Chen Hao wiped the dust off his face and squatted down at the edge of the collapse, staring at the crack. The filler had been sprayed and a hard shell had formed on the surface, temporarily sealing the outer edge. He reached out and tapped it; the sound was firmer than before.

"We've stabilized," he said.

Nana stood to the side, the probe sweeping across the ground. "The crack has not continued to expand, the supporting structure is still intact, we can try to descend and retrieve it."

Susan wedged the lamp into the crevice in the rocks, and the light shone down to reveal the dark entrance to the hole below, as well as a pickaxe half-buried in the soil. "The tools are still inside."

Carl leaned on his metal bar and stood on tiptoe to peer inside. "Where's that fist-sized rock? Could it really have been crushed?"

“It’s not that easy to break.” Chen Hao stood up. “The more valuable the item, the tougher it is. If we act now, we can still get it back.”

The four divided the tasks again. Chen Hao and Susan were responsible for clearing the topsoil, Nana continued to monitor changes in underground signals, and Carl piled up the excavated rubble in a distance. This time, their movements were faster and more steady. The fall they had just experienced had made them realize that they couldn't dawdle on this land.

Less than ten minutes into digging, Chen Hao's pickaxe hit something hard again. He eased his grip, used his hands to dig away the soil, and a palm-sized piece of ore was revealed, its bluish-purple luster brighter than any he had seen before.

"The shipment has been completed," he said.

Susan quickly jotted down the coordinates and time in her notebook. Carl grinned, "Now I can get a new pair of shoes when I get back."

Nana's scan confirmed: "85% purity, belonging to high-grade sample."

"One more piece." Chen Hao put the ore into a sealed bag and stuffed it into his backpack. "Let's dig for another thirty minutes and try to extract all of it."

The next twenty minutes were like a magic trick. They successively pulled out six medium-sized pieces of ore from different locations, along with a dozen or so scattered small particles. The collection bags on the makeshift platform piled up into a small mountain, and every time they put one in, Karl would pat the bag, as if counting money.

"This trip was worth it," he said. "Even if my legs are ruined, I'll accept it."

“If your legs are crippled, we’ll have to carry you around,” Susan laughed. “Don’t get too cocky.”

"I'm the morale booster, aren't I?" Karl said, moving along the rock wall. "Without my encouragement, could you have finished so quickly?"

Chen Hao was bending down to pry open a half-buried rock when he suddenly felt his feet go weak. He stopped and looked up at the mountain wall.

"What's wrong?" Susan asked.

"Wait a minute." Chen Hao didn't answer, but his ears twitched.

A low tremor came from the ground, as if something heavy was rolling in the distance. Then, rock fragments began to fall from above, pattering onto my shoulders.

“Something’s not right,” he said.

Nana immediately looked up, and the detector screen flashed a few times. "The mountain structure is abnormal; deep stress is being released."

"Is there going to be a landslide?" Susan asked, her voice rising.

"No, it's not 'is it' or 'is it'." Chen Hao threw down his pickaxe. "It's immediately! Everyone evacuate! Get to higher ground!"

The moment he finished speaking, the entire hillside trembled violently. The rock beneath his feet emitted a piercing cracking sound, like bones being broken. The previously sealed cracks instantly burst open, and soil poured down with a torrent.

"Go!" Chen Hao turned around, grabbed Karl's arm, and pushed him forward.

Nana reacted the fastest, grabbing Susan's wrist and pulling her diagonally upwards. There was a raised plateau there, flat and with a wide view.

The three had only run five meters when Carl slipped and slid down a mile. Chen Hao turned around, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him back up. Carl, panting, said, "I...I lost my shoe."

"Life is more important than shoes." Chen Hao pushed him to keep running.

Susan was running ahead when suddenly a boulder came crashing down from above. Chen Hao reacted quickly, shoving her to the ground. The boulder grazed her back, tore her coat, and left a burning mark on her skin.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Still alive." Susan got up and dusted herself off.

The four finally reached the plateau. Just as they steadied themselves, a deafening roar erupted behind them. The entire mining area collapsed, a mudslide carrying rubble rushing down and instantly burying the spot they had just dug.

Chen Hao lay on the ground, panting, looking back at the ruins. The sealed bags, the pickaxe, the notebook—all gone. Only a few broken ropes dangled in the mud.

“It’s over.” Carl plopped down. “It’s all over.”

"The person is still here." Chen Hao stood up, supporting himself on his knees. "You can find things if they're gone, but if a person is gone, they're really gone."

Nana has turned on the detector and switched to low-frequency mode to rescan. The screen data jumped a few times, then gradually stabilized.

"There is no risk of secondary collapse in the area at present," she said. "The foundation is stable."

"What about communications?" Chen Hao asked.

"The signal is interrupted due to electromagnetic interference," Nana shook her head. "We can't contact the outside world."

"Then let's not count on outside help for now." Chen Hao turned to count the number of people. "Are you all still here?"

Susan nodded, her arm trembling slightly, but she didn't speak. Carl leaned against the rock, his face pale, but he was conscious. Nana's system was functioning normally; she held the detector tightly in her hand.

"Okay." Chen Hao stretched his shoulders. "As long as everyone is here, it's not a loss."

He walked to the edge of the terrace, gazing down at the area covered by the mudslide. The wind whipped up dust, stinging his eyes. He rubbed them, finding a drop of blood on his fingertip—the cut from the rocks was still oozing.

“This little injury is nothing,” he said. “It’s not the first time I’ve gotten hurt.”

Karl heard this and looked up at him: "You mean... can those ores down there still be mined out?"

“It depends on the thickness of the mudflow.” Nana pulled up a topographic map. “The preliminary estimate is that the burial depth is between 1.5 and 2 meters. If heavy equipment is used, it will take three days to complete the operation.”

“We don’t have the equipment,” Susan said.

“Then we’ll do it manually.” Chen Hao stared at the mud. “Dig it inch by inch.”

“But my stamina isn’t keeping up,” Carl said in a low voice. “I can’t even stand for long anymore.”

“Then let’s take turns.” Chen Hao sat down. “I’ll dig first, you guys take a break, and then we’ll switch when you’ve recovered.”

Susan bit her lip: "But what if there's another tremor?"

"Then let's run it again." Chen Hao smiled. "At worst, I'll just fall a few more times."

Nana suddenly raised her hand to signal: "Watch out."

The three of them immediately fell silent.

A slight tremor occurred again on the distant mountainside, with rock debris tumbling down. However, this time the tremor was minor and short-lived. The detector showed that the stress curve rose briefly before falling back down.

"It's just the aftermath." Nana put away the equipment. "We're safe for now."

"Temporarily," Chen Hao repeated the word, "which means there will be a next time."

“All geological activity has a cycle,” Nana said. “I suggest observing for two hours before deciding whether to return to the work area.”

"Two hours?" Carl smiled wryly. "That's enough time for me to get some sleep."

"Then you go to sleep." Chen Hao leaned against the rock. "I'll keep an eye on things."

Susan rummaged through her bag and pulled out a first-aid patch, tore it open, and handed it to Chen Hao. "Take care of the injury on your back first."

"It's a minor injury." He took the patch and pressed it onto the wound himself. "It won't stop me from working."

“You always say it won’t take up any time,” Susan frowned. “You said the same thing when I got an electric shock, and I ended up lying in bed for half an hour.”

"That was an accident," Chen Hao grinned. "This time I'm perfectly fine."

Carl looked at them and suddenly laughed: "You two are arguing like an old married couple."

"Shut up." Chen Hao threw a small stone at him.

A night breeze began to blow, making it a little chilly. The four sat around a corner of the plateau, and none of them mentioned the ore again. After a moment of silence, Karl looked down at the empty collection bag in his hand, slowly folded it twice, and stuffed it into his pocket.

“I want to try again,” he said.

“Nobody’s stopping you,” Chen Hao said.

"I'm just afraid... the greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment."

"Then think less about the outcome." Chen Hao gazed at the distant mountain shadows. "When you're working, just focus on doing the task at hand right."

Nana suddenly stood up.

"What's wrong?" Susan asked.

"The detector received a weak signal," she said, "from below the collapse zone."

"Ore?" Chen Hao immediately stood up.

"Uncertain." Nana adjusted the parameters. "The signal source is stable, about 1.8 meters above the ground, and its volume is equivalent to a sealed bag."

Chen Hao stared at the mud.

The wind stopped.

A sliver of dim light seeped from the cracks in the mud.