Chapter 106: Rescue (Part 1)

The moment she entered the space, Jing Xi didn’t rest for even a minute. Standing in the corridor, she silently recited the names “Wang Qi” and “Xu Zhen.”

But after a long time, there was no response from the space.

What was going on?

At such a critical moment, why wasn’t it working?

“Hey! Help me out here! Didn’t you say it only stops working if I try to cross city-level boundaries? The coal mine is just over ten kilometers away!”

Still, there was no reaction.

Jing Xi entered the house inside the space, rummaging through everything in search of an instruction manual or some kind of explanation, but she found nothing.

She even turned on the television, hoping for news coverage on the situation. However, there was nothing—no reports, no broadcasts. The TV stations of this era were nothing but static.

She was at a complete standstill.

She had wanted to use this ability to contribute, but now it seemed as though the space was outright preventing her from going.

A deep sense of helplessness washed over her.

She had thought she was meant to be the protagonist of this story, but in the end, she was just a supporting character caught in the tides of history.

Sitting down with a heavy sigh, she couldn’t shake the feeling of frustration—like a hero with no battlefield to fight on. She was giving herself unnecessary drama.

It seemed her only option now was to go to Wang Qi’s neighbor’s house.

She let out another sigh as she prepared to leave the space. Just as she opened the door, she heard a loud sigh echo in her mind.

She turned back abruptly, but there was nothing there.

What the…?

Then, a voice immediately followed in her mind:

[Actions that pose a life-threatening risk to you will be automatically ignored by the space.]

Jing Xi was momentarily stunned.

So that meant… the situation underground was truly dire?

She softened her tone, trying to reason with it.

“Do you know what’s happening underground? If you won’t let me go, can you at least give me some information? I can share it with the authorities. If we have this ability, shouldn’t we use it to help those who are suffering? These are real lives at stake!”

The space remained silent.

Jing Xi waited for a long time, but when no response came, she finally prepared to leave for good.

However—

Just as she was about to exit the space, a line of text suddenly appeared in her mind.

[At a depth of 250 meters in Shaft 4, all individuals are currently safe. The elevator system has completely failed, and there is no communication signal. There has been some gas leakage and partial collapse in the middle coal seam. Entry is only possible through Shaft 3—blast open the west-side coal seam and advance 50 meters.]

After confirming that there were no additional messages, Jing Xi quickly exited the space and went straight to knock on the door next door.

From the moment she left to the time she returned, barely an hour had passed.

Liang Chen was the one who opened the door again. Seeing her anxious expression, he immediately assumed something else had happened.

Jing Xi grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. She noticed that only he and Xiao Jie remained in the room—perfect, they could talk!

“I just took a nap and dreamed about what’s happening underground. Everyone is still alive, but the elevator is completely inoperable.”

Liang Chen sighed in relief. “A dream? You must be worrying too much. Sit down, have some water, and relax.”

Jing Xi shook her head. “Listen to me! Enter through Shaft 3, go down 250 meters, blast open the coal seam on the west side, and advance 50 meters! That’s how we can rescue them!”

Liang Chen frowned and placed a hand on her forehead. “You don’t have a fever… Are you talking nonsense? You think a dream can be taken seriously?”

Jing Xi swatted his hand away. “Ugh! I’m not making this up! Trust me, if we do this, we can really save them!”

She spoke with such certainty that even Xiao Jie started to waver.

But still… basing a rescue plan on a dream?

That was no small matter.

Even so, the two men made her sit down.

Jing Xi refused to stay put—time was of the essence!

“Please believe me! At least let the authorities try this method!”

Xiao Jie looked serious. “Do you even know how far Shaft 3 is from Shaft 4? Even if we blast open the coal seam, the entire area is filled with coal. Even with workers digging at top speed, it could take days…”

He and Liang Chen had spent the whole afternoon studying the mine’s layout.

It sounded easy, but in practice, it was a nightmare.

Jing Xi’s suggestion wasn’t something they had considered before, but after hearing it, their first instinct was that it would take too long.

If they relied on that method, the trapped workers would likely die before they got there.

Jing Xi felt completely deflated.

So, was it really impossible?

Even the space’s method wouldn’t work?

She lowered her head and sat down, the room falling into a long silence.

Liang Chen and Xiao Jie exchanged glances. Seeing how desperately Jing Xi wanted to help, they finally spoke up to reassure her.

“But, we can report this method to the authorities and let them try it. They have the manpower and expertise to consider all aspects.”

Jing Xi’s head shot up. “Really?”

Liang Chen nodded. “I’ll make the call.”

He left the room.

Five minutes later, Liang Chen rushed back, his face filled with surprise.

“Quick! They want us at the mine!”

---

At the Coal Mine

On the way there, Liang Chen kept glancing at Jing Xi, who remained silent.

He had to admit, she had really called it.

At first, he had only intended to make a call to ease her mind—after all, she had no experience working in a mine or any technical knowledge. How could she possibly know how to conduct a rescue operation?

But to his shock, the person on the other end of the call had immediately found the plan feasible.

Rather than sitting around doing nothing, trying to access the mine through Shaft 3 was a viable option.

The collapse had blocked the middle of the coal seam, and the elevator system had completely failed. Even if they repaired the elevators, they wouldn’t be able to reach 250 meters deep in time.

When the three of them arrived at the mine, the entire area was ablaze with lights. Fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances were everywhere, parked in an organized chaos.

A man approached them immediately.

“Are you Mr. Liang Chen?”

Unexpectedly, when the call went through, the people on the other end actually thought this plan was feasible.

Rather than doing nothing on the surface, it was better to go down through Shaft No. 3.

The coal seam had collapsed in the middle, and all the elevators were malfunctioning. Even if they were repaired, they wouldn’t be able to reach the depth of 250 meters.

When the three of them arrived at the mine, they were met with a scene of bright lights inside and out. Fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances were parked everywhere.

“Are you Mr. Liang Chen?”

Just as the three were about to look for someone in charge, an engineer wearing a safety helmet approached them.

Liang Chen quickly stepped forward to shake hands. “Yes, I’m Liang Chen! May I ask your name? What’s the current situation?”

“Hello, my last name is Dong. Just call me Engineer Dong. Your call came at the right time. We already have people going down Shaft No. 3 for an inspection. Theoretically, it’s possible to access the area from the west side of Shaft No. 3, but we still need to confirm some details. We’re waiting for updates. Please follow me!”

Jing Xi was extremely nervous, hoping that her idea would actually work.

The three of them followed Engineer Dong upstairs, entering a large conference room packed with people.

There was an engineer, a bureau chief, a director, a mine manager, and a government secretary—over a dozen people, each introduced one by one.

Jing Xi only remembered two names: Hu Wei, the mine manager, and Zhang Sheng, the municipal government secretary.

As they walked further inside, she was surprised to see two unexpected figures.

It was none other than Xu Jin and Quan Zhiwen, the couple.

Today, their expressions were completely different from before.

They both looked shocked, especially when they saw her.

Who exactly was this woman?

One moment she was selling buns, and the next she was meeting with the municipal government secretary?

At first, when they heard that a young girl had come up with an idea, they thought, What could she possibly understand?

But when the engineer heard the suggestion, he actually thought it was worth trying.

And just like that, the on-site safety technicians, firefighters, and other experts began discussing how to implement the rescue plan.

Hu Wei was the first to speak. “Comrade, how do you know the specific situation inside the mine? And how did you know this rescue plan would work?”

Jing Xi smiled. “Even if I told you how I thought of it, you wouldn’t believe me. The priority now is saving lives—how I came up with it isn’t important.”

Quan Zhiwen stepped forward. “Manager Hu, have the firefighters confirmed whether this plan is actually feasible? Have the people who went down Shaft No. 3 returned yet?”

Hu Wei immediately sent someone to check.

From the way Quan Zhiwen spoke, Jing Xi instantly understood that his status here was higher than the mine manager’s.

Could it be that Hu Wei was also working for the Quan family?

Xu Jin, standing nearby, suddenly said in a low voice, “Make sure you confirm everything carefully. If this ridiculous plan fails and more people die down there, who will take responsibility?”

Jing Xi knew that Xu Jin was targeting her. Ever since she entered the conference room, Xu Jin’s gaze hadn’t left her.

Jing Xi remained calm. “If this young lady insists on talking about responsibility, then let me ask—if your company had followed proper safety inspection protocols, would this disaster have happened in the first place? You never valued human lives before, but now you’re suddenly concerned about accountability?”

As soon as Jing Xi finished speaking, Xu Jin took a step forward, ready to argue. She even struck a confrontational posture.

But then, Zhang Sheng’s voice rang out. “Miss Xu!”

Xu Jin immediately froze in place.

Everyone turned to look at Zhang Sheng.

His expression was grim, and his tone was extremely stern. “Right now, our focus should be on saving lives, not shifting blame! Furthermore, it has already been confirmed that this was a man-made safety incident. Your family’s business neglected mine safety regulations—your company is 99% responsible for this disaster! If anyone keeps making discouraging remarks and causing arguments that delay the rescue operation, the consequences will be on you!”