Starting as the President of a Billionaire Group Chapter 1253 - 1228: Saving Lives

The woman's voice trembled as she explained, "The building is engulfed in flames, yet my child remains trapped on the sixth floor, unable to escape."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel the woman had been quite negligent. Regardless of the circumstances, leaving a child unattended at home was a serious oversight.

However, dwelling on the cause wouldn't alter the reality of the situation. Blame was unproductive at this point.

The immediate priority was to find a solution. Ye Chen directed his gaze toward the direction the woman indicated, observing thick plumes of black smoke ascending from the building, a clear sign of a significant fire.

Waiting for the fire department's arrival was not a viable option. He had overheard a police officer mention that his colleagues were already inside attempting rescues, a perilous task no doubt.

"Madam, please do not worry. I will go in and rescue your child. Kindly wait for me outside," Ye Chen reassured the distraught woman.

With his words, he sprinted towards the burning structure. Despite the policeman's attempt to intervene, he was too late.

Watching Ye Chen's figure disappear into the smoke, both the woman and the policeman offered silent prayers for his safety. Such acts of bravery and altruism were indeed rare in this day and age.

They hadn't wanted Ye Chen to risk his life for others; professional firefighters were trained for such emergencies.

Judging by Ye Chen's attire, he appeared to be a delivery courier.

Ye Chen entered the building, immediately feeling the oppressive heat radiating from the ongoing blaze.

He pressed onward, heading directly for the upper floors, his attention drawn by the distinct sound of a child's cries. Ye Chen recognized it as the distressed sounds of the trapped youngster.

Reaching the door, Ye Chen delivered a powerful kick, breaching it open and swiftly carrying the sobbing, tearful little girl into his arms.

The girl's cries intensified upon being suddenly embraced by a stranger. Ye Chen, unsure how to effectively comfort a frightened child, also understood that time was of the essence; escape was the paramount concern.

"There, there, little one. Your mother sent me to bring you to her," Ye Chen gently stated.

Remarkably, the child's crying ceased almost instantly upon hearing his words.

With the girl's emotions somewhat calmed, Ye Chen continued his search for any other individuals still trapped within the inferno.

However, the intensity of the fire was staggering. Venturing door-to-door risked not only failing to rescue anyone but also perishing himself.

Just as Ye Chen felt a surge of despair, a system notification chimed within his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the delivery order. You have received the Huluwa reward of 'Thousand-Mile Eye' and 'Downwind Ear' skills."

Ye Chen was exultant at this unexpected boon, arriving like much-needed rain in a drought.

These acquired abilities would undoubtedly make locating trapped individuals significantly more manageable.

Wasting no time, he activated the Thousand-Mile Eye skill, gaining a clear and comprehensive view of the building's perilous interior.

It turned out that on the sixth floor, there wasn't just the one little girl, but also a mother and her daughter.

He hastened to their room, knocking urgently and announcing, "Quickly open the door! I'm a firefighter here to rescue you."

Ye Chen found it necessary to resort to a white lie, recognizing the critical urgency of the rescue mission, akin to battling the blaze itself.

He knew that every single second counted in this dire situation.

As expected, the occupants opened the door, their faces lighting up with relief as they saw Ye Chen, regarding him as a savior. "Please, help us get out," they pleaded.

While some might have questioned Ye Chen's delivery uniform, the mother and daughter were too absorbed in their dire circumstances to notice.

This was largely due to Ye Chen's uniform being smudged with soot, and even his face bore the marks of the smoke.

This explanation likely accounted for the initial terror and crying of the little girl; his appearance had understandably startled her.

Ye Chen guided the mother and daughter, along with the first little girl, down the ravaged stairwell.

His progress was remarkably swift, reaching the third floor in an impressively short amount of time.

He specifically targeted the third floor due to a vision granted by the Thousand-Mile Eye, which revealed an elderly woman trapped there.

The elderly woman, confined to a wheelchair, wore an expression of profound worry and near despair, convinced her end was imminent.

Consumed by these thoughts, she lacked the will to call out for assistance.

The unfortunate elder had tragically lost her spouse years prior, and her own children seemed indifferent to her plight, leaving her to live in solitude for many years.

Her existence felt increasingly meaningless, and she pondered if finding closure through death might be preferable.

As she reminisced about her life, immense sorrow washed over the old lady.

A sudden knock on her door jolted her back to the present reality. Opening it, she harbored a faint hope that it might be her children visiting.

Instead, she found a young man whose face and clothes were covered in soot.

Before the old lady could utter a word, Ye Chen urgently stated, "Granny, please come with me quickly."

"Child, it's alright. You go on ahead," the old lady demurred, waving him away.

Ye Chen had no time for pleasantries or further persuasion; he immediately lifted her onto his back.

Having already seen her plight, Ye Chen found it impossible to leave her behind.

The elderly woman, now being carried by Ye Chen, could not resist and could only allow him to bear her down the stairs.

The fire raged on, relentlessly consuming the structure, and the internal temperature climbed ever higher.

Ye Chen was acutely aware that such extreme heat would soon become unbearable for the human body.

He retrieved the Map of the Land and People, an artifact gifted by Nezha, from his Spatial Bag. With a motion of the Pointing Mountains and Rivers Brush, water from the depicted rivers began to cascade down like a torrential rain.

An astonishing scene unfolded before everyone's eyes; outside, the sky was clear, yet a peculiar rain began to fall within the building.

A collective gasp escaped the onlookers as a sense of breathlessness permeated the air. However, with the onset of this strange rain, the internal temperature plummeted dramatically.

The oppressive heat vanished instantly, leaving the air fresh and breathable.

While the immediate concern was the rescue of trapped individuals, the task of extinguishing the raging inferno also loomed large.

Ordinarily, this would fall to the skilled hands of the firefighters, but their progress was tragically impeded; the fire truck found itself ensnared in traffic, unable to reach the scene.

Without swift action to combat the flames, the entire structure was at risk of succumbing to the fire, precipitating catastrophic losses.

Faced with this dire situation, Ye Chen recognized the futility of involving the fleeing crowd in the fire-fighting efforts; they would only become a hindrance.

His immediate priority was to escort these individuals to safety, after which he intended to return alone to confront the blaze.

With the elderly lady secured on his back, Ye Chen descended the treacherous stairwell, accompanied by the mother, her daughter, and the young girl.

"This is not good!" A wave of unease washed over Ye Chen as he registered the rapidly falling temperature, a stark contrast to the visibly thickening smoke.

It’s a grim reality that smoke inhalation accounts for the majority of fire-related fatalities.

Ye Chen and his small group were now directly confronting this perilous menace.

"Cover your mouths and noses!" Ye Chen's voice boomed out, a desperate command.

However, the act of shouting proved counterproductive; he inadvertently inhaled a significant amount of smoke, triggering a violent coughing fit.

Under normal circumstances, such an ordeal would prove fatal for an ordinary person, but Ye Chen was no ordinary individual. The smoke seemed to recoil from him, mysteriously unable to penetrate his lungs and instead dissipating harmlessly.

Following his instructions, the mother, daughter, and the elderly lady imitated his actions. Ye Chen then tore a strip from his own sleeve and passed it to the little girl, offering a crucial piece of advice: "Use this to cover your mouth and nose, to keep the smoke out of your lungs."

Understanding the gravity of his words, the six-year-old girl promptly followed his guidance, securing the makeshift mask over her face.