Chapter 58: The Suspicious Fire

Chang Yong rushed to the scene before dawn. When Wang Yunfei saw Chang Yong, his face was as dark as Zhang Fei's.

"Chang Yong, look at the fine mess you've made. Are you trying to get me killed so you can step into my shoes?" Wang Yunfei pulled Chang Yong aside and cursed him out directly.

"What happened?"

"What happened? Take a look for yourself. This is the brilliant spot you picked for starting the fire. Do you have any idea? If Qin Feng hadn't rallied the villagers in time to get the blaze under control, every single house in this residential area would have been burned to the ground. Burning houses wouldn't be the worst of it—if a few people had burned to death today, Qin Feng would be finished, and I would be finished too. Not even the gods could save us," Wang Yunfei raged.

"Town Mayor, you can't blame me for this. I never expected the wind to suddenly pick up like that. Who could have foreseen such a gust?" Chang Yong said, feeling deeply aggrieved.

Wang Yunfei desperately wanted to slap Chang Yong across the face, but ultimately managed to restrain himself.

"Fine. Regardless of how it played out, the outcome is decent enough. Such a vast area of forest was burned, and I've already reported it to the county. Heh heh..." Wang Yunfei let out a satisfied chuckle.

"Town Mayor, about this matter... I think it would be best to give Vice County Magistrate Li a heads-up," Chang Yong reminded him.

"I know. Do I need you to tell me that? I called Young Master Li last night and briefed him on the situation. Young Master Li was even more proactive than I was when he heard about it. Do you really think he hasn't made arrangements at the higher levels? He hates Qin Feng even more than I do," Wang Yunfei shot Chang Yong a sidelong glance.

"No matter what, the county will definitely hold someone accountable this time and deal with it severely. I'll get chewed out, but Li Dejun and Qin Feng certainly won't come out of this unscathed. You've got the brains of a pig; you nearly ruined the whole thing," Wang Yunfei scolded Chang Yong once more.

Lying in the back of the van, Qin Feng winced in pain. He knew his injury was rather severe and there was a strong possibility his leg might be permanently crippled, but he felt no regret. One leg in exchange for the homes of dozens of ordinary families—by any calculation, it was a trade worth making.

Qin Feng was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, after which his leg was encased in a heavy plaster cast and he was moved to a hospital bed, his other wounds having been properly tended to as well.

Not long after Qin Feng was settled in bed, Hu Jiayun hurried into the ward. As soon as she entered, she asked anxiously and worriedly, "How are you? What did the doctor say? Where exactly are you hurt?"

"Sister, I'm fine. I just fractured my leg, nothing major," Qin Feng said.

"You've got a fracture and you call that nothing major?"

"A fracture isn't a big deal. It'll heal after spending some time in the hospital. This is much better than I initially expected; I thought this leg was a goner," Qin Feng said with a chuckle.

"You're still laughing." Hu Jiayun sat beside the hospital bed, glared fiercely at Qin Feng, and then demanded, "What did the doctor actually say? Is it serious?"

"Sister, if I tell you it's not serious, you certainly won't believe me. No matter what I say, you're going to ask the doctor anyway, so you might as well go ask the doctor directly."

"You little brat, you've learned how to poke fun at me now, haven't you?" Hu Jiayun rolled her eyes at Qin Feng again before walking out to consult the doctor.

Before long, Hu Jiayun re-entered the ward.

"Didn't I tell you? It really isn't serious."

"Not serious? What would it take for you to consider it serious? Would your leg having to be amputated count as serious? Are you out of your mind? Rushing into a fire like that all by yourself, do you think you're the Monkey King? Is fire immune to you? What kind of hero are you trying to play?" Seeing Qin Feng's carefree expression, Hu Jiayun's anger flared up anew, and she began to berate him vehemently.

The more Hu Jiayun scolded him, the broader Qin Feng's smile became. He knew in his heart that her scolding stemmed from care, and it filled him with a comforting warmth.

"Still laughing! Do you know you barely escaped with your life this time? If those two villagers hadn't spotted you in the fire, you would have burned to death in there, do you know that?"

"I know," Qin Feng nodded.

"With a fire that huge, why on earth did you charge in? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Hu Jiayun was boiling with rage, still deeply shaken by the incident.

Upon hearing the news of Qin Feng's injury, she had been frantic with worry and had immediately driven all the way to Shannan. Despite harboring a deep psychological aversion to driving, she had pushed the car at breakneck speed this time.

"Before I rushed in, I knew the risks, but I had to go. If the blaze hadn't been contained, the homes of dozens of families at the foot of the mountain would have been completely wiped out. Those are the homes of dozens of households and hundreds of people," Qin Feng said earnestly.

Hearing this, Hu Jiayun fell silent and said nothing more.

"Should I praise you, or should I call you a fool? Do you realize that even if you rush in and risk your life to put out the fire, not a single person is going to say a good word about you?" Hu Jiayun sighed as she pulled the blanket up over Qin Feng.

"I know, and I never expected anyone to praise me. I just wanted peace of mind, and besides, it's my responsibility."

"Responsibility... Do you really think Wang Yunfei had good intentions when he appointed you captain of this inspection team?" Hu Jiayun shot Qin Feng another glare.

"I figured that out the moment Wang Yunfei announced my appointment as captain. Not just the captaincy, actually—even the wildfire itself feels extremely suspicious."

"Are you saying someone set the fire on purpose?" Hu Jiayun furrowed her brow.

"I can't say for sure, and I don't have proof, but I have suspicions. When you connect the dots, the whole sequence of events is highly unusual."

"Let's hear it."

"First, the Forest Fire Prevention Office is a temporary agency, and the staff assigned there are usually those whose regular workloads aren't heavy. As the director of the Civil Affairs Office, my plate is piled mountain-high with work every day. Transferring me to the Forest Fire Prevention Office makes no sense."

"Second, in previous years, wildfire prevention inspection work fell directly under the Forest Fire Prevention Office and was managed by Li Dejun. But this year, Wang Yunfei suddenly decided to set up an inspection team under the office and assigned me as captain. This inspection team is completely redundant and serves zero purpose. The sole objective was probably to make me captain so I would bear the direct responsibility," Qin Feng smiled.

"Third, in past years, the inspection personnel for the office were drawn directly from various departments by Li Dejun, but this time Wang Yunfei handled it personally. Furthermore, every single person assigned to the inspection team was a rebellious slacker—not a single honest worker among them—and the headcount was half of what it usually is."

"Most importantly, when I rushed over the moment I discovered the fire, I saw someone fleeing the mountain in a panic who actively avoided me upon catching sight of me. It was nearly one in the morning by then. What normal person runs into the mountains at that hour?"

"Moreover, the timing of the fire is quite suspicious. Daytime temperatures are high, and human activity is more likely, meaning the probability of a fire starting is far higher during the day than at night. Yet the fire broke out at night, specifically past midnight on a Saturday. At that hour, the inspection team would never be out patrolling."

"If I hadn't felt uneasy and decided to make one more round, this fire wouldn't have been limited to burning a few trees. Forget about failing to put it out and losing dozens of homes; there very well could have been casualties," Qin Feng analyzed calmly.