The sun was sinking behind the industrial skyline, casting long shadows across the Jincheng Overpass.In the hollow beneath the bridge, emergency lights flickered to life—harsh white arcs breaking through the growing dusk.
A makeshift workshop had formed.
Engineers, welders, metalworkers, and even retired veterans crowded the space.Toolboxes clattered open. Gas torches hissed.Generators thrummed like a second heartbeat.
The city had not seen a mobilization like this in decades.
And Lin Wei—the youngest here—was the one leading them.
The Master Arrives
An old electric tricycle sputtered into view.
Driver: a man in his seventies, beard singed from years of welding, goggles still strapped to his forehead.
Old Zhang.
When he stepped out, every metalworker in the underground space straightened.
He scanned the scene grimly.
"Who's the brat asking me for a harmonic dampener?"
Lin Wei stepped forward.
"I am."
Old Zhang snorted.
"You look like a student who got lost on his way to math class."
Liu Fang stepped beside Lin Wei, eyes narrowing.
"He's the one who identified the sabotage. He's the one who saved the bridge from staying open during rush hour."
Old Zhang blinked once... then twice.
"Well," he grumbled, "being right doesn't make him less baby-faced. Move aside, boy. Show me the blueprint of your idea."
Lin Wei unrolled the temporary sketch he'd drawn on-site.
A resonant counter-shock system.Metal coils tuned to counter the device's destructive frequency.Hydraulic stabilizers to offset the torsion forces.
Old Zhang stared at it.
Slowly.
Silently.
Then—
He threw his head back and laughed.
"HA! You're insane.Completely insane."
Liu Fang stepped in front of Lin Wei protectively.
"Is that a no?"
Old Zhang wiped a tear.
"No, girl. That's a yes.Only crazy people make breakthroughs."
He clapped Lin Wei on the shoulder.
"Let's build your madness."
System Boost
As the team mobilized, the system chimed:
[System Notice][Host's Plan: "Counter-Harmonic Override System"][Estimated Success Rate (Team Assembled): 61%][Teamwork Bonus Detected][Boosting Engineering Calculation Ability +25%]
[Temporary Buff: "Collective Endeavor"Effect: Working with multiple skilled engineers increases host's problem-solving speed and insight.]
Lin Wei exhaled sharply.
61% was better than the 21% he started with.
Still dangerous.
Still terrifying.
But doable.
Construction Begins
The underground workshop transformed into a furnace of activity.
Welders sparked bright arcs through the shadows.Sparks sprayed like molten fireflies.
Hammer strikes echoed.Metal plates clanged against tables.Hydraulic pumps hissed as they were pressure-tested.
Master Yu orchestrated the engineers.
Old Zhang commanded the metalworkers.
Director Li coordinated materials from every nearby construction site.
And Liu Fang—
Liu Fang stayed glued to Lin Wei's side, handing him tools, reviewing his calculations, steadying him every time doubt tried to creep in.
At one point, she wiped grease off Lin Wei's cheek.
"You're shaking," she murmured.
"I'm fine," he lied.
She tightened her hold on his wrist.
"You don't have to be fine. You just have to keep going."
Lin Wei swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.
The First Setback
Forty minutes into construction—
A coil snapped under stress.
It recoiled violently—WHIP!
Sparks flew.
Engineers shouted.
One man stumbled backward, clutching his arm.
Liu Fang gasped.
Lin Wei dropped everything and ran.
"Is he hurt?"
Old Zhang shook his head, grabbing the snapped coil.
"No one's bleeding. But this metal… it's low-grade. It won't hold your frequency load."
Lin Wei's heart sank.
"We don't have replacements."
Old Zhang grinned, revealing yellowed teeth.
"Kid, who said we need replacements?"
He rummaged in his tricycle.
"Oh no," Master Yu whispered."Not those—"
Old Zhang pulled out a dusty bundle of metal rods.
"These are high-density alloy coils. Military-grade.I… borrowed them in '89."
Director Li stared.
"…Are they even legally allowed to exist?"
Old Zhang shrugged.
"If the bridge collapses, we'll all be in jail anyway. Might as well use them."
Liu Fang muttered:
"I can't believe our lives depend on contraband from the last century."
Lin Wei gripped the rods.
"They'll do. Thank you."
Old Zhang huffed.
"Don't thank me yet. You still need a stabilizer for the second frequency."
Lin Wei stiffened.
That was the part he couldn't figure out.
Not yet.
He'd been praying no one would notice.
But Old Zhang was too sharp.
"So," the old man drawled, "what's your plan for the dual harmonics, kid?"
Lin Wei hesitated.
Liu Fang squeezed his arm.
Then he said:
"…I need to go inside the pillar."
Old Zhang froze.Liu Fang froze.Even Master Yu stopped breathing.
"No," Liu Fang said flatly."Absolutely not."
"You can't," Master Yu growled."The interior cavity is too small. And if the artificial vibration spikes—"
"You'll die," Director Li finished, voice low.
Lin Wei knew all of that.
He also knew:
The sabotage device had two frequency layers.The second could not be countered from outside.
Someone had to manually tune the dampener from inside the pillar cavity.
And that someone—
was him.
The System Confirms
[Critical Decision][Host Action: Entering pillar cavity][Risk of Collapse: 44%][Risk of Host Injury: 62%][Chance of Mission Success if Host Does NOT Enter: 0%]
[Recommendation: Proceed]
Liu Fang's eyes glistened.
"You're not a superhero. You're not invincible."
"I know."
"You're not allowed to sacrifice yourself."
"I know."
"Then don't go."
Lin Wei touched her cheek gently.
"…If I don't go, the bridge collapses."
Her breath hitched.
She clenched his collar.
"Come back alive."
Lin Wei smiled softly.
"I will."
Old Zhang handed him a protective harness.
Master Yu handed him a toolkit.
Director Li handed him a communication earpiece.
Liu Fang—
Liu Fang just held his hand.
"For luck," she whispered.
Lin Wei squeezed back.
And then—
He stepped into the dark.
Into the narrow maintenance hatch.Into the cold concrete shaft.Toward the pulsing heart of the sabotage device.
Toward the point where the bridge—and perhaps his life—would be decided.