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Chapter 104: One Hundred and Thirteen
Jing Xi silently prayed in her heart, hoping that the number of people trapped would not continue to rise.
That evening, as she finished dinner and tidied up the courtyard, she overheard people outside discussing the incident while cooling off in the night air.
Although Nanzhen and Beizhen were not particularly close, they were part of the same city, and many people had relatives in Nanzhen.
In fact, Nanzhen didn’t originally exist—it was only due to the discovery of mineral resources that people from various parts of the area migrated there for work, turning it into a town named Nanzhen.
The majority of these migrants had come from Beizhen.
Since over 90% of Nanzhen’s population either worked in the mines or had family members employed there, this accident had deeply unsettled the people of Beizhen as well.
With such a major incident, everyone worried about whether their own relatives were trapped underground. Word spread quickly, and people rushed to the village office to make phone calls for updates.
Jing Xi thought for a moment—worried that Cao Xinyi might be overwhelmed—before deciding to head over and help.
As soon as she reached the alley entrance, she saw that the village office buildings were brightly lit, and the courtyard was packed with people.
Every face bore the same expression—anxious and distressed.
Pushing her way through the crowd, she saw that several village leaders were present, trying to reassure everyone. Even Cao Xinyi had stayed behind instead of going home, comforting a few elderly villagers.
The moment Cao Xinyi saw Jing Xi enter, she looked as if she had finally found a pillar of support.
“Miss Jing Xi! You’re here to help?”
“Yes, I saw the news today and figured there might be a lot of people at the village office, so I came to check.”
Cao Xinyi’s face was filled with worry. “Everyone is desperate to make calls, but we only have one phone here. It’s been hours, and there are still so many people waiting outside. Some can get through, but those who can’t reach anyone are starting to lose control.”
After all, no one knew if their loved ones were trapped underground, alive or dead.
Jing Xi pulled Cao Xinyi inside, noticing that her voice had gone hoarse from speaking so much. She quickly poured her a glass of water. “Drink some water first—your throat is completely strained.”
Cao Xinyi took the cup. Just as Jing Xi was about to say something else, a heartbreaking wail erupted from the phone room.
It was a gut-wrenching cry.
Both of them rushed outside to check and found that it was the Wang family—Wang Xiu and Wang Zhen.
Fatty Ya stood beside them, seeing her mother cry and breaking into tears as well. Uncle Wang was supporting Aunt Wang, his face dark and heavy with worry.
Jing Xi quickly stepped forward. “Uncle, what happened?”
He sighed deeply. “Your aunt’s younger brother and sister-in-law are both trapped underground. We just got a call—they’re still unaccounted for, waiting for rescue.”
Jing Xi’s heart skipped a beat. She turned to see Aunt Wang on the verge of complete breakdown.
“Uncle, let’s go home first! Staying here won’t solve anything.”
“My brother… My sister-in-law… Their kids are still so young, what are we going to do?” Aunt Wang wailed.
“Mom, don’t cry! Don’t cry! Mom, please don’t cry!”
Little Fatty Ya tried her best to comfort her mother in her own way, her eyes swollen from crying.
The little girl might not fully understand what was happening, but the emotions of the adults were deeply affecting her.
Jing Xi’s heart ached as she picked up Fatty Ya, holding her close. “Uncle, let’s go home first. I have connections in Nanzhen—I’ll ask them to help get more information!”
Aunt Wang, her eyes red and swollen, clutched Jing Xi’s hand. “Please, Xiaojing, we’re counting on you!”
“Auntie, don’t say that! Let’s go home first and figure things out together. We have to believe they will come back safely!”
Jing Xi led the Wang family back home.
The latest broadcast confirmed that, after thorough investigation, the total number of people trapped at the site had been confirmed to be 113.
These 113 individuals had been out of contact for six hours, from 2:00 PM until now.
No matter the era, an accident involving over a hundred people was considered a major safety incident.
To be trapped underground for five or even six hours, possibly dozens or even hundreds of meters below the surface, was unimaginable.
In coal mining disasters, the greatest fears were gas leaks, fires, or carbon monoxide poisoning, followed by mine collapses.
As long as the mine didn’t collapse and there were no gas leaks, the chances of survival were relatively high.
But accidents were unpredictable, and the worst-case scenario was always a possibility.
When they arrived at the Wang family home, Wang Xiu was still restless and wanted to go to the southern town herself.
However, Wang Zhen believed that while they could go, transportation to the southern town was difficult to find at the moment, and their presence there wouldn’t be helpful—it might even cause more trouble.
He suggested that Wang Xiu and Pang Ya stay home to wait for news while he went alone to check on the situation.
He also planned to bring back Wang Xiu’s younger brother Wang Qi’s child.
Given Wang Xiu’s current emotional state, it was best for her to stay home—she wouldn’t be able to handle the stress.
Jing Xi decided to go with Wang Zhen.
Maybe she could be of some help!
She had her special ability!
Wang Xiu still wanted to go, but Jing Xi held her back. “Auntie, if you leave, what about Pang Ya? Uncle and I will go together, and there should be people helping over there already. Maybe we can contribute in some way. You stay home and take care of Pang Ya—just wait for our good news! You have to believe that your brother and sister-in-law will be safe!”
Wang Xiu’s eyes were filled with tears. “But staying at home and waiting… I can’t sit still! I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I just keep thinking about this! It’d be better if I went to see for myself.”
Jing Xi completely understood her feelings. “Auntie! No matter what, think about Pang Ya first! Look at how much she cried today. If you’re anxious, she’ll be anxious too! Trust me and Uncle. As soon as we have any news, we’ll let you know immediately!”
After much persuasion, Wang Xiu finally nodded and agreed to stay home with Pang Ya and wait for updates.
Then, Jing Xi and Wang Zhen set out.
At this hour, there were no more public transport vehicles heading to the town, so the two of them walked southward. Unexpectedly, on the way, they encountered a convoy of police cars heading to the southern town for rescue efforts.
The last car in the convoy was driven by Li Tao, with Zhou Jiwen in the passenger seat.
When they spotted Jing Xi walking by the roadside, they pulled over.
Seeing familiar faces, Jing Xi quickly asked, “Officer Li, Officer Zhou! Where are you headed?”
“We’re going to the southern town! What about you? Why are you out here so late?”
“I’m heading to the southern town too! Can you give us a ride?”
“Hop in, it’s just the two of us in here.”
As soon as Jing Xi got into the car, both Li Tao and Zhou Jiwen turned to glance at her.
After exchanging polite greetings, she immediately asked about the coal mine situation in the southern town.
Li Tao’s expression was grim. “Right now, it’s hard to say. The firefighters have already been dispatched and should have arrived, but there’s still no contact with the trapped individuals. Gas leaks have been detected underground, so no one can go down recklessly.”
“Do they know what caused the mine accident?”
Li Tao shook his head. “No one knows for sure. Right now, there are only speculations. We don’t have much concrete information. The families of the trapped workers are already in an uproar over there. Our first job is to maintain order at the scene so the professionals can carry out the rescue operation.”
Zhou Jiwen added, “The longer they remain out of contact, the slimmer the chances of survival.”
“What are you two going to the southern town for?”
Jing Xi replied, “Uncle Wang is going because Aunt Wang’s brother and sister-in-law are among the missing, so he’s going to check on their child—there’s no one to take care of them. As for me, I just want to see if I can help in any way.”
Zhou Jiwen asked, “Do you know anyone in the mine?”
Jing Xi had originally intended to say no, but after thinking for a moment, she nodded.
Zhou Jiwen’s expression darkened noticeably.
Silence fell over the car.
For the next two hours, as they made their way to the southern town, no one spoke.
When they reached the town center, Wang Zhen and Jing Xi got out of the car. Before leaving, Jing Xi reminded Li Tao and Zhou Jiwen to be careful.
Zhou Jiwen watched her carefully giving her reminders, his eyes dark and unreadable.
Li Tao, who happened to glance at Zhou Jiwen’s expression, thought he was imagining things.
The police car continued its journey straight to the disaster site.
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Miumi[Translator]
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 I’ll try to release 2 or more chapters daily and unlock 2 chapters every Sunday. Support me at https://ko-fi.com/miumisakura For any questions or concerns, DM me on Discord at psychereader/miumi.