Chen Hao took the crowbar, his palms sweaty. He didn't say anything, but walked directly to the pile of rubble at the entrance of the passage and poked the top one with the crowbar.
“This thing gets stuck really hard,” he said. “Like the socks my mom used to stuff into the washing machine, you could never get them out.”
Carl wiped the dust off his face, panting as he stood beside him: "The top is loose, but there's still a steel bar attached to the bottom. We have to cut it first."
Susan got up from the floor and dusted off her pants. Her glove had a hole in it, and her fingers were smeared with blood, but she didn't look at the wound. Instead, she stared at a piece of metal wire sticking out from a crack in the wall: "It's not steel reinforcement, it's a fixing cable, the kind used in old-fashioned load-bearing structures. If we forcibly remove it, the entire roof might collapse."
Nana stood on the partially collapsed scaffolding, her eyes scanning the cracks in the wall. A red light flashed in her pupils: "The stress value on the left side has increased by twelve percent; a second collapse may occur within three minutes."
"Three minutes?" Chen Hao looked up. "We didn't even hit the hammer once."
"Then hurry up." Carl had already squatted down and started disassembling the hydraulic shears from the tool kit.
Chen Hao inserted the crowbar into the crack in the rock and pressed down hard. The rock moved slightly, then got stuck again. He changed the angle and pressed down again, this time hearing a muffled thud from below, as if something had cracked.
“There’s potential,” he said. “There’s nothing underneath.”
Susan immediately shouted, "Don't press down completely! A hollow cavity means weak support. If you push any harder, the whole wall will collapse forward."
Chen Hao stopped and took a breath: "Then tell me what to do? Just stand there and watch it grow legs and walk away?"
“Use the buffer method.” Susan pointed to a leaning steel plate next to her. “Push this one over to cushion the pressure, then gradually remove the stones.”
Karl looked up at Nana: "Is she right?"
Nana nodded: "The structural model supports this approach. Prioritizing a stable base can reduce the risk of overall collapse."
"Okay." Chen Hao shook his aching arms. "Who can help me move the steel plate?"
Carl stood up, and the two of them together dragged the steel plate under the pile of stones. Just as it was placed firmly, the ground shook slightly, and a few pieces of debris fell from above.
"Here we go again?" Chen Hao shrank back.
“It’s not an earthquake.” Nana stared at the data stream. “It’s internal stress release, short in duration but increasing in frequency.”
"So that means it's going to fall off sooner or later?" Susan asked.
“Yes,” Nana said. “The later it is dealt with, the greater the impact when it falls.”
"Then let's not wait any longer." Chen Hao picked up a crowbar. "Let's clear this gap in the middle first, at least enough for someone to crawl through."
Carl took the hydraulic shears, approached the cable, inserted them, and snapped them shut. With a "click," the first cable broke.
“There are two left,” he said.
Susan went around to the other side and shone her flashlight into the gap: "There are connection points here too, but they're too rusted to fit the pliers in."
"Use a hammer to hit it." Chen Hao turned around. "Do you have a small hammer in your bag?"
Carl pulled a short-handled hammer from his toolbox and tossed it to her. Susan caught it, crouched down, and began hammering at the rust. The sound wasn't loud, but each strike made her arm go numb.
Chen Hao continued to pry at the large rock in the middle. This time he was smarter; instead of pressing down hard, he gently shook it, letting the rock loosen little by little. Finally, it tilted and slid onto the steel plate.
"It's through!" He took a step back. "It's big enough for one person to climb over!"
“It’s not enough.” Nana was still standing on high ground. “The transport vehicles and equipment can’t get through. We have to widen the passage.”
"You still want to open the road?" Chen Hao glared. "It's good enough that people can squeeze through now."
“The plan must allow for expansion,” she said. “Otherwise, we will be put on the defensive again when the next disaster strikes.”
Chen Hao sighed: "You're right, but all I want right now is a drink of water."
He bent down to get the kettle, when he suddenly heard a soft "click" above his head.
It's like the first crack in the surface of ice.
He suddenly looked up.
"Susan!" he yelled, "Get out of the way!"
Susan was tapping the cable when she heard the shout and instinctively turned her head. The next second, a half-meter-wide stone slab broke off from above and smashed into the spot where she had just been standing, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The stone shattered, but a corner of its edge grazed her shoulder, knocking her to the ground.
"Damn it!" Chen Hao threw down the crowbar and rushed over. "How are you?"
Susan sat on the ground, her right hand supporting her weight, her left hand on her shoulder. Her clothes were torn, and blood was seeping from her skin.
"It's nothing," she said. "I just bumped into something."
Carl ran over too: "You're bleeding."
"It's a minor injury." She tried moving her arm. "It's still usable."
Nana jumped down from the scaffolding, walked over to her, and squatted down: "It's a superficial abrasion. I suggest stopping the bleeding and bandaging it immediately to avoid infection."
“We’ll talk about it later.” Susan pushed away the first-aid kit that was handed to her. “Clear this area first, otherwise more things will fall down.”
Chen Hao looked at the stone slab that had almost killed him and swallowed hard: "Is this wall deliberately making things difficult for us?"
“It wasn’t intentional.” Carl pointed to the depths of the crack. “It’s due to the aging of the connectors, coupled with the vibration causing an imbalance in the load-bearing capacity. Every movement we make now is changing the distribution of forces.”
"So the clearer it is, the more dangerous it becomes?" Chen Hao asked.
“Yes,” Carl said, “but we have no choice.”
Chen Hao stood up and dusted off his pants. He picked up the crowbar and walked over to the large rock he had just been standing next to.
“Again,” he said. “This time I’ll go slower.”
Susan didn't return to her original spot; instead, she went to clear the pile of rubble next to her. She moved the small stones one by one, then suddenly stopped.
“Wait,” she said. “There’s something here.”
Everyone looked over.
She shoveled away a pile of rubble, revealing a curved metal pipe connected to several wires, buried at the base of the wall.
"What is this?" Chen Hao asked, leaning closer.
“Old monitoring line.” Susan touched the connector. “It’s probably left behind by the previous team; it wasn’t completely dismantled.”
Nana came over and scanned it: "The signal is weak and has failed. However, if it comes into contact with other lines, it may cause a short circuit."
“Then let’s dismantle it.” Carl picked up the pliers. “We can’t leave any hidden dangers.”
He began cutting the wires. With each cut, a slight "snap" sound was heard, like the current being extinguished.
Chen Hao continued to pry the stone. This time, he found a new angle and pried it little by little from the side. The stone finally slid off completely, revealing a deeper blockage area behind it.
“There’s more inside,” he said. “A bunch of metal frames are pressing it down.”
“Then let’s continue.” Carl finished cutting the last thread and tossed the spool of yarn aside.
Susan put her gloves back on and walked toward the other side of the pile. She moved a little slower than before, but didn't stop.
Nana returned to her elevated position, her eyes continuing to scan the walls: "The stress is still increasing; I suggest speeding up the process."
“We’re already giving it our all,” Chen Hao said, panting. “Can you say something encouraging? Like, ‘We’re almost there’?”
“The data does not support an optimistic assessment,” she said. “The current cleanup progress is 37 percent, and the estimated completion time is nine minutes beyond the safety window.”
"Nine minutes?" Carl looked up. "That means you can't finish?"
“Not necessarily,” she said. “If there are no further falls and operational efficiency improves by 20 percent, there is still hope.”
"Improve efficiency?" Chen Hao smiled wryly. "I can barely lift my arm now."
“Then don’t say anything.” Carl handed him the hydraulic shears. “Keep going.”
Chen Hao took the tools and walked to the next obstacle. It was a twisted steel beam lying across the middle of the passage, one end embedded in the wall and the other end pressing down on several pieces of concrete.
“This thing needs to be sawed,” he said.
“I didn’t bring a cutting machine.” Carl looked at the bag. “I can only widen the seam with pliers and then pry it out.”
Together, they cleared away the surrounding small pieces to make room to work. Chen Hao used a crowbar to hold the steel beam in place, while Karl used pliers to pry open the crack in the wall.
"One, two, three—Go!"
The steel beam moved slightly, but only by half an inch.
“Again.” Chen Hao adjusted his posture. “This time I’ll use my leg to push.”
He bent over, using his shoulders and back to exert force. The steel beam emitted a screeching sound as it slowly pulled out a little.
“There’s progress,” Susan said, watching from the side. “One more pull and it will be out.”
Just then, Nana suddenly raised her hand: "Stop doing your homework."
Everyone stopped.
“A new crack has appeared at the top,” she said. “It’s extending.”
Chen Hao looked up. A thin, long black line stretched down from the ceiling, pointing directly to the steel beam they were working on.
"Is it going to collapse?" he asked.
"The probability is over 70%," she said. "I recommend an immediate evacuation from the current work area."
“But we just cleared this area,” Susan said.
"Safety first," Nana said. "The structure has entered a critical state; continuing operations would be tantamount to gambling with our lives."
Chen Hao, panting, looked at the crack and then at the steel beam that hadn't been pulled out yet.
"Are we... just going to give up like this?"
“It’s not giving up,” Carl put down the pliers. “It’s about changing the approach.”
"How do I change it?" Chen Hao asked.
Carl didn't answer. He stared at the crack, then looked at the section of old wiring that had been dug up in the corner.
“Perhaps…” he said, “we don’t need to clear this road.”
Chen Hao was stunned: "What do you mean?"
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