By Zephyria 
Ezra screamed and put on his oxygen mask. He would show them their loyalty. A firefighter never abandons a comrade. They all go in together and come out together. Even if it meant death!
“How long has Dane been in there?”
At someone’s question, Wilkins replied.
“It’s been about 10 minutes since we lost contact, we need to hurry.”
Watching them hurriedly gathering their equipment, Grayson could only think how pathetic they were. He would come out on his own soon anyway. How long could he last in those flames? Why make such a fuss about something he would do on his own if they just waited?
The reason was obvious. They either wanted to blame Grayson or brag about how great their bond was.
“Alright, let’s go in!”
Ezra shouted after finishing preparations, and everyone nodded solemnly. They would bring Dane out no matter what. Just as these people, gathered with grim determination, were about to rush inside,
Kwaroooong. Something exploded, and half the house collapsed with a thunderous sound. The firefighters about to enter widened their eyes in surprise. Flames shot up over the collapsed debris. And with that, the firefighters screamed and wailed.
Desire Me if you can
Meanwhile, Dane, left alone, moved with a light heart to find the attic. Fortunately, he quickly found the device the man had mentioned. The reason for the button on the floor must be to make it easy for the dog to press.
Contrary to his concern that the device might not work properly due to the fire, fortunately, when he pressed the button, a ladder-shaped staircase unfolded as if it had been waiting. He went up and checked, and there was a button at the top as well. The owner probably taught the dog to press the button after going up. That was the only way to ensure the dog’s safety.
But in this case, he had miscalculated. In case of a fire, it was better to be downstairs. In the event of a fire, the probability of dying from suffocation from smoke was higher than dying from being burned to death.
The ventilator installed on one wall was quite large, as if it had been carefully designed, but it had stopped operating. The fan might have been working hard, but it was useless once the electricity was cut off due to the fire. As a result, the attic was already covered in thick smoke.
Dane first stepped on the button to retract the stairs and then examined the inside. The dog must be hiding somewhere in a corner. Coincidentally, there was quite a lot of junk there. Even a large dog would take time to find if it hid.
“Charles! Charles, are you here?”
Dane called out again, looking for the dog.
“Charles, I’ve come to save you! Come out! Charles!”
He kept hearing the sound of the building collapsing. It wouldn’t last much longer. What if he wasn’t here either? He might have to give up then.
…Couldn’t he take one more look at the kitchen?
As he mentally pictured the inside of the house he had seen on the way, quickly thinking of the next action to take in case of an emergency, it was then.
“Charles!”
Dane, who finally found the large dog lying behind a large trunk, immediately ran over. He hurriedly picked up Charles, but the dog was limp and didn’t move at all.
He quickly checked his pulse and was relieved to find that his heart was still beating, albeit weakly. Dane did not hesitate and took off his mask and put it on the dog. Of course, the size wouldn’t fit, but at least it would help to supply some fresh oxygen.
“Cough, cough.”
Soon, a rough cough erupted from Dane, who had inhaled the smoke. He shook his whole body and coughed repeatedly, hugging the dog.
He had to get out of here quickly. The stairs would soon collapse completely. This time, he pictured in his mind the way to escape from here, and stepped on the button.
Kwaaaang!
The house shook violently with a tremendous roar. At that moment, Dane almost dropped the dog he was holding. Instead, he rolled once on the floor with the dog in his arms, then quickly got up and looked around. He wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but one thing was certain. This house would soon collapse completely.
The stairs might already be completely destroyed. It was definitely not the time to gamble on possibilities. Dane quickly looked around. Now the only option left was…
When he saw the stopped ventilator, he moved immediately. There was no time to hesitate or calculate. He carefully placed the dog nearby, then took out the axe he was carrying on his back and held it in both hands. And without hesitation, he began to strike the fan.
Desire Me if you can
Tremendous black smoke billowed from the collapsing mansion. The firefighters who were about to rush inside froze in horror and belatedly began to scream.
“Dane, Daaane!”
“It can’t be. Dane wouldn’t be there!”
“Charles! Charles!”
“Where, where is the attic? Which way is it?”
“Which way is the attic, tell me quickly!”
“No, Charles! Heueueue… Charles!”
“You bastard, tell me quickly!”
“Let’s go in first, it’s still okay! We can do it!”
“No, if it explodes again, it’s all over.”
“Dane… Dane!”
It was right then, amidst the chaos, that screams of despair and pain continued.
“Wait, look there!”
Someone suddenly shouted and pointed to one side. Everyone’s eyes turned to one place at once, and at the same time, surprised exclamations burst out.
The large fan that had been sticking out over the roof seemed to be breaking little by little, and soon the blades flew off. The axe that had been briefly visible disappeared, and this time the Crowbar remained, removing part of the remaining ventilator.
Everyone watched the scene with tension. Surely, please, they watched with fervent hope, and as the last piece flew off, someone finally leaned out over the clearly open vent.
The moment a handsome man with red-blond hair appeared, cheers erupted from those watching. It was Dane Striker.
“It’s Dane, Dane is there!”
Following the emotional cry, cheers poured out from here and there.
“Dane, Dane Striker!”
“Dane, it’s Dane after all! I knew that bastard would be safe!”
“Hey, someone get a ladder! Bring a ladder! Quickly!”
“Connect it to the roof quickly! Quickly!”
“Hurry, hurry up! What are you doing? I’ll do it, get out of the way!”
Amidst the frantically moving firefighters, Grayson stood silently, watching Dane. He still did nothing, but no one cared.
Even in the midst of all this, Dane was trying to escape out of the broken ventilator. His face was black with ash and dust, and he was coughing occasionally because he had inhaled smoke, but his firm will to get out onto the roof was even touching at first glance.
Grayson soon realized what he had done with the mask he had been wearing. The ill-fitting mask was hanging on the snout of the large dog Dane was holding.
Grayson frowned slightly.
He would go that far? Why?
Even while coughing violently, Dane steadfastly gave the mask to the dog and waited for his comrades to bring the ladder. Grayson continued to watch Dane.