007 I Am the Dawn Breaking Through the Darkness
Although it was noisy outside, there was still some semblance of order; the children were well protected, while the staff stumbled about in the darkness.
“Tiger Mom! Tiger Mom!” Li Jie called twice. Before Tiger Wenjing could respond, he saw the “carnivorous dinosaur” tumble off the stage, landing in a chaotic heap, with Tiger Wenjing’s weight bursting the dinosaur’s tail.
Watching this, Li Jie couldn’t help but laugh shamefully.
“How are you so careless? You tripped on the last stage too.”
“How was I supposed to know it would suddenly go pitch black?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Don’t worry, there’s padding inside,” Tiger Wenjing said as she took Li Jie’s arm and stood up. “Besides, I’ve got plenty of flesh—what’s there to hurt?”
“The dinosaur tail is ruined. I’ll sew it back for you later.”
“Oh, you kid—what kind of costume is this? And that mask you’re wearing, I—”
Bang!
A loud crash startled Tiger Wenjing so much she bit her tongue.
“Oh my goodness, what was that noise?”
“Sounded like a transformer blew up. There were sparks just now.”
“The nursery’s next door—I heard someone yelling about fire. Is there really a fire?”
Without removing her dinosaur costume, Tiger Wenjing was led by Li Jie toward the classroom. “Don’t worry about the fire right now—take off that suit first. If something really happens, you’ll never be able to run. Aunt She’s in the classroom; let her help. Don’t worry about next door—I’ll go check.”
“Be careful, don’t let there really be a fire.”
Tiger Wenjing took the advice and returned to the classroom, immediately turning around to let She Qingchun help her out of the dinosaur costume.
“Where’s the baby?”
“The nursery next door might have caught fire. I sent him to check. If anyone needs help, he’ll be more useful than us.”
“But I want to go see. What if the baby gets hurt?”
After pulling down Tiger Wenjing’s zipper, She Qingchun raised her phone for light and walked ahead. Though her age had caught up with her, she was still nearsighted and hadn’t developed presbyopia.
Squinting as she looked out onto the road outside the kindergarten, she saw crowds of people everywhere shouting.
“The nursery’s fire hydrant has no water—”
“Forget it, just get everyone out first—”
“Don’t rush, those with lights evacuate the first floor!”
Though chaotic, there were plenty eager to fight the fire and save people. The fire brigade from the industrial district had already responded, and sirens could be heard in the distance. The sudden blackout meant even streetlamps with independent power were dark, so cars parked along the road all turned on their lights. Vendors brought their business lamps, holding up light poles in one hand and carrying battery packs in the other.
The fire spread quickly. When Li Jie arrived outside the nursery, the second and third floors were already ablaze with red, and even without lighting, thick black smoke from incomplete combustion could be seen clearly below.
The scene was like some demonic procession straight out of television.
“The fire’s too big! The stairs are impassable—”
“Ladders! Get the ladders up—”
“Mats, bring the mats over!”
Being close to the kindergarten, someone carried over gym mats, layering them on the ground. Someone shouted, “Let’s bring the performance air cushions too!”
“Hurry to the second floor, there are still people!”
Several young security guards from nearby began climbing the exterior attachments up to the second-floor balcony. As they climbed, a group of men below stretched their hands out, ready to catch them just in case.
“Mama~~”
A wailing cry came from above. Hearing it, Li Jie dashed forward, using a drainpipe for leverage and swiftly grabbed the edge of the second-floor balcony.
She Qingchun, who had come looking for Li Jie, saw this and cried out in fright, “Ba... mm!”
She covered her mouth at once, afraid to distract Li Jie and cause him to fall.
Li Jie, arriving ahead of others, kicked open the second-floor door. Heat rushed out at him, but the fire hadn’t reached inside yet. Four or five children, some older, some younger, were inside. “Quick, let’s go!”
The older kids headed to the balcony obediently, while Li Jie tucked a small child under each arm and brought them out.
On the balcony, the security guards had arrived on the second floor and quickly tied ropes to the children to lower them down.
“Upstairs, upstairs! Looks like there’s another room on the third floor!”
One guard wiped the sweat streaming down his face and shouted to Li Jie.
No sooner had he finished than Li Jie jumped from the balcony, grabbing the edge of the third floor above, drawing gasps from the crowd below as their hearts leapt to their throats.
Li Jie pulled himself up and climbed over the balcony, prompting a collective sigh of relief.
She Qingchun, anxious beyond measure, chewed her fingers, pacing in small, frantic steps. Helpless, she could only mutter prayers for safety.
Bang!
Once again, Li Jie kicked open a door with force and was glad he’d arrived early. The fire raged mainly in the stairwell like a dragon; the room itself was just hot.
“Mama~~”
The crying came again. Li Jie’s sharpened hearing soon found the source: a young boy, about four or five, was pounding the door and crying. Outside was pitch black, inside was sweltering heat and choking smoke. The terror in such darkness was unimaginable.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here to pick you up after school, sent by your mama.”
Li Jie’s voice echoed in the darkness. The boy, feeling someone embrace him, burst out in loud sobs.
“There, there, don’t be afraid—it’s all right now. We’re going down now…”
Bang!
A loud crash shook the glass windows, and screams erupted from the street below. As long as it wasn’t a gas explosion, things were still all right.
But the boy in his arms was rigid with terror. As Li Jie rushed out, he remembered they were on the third floor. He grabbed a bedsheet, tore and knotted it, and bound the boy to himself.
“What’s your name? I’ll teach you a spell. Say it and you won’t be afraid, okay?”
“Okay~~”
The trembling, sniffling boy managed a reply, which Li Jie found commendable.
“I’ll say a line, and you repeat it, all right?”
“Okay, okay~~”
The boy, still sniffling, echoed back.
“Darkness shrouds all things.”
“Da-darkness shrouds all th-things…”
“I am the dawn in the darkness.”
“I am the dawn…”
“With thunder, I shatter the dark.”
“Shatter the dark~~”
Thud!
Li Jie leapt from the balcony, catching the second-floor ledge amid cries of alarm, then jumped to the mats laid out on the ground below.
Thump—
Dust billowed as he landed. Amid the smoke, a heart-wrenching cry rang out: “Baby—”
A woman in work clothes rushed over, cradling the boy’s face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Baby!”
She Qingchun, frantic with worry, also rushed over.