Chapter Forty-Five: Into the Depths of the Mine

Chapter Forty-Five: Deep into the Mine

The vehicle stopped. Senior Brother Zhang took out a dagger and cut the ropes binding Shi Bai and his second uncle, warning them, "Don’t say anything unnecessary. Just tell them we’re here at your invitation to eliminate the monster."

His second uncle nodded quickly, and the group emerged from the Jeep one by one.

As soon as they stepped out, a heavy coal dust scent assaulted their noses, and all of them instinctively wrinkled their noses.

The mine workers seemed puzzled by the arrival of the Jeep, but as soon as his second uncle got out, someone shouted, "The director is back!"

Soon, three middle-aged men came forward; leading them was a greasy, obese man in a brown suit, his belly bulging as if he were nine months pregnant, his hair thinning into stripes.

He warmly shook his second uncle's hand. "Ah, Old Wang, you’re finally back!"

His second uncle's expression changed. "What’s the matter, Old Fu?"

The greasy man, Old Fu, replied, "That monster has started up again. It was quiet for a while, but these past couple of days the noise has grown. The mine below shakes every so often, and the workers are too scared to go down and mine!"

His second uncle smiled faintly and waved his hand. "No problem!" He pointed to Senior Brother Zhang and his companions. "Look! These are the experts I invited to rid us of the monster. I believe this time we’ll finally get rid of that ghost thing for good!"

Old Fu glanced at Senior Brother Zhang and the others, but his eyes locked onto the beautiful woman, and a lewd smile crept onto his face.

"Courting death!"

The woman’s delicate brows furrowed; she whipped out her sword and pressed it to Old Fu’s throat. "Do you believe I’ll gouge out your filthy eyes?"

Old Fu trembled so violently that his fat shook in three waves, nearly dropping to his knees. "Oh my heavens!"

His second uncle pleaded, "Heroine! He’s ignorant. It’s the first time he’s seen such a striking lady; he couldn’t help himself!"

The woman gave a cold laugh and flicked her sword. Old Fu shrieked and collapsed to his knees, while everyone else squeezed their eyes shut in fear.

"If you dare be disrespectful again, I’ll take your worthless head myself!"

Old Fu felt a chill atop his head. When he looked, a few sparse strands of hair had fallen before his eyes. The others dared to open their eyes at last, only to find that Old Fu’s head now shone like a giant duck egg.

Everyone burst out laughing, yet were astonished at the woman’s skill, silently warning themselves to never slight her.

Following Senior Brother Zhang’s instructions, his second uncle ordered the workers to stop, prepared food and drink for the group, and after a brief meal and rest, they prepared to descend into the mine.

His second uncle dared not say much, hurriedly summoned people to bring them full sets of equipment.

Thermal underwear, fleece, blue cotton jackets—all pure cotton.

Shi Bai was curious. "Is it really that cold down there? Do we need all this?"

His second uncle nodded. "Of course it’s cold. Not just cold, but damp—working there for years leads to rheumatism. And you can’t wear synthetic fabrics, because static electricity could cause explosions. There’s gas in the mine."

Shi Bai understood at last, and quickly dressed.

Next, they were handed rain boots, safety helmets, and miner’s lamps.

"This lamp works for twenty-four hours, two brightness modes," his second uncle recited knowledgeably.

"This is a self-rescue device—chemical oxygen, lasts two hours. And this, a locator, connected to the company network. If you pull the alarm, the surface can pinpoint your position."

"And this is a dust mask, very useful. Here are three environment monitors: one for oxygen concentration, alarms if it falls below eighteen percent; one for carbon monoxide; one for methane—very accurate."

"And this, the walkie-talkie, company internal network. And these," he produced pliers, screwdrivers, blades, and such. "They’ll be handy in emergencies."

Senior Brother Zhang and his companions glanced at his second uncle in surprise. "Didn’t expect you to be so thorough. I thought people like you were all just boozers and gluttons."

His second uncle grinned sheepishly. "How could I dare run a factory without some skills?"

Everyone laughed lightly, and soon they reached a place resembling an elevator. His second uncle opened the door. "This is the cage—the way down."

Senior Brother Zhang’s group entered the cage. The woman, last inside, shoved his second uncle and Old Fu in after them.

"You two are coming too!"

Old Fu shivered. "Heroine, what are we going down for? We don’t know any martial arts!"

The woman smiled coldly. "If you don’t lead the way, how will we know where to go?"

His second uncle and Old Fu had no choice but to suit up and descend with the group.

The cage was essentially an elevator, but far faster. The coal mine was six or seven hundred meters deep, and they arrived in only two minutes.

Exiting the cage, Shi Bai had expected narrow corridors—just wide enough for a small cart on rails—but was surprised by the spaciousness, wide enough for vehicles.

His second uncle and Old Fu led the way into the depths of the mine. The path gradually narrowed, and his second uncle pointed to a pitch-black passage.

"Over there. Ahead is a pile of rocks, the entrance we blocked. Beyond the rocks is the pit—the monster is there."

He glanced at Old Fu, then said to Senior Brother Zhang and the woman, "The rest is up to you. I’ve arranged for explosives there—once detonated, the barricade will be blown open."

The woman was startled. "Explosives? Aren’t you afraid the whole mine will collapse?"

His second uncle quickly waved his hands. "No! We know what we’re doing. That amount of explosives won’t cause much harm."

He handed a small remote control to the woman. "Heroine, this is the detonator. The red button is the switch—press it and the explosives will go off."

He offered a sheepish smile. "The rest is up to you. We’ll head back up now."

The woman took the remote, but as his second uncle and Old Fu were about to leave, she grabbed them and pulled them back.

"What’s the rush?" The woman smiled. "Don’t you want to watch the show? Stay here and watch!"

His second uncle and Old Fu shuddered. "We’re scared..."

"Scared of what? With us here, what’s there to fear?"

"But... the monster..."

The woman smiled coldly. "Monster? If you go up and leave us, what then? I don’t trust you." She raised her sword. "If you dare run off, forget the monster—I’ll kill you myself."

His second uncle and Old Fu wore bitter expressions and nodded reluctantly.

At this point, the woman glanced at Shi Bai in surprise. "You’re awfully calm, aren’t you, little rascal?"

Shi Bai smiled serenely. "I’m quite eager to see the monster, to see what it really looks like."

The woman snorted and handed the detonator to Senior Brother Zhang. "Senior Brother, you take charge."

Senior Brother Zhang nodded, ordered his group to form a semicircle, and they all drew the swords strapped to their backs. He instructed Shi Bai, his second uncle, and Old Fu to stand aside.

"Everyone ready? I’m about to activate the explosives."

The sword-wielders’ expressions grew grave, each adopting a defensive stance.

His second uncle and Old Fu covered their ears.

Shi Bai summoned his system. "Custom task: let me emerge unharmed from this monster elimination mission."

"Custom task created successfully. Task initiated."