"Nope." Zhang Zhiyuan explained, "Yiwei went to dig the isolation belt, and I haven't been able to contact him. I'm worried that something might have happened to him."
Looking at Cai Jianguo, Xiao Dingyuan asked, "Aren't there so many people on the mountain?"
Zhang Zhi Yuan could only wave his hand and say, "I don't care what method you think of, go up the mountain and find Lu Yiwei!"
"Alright!" Xiao Dingyuan replied, "County Zhang, don't panic. My men will be here soon, and I will personally bring them to search for him."
After that, Xiao Dingyuan pulled Zhang Zhiyuan to the side, fearing that Cai Jianguo would hear it. When Cai Jianguo saw this, he felt awkward and furious, so he entered the house.
"County Zhang, I have a piece of bad news for you. Zhang Lefei committed suicide." Xiao Dingyuan whispered.
"What?" Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't believe his ears. "When did this happen?"
"Tonight. The officer on duty said that he committed suicide by biting his tongue, and he looked pitiful. "Xiao Dingyuan replied.
Zhang Zhiyuan could imagine it and instantly felt his scalp going numb. "Have you reported it to the higher-ups?"
"Not yet!" Xiao Dingyuan replied, "Let's see what you think."
"You can talk to Secretary Liu about this. I can't make the decision!" Zhang Zhiyuan threw this hot potato to Liu Kecheng.
Xiao Dingyuan took out an empty cigarette box from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Zhiyuan. "I found this on Zhang Lefei."
Zhang Zhiyuan took the cigarette box, looked around, and asked in confusion, "What's this? Is there a problem? "
"Touch the bottom of the cigarette box!" Xiao Dingyuan guided.
Zhang Zhiyuan carefully touched it with his hand and felt something hard, like a piece of iron. He asked, "What is this? Key? "
Xiao Dingyuan said, "Yes! After confirming that it was a key, I didn't dare to open it. I felt that this key would be useful, so I brought it to you. "
Zhang Zhiyuan didn't have time to think about this. He put the pack of cigarettes on his body and said, "Well, hurry up and report this to Secretary Liu. I want to see how he will deal with it."
Liu Kecheng was also shocked when he heard the news of Zhang Lefei's suicide. He wanted to go back to see what was going on, but when he saw the fire in front of him, he turned back. A dead person had no value, but they hadn't gotten through this hurdle yet. He said, "Report this matter to the City Public Security Bureau immediately. Ask them to come down and assist in the investigation and determine who is responsible. As long as it's not related to us, let them be." Zhang Lefei's death is a great thing for Liu Kecheng. He is eager for Zhao Zhigang to die. This way, he won't have to worry about anything.
Zhang Lefei's death could have been big news, but he died at the wrong time. Tonight's fire had obviously stolen the spotlight and made him the protagonist.
Xiao Dingyuan's team of policemen arrived. Under the command of Zhang Zhiyuan, the team was asked to go to the Shanshen Temple more than 10 miles away, but was rejected by Liu Kecheng. He still stubbornly insisted to enter the fire and organize the rescue. Even though Zhang Zhiyuan had slammed the table, he was still the same. Putting out the fire was the top priority.
At this time, Lu Yiwei led the villagers of the three villages to desperately dig the isolation belt. Seeing that the fire was about to spread, Lu Yiwei decisively asked all the villagers to retreat 5 kilometers and start to dig the second line of defense. The first line of defense was completely lost, and they missed the best time to put out the fire.
At this time, the villagers had already started to complain. There were only a few hundred of them doing such a huge project, and the county did not send anyone to help. They were completely fighting alone. Some of the villagers were so hungry and thirsty that they collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Seeing this, Lu Yiwei begged the villagers to retreat quickly. The villagers complained, "No matter how much money you give me, I won't do it anymore. I want to go down the mountain." After that, some of the villagers got up and walked down the mountain.
Seeing that some people were leaving, the other villagers followed suit and wanted to go down the mountain. Lu Yiwei said anxiously, "Fellow villagers, what we're doing today is no different from fighting a war. If we give up now, the entire forest will be destroyed. The mountains of North River Town will also be affected. This is a treasure left behind by our ancestors. Do you have the heart to watch it be destroyed?"
Some of the villagers began to waver and stood there in silence. Lu Yiwei continued, "For those who participated in the labor tonight, in addition to the money given by the village, I will add another 200 yuan to each of you. After the fire is over, I will cash it in."
Hearing the mention of money, the villagers became energetic again. They dragged their tired bodies and continued to walk towards another mountain. As there was no signal on the phone, and there was no walkie-talkie, Lu Yiwei and Niu Fuyong could only communicate with each other by shouting or through others. Luckily, it was quiet in the mountains, and voices could be heard from far away.
Abandoning the first line of defense meant that the fire was getting fiercer. By the time Lu Yiwei and the rest started to dig the second line of defense, the sky was already brightening. At this time, the villages in the distance started to set off firecrackers to welcome the first day of the new year. As for the villagers, they were fighting alone in the mountains.
The wind was slightly weaker in the morning, but the weather was still extremely cold. The water they brought up the mountain had turned into ice, and the bread was hard. Even the ham had turned into popsicles. The firefighters who had been fighting for the whole night were hungry and cold, but they did not know where to eat the food.
Lu Yiwei's team was in an even more serious situation. Especially the elderly who had collapsed from exhaustion. Lu Yiwei did not dare to be careless and organized people to send the elderly down the mountain. As the number of people decreased, the task of digging the isolation zone was still very difficult.
In the Guiyu Township Government House, Liu Kecheng woke up from his nap. The piping hot dumplings were already on the table. He was hungrier than the firefighters. He did not care about his image and wolfed down the dumplings.
As he ate, he observed the fire on the opposite mountain. When he saw that the fire had subsided, he felt relieved. He asked Dong Guoping next to him. "Did County Zhang just stand there the whole night?"
Dong Guoping nodded. "Yes. County Zhang just stood there the whole time. No one could call him back."
"Go and call him back." Liu Kecheng said.
Dong Guoping went out and talked with Zhang Zhiyuan for a while. He then returned to the office unhappily. "Secretary Liu, County Zhang is not coming back."
"This graduate student is so stubborn!" Liu Kecheng put down his chopsticks and went out to ask Zhiyuan to come back.
"Zhiyuan, go back and warm yourself up. Have some dumplings." Liu Kecheng was shivering from the cold. He wrapped his coat tightly around himself.
Zhang Zhiyuan said blankly. "I'm not cold or hungry. Go ahead and eat."
Liu Kecheng persuaded. "Look, the fire is under control. We just need to clean up the mess this morning. We can go home in the afternoon. My strategy is correct, right?"
Zhang Zhiyuan did not have the strength to defend himself. "I'm very worried about Lu Yiwei. Secretary Liu, you must listen to me. Please send a team up the mountain to look for them."
Liu Kecheng's heart softened. He sighed. "Why are you doing this? Come in and eat something. I'll send someone to look for them. "
Zhang Zhiyuan was about to take a step forward. But as he stood for too long, his feet were numb from the cold. He instantly fainted. When those who were eating in the house saw this scene, they immediately ran out and carried Zhang Zhiyuan in.
At 7am, the first ray of the new year rose from the other side of the mountain. Lu Yiwei's team was reduced once again. Some of the villagers couldn't take it anymore and sneaked back home. There were less than 200 of them left. The rations that Li Haidong brought up were long gone. The villagers were shivering from the cold, but they couldn't light a fire to warm themselves up.
The second isolation belt was only three meters deep. It was still far from ten meters. Lu Yiwei got the villagers to rest. He had to find a way to let the villagers eat to conserve their energy. Zhang Zhiyuan promised to send someone over, but there was no news of him. Lu Yiwei had no idea what happened down the mountain, but he had to get the villagers to save themselves.
Niu Fuyong, Li Haidong, and Zhou Sanmao gathered from all directions. The few of them sat together to keep warm. Niu Fuyong started to complain. "Brother Lu, what are you trying to do? How long will it take to dig the isolation belt with so few of us? The people in the district are all dead, and no one came to help us. If someone dies, how am I going to answer to them?"
Lu Yiwei was so cold that his teeth were chattering. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fu Yong, you have to endure it a little longer. As long as we dig this fire line, the fire will be under control. Just endure it a little longer. I think the county will send people over soon."
"You still want to dig?" Niu Fuyong stared at Dong Xuebing. "Look, the fire has weakened. What's the point of digging?"
Lu Yiwei said pessimistically, "Fu Yong, this is only temporary. After noon, when the northwest wind blows again, it will immediately rush over here. At that time, you won't be able to make it. If the second line of defense fails, we will have to dig the third line of defense. "
"What?" Niu Fuyong felt his legs going numb. "Brother Lu, don't blame me for not being loyal. If we still have to stay on the mountain, do you think the villagers will be happy? It's the Lunar New Year. Is this the work of a human? Furthermore, this has nothing to do with our North River Town. "
Lu Yiwei consoled him. "Fuyong, I know you have done your best. But the problem is, if the fire cannot be controlled, it will affect the neighboring district. By then, the whole district will be engulfed in a sea of fire, and thousands of acres of forest will be burned."
Niu Fuyong continued to grumble. Lu Yiwei said helplessly, "Fuyong, just do your brother a favor, okay? Just hold on for a few more hours. Just a few more hours! "
Niu Fuyong looked at Lu Yiwei's expectant eyes, and his heart softened. He lowered his head and said unwillingly, "Alright. But it's a promise. After this line of defense is dug, I will bring my men down the mountain. We will not be going to the third line of defense."
Zhou Sanmao also raised a practical issue. "Yiwei, a human cannot survive on an empty stomach. If this goes on, people will really die."
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