Era: Starting from the local police station

Yang Zhan's expression changed as he glanced at the clock with its second hand ticking.

"What do we do now? Call in bomb disposal experts, but it's too late."

After saying that, he gritted his teeth and reached out to pick up the box.

Jiang Zhenghua was a step ahead of him, quickly grabbing the box and shouting at the top of his lungs at the chaotic courtyard, "Everyone, lie down!"

After saying that, he took off running outside, yelling, "Get out of the way!"

The panicked crowd in the courtyard was startled by his shout and then scattered in all directions.

Director Yang looked anxious and was about to take a step to follow.

As Jiang Zhenghua ran, he shouted sharply, "Director Yang, tell everyone to stay away from the east wing."

Director Yang stopped in his tracks, watching the figure rushing out without regard for anything else. His heart tightened, and he silently vowed to himself, "Kid, you have to come back alive. I just promised Director Feng that I would keep you safe."

He immediately turned around and shouted at Xue Yun, who was helping the old man run out, "Quickly, head west, everyone come to the west wing!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned around and rushed into the chaotic crowd, desperately organizing the evacuation.

All of this may seem like a long story, but from the moment Jiang Zhenghua rushed into the backyard to the moment he grabbed the bomb and ran out, it only took two short minutes.

Jiang Zhenghua's heart was in his throat. He ran frantically while yelling at the panicked people on the road, "Get out of the way! Lie down!"

He gritted his teeth, his mind focused on only one thought: "Stay calm, don't let it explode, the delay device must be precise, just hold on a little longer, just a little longer."

A man carrying his elderly mother turned around and caught sight of the box that was making a constant ticking sound. He was terrified and grabbed his wife, who was holding their daughter and carrying their son. He scrambled behind a tree, shielding his family behind him and using his body to block the wall. He was trembling uncontrollably.

A little boy's shoe suddenly slipped off, and he fell to the ground, bursting into tears. His mother, seeing this, was terrified and quickly threw herself on top of him, holding him tightly.

Jiang Zhenghua took a big step forward, leaped over him, and shouted, "Lie down on the side and don't move."

Upon hearing this, the young mother quickly pulled her child aside.

After passing through the second courtyard and arriving at the front courtyard, I saw the middle-aged man I had met earlier helping an elderly woman and carrying a child as they walked out.

Jiang Zhenghua quickly walked past the group, shouting, "Get out of the way, lie down!"

At the entrance of the compound, soldiers who were organizing the evacuation saw this, grabbed a mother holding a child, pushed her against the wall, and shouted sternly, "Lie down. Don't look up."

He immediately pushed through the panicked crowd, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Get out of the way! Lie down where you are!"

Everyone quickly fell to the ground, some squatting in the corner, hugging themselves tightly, burying their heads in their legs, and trembling all over.

The soldier rushed to Yang Zhan's military jeep, pulled open the door, jumped into the driver's seat, turned the key with his right hand to start the engine, and stepped on the gas, the engine roaring.

He shouted at Jiang Zhenghua, who rushed out, "Throw it in the car!"

As he spoke, his right hand had already moved the gear lever.

Jiang Zhenghua jumped into the back seat and yelled, "Drive!"

The soldier released the clutch, and the car shot into the alley like an arrow.

Jiang Zhenghua glanced down at the clock; it was 3:48:20. "Go out and turn left. There's an empty courtyard over there. There's one minute and thirty seconds left."

The young soldier quickly shifted gears and slammed on the gas. The vehicle accelerated again: "Hold on tight, be ready to jump at any moment."

Jiang Zhenghua was panting heavily, his hands tightly gripping the box, his eyes fixed on the ticking second hand. With each tick, his heart clenched, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead like raindrops.

The soldiers who were originally driving the troop transport vehicle were now focused, their left hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, their right hands gripping the gear lever tightly, and their eyes, like those of an eagle, fixed on the road ahead illuminated by the dim headlights.

Upon seeing the alleyway opening ahead, the soldier shouted, "Hold on tight!"

He quickly shifted the gear lever, swerved the steering wheel sharply to the left, slammed on the clutch, and pulled the handbrake with his right hand. The car lurched violently, the tires screeching against the ground.

The rear of the car swung around the corner, the soldier quickly released the handbrake, and slammed on the accelerator. A puff of smoke rose from the rear of the car as it shot forward.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Zhenghua gripped the car frame tightly with his right hand, his body swaying involuntarily, while his left hand still held the box tightly, his eyes fixed on the time: "One minute."

He looked up, staring intently at his left, trying to find the familiar scene he had seen during the day.

The streetlights rushed past, and Jiang Zhenghua saw the intersection ahead and shouted, "Turn left, left-hand road!"

The soldier blinked rapidly to let the sweat on his forehead drip down quickly so it wouldn't block his eyes, and shouted, "Understood."

The same maneuver was repeated, the ear-piercing drifting sound carrying far into the darkness of a summer morning, and lights turning on in many courtyards.

Some gray-haired sanitation workers had already started sweeping the ground, but upon seeing this scene, they unconsciously dropped their brooms.

His eyes were fixed on the jeep, which was half-raised, watching as its tires touched the ground, the body sank heavily, then bounced up and fell back down, his mouth agape.

As he rounded the bend, Jiang Zhenghua saw the street scene he had witnessed during the day and shouted, "One hundred meters ahead, the courtyard on the left."

After saying that, he quickly glanced at the clock in the wooden box. In the dim light of the street lamp, he saw that the minute hand pointed to forty-nine minutes and the second hand to thirty seconds: "Thirty seconds left."

The soldier didn't speak, but focused on the road ahead, slamming on the gas pedal. The car sped forward, and the cool breeze of the early summer morning brushed against his face, causing beads of sweat to seep out and slide down.

The second hand ticked away, and after a dozen or so ticks, the soldier shouted, "Hold on tight, we're turning!"

The soldier jerked the steering wheel again, pressed the clutch, and pulled the handbrake, causing the car to make a sharp turn. The front of the car was facing the gate of the courtyard, and Zhang Hegui's truck was clearly visible in the distance under the headlights.

The vehicle charged in like a tiger, and the soldier shouted, "Prepare to throw it!"

Jiang Zhenghua shouted, "Turn!"

As the car moved forward, the driver swerved again, the car breaking through the weeds and making a sharp turn. Just as the second hand pointed to fifty, Jiang Zhenghua suddenly threw the box out from the side.

Jiang Zhenghua shouted, "Leave now!"

The car accelerated again, and Jiang Zhenghua saw the small wooden box trace an arc. Just as it was about to reach the collapsed house, it burst into a blinding flash of light, followed by a deafening explosion.

"boom--"

"Boom—"

"Click—"

Jiang Zhenghua stretched out his right arm to protect his head, and then a sharp pain shot through his arm.

"Creak—"

A screeching sound rang out, and the jeep skidded a distance before coming to a stop.

Jiang Zhenghua lunged forward, bracing himself with his left hand to avoid falling. He immediately asked the soldier, "Are you alright?"

The soldier shook his head: "I'm fine."

He took a deep breath, slumped in the driver's seat, and exclaimed, "We survived."

Jiang Zhenghua was drenched in cold sweat and slumped in his seat: "Yes, we survived."

Suddenly, a soldier said, "Deputy Director Jiang, look!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenghua turned around and looked in the direction he was looking.

Behind the jeep, smoke billowed, and the wall that had remained standing despite the fire had completely collapsed.

No wonder there was a rumbling sound; the wall had collapsed from the shock.

Then, his pupils contracted as he stared in disbelief at the burning old wood and the lush green weeds.

He swallowed hard and managed to squeeze out a few words: "Damn it, these bastards actually added accelerant."

The soldier, still shaken, said in a low voice, "They're afraid someone won't die."

Jiang Zhenghua breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "We just went through a life-or-death situation, and I still don't know how to address you."

The soldier said solemnly, "My name is Jiang Zhao, from the Public Security Forces, Internal Security Motor Transport Unit."

Jiang Zhenghua smiled and said, "Fellow comrade, my name is Jiang Zhenghua. I served in the Northeast Public Security Army and have just been demobilized."

Jiang Zhao's eyes lit up, and he said with delight, "Hello, old squad leader."

Jiang Zhenghua raised his arm to get out of the car to check, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his right arm.

He looked down by the firelight and saw a sharp shard of glass embedded in his forearm.

He reached out and pulled, and blood immediately gushed out.

Jiang Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "Are you injured?"

Jiang Zhenghua pressed his left hand against the wound and moved his arm a couple of times: "It's a superficial wound. It must have gotten in after the glass shattered."

He looked at the raging fire in the distance and said in a deep voice, "Find out any tools in the car. We need to grab a firebreak to get out; we can't let the fire spread any further."

Jiang Zhao immediately said, "You wait here, I'll go find a sanitation worker to borrow a shovel, he'll definitely have one with him."

Jiang Zhenghua jumped out of the car and then noticed that the Jeep's exterior was somewhat deformed. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Director Yang will have to get the car repaired when we get back. The body was deformed by the shock wave."

"Comrades, what happened? Are you alright?"

A hoarse voice came from the side.

The two turned around and saw the sanitation worker standing at the door with a shovel, looking at them nervously.

Jiang Zhao quickly stepped forward: "Comrade, could I borrow your shovel? I want to clear a firebreak to prevent the fire from spreading."

Seeing that one of them was wearing a military uniform and the other a police uniform, the elderly sanitation worker lowered his guard and handed them his shovel: "Here, take this. I have a sickle on my cart, do you want it?"

Jiang Zhenghua quickly said, "Please fetch it for me. There are too many weeds here. It would be easier to handle with a sickle."

The elderly sanitation worker waved his hand: "Don't mention it, I'll take it right away."

Jiang Zhao immediately grabbed a shovel and went forward, starting to shovel not far from the truck.

Jiang Zhenghua came to the vicinity, wrinkled his nose and sniffed: "This contains phosphorus powder, be careful not to get it on you."

Jiang Zhao replied, "Don't worry, I will be careful."

He glanced back and said, "Why is this truck parked here? All the windows are shattered."

"This belongs to Zhang Hegui of Hongxing Machinery Factory. Luckily, I came here during the day to collect evidence and knew about this abandoned yard. Otherwise, we would have been in serious trouble, and I really wouldn't know where to dispose of it."

As he spoke, Jiang Zhenghua sighed, "If it were blown up in the courtyard house and the house burned down, the losses would be enormous."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sanitation worker walked in with an old sickle.

Jiang Zhenghua stepped forward and reached out to take it, but the old man shook his head: "Let me do it, you're injured."

Jiang Zhenghua said, "Comrade, let me handle this. There's phosphorus powder mixed in here, which will produce toxic gas when burned. Please go outside."

Just as the old man was about to refuse, a series of chaotic footsteps came from outside the street.

The three of them turned around and saw five soldiers in military uniforms running in, with Platoon Leader Jing leading the way.

Upon seeing that it was Jiang Zhenghua, he immediately withdrew the pistol he was holding and anxiously asked, "Deputy Director Jiang, what's going on?"

Jiang Zhenghua explained, "Those two people delivered a time-delay bomb to the Gu family. I threw it here and it exploded. It contained phosphorus powder, which ignited the old, broken wood."

Platoon Leader Jing nodded and immediately ordered, "Everyone, go forward immediately to put out the fire and build a firebreak to prevent the fire from spreading."

Jiang Zhenghua hurriedly said, "Don't go near the fire. Burning phosphorus powder will produce toxic gases. Everyone cover your mouths and noses with cloth strips to stop the spread. The fire department should be here soon."

Platoon Leader Jing nodded: "Do as Deputy Director Jiang says."

Jiang Zhenghua said to the old sanitation worker, "Old comrade, our comrades have arrived. Please step outside the yard and leave this place to us."

This time, the old man did not refuse. He handed over the sickle and then turned and walked outside.

Platoon Leader Jing stepped forward and, by the firelight, noticed a red stain on the man's sleeve. He quickly asked, "Are you injured?"

Jiang Zhenghua handed over the sickle: "It's nothing serious, just a cut from shattered glass, a superficial injury."

Platoon Leader Jing shouted, "Medic, come quickly and treat Deputy Director Jiang's wounds."

"Yes."

A soldier ran over in response.

Jiang Zhenghua unbuttoned his shirt, gently pulled his arm out, and saw that the sleeve of his originally white shirt was covered in bright red: "My new uniform, which I've only worn for two days, is torn like this."

The medic examined the wound with a flashlight: "The wound isn't big, and it hasn't damaged any bones or tendons. I'll clean it with iodine, sprinkle some white medicine on it, and bandage it up, and that'll be fine."

As he spoke, he took out a brown glass bottle, a small white bottle, and a roll of bandages from his crossbody bag.

Jiang Zhenghua asked, "Have those two been caught?"

"They resisted; one was killed, another was wounded and captured, and Instructor Zhang took him back. We heard an explosion over here, so the platoon leader brought us over to investigate."

The sanitation worker picked up the brown bottle: "Bear with it, I'll disinfect it for you."

Jiang Zhenghua nodded and turned his head to the side: "Come on."

Not far away, Platoon Leader Jing led his men to push the truck to the side, and a preliminary isolation barrier had been formed.

The medic grabbed his arm with his left hand, flipped the bottle over with his right hand, and poured the iodine from the bottle onto the wound.

Jiang Zhenghua felt a sharp pain instantly, his facial muscles contorted, and large beads of sweat slid down his cheeks and fell to the ground.

He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

After three times, the medic patted his arm: "Relax, you're all better now. I'll apply the medicine and bandage it."

At this moment, Jiang Zhenghua was half naked and soaking wet, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

The bandaging was completed quickly, and the medic instructed, "Don't get it wet for a week. Go to a clinic every day to change the dressing, mainly because the wound is a bit deep, and it's hot now, so you'll sweat easily, which could cause inflammation. If you develop a fever, go to the hospital immediately for treatment."

Jiang Zhenghua nodded.