Chapter 28: Luring the Tiger from the Mountain

Gu Xiangnan connected one end of the water hose to the pipe of the storage tank. The joint wasn't very tight. He gripped it with his hand, channeling his immense energy, and his palm began to heat up. Concentrating, he urged his inner strength; the temperature of his hand rose sharply, soon burning hot. His fingers pressed firmly, and the joint became perfectly sealed. He turned the valve on the pipe, and the powerful water pressure sent a jet shooting far into the distance.

Wonderful! The fire would soon be extinguished.

From afar, Su Hanyan saw the water column and knew Gu Xiangnan had succeeded. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when her heart suddenly tightened again. Though the water dragon put out part of the fire, water quickly pooled on the ground, and the flames floated atop it, spreading wherever the water flowed. Everywhere it passed, anything combustible was ignited. The fire was heading straight for the forest beyond the plantation walls.

"It's oil!"

Su Hanyan's heart felt hollowed out, as if she had fallen into an endless icy abyss.

Gu Xiangnan noticed this as well. He hurriedly shut off the water valve and rushed to Su Hanyan's side.

"Senior Sister, something's wrong! How is the fire floating on water?" Gu Xiangnan tore off his gas mask as he spoke.

"Xiaonan, it's oil burning," Su Hanyan grabbed his hand, panic in her voice. "Someone must have set this fire deliberately! Water won't work now; only sand or earth can put it out!"

She was nearly in tears from anxiety. "There are boxes of sand in the forest, but the amount is far too little—a drop in the bucket. It's not enough!"

At that moment, Yang Dianfeng arrived with his crew. Yang Dianfeng shouted, "Bro, look over there—the fire is about to reach the woods outside the wall. We need to dig a trench around the perimeter to trap the fire within the plantation, preventing a forest fire."

Gu Xiangnan gritted his teeth, "Let's dig the trench, then!"

"Good!" Yang Dianfeng turned around and rallied his men, "Everyone, start digging the trench along the wall. Don't let the fire reach the forest!"

The crew rushed into the plantation, grabbed shovels and hoes, and dashed out. But after a few digs, one of them shouted, "Boss, these trees are growing right next to the wall. We can't dig here!"

If they had to cut down trees, it would take even longer!

Gu Xiangnan said nothing, heading straight for the tree. It was a towering ancient tree, lush and sprawling, its crown blocking out the sky. Its roots surely penetrated deep into the earth, immovable.

Gu Xiangnan gripped the trunk tightly, muscles tensed, his powerful palms expanding several times their normal size. A surge of force poured from within him, coursing down his arms and gathering in his hands. His palms emitted a faint red glow. The trunk began to tremble under his strength, creaking loudly. The ground beneath his feet heaved. The roots loosened, soil tore apart, and muffled sounds echoed from below as roots snapped. At last, with a thunderous roar, the tree was uprooted. Its massive crown swayed in the air, leaves scattering.

Everyone on site stared wide-eyed, faces filled with disbelief.

Gu Xiangnan hoisted the tree and tossed it aside. With a casual tilt of his head, he called to the crew, "Dig here—the soil's loose now, it's easier."

They snapped out of their shock and swarmed over, digging eagerly. The dug-up earth was loaded into baskets.

Gu Xiangnan took two baskets at a time and covered the burning spots in the plantation. The flames smothered by earth were quickly deprived of oxygen and extinguished.

To speed things up, Gu Xiangnan uprooted several more trees.

Yet the fire was fierce, and even the hotel guests joined in to help. Still, a stream of fire threatened to breach the wall. Though it was several meters away, the heat was already painful, and some couldn't bear it, retreating.

But the trench wasn't finished.

Gu Xiangnan grabbed a shovel and charged ahead. His strength was immense—each shovel sank into the earth as easily as if through tofu. Alone, he worked as fast as a hundred men.

At the last moment, he managed to dig a trench in time. The flowing fire poured into it and stopped advancing.

The forest was saved!

Just then, the wailing of fire truck sirens grew closer. As expected, they were all small fire engines. Dozens had been mobilized and dispatched from the city to the forest scenic area in short order. Their response was remarkably swift.

Su Hanyan reported to the firefighters that it was an oil fire. The team immediately sprang into action and quickly extinguished the remaining flames.

A firefighter questioned Su Hanyan, "Preliminary judgment is that gasoline caught fire. How could you be so careless? If this had triggered a forest fire, the losses would be enormous—you’d be criminally liable!"

Su Hanyan instantly became serious. "Comrade firefighter, I suspect this was arson. May I call the police?"

The firefighter was taken aback; the fire indeed seemed suspicious. He replied, "We work in coordination with the police, especially with forest fires—the police will arrive soon."

Just then, the firefighter's radio crackled.

"All units, get on board immediately—fires have been detected simultaneously on the western, eastern, and southern hills." The firefighter was already climbing into the truck as it sped off.

Gu Xiangnan felt something was off.

"Senior Sister, where is the Spirit Orchid planted?"

"On the northern hill," she replied.

Gu Xiangnan asked warily, "Just now, the firefighters said new fires were found on the west, east, and south hills, didn't they?"

Su Hanyan nodded in confusion. "That's exactly what they said."

"Damn! We've been fooled by a diversion." Gu Xiangnan slapped his palm, scooped up Su Hanyan, and ran.

Yang Dianfeng shouted from behind, "Wait for me, bro! I'm coming too."

With Su Hanyan guiding and the firelight illuminating their way, the two quickly reached the northern hill.

The Spirit Orchid was hard-won, and the northern hill had the highest security of all the plantations. Su Hanyan had installed high-definition cameras and infrared sensors at the entrance. Further in was a sturdy iron gate with a smart lock, accessible only to authorized personnel. A rigorously trained patrol squad made regular rounds in the valley.

Su Hanyan had always thought nothing could go wrong, believing Gu Xiangnan's concerns were unfounded.

But when they reached the entrance, the sight before her left her shocked. The once-solid iron gate was twisted and deformed, the smart lock smashed open.

Su Hanyan closely examined the damage, her brow furrowed.

"Clearly, these people are no ordinary criminals," Gu Xiangnan said gravely.

They pressed deeper, discovering more security measures destroyed. The high-definition cameras had been smashed, the infrared sensors dismantled, and the patrol squad had been stripped and tied to trees.

Gu Xiangnan gently pulled and broke the rope.

A patrol member spat out the gag, panting, "President Su, a group of skilled men came in. They headed toward the Spirit Orchid—you need to hurry!"

Su Hanyan, anxious and furious, was carried by Gu Xiangnan as he dashed forward.

Ahead, a commotion erupted.

Gu Xiangnan quickly hid, and dozens of burly men in black appeared in his line of sight.