Chapter 40: The Soaring Fire Meteor

While Ren Jie was inside the building assessing the situation, active attempts were being made from the outside.

However, the rocket harpoon attempts had failed; the steel cables were too heavy and could only reach the 30th floor, failing to clear the burning levels. On the other side, rescue helicopters carrying several Siyao officials were already attempting to rappel down.

Just then, Ren Jie charged out of the building. He was covered in soot and white smoke, carrying one person who had been knocked unconscious by the smoke and hugging another whose body was a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

"The lower levels are clear. I pulled two people out of the burning floors. This one has severe burns; if treated in time, there’s a chance. As for the rest… well…"

"It’s impossible to get through from the inside. Several floors have collapsed, blocked by floor slabs. Even if we cleared a path, the civilians couldn't pass through the burning floors safely. The temperature is too high—they’d be roasted alive…"

As he spoke, Ren Jie placed the injured on a stretcher.

Wei Pingsheng narrowed his eyes. "If the inside is blocked, we have no choice but to go from the outside…"

Everyone’s gaze shifted toward the helicopters.

Some Siyao officials had already begun to rappel, but at that moment, the Immortal Dog trapped within the barrier fixed its eyes on the helicopter. It opened its blood-stained maw and fired a Red Dog Cannon, shattering the barrier screen and blasting directly toward the aircraft.

A pillar of fire soared into the sky.

"Dodge!"

As the fireball was about to strike the helicopter, Ye Yue spun around, firing her Blood God Spear with a deafening sonic boom. It struck the Red Dog Cannon, causing it to explode into a massive fireball in mid-air.

The shockwave from the explosion caused the helicopter to lose its balance, spinning in the air as if it were about to crash, the Siyao officials dangling from the ropes nearly thrown off.

"Keep the aircraft away from District C! It will attract the Immortal Dog's attacks!"

Wei Pingsheng gritted his teeth. "If the aircraft can't go in, how are we supposed to save them? Easy for you to say, tch—"

If only there were genetic warriors with flight capabilities. But to fly using one's own power, one would need to reach at least the Sixth Rank, the Enlightenment Stage. If such a person were actually here, things wouldn't be this difficult. Low-rank genetic warriors who wanted to fly had to rely on their own abilities, but flight-related skills were extremely rare.

Unable to get people up there, they could only fret from below. The rescue operation had reached a stalemate.

Ren Jie wiped his face, his large eyes scanning the scene until they locked onto a radio mast not far away. A wild idea was born in his mind.

"Isn't it just about getting up there? I have a way!"

"What way could you possibly have? Your 'Incineration' doesn't provide enough thrust to sustain flight, does it? Hey, hey, hey? Where are you going?"

Ren Jie turned and bolted toward the outside of the demonic disaster zone.

Mo Ji was also frantic. "The Siyao officials have tried everything, but the results are minimal. The fire is still spreading upward!"

"If we don't find a way soon, I’m afraid…"

Before he could finish, a sound of steel beams twisting echoed through the air. The main structure of the Tianheng Center tilted once more, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.

In front of the live broadcast, the hearts of the audience tightened along with it.

"Please, find a way! There are so many people in there! Has the Siyao Bureau given up on the rescue? My sister is still inside!"

"You’ve seen the situation on site; every possible method has been tried. There's no way!"

"Can't the genetic warriors who can fly or move through the earth help out? Are we just going to watch them die?"

"The Demon Suppressors are all busy containing the Immortal Dog; where would they find the manpower? If you're so capable, why don't you go?"

The comment section was already in a heated debate. In the laundromat, An Ning washed clothes while watching the television, her face full of worry, wondering if Xiao Jie was at the scene.

Tao Yaoyao was also clutching Diao Bao, watching the rescue live stream nervously in front of her computer.

Jiang Jiuli and Mo Wanrou, though not present, were tracking the scene via their phones.

Jiang Jiuli gritted her teeth. "If this doesn't work, I'll call Xiao Ge. She can fly, she should be able to—"

Mo Wanrou was about to speak when she suddenly froze.

"Xiao Li? Look! What is that? A missile?"

A scorching trail of fire burst into the frame—it was impossible to ignore. The fire flew in a downward diagonal trajectory, heading straight for the Tianheng Center.

Jiang Jiuli was stunned. "A missile? It doesn't look like one. Missiles travel very fast and aren't very effective against demons. This… this looks more like a person…"

By now, the live stream chat had exploded with frantic speculation. Who the hell knew what that thing was that had just crashed into the frame?

Mo Ji was also bewildered. That streak of fire flew right past the side of the helicopter. The camera zoomed in for a close-up, and everyone finally saw what the streak of fire really was.

It was Ren Jie, completely engulfed in flames, with Demon Lord horns atop his head, burning intensely!

The incineration on his feet was fierce, generating immense thrust that supported Ren Jie as he glided through the high altitude. He even waved at Mo Ji on the helicopter.

Mo Ji was petrified on the spot.

Ren Jie? How… how is he flying so high? Can he fly?

In front of the TV, An Ning’s mouth hung open. She had been worried about whether Xiao Jie was at the scene, only to find out he wasn't just there—he was flying in the sky!

The lollipop in Tao Yaoyao’s mouth fell onto the table as she pointed at the computer screen, agitated.

"Brother! My brother! He's on TV! No, wait, he's flying?!"

The Treasure-Hunting Mink was also excited, rushing forward to lick the computer screen frantically.

Jiang Jiuli’s mouth twitched as she watched. With Ren Jie’s strength at the Awakening Stage, even with the fierce firepower of his "Incineration," it shouldn't be enough to support him at such a high altitude. She had verified this during the assessment.

The question was, how did he fly higher than the helicopter?

Mo Wanrou swallowed hard. "He’s not flying, he’s gliding. Look, that’s the radio mast behind him. He… he must have jumped from the top of the tower, using the flame thrust and the height difference to fly straight into the building!"

Jiang Jiuli couldn't help but gasp.

"Ren Jie is so daring."

He’s only at the First Rank and he dares to pull a stunt like this? Is he not afraid of falling to his death?

Mo Wanrou: "???"

Are you actually praising him?

The audience in the live stream was in complete chaos.

"Holy crap? Is that the 'Wind Fire Wheel' endless-jump move from the qualification assessment? I remember his name is Ren Jie, right? Can he fly?"

"No! Absolutely not! He jumped from the radio mast, he's gliding! That's insane. Is he really risking his life this much to save people?"

"That’s so cool! Ahhh, fly high! I dub thee the Strongest Rocket Ren!"

At this moment, Ren Jie had even activated his Demonization!

He didn't care about the consumption of emotional mist at all, because in a demonic disaster zone, emotional mist was the one thing in abundance.

Ren Jie’s eyes were locked firmly onto the Tianheng Center, his gaze filled with madness.

Damn it all, no one is going to stop me from making money… er, I mean, saving people!

If I don't grab this cash, I'm a fool! With so many people here, if I save them all, how much money will I get as a reward?

It’s like picking up money with a sack, right?

I absolutely will not allow a single two-hundred-dollar reward to fly away from right under my nose.

Ren Jie couldn't fly, but at this moment, he was indeed flying.

Like a flaming meteor in flight, he charged straight toward the Tianheng Center!

However, no one noticed that the Immortal Dog’s blood-red eyes were fixed on Ren Jie, its gaze filled with primitive desire, so excited that its hair stood on end.

Just as Wei Pingsheng and the others were worrying because they couldn't get anyone up there, they saw the flaming meteor streak toward the building.

"What the hell is that?"

Ren Jie roared, "Everyone get out of the way, I'm coming in for a landing!"

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the trapped civilians saw a meteor rushing toward them, their faces turning pale with terror.

The next moment, with a loud "crash," the window was shattered by Ren Jie. However, the cool, single-knee landing he had imagined did not happen.

His face slammed directly into the upper window frame, sending him reeling backward before he tumbled toward the ground.

Amidst the gasps, Ren Jie’s mechanical hand shot out, grabbing a floor slab to pull himself up. He climbed up with great difficulty and deactivated his Demonization…

His nose was bleeding profusely, and there was a giant bump on his forehead.

Looking at the stunned crowd, he shyly scratched his head.

"Uhh… about what you just saw… could you please not talk about it? I still have a reputation to maintain…"