Chapter 019: A Three-Legged Race With Lives on the Line (2)
Hee-soo forced away his weakening thoughts.
I have to believe I can save them.
I absolutely don't want to die again.
And what if the system runs out of energy one day?
Maybe I won't even be able to regress anymore.
Hee-soo was about to enter the black smoke when Captain Gu stopped him again.
"Ah, damn it!"
"Do you even know where the victims are?"
"I know."
"I have no idea how you know, but I'll trust you."
"Ah, you damn bastard."
"Everyone else, wait here until the smoke extraction truck arrives!"
Captain Gu began gathering his equipment.
Seeing him, another person also prepared to enter.
It was the deputy captain.
"At least three people."
"Entering with only two is suicide."
Captain Gu snapped at him.
"Entering at all is suicide, you idiot!"
"We don't have time!"
"If you're coming, then hurry up!"
Hee-soo was slightly surprised by the sudden development.
However, he didn't show it.
He spoke calmly.
"We're going in."
They stepped into absolute darkness.
Hee-soo couldn't even see his own hand.
Sometimes he could barely make out the back of the person directly in front of him.
Even that kept disappearing.
They had to keep their bodies as low as possible, which slowed their movement.
The smoke made it seem as though the temperature shouldn't be high.
However, the passage on underground level five, where the fire had started, had already exceeded three hundred degrees Celsius.
Even the entrance temperature was approaching one hundred degrees.
One mistake could lead directly to death.
And the three men still went inside.
Hee-soo moved forward without hesitation, almost as if he had traveled this route many times before.
He was moving so quickly that Captain Gu tried to stop him.
Hee-soo slapped his hand away.
"Either quietly follow me, or hold the lifeline and leave."
"Don't get in my way."
Hee-soo's attitude was so firm that Captain Gu couldn't argue anymore.
In truth, Captain Gu and the deputy captain were already close to their limits.
The emergency stairwell was becoming hotter by the second.
However, seeing Hee-soo continue toward the destination without stopping made it impossible for them to turn back.
The three quickly descended to underground level three.
By the time they reached it, the stairwell temperature had risen to around two hundred degrees.
Hee-soo pushed against the fire door.
A complaint immediately escaped his lips.
"Who piled this garbage here?"
Large boxes had been stacked directly in front of the door, blocking the exit.
Hee-soo pushed with all his strength.
The boxes didn't move.
They were much heavier than they looked.
When Hee-soo couldn't get out, Captain Gu immediately started talking.
"What are you doing?"
"Aren't we rescuing people?"
He walked over to Hee-soo and laughed.
"So this is what stopped our unstoppable rich young master?"
"These boxes are stronger than I am."
"Move."
Smoke rapidly began pouring through the small gap in the door.
Hee-soo became anxious.
Even worse, the cardboard boxes near the stairwell had already begun drying from the intense heat.
Thin white smoke started rising from them.
Captain Gu gave instructions.
"We need to push near the handle with everything we've got."
"We only need enough space for one person to get through."
The deputy captain answered strongly.
"Yes, sir!"
"What about you, Hee-soo?"
Hee-soo answered reluctantly.
"Yes."
However, when it came time to push, he used all his strength.
The three men pushed together.
Eventually, the boxes moved far enough to create a narrow gap.
Captain Gu immediately squeezed through.
Then he carefully pushed against one row of boxes.
The heavy boxes slowly slid aside.
"Support the top."
Hee-soo quickly held the upper boxes in place.
As they carefully shifted everything, a narrow passage opened.
"We only need enough room for one person."
"We'll go and come back."
"Eun-hyuk, stay here and clear this passage."
"Understood."
Leaving the deputy captain behind, Hee-soo and Captain Gu continued toward the victims.
Eight victims in total.
Inside the women's restroom on underground level three.
From this emergency exit, move fifty meters toward the eleven o'clock direction.
Then follow the wall and turn left.
Fortunately, the parking garage on underground level three wasn't extremely hot.
The temperature was around fifty degrees.
However, because they had opened the fire door, smoke was gradually filling the upper part of the parking garage.
The temperature was also rising.
The electricity had completely failed.
The entire place was swallowed by darkness.
Fortunately, their flashlights could still provide some visibility.
A child's weak crying echoed through the parking garage.
The child had clearly been crying for a long time.
The moment the two firefighters confirmed the direction, they strengthened their resolve.
We only get one chance.
The sound of the child's crying made them move faster.
Hee-soo reached the restroom and opened the door.
When he shone his light inside, he saw two children, two adult men, two adult women, and an elderly couple.
The moment several people tried to stand, Hee-soo shouted.
"STAY SEATED!"
"IT'S DANGEROUS TO STAND UP!"
The children didn't seem to have enough strength to rise anyway.
The elderly couple tried to stand and approach the firefighters, but Hee-soo stopped them.
Fortunately, while the air was hot, it was still breathable.
Thick smoke covered the ceiling.
However, it hadn't yet descended to the level where the victims were sitting.
It appeared the smoke had only begun entering after Hee-soo and Captain Gu opened the door.
All eight victims had soaked cloth with water and covered their mouths and noses.
Hee-soo wondered who had instructed them to do that.
However, there was no time to ask.
Hee-soo carried two oxygen tanks toward the elderly couple.
He tried to fit them with masks first.
However, they strongly refused.
"No."
"The children first."
Cough, cough.
"Give them to the children first."
