
Keyboard broke, had to go out and buy a new one, so this update was a little late. Please understand!