Mud splattered everywhere as workers scrambled to stabilize the trench. The fallen support beams lay twisted like broken ribs, half-buried in the shifting soil. The collapse had stopped—for now—but the ground still trembled ominously beneath their boots.
Lin Wei crouched near the edge, studying the damage. His system pulsed like a warning beacon behind his eyes.
[Structural Collapse Chain Detected][Adjacent Supports: High Risk][Recommendation: Emergency Reinforcement within 20 Minutes]
Twenty minutes.Just twenty.
He swallowed.
"Zhou Feng," he said, voice steady but urgent, "we need to reinforce Supports D and E immediately, or the entire east line will go down."
Zhou Feng didn't question him.Not after what they had just witnessed.
He knelt beside Lin Wei, scanning the trench.
"I see it… barely," Zhou Feng muttered. "The soil pressure shifted when Frame C collapsed. If the next braces fail, the whole trench will sink two meters."
"That would pull the scaffolding with it," Lin Wei added. "And take the workers."
The supervisor paled.
"Alright! Reinforcement team, to the east line! Move!"
Workers rushed to obey, hauling fresh timber and steel plates. The air filled with shouting, pounding, the clatter of tools. Zhou Feng moved like lightning, barking orders, adjusting measurements, checking angles.
But even with the reinforcement underway, the ground tremors worsened.
The soil was loosening too fast.
"We need to redirect the pressure," Zhou Feng said. "Can you calculate a stabilizing point?"
Lin Wei nodded—And the system answered instantly.
[Optimal Load-Bearing Point Located][Mark with a temporary beam. Weight: 220–240 kg.][Precision Required: 95%+]
Lin Wei pointed at a seemingly unimportant dirt wall.
"There. Insert a brace beam at exactly that angle. It'll take the pressure off the other supports."
One worker stared at him.
"Kid, that angle looks crazy—"
"It's correct," Zhou Feng cut in sharply. "Do it."
The worker shrugged and hurried to comply.
Moments later, the beam slid into place.
For a heartbeat—Nothing.
Then the trembling of the ground eased.Stabilized.Held firm.
Zhou Feng let out a long breath.
"You know," he said quietly, "I used to think I was the fastest one in the bureau."
Lin Wei blinked. "What?"
Zhou Feng smiled, small and hollow.
"But I can't calculate what you do. Not at that speed. Not with that precision."
"It's not that special," Lin Wei said.
Zhou Feng gave him a look.
"It is."
A Sudden Danger
Just as the tension finally seemed to settle—
A cry split the air:
"HELP—!"
Both men snapped their heads toward the upper trench slope.
A young worker had slipped, sliding down the newly loosened soil. A cascade of dirt poured around him as he clawed at the earth.
He was seconds from falling into the unstable pit.
Lin Wei didn't hesitate.
He sprinted.
"LIN WEI!" Zhou Feng shouted.
But he was already leaping down the slope.
The ground shifted beneath his boots, sliding. His foot slipped—but he caught himself on a root and lunged forward. With one hand, he grabbed the worker's collar, yanking him toward solid ground.
A second tremor hit—harder.
The slope cracked.
Zhou Feng cursed and slid down after them, grabbing Lin Wei's arm just as the entire section of soil collapsed behind them with a deafening roar.
For a moment, all three men dangled, gripping each other, boots scrambling for purchase.
"Pull!" Zhou Feng shouted.
The workers above reached down with ropes, hauling them up inch by inch.
Dirt rained in their faces.The pit opened beneath them like a jagged mouth.
Finally—
They were pulled over the edge and onto solid ground.
The rescued worker sobbed in shock.
Zhou Feng lay beside Lin Wei on his back, panting.
"That…"He wheezed."…was insane."
Lin Wei coughed, spitting out dust."But it worked."
Zhou Feng rolled onto his side, looking at him with something oddly close to admiration—mixed with exasperation.
"You know, if you keep jumping into collapsing trenches, Director Li is going to gray even faster."
Lin Wei laughed weakly.
After the Chaos
By afternoon, the site had stabilized. Emergency teams took over, and the bureau officials arrived to document the incident.
Before leaving, workers crowded around Lin Wei.
"You saved us—again!""Is he even human?""The boy has earthquake senses!"
Lin Wei flushed with embarrassment.
Zhou Feng watched silently for a moment before stepping in.
"Alright, alright," he said. "Let him breathe. If you break him, we'll have no one to save us next time."
The workers laughed and dispersed.
Zhou Feng approached Lin Wei, expression serious once the crowd was gone.
"You're different," he said quietly. "And if Director Li doesn't see it yet… he will soon."
Lin Wei frowned."What do you mean?"
Zhou Feng looked away.
"This bureau doesn't like unpredictable variables. Especially ones that outperform the existing hierarchy."
He tightened his gloves.
"Be careful. You may have saved people today—but you also made enemies. The kind that smile to your face."
Lin Wei felt a chill.
"Is that… a warning?"
"Yes," Zhou Feng said. "And a piece of unsolicited advice."
He held out his hand.
"Until I surpass you—don't die, Lin Wei."
Lin Wei took the offered hand.
"I won't."
Back at the Siheyuan
Liu Fang sat at the stone table, sewing a patch onto Uncle Chen's old winter coat. Her fingers paused as she glanced repeatedly toward the courtyard entrance.
Auntie Zhang chuckled.
"You've been staring at that gate all afternoon. He'll come back."
Liu Fang's cheeks warmed."I'm just… worried. That's all."
Auntie Chen sipped tea knowingly."You care for him."
Liu Fang looked down at the thread in her hand.
"…He pushes himself too hard," she whispered. "I just want him to be safe."
Before Auntie Chen could tease her further—
The courtyard door creaked.
Dust-covered, exhausted, and bruised, Lin Wei stepped inside.
"...I'm home."
Liu Fang shot to her feet.
"You're hurt!"
"It's nothing—just dirt—"
She rushed to him anyway, grabbing his sleeve with trembling hands.
"You scared me," she said quietly.
Lin Wei froze.
Her voice was soft, almost breaking.
He found himself smiling—gentle, tired, real.
"I'm safe," he murmured. "I promised I'd come back."
But behind him, the sun cast a long shadow on the courtyard stones.
A sign that danger was only beginning.