The tension in the basement turned immediate and physical. Terrified, Gromov tried to explain. He nervously told the students it was humanitarian aid for the school.
He asked them not to mention what they had seen so as not to attract thieves. But Igor didn’t buy it for a second. He asked the obvious question: if it was legitimate, why was it being unloaded in secret at night?
Savelyev was not a man who liked talking things through. He understood at once that these outspoken teenagers would tell their parents by morning. And angry parents would go straight to the police.
That would end the operation and likely send both men to prison. Savelyev quickly proposed gathering the entire class in one room and having a serious talk with them. He wanted to pressure the students into silence.
Shaken and indecisive, Gromov agreed. Trying to steady himself, he went upstairs to the auditorium and told the rest of the class to come down to the boiler room. He said there was an important confidential matter about graduation that had to be discussed immediately.
Trusting him, the students followed with jokes and chatter into the basement. The old boiler room was cramped and airless for a group that size. It was a utility space, not a place for meetings.
As soon as the last student stepped inside, Savelyev shut the heavy metal door behind them. Pale and sweating, Gromov began a rambling explanation.
He said the school was desperate for money. He complained that public education was barely being funded and that the administration had been forced to find outside income to keep the school going.
He tried to frame the illegal operation as a temporary measure for the good of the school. But Igor Rybakov answered him plainly. He said what they were doing was criminal, and everyone in the room knew it.
Other students backed him up. In the cramped boiler room, the argument grew louder. At that point, Savelyev began losing what little patience he had.
In a harsh voice, he demanded that the students sign written promises not to talk. He threatened that otherwise they might find themselves barred from graduation and final exams.
But the class, angry and united, refused. The atmosphere in the sealed basement room grew more dangerous by the minute. Gromov tried weakly to calm everyone down.
Savelyev, on the other hand, raised his voice even more. Frightened by his aggression, the students began demanding to be let out. Some of the girls started crying.
At some point, Savelyev planted himself in front of the only exit. Using his size and strength, he blocked the metal door. He said no one was leaving until they agreed to keep quiet.
Outraged, Igor tried to push past him. A violent struggle broke out between the athletic teenager and the former Army builder. Panicked, Gromov managed with difficulty to pull the bloodied boy away from Savelyev.
In a near panic, the principal shouted at Savelyev to open the door and let the students out. But by then Savelyev was no longer thinking clearly. He understood only one thing: if those kids walked out, his life as he knew it was over.
He saw police, public disgrace, prison, and the loss of everything he had built. By a cruel twist of fate, the old boiler room had not been used for regular heating in over a year. But the old pipes and a backup gas boiler were still in place….
