Before Chen Hao could even lift his foot, the crack had already stretched to half a meter long.
He jumped back a step and shouted, "Retreat!" His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough. Carl threw down his tools and turned to run to higher ground. Susan grabbed the terminal and slammed the power switch on the power box. Nana stood still, her mechanical eyes rapidly scanning the edge of the crack, data churning within her internal system.
Three seconds later, the rock wall exploded.
A torrent of muddy water gushed from the break, carrying mud, sand, and gravel, crashing onto the spot where they had just stood. The cutting machine was knocked askew, and the cable lashed into the water like a snake. The searchlight flickered and then went out.
"Entrance platform!" Chen Hao shouted as he retreated, "Don't stop!"
The four of them moved upwards, clinging to the rock face. The current grew stronger, and the ground became slippery. Carl lost his footing and fell forward, but Susan grabbed his arm. The two tumbled and scrambled onto the last intact platform.
The platform was two meters above the water, barely safe. Below, a small waterfall had formed, with water pouring in from all directions, and the once clearly marked work area was now half-submerged.
"Where's the equipment?" Carl asked, panting.
"Don't worry about the equipment." Chen Hao stared down below. "As long as the people are alive, that's all that matters."
Nana then moved. She raised her arm, and two drones popped out from behind her, their waterproof shells closing automatically. With a soft click, they flew off along the edge of the water and plunged into the rapids.
“Activate acoustic imaging,” she said. “I need to see the waterway.”
A blurry outline quickly appeared on the screen. The water wasn't rushing around randomly, but rather flowing along a fixed channel, originating deeper and possibly leading to some enclosed space underground.
“This isn’t ordinary seepage,” Nana said. “It’s an ancient riverbed system. The spot where we just drilled has broken through the insulating layer.”
"So, we've made a huge mistake?" Karl wiped the water off his face.
"precise."
Susan crouched down, took a sampling bottle from her backpack, and held it to the edge to collect a little of the flowing water. "It's a bit cool, but not ice water." She turned on the testing device. "Wait for the results."
Chen Hao sat down against the rock wall, his chest still heaving. He glanced down at his shoes; one was soaked through, and the other wasn't much better. He didn't change or move, but simply took the clipboard out of his pocket and turned to a blank page.
“Write this down first,” he said. “Time: 5:03 PM. A structural rupture occurred at the Alpha mine, accompanied by a high-pressure water inrush, and operations were interrupted.”
Susan handed him the test results. He took them and glanced at them: "Carbonates? Where did this stuff come from?"
“Characteristics of the cave.” Nana pulled up the database page. “Long-term erosion of limestone layers by groundwater will form this type of material. Based on the current water flow speed and pressure, this underground river belongs to a hydrostatic system and has a limited volume.”
"Does that mean it won't spray continuously?"
"As long as the outlet is blocked, the water flow will stop naturally."
Carl looked up: "What are you planning to use to block it? We didn't bring any cement."
“No traditional materials are needed.” Nana continued searching. “There’s a solution in the database that uses fast-expanding resin to fill the cracks, reinforced with metal mesh. Similar projects have been used in deep well rescue operations.”
"Sounds like fixing a sewer," Chen Hao grinned. "But do we even have that kind of equipment?"
“There’s no ready-made one,” Nana said, “but it can be assembled. It requires a polyurethane precursor, a catalyst, a pressurized injection device, and a corrosion-resistant support frame.”
“These things…” Susan flipped through the supplies list, “The first two are in stock in the base’s chemical warehouse, and the support frame can be modified from abandoned pipes.”
“Then we’ll have to go back and get it.” Carl frowned.
"I'm not going back." Chen Hao shook his head. "Nobody knows if it will collapse again down there. Going down now would be suicide."
"But the materials are not on site."
"Then let's find a way to solve it here." Chen Hao stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and looked down. The water was still surging, but its momentum was weaker than before. "Nana, you said this river has a beginning and an end, so where was its original entrance?"
“We can’t pinpoint the exact location,” she said. “But according to geological models, these types of systems are usually formed by the confluence of multiple tributaries. What we’re seeing now is likely the terminal pressure relief point.”
"So that means there are other outlets upstream?"
"It is theoretically possible."
“Okay.” Chen Hao turned around. “Let’s not worry about the upstream for now. The most important thing right now is to prevent this hole from getting bigger and bigger. We need to make a temporary barrier, even if it’s just to hold it up for a while.”
“I have an idea,” Carl suddenly said. “Although the cutting machine is broken, its casing is made of titanium alloy, which is tough enough. With a few anchor posts, it might be able to be used as a gate.”
"You're planning to use it to block a gun barrel?" Chen Hao raised an eyebrow.
"It's better than nothing."
“Give it a try.” Nana nodded. “I’ll calculate the optimal installation angle to ensure it can withstand the maximum water pressure.”
Susan looked at the terminal: "The communication signal is starting to become unstable. The water flow is interfering too much, and the voice delay is almost three seconds."
“Then let’s keep quiet.” Chen Hao tucked the recorder under his arm. “Next, let’s divide the work. Nana will be in charge of designing the baffle structure, Carl will be in charge of disassembling the machine and preparing materials, Susan will continue to monitor the water and gas, and I will direct the positioning and safe distance.”
No one objected.
Carl immediately started unscrewing the screws on the cutter's casing. Nana projected a set of 3D drawings, which floated on his helmet display. Susan strapped the detector to a pole and slowly probed towards the edge of the water.
Chen Hao stood on the platform, his eyes never leaving the chaos below.
Ten minutes later, the first titanium plate was removed. Carl tapped it with a wrench to confirm there were no cracks. "It still works."
"We need to hurry with the loading," Chen Hao warned. "If the water level rises any further, we won't even have a place to stand."
“I know,” Carl said, wiping his brow, “but this thing is heavy and hard to control.”
“Then let’s do it together.” Susan put down the testing probe. “I’ll help you.”
She walked over and helped Carl lift the plate. Nana simultaneously provided the installation coordinates, projecting them into the air in front of them. The two moved step by step to the edge of the platform, testing the angle by resting the titanium plate against a protruding rock.
"Five degrees off," Nana said. "Leaning to the left."
They adjusted their position. Just as they secured the first anchor, the water below suddenly jolted, and a stronger impact came from deep within, causing the entire platform to shake.
"Here we go again!" Karl gripped the rock face tightly.
Water splashed up, soaking everyone. Chen Hao looked down and saw that the crack was twice as wide as before, with mud and sand being continuously sucked in, like some giant mouth swallowing something.
“We can’t wait any longer,” he said. “We need to speed things up.”
Susan and Carl tightened the anchor. Just as the second nail was screwed on, a third stream of water gushed from the side, and a new crack appeared in the rock strata on the left. The safe zone of the platform had shrunk by half.
"The western structure has failed," Nana reported. "Immediate evacuation from the current location is recommended."
"Wait a little longer," Chen Hao gritted his teeth. "It's almost there."
“It could have been fatal.” Susan turned to look at him. “We did our best.”
“This isn’t a matter of trying our best.” He stared at the swaying titanium plate. “It’s a matter of survival. If we retreat today and come back tomorrow, who knows if this place will even still exist?”
Before he could finish speaking, a muffled thud came from below.
It was like a stone breaking, or like a distant collapse.
The platform shook violently, and a piece of rock from the edge broke off and crashed into the water. The three people staggered a few steps and almost fell.
"Let's go!" Chen Hao finally gave the order.
They retreated to a higher, more stable rock platform. The view from there was better, overlooking the entire work area. Their original spot was completely submerged, with only a corner of the titanium plate protruding and swaying with the current.
“The baffle failed,” Nana said, “but we collected 30 seconds of pressure data, which is enough to optimize the next version of the design.”
"You actually remembered that?" Karl asked, panting.
"The entire process is being recorded."
Susan opened the terminal and recalibrated the signal. The image was intermittent but basically usable. She sent the latest image back to base for backup and checked the status of other devices.
“There’s still one drone running,” Nana said. “It’s mapping deep water flow.”
She brought up the video feed. In the pitch-black depths, sound waves scanned a winding path, spreading like tree roots. It disappeared deep into the rock strata at its end.
“Found it,” she said. “The main passage is about 1.5 meters in diameter and slopes downwards. If we can set up a barrier at the entrance, we can cut off the water supply.”
“The problem is, who goes there?” Carl looked at the line. “That place is so deep you can’t see the bottom.”
"We'll hold off for now." Chen Hao leaned against the rock wall, his clothes soaked through and shivering from the cold. "Let's figure out what we have that we can use first."
He pulled out his whiteboard and turned to the last page. It contained a rudimentary sketch: a board, a few nails, and an arrow pointing towards the flowing water.
“We don’t have resin, we don’t have cement, but we have emergency sealant and spare cables,” he said. “Could we piece these together to make a temporary plug?”
“Theoretically possible,” Nana replied, “but the sealant is not strong enough and will be washed away within ten seconds if used alone.”
“Then let’s add a layer.” Chen Hao pointed to the titanium plate fragment in Karl’s hand, “Wrap it in metal on the outside, fill it with glue in the middle, and make it into a sandwich—let’s just call it a sandwich block.”
“The structure can be designed.” Nana began calculating. “It will take seven minutes.”
“Then you do the math.” He looked at the others. “Susan, continue sampling. Carl, disassemble the remaining parts, keep everything usable.”
No one spoke; everyone went about their own business.
Chen Hao sat in the corner, looking down at his pale fingers. He knew he couldn't stop now; if he did, his mind would start wandering to things he shouldn't be thinking about—like the sound of the collapse, whether the falling rocks had hit the equipment, and whether they could really save the mine.
He shook his head and slapped the whiteboard on his knees.
“Listen up, everyone,” he said. “We’re not talking about whether we can succeed right now, we’re just talking about what to do next. Anyone have an idea? Speak up now.”
Susan looked up and said, "I think we can try using drones to deliver small doses of sealant to seal a few small cracks and slow down the water flow."
“Good idea.” Nana nodded. “Reduce the overall pressure and buy time for subsequent tasks.”
“Then let’s do it.” Chen Hao stood up. “Nana, execute the plan as soon as it’s ready. We won’t back down, nor will we force it. We’ll just wait and see until we find a way out.”
He walked to the edge and looked at the darkness churned up by mud and water.
The sound is still coming from below.
It's like the earth is breathing.
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