Phoenix Detective: Rebirth In The Flames

Preamble Bathed in Fire, Reborn Situation Report: At XX o'clock on the XX day of March 20XX, the XX City Fire Rescue Brigade received an alarm: a fire broke out at a certain building materials and decoration city. After receiving the alarm, the city's Fire Rescue Brigade rushed to the scene for disposal. While the brigade was organizing forces to search and rescue the trapped civilians, an unexpected situation occurred on-site, resulting in injuries to comrades Mao XX and Liu XX, who were later rescued and sent to the hospital. At 8:23 and 9:46 on XX day of March, comrades Liu XX and Mao XX respectively sacrificed heroically after ineffective rescue efforts. XX City Fire Rescue Brigade March XX, 20XX ... Two figures in long robes floated in the air, followed by several souls bound by white light at their waists. "Are we all here? It's past time." "Not yet, wait a bit more, the time given from above is off again." "Then wait for me for a moment, I'll go fetch the next one, it's not a big deal if he floats at the crossroads." "Alright, go ahead." The first man vanished in an instant, while the second man looked down at the hospital below. "Ah, in recent years, Peter's timing has become increasingly inaccurate. In the mortal world, we didn't have such good luck back then, nor so many doctors." After a while, the second man pointed with his right hand towards the hospital, found his target, flipped his palm, and said, "Rise," a white light flashed below, and another soul bound by white light appeared behind him. ... "I'm back, ready to go." "Good, is the next task ready?" "It's already set, you go lead the newcomer, I need to help out at Mangshan, probably for a few months, consider it a vacation." "Okay, let's go, quickly finish our duties." ... Guardian Temple, Guardian Temple. "Duty done, duty done, Virtue 2, Ping 10, register quickly." The second man walked over to the scribe and asked softly, "Did Old Zhou go down again today? How long this time?" The scribe glanced towards the door, "Probably for 3 days, he doesn't seem to like the new stuff from above, he always says reincarnation is the right path, crossing into other worlds detaches from the cycle of samsara, like smoke fading away. This morning he went down to find Black Impermanence again, most likely to hit a wall." "Well, since he doesn't like it, the underworld is already overcrowded, with so many people in the mortal realm waiting in line for reincarnation. What's wrong with sending some to cross over, at least it'll reduce the queue." The second man shrugged, taking a stick of incense from the scribe. "By the way, since he's not around, can you issue a permit for me? I'll take these two over, save them from queuing again." "Sure, let me adjust the form for you, Virtue 2 checked. Just take them directly over, the gate won't be closed." ... Walking to the underground temple next door, a large door stood in the middle of the courtyard, the intricately carved double doors were already open. The left doorpost was marked with the number "Passage Gate, 6 Stations of the Underworld," a thick fog spread within the gate's range, rolling yet not exceeding its boundaries. "Those who practice ten virtues will receive tenfold blessings. Wishing you both a smooth rebirth this time, filled with joy, tranquility, and peace." The second man bowed to the gate, lit the incense, a faint smoke rose, then he pushed the two souls into the thick fog, a flash of golden light, and they disappeared. Leaning against the pillar, the second man gazed at the drifting smoke. Yang Liensheng lay on the bed, glancing around. It seemed to be a hospital room with a respirator and unfamiliar equipment by the bed. The walls were overhead, surrounded by blue curtains on three sides, creating a closed space. His left hand was handcuffed to the bed railing, and a drip tube was attached to his right arm. Observing the IV bag, he deduced it wasn't blood but perhaps glucose, all in English, with small, unreadable words. It was quiet around, indicating no one outside the curtains. Something felt off as Yang Liensheng moved his left hand, sensing the tightness of the handcuffs, gazing at the ceiling light, reflecting on the events of the past two days. Two days earlier, his soul had just crossed over through the portal. He vividly remembered the person who lit incense to send them through the door, his drifting from the hospital to the arranged crossing. After a period of chaos, he woke up in a tattered tent, covered by a blanket, fully clothed. Opening the tent flap, he peeked outside to see the morning setting under a highway bridge, hearing the passing vehicles above. Several dilapidated tents surrounded him, with drowsy people scattered around, Caucasians, Latinos - had he been reborn overseas? Feeling temporarily safe, he retracted into the tent, zipping it shut, then began inspecting his surroundings. No sleeping bag, just cardboard beneath him covered with newspapers in English, a slightly worn dirty blanket, a T-shirt, a hoodie, jeans, and a pair of sneakers by the bed, likely unwashed for days, emitting an unpleasant odor. On his left wrist was a red rope bracelet with 12 small dark red beads and a larger bead in the middle, bearing the carved name "Liensheng" in Chinese characters. Beside the makeshift pillow lay a heavily worn backpack, its straps covered in lint and dirt, revealing a faded black color. Inside, he found a jacket, another hoodie, two T-shirts, jeans, some underwear, and socks, all appearing worn. In the outer pocket of the backpack lay a wallet, a flashlight, a driver's license identifying him as Jimmy Yang, born on 02/07/1980 in California, with $23 in US currency and some coins. The address was on Greene Street in San Francisco, currently meaningless. Sorting through his belongings, he found no phone or electronic devices, even a radio, cutting off sources of external information. Just reborn, still adjusting to the English name Jimmy Yang, he decided to use "Liensheng" from the bracelet as his Chinese name for now. Yang Liensheng seemed to have inherited the abilities of this body, with a decent level of English reading skills. Unsure if he could speak it, he decided to avoid interactions until ensuring his safety. Organizing his things, he lay back, contemplating his next steps. With an identity established, though appearing like a vagrant, at least not an illegal immigrant, he pondered if there was any criminal record. California, frequently seen in movies, hinted at prosperity. Despite his previous life in firefighting without travel opportunities, his knowledge from films and internet research provided insight into the vibrant cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Beach, Malibu, and Hollywood. He believed he could find a suitable path, not remaining a vagabond forever. Firstly, he needed to confirm the date from today's newspaper and locate himself on a map. Additionally, a bath, fresh clothes were in order. Yang Liensheng rose, zipped open the tent, put on his shoes, shouldered the backpack, pulled the hoodie over his head, and stepped out of the tent, glancing back at its color before heading towards a distant gas station.