Chapter 74

The fire truck screeched to a halt right outside the office building. Before it even fully stopped, the door burst open and a tall, broad-shouldered figure jumped out, sprinting straight into the smoke-filled entrance without a second glance. Behind him, several firefighters lugging thick hoses rushed to catch up, shouting anxiously. "Captain Hilliard! Wait-don't rush in like that!" "Send the scout bot first, it's safer!" But the man's silhouette had already vanished into the dense black smoke. The rest of the team didn't waste a beat. One group quickly cordoned off the area and started pushing back the crowd. Another team rolled out the hoses with practiced efficiency, dragging them straight into the blaze. Others were already drilling through the outer wall to vent smoke and setting up mobile exhaust fans in one swift motion. Despite the chaos, there was a sharp orderliness to everything happening on-site-a kind of calm under pressure that settled over the crowd. Behind the caution t