Chapter 67 Collapse - She Cannot Be Afraid

Jin Suiqing's nose twitched as she choked on the still-lingering dust, coughing incessantly. Before she could even process what was happening, the system in her mind suddenly announced, "Mission complete."

ah?

What's finished?

What task has been completed?!

The system says the mining disaster mission is complete!

"What bad luck! Even just coming to scout out a mine, I run into a mining accident," Jin Suiqing cursed the system in his heart for a long time. The system simply coldly replied, "An accidental event. No interference. Congratulations to the host for completing the mission."

Damn this system, she's going to complain about it immediately!

System: "Network connection is slow, please try again later."

Jin Suiqing: "..."

She snapped her eyes open and sprang to her feet. The light in the cave had completely vanished; it was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything. Her sudden movement even caused Ye Zhufeng, who was cushioning her fall, to let out a soft cry.

Startled, Jin Suiqing hurriedly rolled to the side, pressing down on Gong Dagou, who let out a groan.

Jin Suiqing quickly scrambled to her feet and touched the two of them, asking, "Are you... alright?"

Ye Zhufeng took her hand and reassured her, "I'm fine."

Jin Suiqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Gong Dagou shook off the sand and sat up from the ground. He patted the headlamp on his head, and it flickered twice before turning on. The light was much dimmer due to the impact of the ore.

Jin Suiqing quickly observed the two and noticed a bloody gash on Gong Dagou's cheek. "You're injured."

No wonder she smelled blood.

Gong Dagou casually wiped it, then brought it close to his eyes to look at it. "It's a minor injury, don't worry."

Jin Suiqing checked him and confirmed it was a minor injury before letting him go. When she turned around to check on Ye Zhufeng, Ye Zhufeng gently pushed Jin Suiqing away, looked at the miners not far away, and calmly said, "Qingqing, go check on those miners first. They are old and can't withstand a fall."

Jin Suiqing sensed something was wrong and coldly ordered Gong Dagou to check on the other miners' physical condition. After a round of inspection, Li Yousheng had broken his leg, two miners had broken their arms, and the rest had only minor injuries.

Fortunately, the mine was well-supported, and all the victims avoided fatal injuries and were not in mortal danger.

Jin Suiqing was only worried about Ye Zhufeng, who was right in front of her.

Ignoring Ye Zhufeng's excuses, Jin Suiqing directly started to examine him. Ye Zhufeng couldn't stop her in time and was touched from head to toe.

In the darkness, Jin Suiqing felt her wrist was wet. Startled, Jin Suiqing held the lamp closer.

A deep, bone-revealing scratch ran across Ye Zhufeng's wrist, bleeding profusely.

Seeing that he couldn't hide it from Jin Suiqing, Ye Zhufeng sighed and pretended to be relaxed, saying, "I was scratched by falling rocks just now."

Jin Suiqing couldn't hold back; she sniffed, and tears welled up involuntarily.

Wiping away her tears, she silently tore off her hair tie and tied it around Ye Zhufeng's elbow to stop the bleeding. She then tore off a piece of clothing and pressed it forcefully against the wound.

Ye Zhufeng took out the hemostatic medicine and handed it to Jin Suiqing, joking with her, "Qingqing, you said you didn't want me to get seriously injured in the last mission, but you still paid me back this time. Isn't this a case of karma coming back to haunt us, it's just that the time hasn't come yet?"

“Ye Zhufeng, have some decency,” Jin Suiqing said, biting off the stopper and pouring medicine powder onto her wound. “If we follow this logic, I slashed you in the cave the first time we met, so I should return the favor.”

Ye Zhufeng shook his head, "I can't bear to."

Jin Suiqing paused, then let out a soft sob.

Ye Zhufeng's wound was too deep, and due to blood clotting disorders, the bleeding was very fast. The medicine powder was washed away by the blood as soon as it was sprinkled on.

She poured all the medicinal powder onto him and tightened the hairband around Ye Zhufeng's elbow, barely managing to slow the bleeding.

Ye Zhufeng raised his hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "It's alright. Once the medicine powder solidifies, the bleeding will stop."

Jin Suiqing nodded solemnly.

Gong Dagou gathered the miners together. He carried Li Yousheng, who had broken his leg, on his back, and led the other miners to look at Jin Suiqing.

Li Yousheng said weakly, "The last time... we encountered an earthquake like this was more than ten years ago. Yu Yi... went to the government to find people and begged them to dig us out. Now... this place is... an abandoned mine, and probably no one will come to rescue us."

The miners supported each other, their faces filled with fear, suppressing their cries. Li Yousheng, wheezing from his broken leg, coughed violently, his lung disease a common ailment among miners. He said haltingly, "We're old, and now we're dragging you young people down with us... I'm... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Jin Suiqing rubbed her face, wiped away her tears, and gathered all her loose hair behind her head. "I haven't even tried to live properly yet, how can I talk about dying?"

The miners stopped sobbing and all looked at Jin Suiqing.

Jin Suiqing knew that the mine was dark and poorly ventilated, and due to the lack of oxygen, people's mood would quickly become depressed.

The miners had suffered for years, living a life of petty humiliation, and had long lost hope of a better life. She painted a rosy picture for them, giving them something to look forward to. They didn't want to die, much less die in the dark mine.

She is now the pillar of support, and she cannot give up no matter what. Besides, Ye Zhufeng's injury is not light, so she cannot delay any longer.

She can't afford to waste time.

Jin Suiqing put his headlamp on his head and pulled Ye Zhufeng to be the first to go, encouraging him, "Let's get out of here first. The mine hasn't collapsed, and the road is right in front of us. How do we know it's a dead end if we don't move?"

Not only did Jin Suiqing encourage everyone, she also cheered herself on.

Since the mine disaster had already occurred and was irreversible, wallowing in self-pity would not solve the problem. With too many injured, she had to find a way to seek rescue.

Although her mission was completed, Ye Zi's storyline as the female lead was not yet fulfilled. According to the plot, she would definitely leave the mine alive.

This also means that they still have a way to survive.

Although she knew the ending, Jin Suiqing was still terrified as she looked at the endless darkness ahead.

She cannot be afraid.

Taking a deep breath, Jin Suiqing tried to calm herself down and mustered her courage to shout, "We will definitely get out of here alive!"

*

Immediately, Jin Shiyu took the map handed to him by the palace chief and used the sulfur lamp in his hand to illuminate an inconspicuous corner of the map.

Gong Chang said, "Ten years ago, there was a collapse in the mine. Not many miners died, so it was not a big deal. Now the mine is abandoned, and there are only some old people left in the mountains. They are not worth mentioning, and it is not as important as your safety."

"Not as important as my safety?" Jin Shiyu crumpled the map and slammed it into Gong Chang's face, shattering Gong Chang's fawning smile. He then sternly ordered, "Split into three groups. One team will go to the city government to purchase emergency rescue equipment, regardless of price or damage, and rent Kuilong to transport it to the mine. The other team will disperse as planned and continue searching for Jin Suiqing and the princess."

Jin Shiyu spurred his horse forward two steps, bent down, grabbed Gong Chang by the collar, and lifted him off the ground. Gong Chang panicked, grabbing Jin Shiyu's wrists and screaming.

Jin Shiyu lazily curled his eyelashes. He was terrified to the extreme, but he calmed down and said in a cold tone, "Judging from what you're saying, Master Gong, my sister Suiqing's safety is not important?"

Gong Chang: "No...no, I misspoke, Young Master Jin, I misspoke. Miss Jin is very important."

Jin Shiyu scoffed and released him: "The rest of you, come with me to the mine."

Without giving the palace chief, who was lying on the ground in a panic, another glance, Jin Shiyu squeezed his legs together, and the steed reared up high, slamming its forelegs onto the ground. It flew away like an arrow in the dust, carrying Jin Shiyu away from the palace and galloping towards the mine.

*

Inside the mine. Jin Suiqing, relying on her ability to remember the way, led everyone through the winding mine tunnels and laboriously made their way to the water's edge.

The miners were overjoyed and stumbled toward the water's edge, only to find that the boat had been smashed by falling rocks and had sunk to the bottom of the pool.

The way out is temporarily blocked.

Jin Suiqing frowned deeply. The pool, like the mine, wound its way through, the emerald green water disappearing at each bend. Without a boat, they couldn't reach the bend to investigate. The pool was some distance from the cave entrance, and the water conditions were complex; even a healthy person would struggle to swim, let alone an injured person.

Ye Zhufeng was somewhat weak due to blood loss, and whispered in Jin Suiqing's ear, "The system says the cave entrance is blocked."

Jin Suiqing put Ye Zhufeng down and let him sit against the solid cave wall. "Ye Zi, can you tell me something I don't know?"

She appeared relaxed, but in reality, she was uncertain and became increasingly flustered as she observed things more closely.

She noticed that the wind inside the mine had disappeared.

If only the entrance to the cave is blocked, there are still gaps in the boulder, allowing for ventilation.

When she entered the mine, she observed carefully that there was a stone beam in the winding waterway, which was low to the water surface, and you had to duck to pass through by boat.

If an earthquake were to block that narrow passage, it would be extremely dangerous.

Someone needs to go into the water and check the situation.

Several miners who were still able to walk saw her standing by the pool, the shimmering water illuminating her solemn face, and cautiously probed, "Boss Jin, what's the matter? Just tell us directly."

Jin Suiqing lowered her eyes, hiding the anxiety in them, and said with forced composure, "I need someone to go into the water and check the conditions. But it's very dangerous; there could be falling rocks at any time, and nobody knows what the situation is like in the water."

The cave suddenly fell silent.

Jin Suiqing was not disappointed. The situation was critical and life-or-death; no one could make a decision lightly.

Just as Jin Suiqing was considering whether it was feasible for her to swim over and explore, a deep and solid response suddenly erupted from inside the cave, echoing one after another.

"Me! I'll go, I'm a good swimmer!"

"Mr. Jin, wow! I'm the youngest of the old guys."

“Hey,” Li Yousheng, perched on Gong Dagou’s shoulder, looked up and glared at him, “Look at what you’re saying. I’m the oldest, so it wouldn’t be a pity if I drowned!”

"You old man Li, you'll be the first to drown if you go into the water."

Upon hearing this, Li Yousheng struggled to jump off Gong Dagou's back, cursing, "You dog, if you've got the guts, let's have a contest now and see who drowns first!"

Unlike before, this time the fear of death seemed like a joke, dispelling everyone's fear and making the atmosphere in the cave much more relaxed.

*

Outside the cave, Xu Qingqing drove the only donkey cart in the mountains, carrying villagers one cart after another towards the cave. The villagers, carrying shovels, hoes, and pickaxes, held on tightly to the rickety donkey cart with determined eyes.

On her way back to the village, Xu Qingqing encountered an earthquake. Thinking of the people still working in the mine, she quickly cracked her whip and urged the donkey cart back.

When they arrived at the village entrance, Ma Anping was directing the villagers to head up to the mine.

Xu Qingqing immediately understood that Grandma Ma was rushing to rescue people. She quickly unloaded the things from the donkey cart. Having traveled all day, Xu Qingqing didn't rest for a moment and pulled the people up the mountain.

The mining village only had about thirty people, so they couldn't make many trips. By the time Xu Qingqing finished her last trip, Ma Anping and his men were already wielding pickaxes against the sand and mud that had collapsed and blocked the entrance to the mine.

Grandma Ma's arms swung around more round than the crescent moon under the night sky, her hunched back was more bent than a sharp sickle, and her shouts were louder than thunder in the sky.

"Brothers and sisters, dig quickly!" Ma Anping called out. "Yu Yi brought people to rescue us before. Boss Jin is Yu Yi's friend. She is a good person, a really good person who can bring us a good life! We can't let good people down. As long as we dig faster, they can live!"

Without hesitation, the old men and women held their breath, their chests bulging, and swung their arms, wielding their tools to smash up the mountain.

Seeing this, Xu Qingqing quickly jumped off the donkey cart, picked up a shovel, and joined the team digging the mountain.

Author's note: My little sister is timid, but not bad.

Suiqing Meibao is just a fun-loving person most of the time, and seems very chaotic. In reality, she comes from an orphanage and understands better than anyone how difficult it is for ordinary people. Even after transmigrating into the book and seemingly being a "Celestial Dragon" for sixteen years, the resilience of an ordinary person in Meibao has never disappeared. This can be seen from her resistance against the system's missions and her refusal to mindlessly abuse her brother.

The mine dungeon is also a significant turning point in Mei Bao's life goals during her transmigration into the book. Mei Bao is not a parasitic flower; she has her own career path, which is also a major point of conflict between the brother and sister.

Regarding my brother's current state.

Some behaviors may not be due to jealousy, but rather a pathological form of possessiveness.

To be honest, using "jealousy" to describe the relationship between the sister and brother is a bit of an oversimplification. Their relationship is close enough that the brother is disdainful of any other man who gets close to her. He knows perfectly well that the sister probably won't be as affectionate towards any other man as she is towards him. He has his own ways of dealing with any man who tries to get close to her. And since the sister is so happy, how could she not have received love letters? Guess where those love letters are lying in some hidden corner right now.

Then look at Ye Bao, who has emerged from the fray.

Her identity is Huangfu Feng, Jin Shiyu's "younger sister" by blood. In the brother's eyes, Huangfu Feng carries the blood of his hated scumbag father and Princess Qingyang, and she is the one who stole Suiqing's identity, forcing him to lose his legitimate relationship with Meibao as siblings, leaving him with no way out. In addition, the brother suddenly realized that he hated the wrong person. Meibao is actually the most innocent in the incident, and he also feels sorry for her.

He thought he and Mei Bao were both helpless and miserable, but Mei Bao was seen getting very close to Huangfu Feng. Due to the exclusivity mentioned above, he faced the most severe challenge of his life. Given Huangfu Feng's identity, he would naturally mind their intimacy.

Pseudo-incest is inherently complex, a tangled web of relationships. Before the truth is revealed, the relationship between siblings is at worst that of siblings; after the truth is revealed, apart from the ***, there is no possibility for the two to return to their former intimacy. Whether they take a step forward or a step back, it will be a huge challenge to the habits they have cultivated over a long period of time.

In the book "Don't Believe Your Sister's Nonsense," the author attempts to use a strategy to make his sister sober without realizing she's overstepping boundaries; while the brother, confused, falls into a well but dares not defile the moon in the dirty water.

One person misjudged the situation and mistakenly believed it to be a deep sibling bond.

One person, immersed in warmth, suddenly slammed the door of the orthopedics department.

Don't forget, the sister knew from the moment she was born that the brother wasn't her biological brother, but the brother didn't know.

The brother was the first to fall into a corner with no way out, so he broke through the defenses and turned to the dark side.

On the day the impasse was broken, looking back, the emotions had already become deeply ingrained, and there was no way back but to move forward.

Isn't the fact that the first person to fall in love struggles with ethical dilemmas exactly what makes it endearing?

Don't worry, if my sister still doesn't get it after the mine dungeon, I'll go crazy and force her to get it.