RNP Chapter 138 Almost Died
Chapter 138 Almost Died
Bai Rongbei's mind went blank for a moment.
Say it again!
"Comrade Lin Weiwei just came looking for Technician Bai. I saw her rush inside before the explosion! She hasn't come out yet!"
Bai Rongbei's face instantly turned ashen.
He grabbed a wet towel from the soldier next to him, covered his mouth and nose, and was about to rush inside.
"Commander! The fire is too big! Wait for the fire extinguisher..." Zhao Dayong quickly stopped him.
"I can't wait!" Bai Rongbei shook him off. "My brother's inside! My sister-in-law's inside too!"
He rushed into the thick smoke, and several soldiers quickly followed.
The fire was mainly concentrated in the laboratory where the incident occurred; all the windows were shattered, and flames were shooting out.
The other rooms were okay, but the room was filled with thick smoke and visibility was extremely low.
"Search separately! Call out names!" Bai Rongbei roared.
"White-clad technician!"
"Comrade Lin Weiwei!"
The shouts echoed through the smoke.
Bai Rongbei squinted, suppressing his cough, and groped along the base of the wall.
The floor was a mess, with overturned shelves, broken glass, and charred parts.
He stopped abruptly after rounding a corner.
Two figures lay on the open ground ahead.
It was Lin Weiwei and Bai Si'an.
Lin Weiwei lay face down, her arms still protecting Bai Si'an's head.
A large section of the clothes on the back was burned through, revealing the red, swollen, and blistering skin underneath.
Bai Si'an lay on his side, his face completely pale.
Bai Rongbei felt as if he had been punched hard in the heart.
He rushed over and first checked Bai Si'an's breathing; he was still breathing.
They tried Lin Weiwei's breath again, and she was breathing.
"We've found him! He's here!" he shouted behind him, his voice hoarse.
Several soldiers immediately ran over.
"Lift carefully! Find a stretcher!" Bai Rongbei commanded, his hands trembling.
He saw a dark red stain on the chest of Bai Si'an's military uniform, unsure whether it was blood or some kind of chemical reagent.
A shard of glass was stuck in Lin Weiwei's arm, and blood stained half of her sleeve red.
The stretcher arrived quickly.
The group carefully lifted the two people up, and Bai Rongbei ran after them all the way out.
Once out of the smoky area, fresh air rushed in, and Bai Rongbei finally felt better in his lungs.
He wiped his face, his hands covered in black ash.
"Commander, should we take him to the hospital?" Zhao Dayong asked.
"Get them there! Quickly!" Bai Rongbei said. "Notify the hospital to prepare for emergency treatment! Also, immediately check if anyone else is injured!"
"yes!"
The stretcher was lifted onto a military truck, and Bai Rongbei jumped onto the truck bed as well.
The car started and sped towards the military hospital with its horn blaring.
Inside the carriage, Bai Rongbei squatted beside the stretcher, looking at his unconscious younger brother and sister-in-law.
Bai Si'an had small wounds on his face and his lips were purple.
Lin Weiwei bumped her forehead and blood flowed down her temples and into her neck.
Bai Rongbei reached out his hand, wanting to touch them, but he didn't dare.
Finally, he carefully pulled out the shard of glass from Lin Weiwei's arm and pressed the wound with the hem of his relatively clean shirt.
The car jolted and bumped, and his heart pounded along with it.
In the rehearsal hall of the performing arts troupe, Su Wanwan was practicing a new move.
The music was a bit loud, and she didn't hear the commotion outside at first. It wasn't until Zhou Min hurriedly pushed the door open and came in, her face looking very unwell, that she heard it.
"Rehearsal suspended!" Zhou Min's voice was tense. "There's been an accident in the technical room—an explosion, with casualties. Everyone stay in the troupe and don't wander around. Wait for further instructions!"
Su Wanwan's heart skipped a beat: "Captain Zhou, do you know who it is...?"
"It's not clear yet." Zhou Min interrupted her, but her gaze lingered on Su Wanwan for a moment. "Don't rush, wait for news."
These words only made Su Wanwan more flustered.
She put down the props she was holding and walked to the window to look outside.
Deep within the camp, a plume of black smoke rose.
Although it was far away, I could see people running in that direction.
"Wanwan," Xiaofang, her roommate, leaned closer and whispered, "I heard...it seems the technical lab exploded. Technician Bai was there today..."
Su Wanwan gripped the window frame tightly with her fingers.
Bai Si'an is in the technical room.
Lin Weiwei... Lin Weiwei said she was going to see Bai Si'an to look at the blueprints this afternoon, could she be there too?
She turned and ran out the door.
"Wanwan! Where are you going!" Zhou Min called out to her.
"I'll go take a look!" Su Wanwan said without turning her head.
She ran out of the cultural troupe building and headed towards the technical office along the dirt road.
The closer you get, the stronger the burnt smell in the air becomes.
On the way, we encountered many people in a hurry; some soldiers ran past carrying fire extinguishers, and some officers were on the phone.
She ran to the fork in the road and was stopped by someone.
"Comrade, it's dangerous ahead, we can't go any further," a soldier on duty said.
"My family might be inside!" Su Wanwan's eyes reddened with anxiety. "Let me go check on them!"
"All the wounded have been sent to the hospital," the soldier said. "Are you a family member? Go to the military hospital; they should all be there."
Su Wanwan turned around and ran towards the hospital.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and a jumble of thoughts flooded my mind.
How is Bai Si'an?
What about Weiwei?
Are they together?
How badly is the injury?
When she arrived at the hospital, she was so out of breath she could barely stand up straight. The entrance was already in chaos, with stretchers going in and out and doctors and nurses rushing around.
Su Wanwan grabbed a nurse: "Comrade, where are the wounded soldiers who were brought in from the explosion in the technical room?"
"Over there in the emergency room!" the nurse hurriedly pointed in a direction.
Su Wanwan ran over. There were many people standing in the corridor outside the emergency room, some in military uniforms, some family members, and everyone's face was filled with anxiety.
She spotted Bai Rongbei in the crowd.
He stood at the emergency room door, his military jacket off, wearing only a shirt stained with black ash and blood. His back was ramrod straight, but his jaw was clenched, his eyes fixed on the closed door.
"Rongbei!" Su Wanwan ran over.
Bai Rongbei turned his head and saw her. His eyes flickered, and he reached out to pull her to his side.
"Where are Weiwei and Si'an?" Su Wanwan's voice trembled.
"They're inside." Bai Rongbei's voice was hoarse. "Si'an inhaled toxic fumes and may have internal injuries to his chest. Lin Weiwei... has burns on her back and an injured arm; she also inhaled smoke."
Su Wanwan's legs went weak, and Bai Rongbei supported her.
"How could this be..." She grabbed his arm. "How could it explode?"
"The specific details are still under investigation," Bai Rongbei said. "Li Jianguo ran away, and Lin Weiwei rushed in to save Si An. Not long after the two of them came out, the laboratory exploded."
He spoke succinctly, but Su Wanwan could hear the emotions suppressed in his voice.
Hurried footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor. The division commander and several other leaders arrived, their faces serious.
Bai Rongbei immediately stood up straight and saluted.
"What's the situation inside?" the division commander asked.
"They're still being treated," Bai Rongbei replied. "Both of them have inhalation injuries. Bai Si'an may have fractured ribs and internal bleeding, while Lin Weiwei has second-degree burns on her back and cuts from broken glass on her arm."
The division commander nodded and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, the hospital will do everything they can to save him. Go and take care of your wound too; there's blood on your hands, isn't there?"
Bai Rongbei looked down at his hand and realized that the web between his thumb and forefinger was cut at some point, and the blood had already congealed.
"I'm fine," he said.
"Go when I tell you to." The division commander's tone brooked no argument. "I'll keep an eye on things here."
Bai Rongbei wanted to say something, but Su Wanwan gently tugged at him: "Go ahead, I'll wait here."
Bai Rongbei glanced at her, finally nodded, and followed the nurse to the treatment room next door.
Su Wanwan leaned against the wall, her eyes fixed on the emergency room door. Her mind drifted between Lin Wei's smiling face and Bai Si'an's serious expression as he adjusted his glasses.
Her fingers were icy cold, and she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.
After an unknown amount of time, the emergency room door opened.