Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

At the same time, at 9:15 a.m., Cang Lifeng stood at the entrance of the construction site, looking at the scene before him, his heart sank to the bottom.

The top floor of the nearly completed building had collapsed in half. Exposed steel bars and scattered concrete fragments twisted and deformed the scaffolding below. A cordon had been set up, and the flashing lights of fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars were blinding.

"Boss!" Old Li rushed out from the crowd and grabbed Cang Lifeng's arm. "You're finally here! Xiao Zhang... Xiao Zhang is buried on the rooftop!"

"How is he?" Cang Lifeng's voice was steady, but his hands were trembling.

"He's still alive. Firefighters are digging. He's hiding in a triangle of steel bars, but his leg is trapped."

Cang Lifeng nodded and strode inside. Old Li and his coworkers, who arrived later, followed behind, jogging along the way.

The scene was already crowded with onlookers. Cang Lifeng pushed through the crowd and walked straight towards the excavated hole.

Next to the opening, firefighters were working diligently. The screeching of the cutting machine, the static from the walkie-talkie, and the shouts of the commander all blended together.

Cang Lifeng knelt at the edge of the cave entrance and called out, "Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang!"

A few seconds later, a weak voice came from inside: "Boss... I'm fine... it's just that I can't move my legs..."

The voice was faint, trembling with pain, but the person was still alive.

Cang Lifeng's eyes reddened. He took a deep breath and steadied his voice: "Don't be afraid, hang in there, we're all here. The firefighters are rescuing you, you'll be out soon."

"Hmm..." A muffled groan came from inside, as if someone was enduring excruciating pain.

Cang Lifeng turned to the fire commander: "Comrade, approximately how much longer?"

"Almost there, the steel bar pinning his leg is about to cut." The commander wiped his sweat. "This kid's lucky; the spot where he hid provided some kind of triangular support, otherwise he would have been..."

He didn't finish speaking, but Cang Lifeng understood.

Wang Lide stood on the periphery of the crowd and did not approach.

He watched from afar the figure kneeling at the cave entrance, the man who had once been as imposing as a mountain, now covered in sweat, his hands still smeared with concrete dust, yet still shouting into the cave, telling the people inside not to be afraid.

His face turned pale.

He recalled the conversation that night—"Keep him busy, make him chaotic, make him lose focus." Was this the "chaos" they wanted? A life was almost lost. And he knew all of this.

His fear stemmed not only from the accident before his eyes. More terrifying was the realization that the price of his silence was being presented in the bloodiest way.

He began to subconsciously observe his surroundings—the time, the location, the people involved in the rescue, the spot where Xiao Zhang was buried, the situation at the scene… He didn’t know what use these things were, but he instinctively felt that they might be useful in the future.

Old Li hid at the very back of the crowd. He was hunched over, almost shrinking into the shadows. He dared not look at the hole, but every groan coming from it felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.

The cutting machine stopped.

"It's cut in half, get ready to lift."

Several firefighters rushed up and used hydraulic jacks to pry open the concrete block that was pinning it down. Someone crawled into the opening and strapped a rescue harness to Xiao Zhang.

"One, two, three—Go!"

Xiao Zhang was pulled out of the rubble.

His left leg was a bloody mess, his trouser leg soaked in blood, dripping down. His face was as white as paper, his eyes were half-open, and he was groaning unconsciously.

Old Li's gaze involuntarily fell on the leg that had been lifted out. Looking at the bloody leg, his stomach churned violently, and he bent over and dry-heaved a few times, but nothing came out.

He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his flesh, but he felt no pain. He just wanted to find a crack in the ground to disappear into and never come out again.

Emergency responders rushed over and quickly stopped the bleeding, administered intravenous fluids, and immobilized the injured limb. Then they lifted him onto a stretcher.

Cang Lifeng rushed over and grabbed Xiao Zhang's hand: "Xiao Zhang, Xiao Zhang, look at me, hang in there!"

Xiao Zhang's eyes flickered as she looked at him. Her gaze was unfocused, but she recognized him.

"Boss...!"

"Don't talk, it's alright. Go to the hospital right away, it'll be over soon." Cang Lifeng's voice trembled.

Xiao Zhang's lips twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, but he didn't. Then he closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side.

"Quick! Get in the car!" the paramedics shouted.

The stretcher was pushed into the ambulance. Cang Lifeng, Lao Zhang, Da Zhou, and several other coworkers also jumped into the vehicle.

The ambulance sped towards the hospital with its siren blaring.

At 10:40 a.m., the ambulance arrived at the First People's Hospital of Nancheng City.

Xiao Zhang was wheeled directly into the operating room. The operating room door slammed shut, and the red light came on.

Cang Lifeng leaned against the wall, panting heavily. His hands were still covered in concrete dust, and his clothes were stained with sweat and dirt. He glanced down—his hands were trembling.

Old Zhang came over and offered him a cigarette. He waved his hand and didn't take it.

Just then, his pager vibrated. He looked down and saw Lin Wei's number displayed on the screen, followed by a string of numbers: 119.

Cang Lifeng's heart sank. This was the secret code he and Lin Wei had agreed upon—if there was an emergency, call back immediately.

He turned and ran to the public phone at the end of the corridor, inserted the card, and dialed.

The call was answered quickly. Lin Wei's voice was urgent: "Lifeng, Tianci fainted and vomited blood during the finals! He's been rushed to the First Municipal Hospital's emergency room, come quickly!"

Cang Lifeng's hand tightened around the receiver, and his mind went blank.

On one side is Xiao Zhang, in the operating room, his life hanging in the balance; on the other is Tianci, on his way here, coughing up blood. Whom should he stay with?

He walked back to the operating room door, looking utterly dejected.

Seeing his appearance, Old Zhang's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward to ask, "Boss, what's wrong?"

Cang Lifeng said in a trembling voice, "Tianci...vomited blood during the match...was rushed to the emergency room..."

Old Zhang's expression changed, and he grabbed his arm: "Boss, you go quickly! We'll keep watch here. I'll call you as soon as Xiao Zhang comes out."

Cang Lifeng looked at Lao Zhang and Da Zhou, hesitated for a few seconds, and said, "Thanks, then I'll leave this place to you."

Then he turned and ran toward the emergency room.

His leather shoes made a rapid clattering sound in the hospital corridors. He ran through corridor after corridor. Someone shouted behind him, "Hey! Don't run!" but he ignored them.

All he knew was that his brother was being treated.

All he knew was that he had promised to watch his match.

He broke his promise.

He can't be late a second time.

At 10:55 a.m., Cang Lifeng ran to the entrance of the emergency room.

The lights in the emergency room were already on. Outside the door stood a group of people of various appearances:

Zhou Zhenhua slumped in the corner, his hands covering his head, his shoulders trembling. Chen Gang leaned against the wall, his eyes red-rimmed, biting his lip tightly. Cang Xiangyang stood blankly, his face expressionless, as if he had lost his soul. Cang Xiaohua leaned against Lin Wei, still sobbing, her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Shen Moyuan and Zhou Qingfeng sat on the bench, silent, their faces as heavy as lead.

Cang Lifeng rushed to the door, intending to push it open, but was stopped by the nurse.

"Family members are waiting outside!"

He peered through the glass in the door. He couldn't see anything. Only that glaring red light, shining brightly, hurting his eyes.

"A gift from heaven!" he exclaimed.

The voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own. It sounded like it was being forced out from deep in his throat, and it was tinged with blood.

Lin Wei walked over and took his hand. His hand was cold and trembling slightly.

"Lifeng, you're incredibly lucky, you'll be alright."

Cang Lifeng didn't speak. He simply slid down slowly against the wall. He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling.

Zhou Zhenhua stood up from the corner, walked to Cang Lifeng, squatted down, and said in a hoarse voice, "Lifeng... I'm sorry, I didn't keep a good eye on him!"

Cang Lifeng looked up at his senior. The once forthright and optimistic Principal Zhou in his memory was now listless.

"It's not your fault," Cang Lifeng said.

Zhou Zhenhua shook his head and said nothing more. He walked to the side, leaned against the wall, and stared at the red light of the emergency room.

He was the coach. He should have realized it much earlier; he could have forcefully stopped it. But he was blinded by fame and fortune, constantly making excuses to pretend he didn't see it. This has ultimately led to the bitter consequences we see today.

This thought was like a knife stabbing into his heart, cutting him again and again until he could hardly breathe.

No one spoke in the corridor; only the red light in the emergency room shone silently.