Urban Martial Saint

”The construction site at Beihua Residential Area exploded!”

”The building collapsed, and many workers are still buried inside.”

”It is said that the construction side violated regulations by placing detonators on site; the detonators exploded, causing the building under construction to collapse.”

”Oh dear, Beihua Company is going to suffer from this as well.”

”I heard that the new boss of Beihua Company had taken over just less than half a year ago. To happen upon such an incident so soon, he is really unlucky.”

When Ye Qing and Mu Qingrong ran downstairs, various theories had already begun circulating outside.

Mu Qingrong had thought it was an earthquake, as most people in the building had fled outside. Hearing this news, many breathed a sigh of relief. In this society, as long as issues don’t concern oneself directly, they are merely subjects for conversation unless it’s an earthquake; an explosion is nothing more.

Ye Qing knew this Beihua Residential Area; it was less than a kilometer away from their company, not too far. However, given this distance, the vibration from the explosion was still so perceptible here; the force of the explosion must have been significant.

”Beihua Residential Area, it was only halfway built, how could such a thing happen?” Mu Qingrong muttered to herself, then looking up said, ”Ye Qing, that design drawing...”

Mu Qingrong stopped mid-sentence because she suddenly realized that Ye Qing had already run off.

”Ye Qing, what are you doing!” Mu Qingrong called out loudly.

”Go back first, don’t worry about me.” Right after saying this, Ye Qing had turned the street corner.

Mu Qingrong, puzzled, hesitated for a moment, then followed him.

Ye Qing was heading in the direction of Beihua Residential Area; as he arrived, several police cars also swiftly reached the site.

”Quick, quick, quick! Seal off the site immediately; don’t let anyone get close. Get a bomb expert here to check if there are any other explosives remaining.”

The team was led by Zhao Chengshuang; it was his first time leading. Having established his third-class merit, his status in the police station was increasingly climbing, earning considerable respect among his colleagues.

The site was surrounded by many onlookers, and Zhao Chengshuang led the team to cordon off the area. Smoke enveloped the Beihua Residential Area; the towering building under construction had turned into a pile of ruins amidst the smoke. Continuous cries for help came from inside, and from the outside, the construction site looked like a scene from the apocalypse.

Ye Qing ran to the edge of the scene, looked at the ruins through the smoke, and his brow furrowed deeply. He walked around the crowd to the front and tried to get closer but was stopped by several policemen.

”The site is sealed off; no one can enter!” a policeman barred Ye Qing.

Ye Qing, somewhat anxious, looked around, trying to find an unguarded spot to enter. But as he turned his head, he spotted Zhao Chengshuang, who was commanding at the site.

”Zhao Chengshuang! Zhao Chengshuang!” Ye Qing shouted loudly, but the scene was too noisy; whether Zhao Chengshuang didn’t hear or what, he simply didn’t turn around.

Ye Qing paused, then shouted again, ”North Ring Thirteen!”

Zhao Chengshuang immediately turned around, spotted Ye Qing, and, visibly surprised, jogged over saying, ”I thought someone was calling my name! There are so many people, I didn’t notice. Ye brothers, sorry about that.”

Ye Qing curled his lip; this guy—calling him by his name doesn’t get his attention; it seems nicknames are more effective.

Zhao Chengshuang, now disregarding the command, stood beside Ye Qing saying, ”Ye brothers, what brings you here?”

”I work nearby; seeing the situation here, I came to check.” Ye Qing glanced at the ruins, then said, ”Can I go in?”

”What are you going in for?” Zhao Chengshuang wondered. ”It’s a mess inside, and no one knows if all the detonators went off. Better not go inside, really.”

”There are so many victims inside the ruins; I want to go in to rescue them!” Ye Qing declared.

”Big brother, you really take nosiness too far,” Zhao Chengshuang said. ”Not to mention, there’s so much dust inside; you’d likely suffocate yourself before saving anyone. Ye brothers, I’m telling you this as a friend—to keep you out. Such matters should be left to the armed police and military personnel.”

”But don’t forget, I’m also a soldier!” Ye Qing said sternly.

Zhao Chengshuang replied, ”But you’ve already been discharged!”

Ye Qing slowly said, ”Even if I had worn the military uniform for just one day, I am bound to carry the honor of a soldier all my life!”

Zhao Chengshuang stared at Ye Qing for a long while then shook his head helplessly, saying, ”Ye brothers, I really don’t know what to say about you. That mindset of yours can only be described as obstinate!”

Ye Qing did not respond; he only looked at Zhao Chengshuang. Zhao Chengshuang shrugged and said, ”Fine, I’ll let you go in. But, once you’re inside, you must be careful.”

”No problem!” Ye Qing crossed the cordon and walked directly in.

With Zhao Chengshuang’s orders, no one stopped Ye Qing.

Ye Qing walked into the construction area where the dust filled the air, just as Zhao Cheng Shuang had said, it truly wasn’t suitable for people to enter now.

Ye Qing took off his coat, soaked it in water, and wrapped it around his face, so he could breathe amidst the dust.

Explosions could occasionally be heard within the factory area, with fragments flying everywhere—it was extremely dangerous here.

Walking in the dust, Ye Qing could hardly see anything and had to rely on his ears to be aware of everything around him.

Among the ruins, cries and shouts were everywhere. Many workers hadn’t managed to escape; the entire building had collapsed, burying countless people under the rubble.

Listening to the noises, Ye Qing walked towards the person nearest to him.

On the outer edge of the ruins, a man’s leg had been crushed by a rock, blood soaking his pants, and he was now lying on the ground screaming. The scene was apocalyptic; to be honest, he was close to despair himself. Yet, in this despair, he saw a figure approaching him.

The man suddenly became spirited, crying out urgently, ”Save me! Save me! I’m here, save me!”

Ye Qing ran towards the cries and bent down to look at the man. His leg was crushed, the bone exposed, and one of his arms was dislocated; his injuries were severe. What was critical was that he was almost suffocated by the dust.

Ye Qing hastily took off his coat, wiped the dust off the man’s face with it, and wrapped his head in the coat so the man could breathe.

Ye Qing didn’t directly carry the man out, but first realigned his dislocated arm and leg. Ye Qing had learned to do this in the army. On the battlefield, setting bones was common, and sometimes they even had to remove bullets themselves.

After properly setting the man’s arm and leg, Ye Qing then carried him on his back and ran out.

Meanwhile, ambulances from the hospital had also rushed to the scene with sirens blaring. However, they too were stuck on the outskirts, completely unable to enter the site.

Chen Keai, a nurse with the team, stood anxiously outside. Seeing Zhao Cheng Shuang, she couldn’t help but go up to him urgently, ”Hey, what are you police doing? With so many of you blocking the scene, why aren’t you going in to rescue people? Do you know how many people might die because of your delay?”

Zhao Cheng Shuang had seen Chen Keai once before, when he had gone to retrieve a car. That time, Huo Pingping had berated him severely, and seeing Chen Keai reminded him of Huo Pingping, making him somewhat timid mentally.

Zhao Cheng Shuang said, ”Big sister, our orders are to blockade the scene. If we don’t secure the perimeter, think about it, what would happen here? Could your ambulances even get here? Moreover, the rescue teams are almost here; we need to clear the way for them. Do you think we’re playing here?”

”Even if you must secure the site, you don’t need this many people. Can’t you send half in to start rescuing people quickly?” Chen Keai said.

Zhao Cheng Shuang replied, ”Look at the dust in there; who can rescue anyone in that? We don’t have professional equipment; we need to get gas masks. Otherwise, the people who go in might die before they rescue anyone!”

”That’s just an excuse. As police, you should be ready to sacrifice for the people!” Chen Keai said indignantly.

Zhao Cheng Shuang ignored her, although he too wanted to save some people, as that could earn him recognition. But, he needed the capability to do so.

Besides, Zhao Cheng Shuang was also worried about Ye Qing, who had rushed into the scene. With all that dust inside, he didn’t know what state Ye Qing was in!

”Someone’s coming out!”

A cry of surprise suddenly arose from the crowd, and everyone turned to look. They saw Ye Qing, carrying a man drenched in blood, sprinting out from the dusty ruins. Both Ye Qing and the man looked disheveled. However, Ye Qing was fast and soon carried the man to the entrance.

”Ye brothers, you...you made it out!” Zhao Cheng Shuang was astonished, not expecting Ye Qing to have rescued someone so quickly.

Ye Qing didn’t stop to answer Zhao Cheng Shuang; carrying the man, he ran out, crying, ”Doctor! Where is the doctor?”

”Here! Here!” Chen Keai shouted loudly, ignoring the police blockade and rushing in first.

Nearby medical staff also brought over equipment such as stretchers to settle the man.

Seeing the man’s bone exposed, Chen Keai urgently said, ”Set his bone first!”

A doctor had already started, reaching out to touch the man’s leg bone, and couldn’t help exclaiming, ”His leg bone is set!”

”What?” Chen Keai widened her eyes, asking, ”With such severe damage, how did it get set?”

”I set it!” Ye Qing said, removing the coat from the man’s head, urgently saying, ”Get him out of here, don’t crowd around!”

After speaking, Ye Qing used his coat to wipe the dust from his face and turned to run back to the site.

”Ye brothers, what’s the situation inside?” Zhao Cheng Shuang asked as he chased after him.

”Very complicated!” Ye Qing threw out three words and ran back into the scene.

Watching Ye Qing’s retreating figure, Chen Keai murmured in astonishment, ”This hothead, he knows how to set bones?”