The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 321: The Wind Roared, the Fire Burned]

The bright sun hung high in the sky, causing the leaves to curl inward.

Inside a moving SUV, Hawke turned up the air conditioning and said, "It's over 95 degrees outside."

Brian had been keeping a close eye on the weather lately. "Today's high is 100 degrees. It feels like the asphalt on the road is touching 108 degrees," he remarked.

In the summer, Los Angeles received very little rainfall, and the daytime temperatures soared. Since the turn of the century, the city had even recorded temperatures reaching 107 degrees. Originally, much of California enjoyed a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. However, since the late 1990s, the Southwest was gripped by severe drought.

In Hawke's memory, this drought had stretched on for over twenty years with no signs of easing. A devastating wildfire was bound to strike sooner or later.

Hawke opened the car's mini-fridge and handed Brian a bottle of water. "From January to now, Los Angeles has only received 0.67 inches of rain."

Brian replied, "The meteorology experts at Caltech have been spot on with their predictions. The weather this year is just as they expected."

He turned to Hawke and asked, "Where do you think the fire will start?"

Brian added, "Aside from the Malibu Beach area, these places mostly house middle to upper-middle-income residents, small business owners, sports and cultural celebrities, and some government employees. The buildings are primarily made of wood, and the mountainous greenery is mostly composed of oil-rich trees like pines and oaks."

Hawke reminded him, "Make sure you get a copy of the suburban development plans and forest management policies."

Edward parked the car in front of a standalone house.

Brian opened the door and turned back to Hawke. "Aren't you coming in with me?"

Hawke shook his head, saying, "This is your moment; I'm not needed."

Brian stepped out and walked toward the house. The property's fence wasn't particularly high; it consisted of wrought iron with wisteria growing behind it. Due to the drought, much of the dense wisteria had withered, leaving many gaps in the fence.

...

In the car, Hawke said, "Make the call; get someone over here."

"A couple of years ago, news like this would have sold for thousands," Edward remarked as he dialed Juan's cell.

Hawke had built his initial capital through the freelance journalism industry.

...

A Ford sedan rolled up, and Juan discreetly got out, camera in hand, sneaking toward the iron fence to find a gap where he could capture a shot of the front entrance.

Brian entered the house and quickly made his way to the entrance.

As the door opened, a beautiful, attractive woman emerged, holding the hand of a five or six-year-old boy. Upon seeing Brian, the boy eagerly ran over.

Brian scooped him up with one arm and took the woman's hand with the other as they entered the house.

Juan captured all of this from a peeping angle.

The SUV turned on and drove away.

...

Edward asked, "Boss, has Brian gone public with his relationship?"

"He confirmed it when he announced his campaign and openly acknowledged his relationship with Jennifer Huey," Hawke pointed out, "If all goes well, they'll likely get engaged next month."

In politics, reaching a certain level necessitated having a stable partner.

---

At the Fox Television Center, Channel 11.

With the ongoing heat and drought, the major networks sought ways to spice up the weather forecast to attract viewers.

Channel 11 had a long-term collaboration with Caltech, frequently inviting experts to participate in their programs.

Megan, the director, even personally met with meteorologists several times, establishing smoother communication regarding weather forecasts.

As she walked down the corridor to the president's office, the rapid sound of high heels echoed. Aisha reached the director's office door, greeted the assistant, and entered Megan's office.

Megan set her work aside. "Did the meteorological agency provide a new prediction after your call?"

As Megan's former assistant, Aisha had taken on multiple roles, including hosting and co-producing Ace News, while also producing Evening Weather Reports.

Aisha placed the latest weather prediction on the desk, saying, "The experts at Caltech used weather satellites and advanced computer models to predict that starting the day after tomorrow, Southeast California will experience strong winds for the entire week due to the collision of high and low pressure caused by rising temperatures."

Megan immediately asked, "Will it bring any rain?"

Los Angeles typically received rain in winter. Aisha replied, "It's the dry summer monsoon; the predicted wind speeds will exceed 50 miles per hour."

Megan picked up the prediction report to review it. "How long will it last?"

"About a week," Aisha said before adding, "The meteorologists suggest issuing a wildfire warning for Los Angeles."

Megan noted, "It seems there haven't been any large wildfires this year."

Aisha recalled, "That's right; back in May, a small fire broke out in the San Fernando Mountains, but it was extinguished in two days without causing any waves. Only the local channels and media reported on it."

After examining the prediction report, Megan stated, "We'll report the weather according to the experts' predictions."

She pondered briefly. "Since the meteorologists have issued a wildfire warning... Aisha, deploy a team to prepare for covering any potential wildfires. If we receive any tips, get the broadcast trucks out immediately."

Wildfires occurred in Los Angeles every year, varying only in scale, so the media had always paid close attention to such news.

"I'll handle it right away." Aisha left the office.

Megan put down the weather prediction report, snapped a few photos with her phone, and sent them to Hawke.

...

Soon, Hawke called back, "Are you sure?"

Megan replied, "Caltech has been working with Fox for nearly a decade, and their weather predictions are highly accurate."

"I understand." In a villa on the other side, Hawke hung up, pulled up the photos, and told Brian, "Turn on your Bluetooth."

As Brian enabled Bluetooth, he asked, "Is the timing right?"

While sending the photos, Hawke relayed what Megan had told him.

Hearing that there was a very high chance of consecutive strong winds in Los Angeles over the coming week, Brian spoke with excitement, "Finally, the chance has come!"

As he reviewed the photos, he mentioned, "Yesterday afternoon, under the guise of an inspection, I went up to the hills near Covina. The dry branches and leaves hadn't been cleared for a long time, and under the scorching sun, they could ignite with a spark."

Hawke reminded him, "You need to be cautious over there too."

Brian assured him, "Covina has relatively few areas. Most of the lower hills were leased to orchard farmers back in the '90s. They planted fruit trees there and implemented effective fire prevention measures. In fact, I've already arranged for the municipal government to hire personnel to clear debris and set up simple firebreaks on the two remaining hills."

Just then, Erica approached with red tea from the bar, saying, "I heard a colleague mention that her community planned to dig firebreaks, but they had to abandon it due to protests from multiple environmental organizations."

Brian accepted the tea, glanced at Hawke, and replied to Erica, "Your boyfriend saw this coming. While all environmental organizations are slaves to money, the individuals within them can often be fanatics, prone to making a fuss with just a little provocation."

Erica smiled at Hawke and handed him a cup of red tea, saying, "Whether red or blue, environmental organizations can be a useful pawn."

---

Under the scorching sun, hot winds whipped through the air.

At the edges of a pistachio plantation owned by Wonderful Company, a manager directed workers using several excavators to clear a three-meter-wide containment zone.

Not only did they remove all plants, but they also dug a trench.

Outside the plantation, dozens of environmentalists donned green vests, holding up posters and shouting for the construction crew to leave, demanding an immediate halt to what they considered environmental destruction.

...

A car pulled into the plantation, carrying Stewart Resnick, the owner of Wonderful Company.

He cast a distant glance at the construction site and instructed, "Have security keep an eye. Anyone who dares to step onto our property should be thrown out!"

The assistant in the passenger seat replied, "Yes, sir."

The vehicle entered the plantation and parked near a cluster of pistachio trees.

...

Stewart exited the car, battling the wind as he walked toward where his wife Linda was with a soil and moisture specialist. Upon seeing her husband approach, she said, "The drought conditions are worsening; we've only received a few millimeters of rain this year."

The specialist adjusted his sun hat to keep it from blowing away, saying, "The heat has intensified the drought; irrigation frequency needs to be increased."

Linda added, "Many TV weather programs have issued wildfire warnings; we need to stay vigilant."

Stewart nodded and turned to the assistant who followed him. "Notify all plantation areas to increase water extraction. All firewater pools and storage tanks must be filled to the brim. No one is to extract water from our rivers, reservoirs, or lakes without my consent."

The assistant said, "The head of the LA Fire Department called earlier, wanting to communicate about water for firefighting."

"Morgan?" Stewart had dealt with that old man numerous times.

The assistant replied, "It's the new chief, Karen Crowley."

Stewart waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry about her."

---

The strong winds blew continuously for two days without bringing any rain to drought-stricken Los Angeles.

That evening, Brian stood atop the villa, feeling the unusually dry air, his brow furrowed.

The fire still hadn't ignited.

If it didn't catch soon, the wind might die down.

Brian made a call, summoning his trusted aide and campaign manager, Beacon.

Before long, Beacon hurried in and then quickly left again.

...

In the early hours, in a deserted area between the Malibu mountains and the Santa Monica mountains, sparks suddenly ignited the dry branches and leaves.

As the wind blew, sparks flew everywhere.

The entire grove caught fire, with the resin-scented pine trees now blazing like torches.

The northern sky of Los Angeles began to turn red.

*****

/Sayonara816.