From the outside it looks like an ordinary box truck, but once you get inside you'll find a different world, it's the layout of a motorhome.
The space is not big, but it has everything you need, and there is plenty of room to rest.
There was a double bed at the rear of the car, with an extra single bed above it. The table and chairs in the middle had already been lowered to form a double bed.
There is also a bed above the driver's seat, which is definitely enough for five people to rest.
There were also a lot of instant foods in the car, mainly prepared for Lin Fan.
The Xingchen's current standby time is stable at just over 2 hours. However, after experimentation, it was found that if enough food is consumed, this time can be temporarily extended.
Therefore, Cui Yan, who was aware of the situation, specially prepared so much food and put it in the car in order to allow Xingchen to last longer on this mission.
After Song Ren got in the car, he saw a note on the kitchen counter next to him. He knew it was the contact Cui Yan mentioned, so he dialed the number directly.
"Hello." After a few rings, the phone was picked up. A strong and powerful male voice came from the receiver.
"Hello, this is the mecha team from the 800 Institute, I am the captain Song Ren." Song Ren flipped the co-pilot seat backwards and sat down.
"Hello, Captain Song." The voice on the other end was clearly relieved. "I'm Cen Fangyuan, the commander-in-chief of the fire scene."
Because the wildfire persisted, the superiors dispatched a special confidential secretary to take charge of the scene. The experienced Cen Fangyuan was sent in.
He arrived at the scene this morning and after learning about the specific situation, he realized that the fire was more serious than he had imagined.
The wildfires may not seem that serious in the footage, but up close, they are terrible.
Even before approaching the fire, thick smoke and black fog could be seen in the city, lingering in the sky. The closer we got to the scene, the heavier the smoke became, and we could even feel the dry heat in the air.
After days of continuous fighting, the firefighters and forest rangers on the scene were exhausted. Many collapsed to the ground, while some continued to fight the fire.
Due to the long-term high temperature and smoke, these people's bodies were black and their original colors could not be seen. Many of them also suffered from heatstroke.
More and more people are spontaneously participating in the rescue.
However, because they have not received professional training, it is impossible to allow them to enter the fire scene and participate in fire fighting in order to ensure their life safety.
At the same time, because the mountain roads were rugged and vehicles could not go up, a large amount of supplies were stranded at the foot of the mountain.
Enthusiastic citizens saw an opportunity to help, and they carried the needed things up the mountain little by little on their shoulders and in their hands.
Cen Fangyuan acted decisively and sent a call for help to the surrounding fire departments, which quickly responded. However, due to the distance, the rescue team did not arrive as quickly...
The damn wind is getting stronger and stronger.
As soon as the fire on this side was put out, another one started burning next to it. It seemed like it would never end.
Those who fought hard were already exhausted and just flapped their arms mechanically...
Fortunately, some firefighters from other areas arrived in the afternoon and began to provide support. They were able to control the fire in time and prevent it from spreading further.
At this time, the burning area has reached 300 square kilometers, and the fire is still spreading outward at a speed of 60 meters per hour.
Even though hundreds of firefighters were deployed, it still seemed like a drop in the bucket compared to the huge fire area.
The water tank carried by the fire-fighting drone was completely useless. In the evening, several helicopters and amphibious aircraft were dispatched to draw water from the river and spray it back and forth, which had a certain effect.
But because it takes a long time, the efficiency is not very high.
And as it gets dark, visibility becomes lower and aircraft can no longer operate at night...
When Cen Fangyuan received the order to extinguish the fire quickly, he reported the predicament to his superiors truthfully.
He said that with the current efficiency, extinguishing the fire is no problem, but the speed will definitely not be much faster.
However, his superiors gave him a shot of adrenaline, saying that they would send high-tech mechas to help put out the fire. These mechas have the ability to withstand fire and high temperatures, and they also have mechanical assistance, which will greatly speed up their movement.
However, since this mecha is the product of secret research and is unknown to outsiders, it would not have been deployed if it were not for this fire.
Therefore, Cen Fangyuan had to do a good job of bridging the gap: when the other party arrived, he had to disperse the crowd and reduce the number of staff on the scene.
As the country's newest and most advanced technological product, for now, the fewer people know about it, the better.
Cen Fangyuan didn't know how powerful these mechas were, but he trusted his superiors' instructions and quickly adjusted personnel deployment. He withdrew all local firefighters, leaving only a few firefighters from other places who had just arrived that afternoon to continue working.
At the same time, special staff were dispatched to set up barriers at the foot of the mountain to intercept people transporting supplies up the mountain.
Because the reasons couldn't be explained directly, many people didn't understand what was going on. Some even posted videos claiming the authorities were giving up on fighting the fire, creating a chaotic online environment.
Cen Fangyuan couldn't care less. He just needed to make sure the number of people at the scene was as small as possible. As long as the fire was out, there was no need to worry about public opinion.
In the messy command tent, he received a call from Song Ren. For him, it was like hearing the sound of heaven.
"Commander Cen, our convoy has departed. We have five mechas in total and will arrive at the scene in three hours." Song Ren clearly conveyed his message. "Our mechas are being transported via vans, so the parking lot closest to the fire needs to be cleared for at least 1.5 kilometers."
"Don't worry, Captain Song. We're ready. Unrelated personnel will be isolated two kilometers away." Cen Fangyuan replied, "Anything else you need?"
"The specific situation of the fire, the current firefighting plan, and how we can cooperate." Song Ren said, "If we communicate clearly now, we can get started immediately after getting off the car, which will save time."
The three-hour drive was neither too long nor too short. Song Ren asked the others to rest while he sat in the passenger seat to listen to the initial cooperation proposal.
Cen Fangyuan was unequivocal, quickly syncing the data in his hands to Song Ren. "Our current challenge is a lack of manpower. The fire line is roughly estimated to be four kilometers long. We can't get water in either. Relying solely on firefighters is simply not enough. We need to dig firebreaks faster, and we need a lot more water to put out the fire."
"I understand." Song Ren nodded. "My understanding is that after we get there, we need to quickly dig a firebreak along the outer edge of the fire line and then use a large amount of water to put out the fire, right?"
"Yes, but it's not easy," Cen Fangyuan said solemnly. "The forest firebreak needs to be forty to sixty meters wide to be effective. Given the current fire situation, even if we only clean up the downwind area, it will be quite large. Plus, the wind direction has been changing erratically these past few days. One day it's a north wind, and the next it might be a south wind. Realistically, there's no time to do it."
"Let alone water for the fire." Cen Fangyuan thought about the afternoon's situation and shook his head. "We used a plane to fetch water from the river this afternoon, but due to the load limit, we could only bring 12 tons of water in one round trip, and it was all poured out in seconds. Of course, it was useful, but it was far from enough..."
"I understand. Don't worry." Song Renxian comforted him and then said, "We need some equipment. Please help us prepare it."
"What is it? Tell me." After hearing this, Cen Yuanfang quickly pulled out a piece of paper and prepared to record it.
"We definitely need an engineer shovel. I'm not sure how much they'll cost, so please prepare at least 20 brand new ones, attach them with ropes, and place them in a conspicuous spot in the parking lot."
"Okay, that's no problem." Cen Yuanfang showed the note to the assistant next to him. The assistant immediately nodded and went to get ready. "The engineer shovel will be there when you arrive. Anything else?"
"We need a large container to hold water, the bigger the better." Song Ren said again.
"Container?" Cen Fangyuan was stunned. "The bigger the better? You want to use mechas to fetch water to put out the fire? There's no weight limit?"
"No." Song Ren glanced at Lin Fan, who was resting with his eyes closed on the single bed in the parking space. "Don't worry about the load limit. Please find the largest water storage container you can. It doesn't matter if there are some leaks. It needs to be large enough to hold the load. We'll take care of the rest."
"Okay." Cen Fangyuan was a little unsure, but still chose to believe it. "I'll look for it and get back to you as soon as possible."
In an emergency, there was no time for small talk. He hung up the phone and asked his assistant to find something.
"Container? Water storage? Bigger?" Everyone around the table frowned. The plane's water tank was already big enough, but it couldn't be disassembled and used. And from what they were saying, it didn't seem to be enough.
"Leader, I have an idea." An operator raised his hand weakly.
"You say!" Cen Fangyuan frowned.
"Container...is that possible?"