A jinx, me? But I bring good fortune to my whole family!

"Evacuate?! My man is still down there!"

"My son—my son!"

The family members all rushed towards the mine entrance, but were held back by the militia and miners. When they couldn't be stopped, they grabbed the legs and pulled the miners to the ground, creating complete chaos.

Sun Cai'e ran at the front, her voice hoarse from shouting. Just as she reached the mine entrance, her legs gave way, and she collapsed straight into the mud, unconscious.

People around her rushed to help her, but as soon as she recovered, she shook off everyone and rushed to the rubble blocking the well opening, starting to dig with both hands.

My fingernail was broken, the back of my hand was cut, and blood mixed with mud and water was flowing down.

She didn't react at all, just kept digging, calling out "Dacheng, Dacheng," her voice became hoarse and distorted.

Nuannuan leaned on Gu Jianguo's shoulder and covered half of her eyes.

She didn't cry, but her heart was clenching in waves.

Brother Dacheng is only sixteen years old, about the same age as Brother Da'an. Although the last time she saw him was unpleasant, she didn't want him to die.

I can't die, I can't die.

Gu Jianping knelt in the mud, pressing his head with both hands, and suddenly slammed his head against a rock.

With a loud bang!

Gu Jianguo reacted quickly, lunging forward to grab his arm, but it was too late—Gu Jianping's forehead grazed the edge of a stone, and blood immediately flowed down, becoming thin and watery as the rain washed it away.

"Big brother! What are you doing!" Gu Jianguo gripped him tightly, his voice trembling.

Gu Jianping didn't struggle at all. He just knelt there, letting the blood drip down his face, muttering the same sentence over and over again.

"Retribution...this is retribution...my Dacheng...it's my fault that he died..."

Gu Jianguo's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't say anything.

He couldn't even describe how he felt.

At that moment, a string of car lights appeared on the road outside the mining area.

Several military green Liberation trucks and a jeep drove in through the heavy rain. Before they even came to a complete stop, the doors opened.

Gao Yuan jumped out of the car, his military uniform soaked with rain. He strode forward, his voice carrying through the rain and the sound of crying.

"Make way! Rescue team, listen to my command, retreat 30 meters and maintain order!"

Several soldiers quickly dispersed, separating the most chaotic part of the mine entrance from the family quarters.

Gao Yuan walked up to the mine leader, and the two exchanged a few words, their expressions both unpleasant.

Gu Jianguo squeezed through the crowd carrying Nuannuan. Gao Yuan spotted them immediately and frowned, "Why are you here? It's dangerous here. Take the child and leave quickly."

"The child's cousin is inside," Gu Jianguo said in a very low voice.

Gao Yuan's expression darkened, and he didn't say anything more about leaving.

He turned to look at Sun Caie, who was still digging through rocks, sighed, and whispered to Gu Jianguo, "The biggest problem now is that the geology inside is unstable. If one person goes in, another might collapse. We have to wait for the equipment and experts to arrive before we can move."

"The mine had already organized a rescue operation, but a second collapse killed more than a dozen people!"

"How long will it take?"

"As early as... tomorrow morning."

Gu Jianguo's hand tightened.

Nuannuan nestled on her father's shoulder, remaining silent, and secretly reached into his pocket with her little hand.

Those scout mice remained huddled in her space.

She held her breath and whispered her name into the space in her mind.

"Little Grey, come out."

"squeak?"

A few gray mice peeked out of her pocket and sniffed the air with their wet little noses.

Nuan Nuan lowered her head and spoke clearly, word by word, in a voice only she could hear.

"Someone's trapped down there. There's water, and the water's rising. Go find—find an abandoned little hole, crawl inside, and listen for any sounds down there. Remember, be careful, don't let the dirt bury you! Got it?"

"squeak!"

Little Greyhound raised its front paw and stomped twice on her palm to show that it understood.

A few small gray shadows flashed and disappeared into the cracks in the rocks.

"Little Green, can you sense what's going on down there?" Nuannuan asked in her mind.

"Holy crap! Human brat, are you trying to use me as a probe?! I'm a ginseng root, not a voice!"

"Little Greenie, sense it."

"..." The ginseng rootlets wilted slightly.

"I'll give it a try, but I can't guarantee it will be accurate. Remember, this is a favor; two drops of spiritual water for every one drop of it, not a single drop less!"

Nuannuan blinked, which was considered an agreement.

Time passed minute by minute, and the rain grew heavier and heavier.

At the mine entrance, several family members who had been stopped by the soldiers were still crying. Sun Cai'e could no longer dig. She sat on the muddy ground against the pile of rubble, her hands supporting her, motionless. It was unclear whether she had fainted from crying or was stunned.

Gu Jianguo put Nuannuan down, had Gu Xiaoan hold her hand, and then went over to pull Gu Jianping up from the ground.

Gu Jianping couldn't stand up and squatted against a rock. The blood on his face had already congealed, and a dark bloodstain ran from his brow bone to his cheekbone, making his whole face look ferocious and defeated.

"Third brother..." he hissed, "Da Cheng should still be given to the children..."

"Brother, it's not time to give up yet," Gu Jianguo said, squatting down.

Gu Jianping smiled wryly, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Just then, there was a rustling sound at Nuannuan's feet.

Little Grey is back, with two companions. They are covered in mud, with water droplets still clinging to their beards, and they stand panting at Warm Warm's feet, pacing anxiously in circles.

"Squeak squeak squeak! Little master! There are people down there! Still alive! Many people! Squeak!"

"Squeak! But water! Lots of water! It's seeping in from the crack, and it's up to my waist in no time! Squeak squeak!"

"Squeak! There's more! The old tunnel is blocked, but there's a small hole on the south side. The soil inside is soft, and the wind is coming out from there! There's wind inside!"

Nuannuan squatted down, cradled Little Grey in her hands, and listened to every word.

Her face turned completely pale.

She stood up, grabbed Gu Jianguo's sleeve, and held it tightly.

"dad!"

Her voice was trembling with tears, but she spoke very clearly.

"There are still many people alive down there! But there's water! The water is rising higher and higher, people are going to drown!"

Gu Jianguo was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and suddenly squatted down.

"Nuan Nuan, how did you know?"

"The mouse said so! The mouse went in!"

Several people around heard it. Some were stunned, some frowned, but Gu Jianguo didn't think much of it. He stood up and strode towards Gao Yuan.

"Captain Gao!"

Gao Yuan was looking at the structural diagrams of the mine when he heard the sound and looked up.

"My child said—there are still people alive down there. And…" Gu Jianguo paused, "there might be an abandoned ventilation shaft, on the south side, the one where the soil is looser."

Gao Yuan's expression changed, and he immediately turned to the mine's leaders.

"Where is the abandoned ventilation shaft on the south side?!"

The leader paused for a moment, looked at the blueprints, and then stopped.

"Yes... there really is one. It's an old ventilation duct from years ago. Part of it was filled in later. In theory... it's no more than six meters from the ground."

Gao Yuan frowned, staring intently at the blueprint.

six meters.

Logically speaking, it should be entirely possible to dig it open by manpower.

But the rain was still falling, and the ground could collapse again at any time. Large machinery couldn't get in. Even if they found the location, how long would it take to dig it out manually with a dozen or so people?

He clutched the blueprints in his hand, gritting his teeth.

There simply wasn't enough time.