Mountain Collapse

Zhu Wanqin came over looking flustered. 

“Zhu Wanqin, why are you here too?” Lin Miaoyin asked in confusion. 

According to the original plot, Zhu Wanqin wasn’t supposed to be here. 

“I heard you can pick mushrooms after it rains, so I came up the mountain. But while wandering around, I saw some deep cracks—there might be a landslide.” She pointed to a section on the mountain above the coal mine while carrying an empty basket. Unfortunately, it was too high up to see clearly. 

“Hey, you’re an educated youth, right? What are you talking about? It’s normal for some mud to come loose after rain. Landslide? What landslide? That’s nonsense,” the person in charge frowned. Seeing Zhu Wanqin dressed in military-green clothes, with delicate features that made her look like a city girl, his tone was noticeably less harsh than when he spoke to Lin Miaoyin and the others. 

“Comrade, please get them out first and send someone up to check. I have a relative who studies geological surveying, and he told me that heavy rain can easily trigger landslides. And with how deep you’ve dug this mine, the risk is even higher,” Zhu Wanqin urged, her face pale. 

When educated people speak, it always sounds more convincing. Coupled with Zhu Wanqin’s gentle appearance, the person in charge began to waver. 

“This situation… it’s not as serious as you’re making it out to be, is it?” 

“But lives are at stake. Better safe than sorry. If something happens, it won’t be a small issue,” Zhu Wanqin urged with furrowed brows. 

The person in charge glanced at her, feeling somewhat smug. It wasn’t every day a young and pretty city girl pleaded with him. 

“If the work gets delayed and we don’t meet the quotas set by the higher-ups, I’ll be the one held responsible,” he sighed. 

Seeing the back-and-forth between them, Lin Miaoyin grew impatient. She couldn’t afford to wait any longer. She discreetly tugged Meng Yuanzheng’s sleeve and glanced toward the mine entrance. 

Meng Yuanzheng immediately understood. He sprinted forward, jumped into the mine, and ran inside while shouting, “Get out now! The mountain is about to collapse!” 

His voice echoed through the tunnel. The workers inside stopped what they were doing and listened carefully. Meng Yuanzheng shouted again, his voice growing louder as he got closer. 

Outside, chaos erupted. Several workers had been transporting materials. In the original plot, when the landslide happened, these people ran away in an instant. 

Now, seeing Meng Yuanzheng rush inside, the person in charge was furious. Outsiders weren’t allowed in the mine, and doing it right in front of him was a direct challenge to his authority. 

“You lot, go in there and drag him out!” he ordered the transport workers, preparing to storm in himself. 

“Don’t go in! The mountain is about to collapse!” Zhu Wanqin shouted anxiously. 

A few people ignored her and were about to enter the cave. 

But someone stood at the entrance, arms and legs spread wide, blocking the way. 

“You can’t go in! Do you want to die?” 

Lin Miaoyin reprimanded them sternly. 

She was extremely anxious. Meng Yuanzheng had gone inside, but there was still no movement. He was probably arguing with the people inside, while the landslide was imminent and could happen at any moment. 

Seeing that the person in charge still wanted to cause trouble, she knew that if too many people crowded inside and the collapse happened, there would be chaos as everyone rushed out, leading to even more casualties. 

She decided to block the entrance completely and shouted harshly, “No one is getting in today!” 

“You crazy woman! Are you looking for trouble? Get out of the way right now, or I’ll have you arrested!” 

One of the people in charge, furious, rolled up his sleeves and grabbed Lin Miaoyin’s arm, trying to drag her away forcefully. 

Lin Miaoyin struggled with all her strength, refusing to move. 

“Miaoyin! Miaoyin, come up now! Comrades, the mountain is really about to collapse!” Zhu Wanqin was so anxious she was on the verge of tears. 

Lin Miaoyin lowered her head and bit into the person in charge’s hand with force. He let out a painful scream and released her. Just as he was about to raise his hand to slap her, a strange sound came from above. 

Just then, an unusual sound came from above. Listening closely, it was the sound of cracking rock. Small collapses were already starting nearby. 

The others started shouting, “It’s collapsing! It’s collapsing!” 

They immediately dropped everything and ran for their lives. The person in charge also reacted quickly—his mind had only one thought: run. 

He scrambled up the mine pit and fled in an instant. 

The mountain had already begun to split, with soil and rocks tumbling down rapidly. A large-scale collapse was seconds away. 

Lin Miaoyin felt momentarily lost. She knew she should climb up immediately, but Meng Yuanzheng was still inside. 

“Miaoyin, come up now!” Zhu Wanqin shouted loudly. 

Lin Miaoyin snapped back to her senses. Going in now would be useless—she would be better off running down the mountain to get help as soon as possible to increase their chances of rescue. 

She climbed up the mine pit with all her strength. After only a few steps, a massive landslide of rocks, soil, and vegetation came crashing down, burying the mine entrance in an instant. The world seemed to shift and darken. 

Lin Miaoyin and Zhu Wanqin ran as fast as they could, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the falling rocks and trees. The other people had already disappeared from sight. They wouldn’t go for help—they would only flee to escape responsibility. 

As she ran, Lin Miaoyin’s eyes reddened, and her chest felt like it was going to explode. 

She was the one who asked Meng Yuanzheng to go in and call the others. She had misjudged the timing. She thought he would be in and out quickly. She didn’t expect that the people inside would hold him back. 

This wasn’t how the original story went. They had changed the plot, and now she had no idea what would happen next. 

If Meng Yuanzheng was injured or worse… she didn’t know how she would face herself. 

Overwhelmed with regret, she wiped away her tears and kept running. The sooner she called for help, the better their chances of survival. 

She didn’t care that Zhu Wanqin had fallen far behind. Her mind was consumed by a single thought—faster, faster. 

As she ran, she tripped over a rock and fell, but she quickly got up and kept going. Practically rolling and crawling, she rushed back to the village at a frantic speed. 

It had taken her an hour to get to the mine, but she made it back in just twenty minutes. The village streets were empty—everyone was resting at home. She headed straight for the village secretary’s house. 

Inside, Secretary Li’s wife was stitching the sole of a shoe when she suddenly saw someone barge in. 

The person was covered in mud and tears, their knees scraped open with blood visible underneath. 

Recognizing who it was, she quickly put down her work and stood up in shock. “Miaoyin? What happened to you?” 

“Auntie, quick, tell Secretary Li to bring people to the coal mine—the mountain collapsed!” Lin Miaoyin gasped for breath as she spoke. 

Hearing this, the village secretary’s wife immediately shouted loudly, “Old Li, come out! The mountain collapsed!” 

Within a minute or two, Secretary Li, his son, and his daughter-in-law all rushed outside. “What? The mountain collapsed?” 

“The mine caved in! There are people buried inside!” Lin Miaoyin said anxiously. 

Secretary Li managed to stay calm and quickly gave orders to his family. “You two, hurry—one of you go call the team members, and the other go to the neighboring team and find Secretary Zhang. Tell them to bring hoes and rush to the coal mine. Miaoyin, go get your father and the others. I’ll call the commune to send a vehicle to transport the injured to the hospital.” 

“Got it!” Everyone responded and immediately sprang into action. 

Lin Miaoyin took off running toward her home, silently praying, Please, let no one die. Please, let no one die. 

Meng Yuanzheng, you have to make it out alive. 

Author’s note: 

Miaoyin asked Meng Yuanzheng to go down to notify the people inside because she wanted to save everyone, but he got held up inside, which delayed his escape. So please don’t blame her. 

If you want to blame someone, blame me (hehe, I wrote this). 😅