Believe It or Not

Henry stopped and turned to look at George Stacy, who had asked the question. His expression was serious and earnest, not like someone who thought the other was talking nonsense and was about to reprimand them; he seemed genuinely seeking advice.

Henry pointed to the two skyscrapers belching black smoke and said, "The reason lies in this abnormal black smoke. This is not an ordinary high-rise fire or any other type of disaster; it's that two commercial airliners have each crashed into one of the skyscrapers."

"This level of black smoke indicates that the aviation gasoline carried by the plane has been ignited, and the temperature inside is unimaginably high. Moreover, gasoline is fluid, so we cannot see from the outside how much the fire has spread."

"This abnormally high temperature, which exceeds the original design, could very well ignite fireproofing materials that were built under building codes from 20 or 30 years ago, and could even soften the Cyborg structure."

"If that happens, the floors above the point of impact will become a huge load and fall. Imagine you're carrying a 100-kilogram weight, but your legs give way—what would happen?"

"Whether this massive load, weighing thousands of tons or even more, falls outwards or presses vertically down on the floors below, the result will be catastrophic. Only the Earth can hold it up."

"If it falls outwards, it will smash the foundation of the skyscraper, and both buildings will eventually be destroyed. At that point, no matter which direction the building falls, it will affect the surrounding buildings."

"Vertical impact has the same result: the building below the point of impact will be crushed like a cake by the falling load. Under the influence of gravity, even if the lower floors are structurally intact, they will not be able to withstand the force."

"That's why I said, we should focus on getting the people out of there, not sending any more in. It's irresponsible to send people in."

George Stacy hesitated. Although the fire department had civil engineering experts, no one had ever faced a disaster like a plane crashing into a skyscraper before today. So no one could predict what would happen next.

All we can do is carry out disaster relief work based on past experience.

George Stacy couldn't judge whether Henry's words were nonsense. But at least the other party had given a seemingly credible reason, instead of simply saying the building would collapse without explaining why.

Believe it or not? George Stacy looked at the highest-ranking official in charge of the on-site fire protection system, the Assistant Commissioner of the Manhattan.

Because the New York City Fire Department headquarters is located in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, which is quite far away, the fire chief has not yet arrived. Therefore, although the on-site commanders are not subordinate to each other, the Police Station still has considerable authority.

Not to mention the storming of the two buildings hit by planes; not only firefighters but also some uniformed police officers entered to assist with the evacuation.

The Manhattan Assistant Fire Chief then stepped forward and questioned, "What If...? you say the building will collapse, when will it collapse?"

Henry shrugged and said, "I don't know, but I can say soon. Maybe if you spend some time finding an expert to study it, you won't need to study it anymore."

In response to this dismissive attitude, the Assistant Chief of Staff said anxiously and with dissatisfaction, "Do you know that this kind of disaster relief is a race against time? Every minute our people stay inside could potentially save one more person."

"We can't just withdraw firefighters and ask them to abandon their duty to save lives based on a single possibility. What If...? nothing happens in the end, and we've wasted precious rescue time, can you bear that responsibility?"

Henry said with a mocking tone, "Oh, so you're just afraid of taking responsibility. I admit the tension here is like a battlefield, but this isn't a real battlefield. Victory doesn't require sacrificing lives."

"Aren't the firefighters and police officers you sent in also living, breathing human lives? I hope that when they go from being rescuers to being rescued, or even missing persons and casualties, you can still feel at ease."

Enraged by Henry's mockery, the assistant fire chief retorted, "Who are you? What gives you the right to say such things?"

Taking a step back, Henry made a gesture of surrender and said, "I'm just a kind citizen passing by. I'm not a professional engineer in civil engineering, I don't have the relevant qualifications, and I'm certainly not qualified to say these things. So believe it or not is up to you."

While this isn't a choice like the Trolley Problem— "save one person, sacrifice five" or "save five, sacrifice one"—it's still not an easy decision to make.

Everyone agrees, including the firefighters and police officers themselves, that they should stay until the very end and not give up any hope.

But when is this "last moment"? Is it Moral to gamble with the lives of firefighters and police officers under such uncertain circumstances?

Or perhaps... we should use those who have already breached the defenses as sacrifices, letting them serve their purpose until they can no longer be effective?

Henry watched the spectacle unfolding before him with great interest. Their attitudes would determine the extent of his own effort. Otherwise, what would he stand out among a group of slackers?

With great power comes great responsibility? In the end, it's all my fault? If anyone is even slightly dissatisfied, it's all my fault! This world belongs to the idiot Spider-Man, and Henry feels he doesn't need to compete with Spider-Man to see who has a more serious illness.

"Notify all police officers and firefighters to evacuate the World Trade Center Twin Towers! Have them bring out everyone they see; do not proceed further. Evacuate immediately!"

Surprisingly, George Stacy issued the evacuation order.

This alarmed the Manhattan Assistant Chief of Fire Services. "Chief Stacy, are you sure you want to issue such an order?"

"Yes, I will take full responsibility for the consequences. I am now the on-site commander, and I require the firefighters to cooperate with my commands as well," George Stacy said without hesitation.

Under his orders, his men began radioing those who had already stormed the Twin Towers, instructing them to evacuate.

Those who entered the twin towers first, besides being in the closest area of responsibility, were also the most courageous and responsible group. Of course, they expressed their incomprehension of the retreat order and even threatened to disobey.

George Stacy had no habit of letting his subordinates and men waste time arguing; he snatched the radio and ordered everyone to evacuate in a firm and forceful manner.

He even said things like, "Don't let me break in, grab your people, kick your fat asses, and kick you all out." And not just once, George Stacy used all sorts of profanities to demand that everyone obey his orders.