Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 496 Ace Bodyguard
"Help, someone save me, I don't want to die..."

Hearing faint cries from one side, Zhou Wang tried to cross the smoke that blocked his vision and look for the source of the sound. However, just as he took a step, a ball of fire suddenly rose from the collapsed tables and chairs next to him. Fortunately, Zhou Wang reacted in time and was not really burned. Even so, he still felt a burning pain on his skin.

"careful!"

Jiang Qingkui and Xu Wenxi behind him screamed at the same time and quickly grabbed Zhou Wang.

When Zhou Wang wanted to listen to where the crying and shouting came from, the sound had disappeared.

Zhou Wang's face looked slightly gloomy.

He didn't know what had happened to the owner of that voice, but in this chaotic environment with flames everywhere and the possibility of collapse and secondary explosions at any time, the other party's fate would probably not be good...

Following the direction indicated by Gao Xing, led by bodyguard Xiao Liu, the few of them were completely groping their way forward. Although this direction was the least affected by the explosion, the ubiquitous flames had spread to every corner, and don't forget, there were a lot of alcohol in the banquet hall today.

The various unopened bottles of strong liquor and foreign wine became the best fuel for the fire. Most of the flames that suddenly rose came from these expensive wines.

When the chain explosions occurred, the entire 56th floor was in complete chaos. Zhou Wang estimated that many casualties had already been caused at that time. In addition to the fire and the smoke and dust that might be filled with toxic gases, Zhou Wang did not dare to think about how many of the hundreds of people on the 56th floor, including the waiters, would survive in the end...

There are his friends, family, partners, and even lovers here...

"this is not your fault."

As if she had noticed what Zhou Wang was thinking, Jiang Qingkui held his hand tightly and spoke softly.

Zhou Wang looked back and saw that both Jiang Qingkui and Xu Wenxi's originally gorgeous dresses were damaged to varying degrees. With the dust covering them, they looked extremely disheveled.

However, even though Jiang Qingkui's temperament was greatly damaged, the look in his eyes when he looked at Zhou Wang was a gentleness that Zhou Wang had never seen before.

As for Xu Wenxi, it goes without saying that she had begun to trust Zhou Wang unconditionally since some time ago. Even though the situation was fraught with danger, she always stood firmly by Zhou Wang's side.

Zhou Wang knew clearly...that she could die for him at any time.

This can be seen from the fact that Xu Wenxi was always looking around vigilantly, always concerned about her own safety, as if she had become another bodyguard for Zhou Wang.

Facing the two women's concern, Zhou Wang's throat moved, but in the end he said nothing.

"Boss Zhou, it's time to move forward. The load-bearing capacity of the floors is damaged, and there is a risk of collapse at any place at any time."

The bodyguard Xiaoliu who was leading the way reminded them quickly at this time.

Zhou Wang calmed himself down and temporarily put aside his negative emotions. He took the two girls and followed Xiao Liu forward again.

After walking a little further, we came to another fire escape staircase at the end of the floor. The fire around us was finally much smaller. Wind whistled in through the broken windows, temporarily forming a vacuum zone in the dilapidated corridor.

What surprised Zhou Wang a little was that some people had already gathered in this relatively safe area. When Guo Wangshan, who was whispering something with his bodyguard, saw Zhou Wang appear, he immediately took a few steps forward to greet him.

"Brother, are you all right?"

"Brother Guo, I'm fine. Qingkui and Wenxi were slightly injured... How about you?"

When Zhou Wang asked, his eyes swept over the back of Guo Wangshan and saw Ding Yi and Nie Xiaoyun, sisters Xia Xiwei and Yan Baiqiu, as well as Mr. Chen Qiaosheng of Tianqiao Group, Mr. Liu of Sutong Express and others were all there. He breathed a sigh of relief.

But when his eyes swept over Nie Xiaoyun, Zhou Wang was slightly stunned. He saw a flash of colorful light on Nie Xiaoyun's body, but it only flashed for a moment, as if it was Zhou Wang's illusion.

what is that?
Before Zhou Wang could think clearly, Guo Wangshan's deep voice brought him back to reality.

"We are not seriously injured. After the explosion, my bodyguards and Mr. Chen's bodyguards brought us here quickly. However, on the way, Mr. Zhang got frightened and fell into a collapsed pit. We were too late to rescue him..."

Zhou Wang temporarily put aside his doubts and asked:
"Which Mr. Zhang?"

"Zhang Shiling."

Guo Wangshan said with a sigh.

When Zhou Wang heard that something happened to Young Master Zhang's mother, his mood became heavy, but this was not the time to be sentimental. Zhou Wang took a deep breath and asked quickly:

"How about it, can we go down here?"

Although the flames have not yet reached this side due to the wind, it is obvious to the naked eye that as the fire spreads, the safe area here may not be able to be maintained for too long. The most urgent task is to find a way out as soon as possible.

"Brother, come and see for yourself. The corridor here also collapsed in the previous explosion. There is smoke blocking the view below, so the situation is not very clear, but it is definitely impossible to go straight down..."

Guo Wangshan pointed to the ruined entrance of the building and said solemnly, "As for contacting the outside world, my cell phone barely has a signal when I get here. My assistant has just contacted the police. The fire department has arrived at the scene and is urgently formulating a rescue plan, but there is no better solution for now."

"Isn't there an air cushion like that, the kind you can jump directly from the window?"

Xu Wenxi couldn't help but ask.

"Safety air cushions used for firefighting and rescue are usually designed for falls of 10 meters, which is roughly three floors below. Once this height is exceeded, the impact force on the human body will exceed the cushioning limit of the air cushion..."

Ding Yi spoke at this time and answered Xu Wenxi's doubts.

Xu Wenxi was a little embarrassed, "Sorry, I don't know this..."

"What about the ladder?"

Zhou Wang asked at this time.

"Ladders won't work either. Their tallest straight-arm ladder can only reach a height of 60 meters..."

This time it was Xia Xiwei who shook her head and spoke.

Zhou Wang frowned. After all, it was because they were on the top floor of the IFC Mall in Shanghai. This place... was too high.

The height of 260 meters has exceeded the limits of all ordinary high-altitude rescue facilities, and conventional rescue methods simply do not work here.

"Where's the helicopter? Can we rescue from the roof?"

"I have discussed this with Director Li, but the situation on the roof is not very good right now. It is tilted to a certain extent, and there are flames burning upwards. It is difficult for the helicopter to land..."

Guo Wangshan explained, "At present, their idea is to try to build a rescue cableway from the first phase of the office building opposite to this side, but it will take some time to implement. In short, our current situation is not very optimistic."

After Zhou Wang understood the situation, he also walked carefully to the entrance of the corridor and looked down. This was one of the first places where the explosion occurred. There was an obvious hollow area below, and there was a large area of ​​fault in the corridor. It was impossible to see anything below. If he could fall directly to the 54th floor, it would be fine, but it was unclear whether there would be a dead end below...

"Boss!" At this moment, Zhou Wang heard Xu Wenxi's shout from behind. He turned around and saw a group of people staggering towards this side out of the smoke, led by the bodyguard Xiao Si.

Soon, when the middle-aged couple walking in front, supporting each other, appeared, Zhou Wang breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to greet them.

"Dad, Mom, are you all okay?"

The ones who walked to the front were Zhou Dajun and his wife. They both looked a little disheveled, but did not seem to be injured. They were so happy to see their son that they cried. Zhao Guihua quickly ran over and hugged Zhou Wang, checking to see if he was injured.

Behind Zhou Dajun and his wife, Jiang Jiaxing and Li Xiaolei and his wife followed closely. Only Jiang Qingkui's aunt Li Xiaoya and uncle-in-law Xiang Ming were nowhere to be seen. Li Xiaolei had obviously cried, and Jiang Jiaxing also looked depressed, which could easily lead to bad associations...

Jiang Qingkui quickly stepped forward to inquire about the situation, while Zhou Wang turned his gaze directly to Gao Xing who was at the end.

Facing Zhou Wang's inquiring eyes, Gao Xing shook his head slightly, "It's too late to find other people."

Zhou Wang glanced around again. Among the people around him, Lin Ran was not there. His nephews were also missing. Their lives or deaths were unknown...

"Is there any way?"

Zhou Wang shook his head to get rid of all distracting thoughts and looked at Gao Xing again.

At the critical moment, Gao Xing did not disappoint Zhou Wang. He just nodded slightly, then walked through the crowd and came to the entrance of the ruined corridor.

After observing the surroundings for a while, Gao Xing took off the thick backpack on his back and took out a large bundle of ropes from it. The ropes, which were about two fingers thick, looked very strong and had a simple roller skating device attached to them.

Apparently, this was what Gao Xing was looking for when he disappeared before.

Everyone was surprised to see the lifting rope device with roller skates. Zhou Wang couldn't help but ask, "Is this the kind of dynamic rope used for rock climbing? Where did you find it?"

"Prepared in advance."

Gao Xing was looking for a suitable fulcrum at the entrance of the corridor to install the lifting rope, and replied without turning his head: "Boss, there is bread and water in the cabinet with the fire extinguisher behind you. If you need it, please take it yourself."

Zhou Wang was stunned for a moment and then looked back. Jiang Qingkui had already opened the fire cabinet. The small fire extinguisher inside was naturally useless, but she did find a few bottles of water and bread behind the fire extinguisher.

After being burned by the fire, everyone was undoubtedly thirsty. At this time, there was no need to feel disgusted. Everyone took turns drinking a few sips of water, and their bodies instantly felt much better.

Guo Wangshan, Chen Qiaosheng and others all subconsciously glanced at their bodyguards, then at Gao Xing. Although they didn't say anything, the sense of déjà vu of "other people's children" was still revealed in their eyes, causing their bodyguards to lower their heads in shame.

But I couldn’t help but complain in my heart... What kind of normal bodyguard would stockpile rescue and survival supplies in a place like this in advance?
I can't be trapped in an office building in the city center, right?
But the absurd reality is... they are indeed trapped at this moment.

Zhou Wang also felt a little emotional. Gao Xing had never said much, and he never mentioned what he had done in front of Zhou Wang. But there was no doubt that Gao Xing, whose ability rating was as high as 97 points after being certified by the system, would always be worthy of his trust...

"Why are you still standing there? Come and help!"

While Gao Xing was busy alone, Guo Wangshan glanced at his bodyguard with dissatisfaction.

Several big men who came from military backgrounds woke up as if from a dream, and hurried forward. Under Gao Xing's command, they quickly fixed the rope to a pillar that was still standing in the area.

Gao Xing lowered the rope along the hollow entrance of the corridor, put on a mask and tactical glasses, made a gesture to Zhou Wang, and slid down the rope first.

When everyone realized that Gaoxing was going to explore the way, they all waited nervously.

About a minute or two later, the rope shook up and down a few times. Xiao Si and Xiao Liu understood what was happening and quickly pulled the rope through the roller skating device. Soon, as the rope rose, Gao Xing's figure appeared again.

He jumped up with one hand holding on to the fault. After landing, he made an "OK" gesture to Zhou Wang.

This undoubtedly told everyone that the plan was feasible and that they could reach the safe area below via ropes.

This time, many people showed surprise on their faces.

After all, the explosion only occurred on the top two floors. As long as we can reach the 54th floor or lower, we will be truly safe.

"Hold the rope with your hands like this, cross your legs, and hold on to the rope without moving. We will lower you down, but for safety reasons, we can only do it one by one..."

Xiao Si walked forward and explained to everyone while demonstrating.

"Boss, you come first!"

Xu Wenxi pushed Zhou Wang, indicating that he should go first.

"Yes, Mr. Zhou, you go first..."

"Zhou Wang, go ahead."

The others also spoke up, and no one had any objection to Zhou Wang being the first to leave.

But Zhou Wang just shook his head, "I am the landlord today. How can the owner leave first? If anyone wants to leave, you should leave first..."

When everyone was about to speak, Zhou Wang interrupted them decisively again, "Everyone, time is precious, this place is not absolutely safe, and I don't know how much the load-bearing capacity of the floor has been damaged. Please don't argue with me anymore..."

Just as Zhou Wang finished his words, the whole floor suddenly shook violently, and a piece of ground nearby suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, there was no one standing there, so no one was injured.

Zhou Wang didn't expect that he would also have the attribute of "crow's mouth", but his expression became serious and he quickly gave the order:
"Dad, you go first and set an example for my mom. My mom won't leave until you go down."

Zhou Dajun took a deep look at his son and knew that this was not the time to refuse. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed the rope with the help of Xiao Si, and slid down the hollow corridor.

Zhao Guihua followed a little clumsily, but fortunately with the help of the roller skates, she only needed to hold on to the rope tightly.

After Zhao Guihua left, it was Li Xiaolei's turn. Li Xiaolei originally wanted to let her daughter go first, but Jiang Qingkui at this time insisted on staying with Zhou Wang. The stubborn look on her face made Li Xiaolei give up the idea of ​​persuading her.

The third, the fourth...

Seeing the women present disappearing under the ropes one after another, Zhou Wang's expression did not show any relaxation.

Because he always had a bad premonition in his heart.

Click!

At this moment, Zhou Wang seemed to hear a faint cracking sound. His heart skipped a beat and he turned around to see spider-web-like cracks spreading on the load-bearing column used to fix the rope...

(End of this chapter)