Chapter 009: The Cause of Events

After Uncle Lai escaped from his predicament, he was extremely furious, but my father held him back. Given the situation at that time, it was evident that my father was not dealing with such matters for the first time; he understood that being stubborn would lead to even more severe consequences. The only solution was to find a way to escape. The three of them huddled closely together and finally crawled out of the mine, then retraced their steps back.

Three out of the four individuals brought down by Uncle Lai died, which was a rare incident within the team at that time. My father bore the primary responsibility, and he may have realized this. After a brief appearance at the workplace, he never returned. When the organization announced his dismissal, he had already effectively resigned.

The West Sea River Project is vast, consisting of numerous engineering constructions and frameworks both on the surface and in shallow subsurface layers. It is estimated that all of these are intended to serve the core area, as the presence of so many people engaged in engineering work here makes logistical support an extremely heavy task at the very least. Those buildings can easily be reduced to rubble, yet the core area cannot be completely destroyed.

At that moment, I felt that I was going to die, without a doubt.

"I do not know whether that thing is human," Uncle Lai turned around and pointed to the small house behind him, "The one that attacked us is similar to the shadow of a ghost in the eyes of someone who has been cursed."

It was precisely because of meeting this person on the train that a series of subsequent events unfolded

At first glance, I thought this was mining underground, but upon further inspection, I dismissed that idea, as the scale is too vast, too immense for me to comprehend

Upon seeing this, I almost recalled from the illustrations in the book what your father intended to do upon entering the engineering ruins

Uncle Lai, due to work reasons, has a certain understanding of the machinery and equipment related to mineral geology. The illusion that this is a mining area arises because the majority of the work section, located at the center and the deepest part of the underground project of the West Sea River, was operated using mining machinery. Although these machines and equipment have been dismantled or destroyed, many remnants left on site can attest to this fact.

An incident occurred in this place. They were subjected to a sudden attack

It is also possible that those events left an indelible impression on him

Uncle Lai's expression indeed showed regret. After pondering for a moment, he told me that about two years ago, he had gone out for a business matter and encountered someone on the train returning home.

At that time, when I followed the markers to that place, I had a feeling that this location must be the core area of the West Sea River Project. Uncle Lai has a remarkable memory; many years have passed since the event, yet with just a little thought, he can recall all the details from that time.

The outcome of the situation is evident; Uncle Lai has a broken arm, but he survived and was rescued. However, another companion was not so fortunate, as there were no remains left.

The enormous mine is quite deep, and even with a mining lamp, the bottom cannot be illuminated. The maximum drilling depth of the percussion drill is 20 meters, so every time the mine is excavated down to about 30 meters, a platform must be constructed. Uncle Lai and his team carefully searched around the first circular platform, and then, along with the librarian, descended to the second platform.

The difficulty of the project increases as the excavation goes deeper. For every several meters excavated, it is necessary to construct a platform, either large or small, to facilitate electrical connections and support machinery and personnel. Therefore, within this enormous well-like pit, resembling a mine, there are numerous ladders connecting the upper and lower levels, all made of steel, ensuring strength and stability. After careful observation, Uncle Lai noticed the last few marking symbols beside a winding long ladder. These symbols clearly indicate that the person who carved them descended along the ladder.

Before the West Sea River project was destroyed, my father's primary task was to maintain the circuits and communication lines within the large mine, without a specific work schedule. During quiet times, he might have several days with little to do, while during busy periods, he could be occupied for days on end. In the last routine task before their retreat, several experts arrived from above, bringing along some equipment, the specific purpose of which was unclear. However, through a series of interactions and deductions, my father inferred that the main use of that equipment was data collection. In the last routine task before their retreat, several experts arrived from above, bringing along some equipment, the specific purpose of which was unclear. However, through a series of interactions and deductions, my father inferred that the main use of that equipment was data collection.

The core area of the project features a massive cylindrical pit with a diameter of approximately 200 meters, which was excavated using various mining machinery. The primary machinery used for excavation was the giant electric shovels designed for open-pit mining. At that time, these were considered rare equipment, yet the Xihai River project utilized at least 30 to 40 electric shovels. Such equipment was primarily imported from the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s, but by the late 1970s, Soviet goods and blueprints were abandoned in favor of acquiring them from the United States via Hong Kong.

Little Tong, I will not hide it from you. Regarding this experience, your father always glosses over it. I believe that something must have happened in between, which is why he is so persistent in wanting to retrieve the lost portion of the data

"Xiao Tong, there is something I need to discuss with you. Do you know? I feel very regretful and quite stifled inside." Uncle Lai gently shook his head: "This time your father went out, it actually has a lot to do with me. If I hadn't meddled at that time, perhaps he wouldn't be like this."

Uncle Lai is confused. According to my father's previous accounts, he believed that the West Sea River project was at least a tightly secured military engineering project. However, everything before him indicates that the engineering troops have done nothing; most of their energy has been spent digging holes here.

The situation came so suddenly that one had little time to think, but at that moment, Uncle Lai caught a glimpse of a figure that suddenly rushed out. The figure seemed very familiar to him; it was my father

What are they digging? I strained my mind, trying to imagine the core part of the project. What could possibly require such a massive cylindrical pit?

The massive West Sea River project, when viewed superficially, gives a sense of mystery. However, it is only when one truly witnesses the core areas that it becomes apparent that this seems to be a very simple matter. Their workflow is not complicated at all, lacking significant technical content. It is estimated that they use internal combustion or hydraulic rock drills to create blast holes, followed by electric shovels for operation.

I nodded.

There was no way around it; if we hesitated any longer, it was possible that neither of them could be saved. My father was very decisive at that moment; after a brief consideration, he headed straight towards Uncle Lai.

"Are there still people under the mine?" I felt something was off. The Xihai River project had been completely destroyed for at least several years, and all personnel had been evacuated. Who attacked Uncle Lai and the others? I began to sweat; could it be my father? That shouldn't be possible

It has been proven that my father's speculation was correct; these individuals collected some data, but at a critical moment, something went wrong. A portion of the data samples was lost, and they only took away the remaining part.

No one can save Uncle Lai; the remaining two companions, one of whom is about to be pushed off the platform by the ghostly figure, and the other barely managed to fire a shot, but missed the target

The period my father spent by the West Sea River was, in fact, arduous and exhausting. He was merely an ordinary soldier, without the opportunity to engage with the most secretive aspects of the project. However, given the limited technological capabilities at the time, many tasks had to be performed manually, and while carrying out these tasks, it was inevitable to notice certain circumstances.

What is it, Uncle Lai? What happened? Is there something more?

After the goal was established, Uncle Lai persuaded several companions. The environment influenced others, and along the way, they had unconsciously regarded Uncle Lai as the temporary leader. Therefore, when Uncle Lai said he wanted to go down, no one objected

I feel that my father seems to be contradictory in this matter. He knows about the place called Xihai River, and if he wanted to come, he could have done so himself, but he hasn't, at least not during the period from his demobilization to starting work. It was only when the exploration team happened to pass near Xihai River that my father had the thought of coming to take another look

If one knows what is being excavated, then one can understand the purpose and significance of the West Sea River Project. Uncle Lai smiled wryly and shook his head: This matter has been many years in the past; your father has thought of many ways to seek this answer

After my father rushed out, he hesitated for a moment. The situation at that time left him at a loss, as Uncle Lai and another colleague were both in imminent danger. Even if he tried his utmost to save them, he could only save one. The lives of the two individuals would ultimately be decided by my father.

The attack came very suddenly, catching everyone off guard. Uncle Lai and the others had no reaction; by the time they realized the danger, two people had already been pushed off the platform. The height was terrifying, and there was absolutely no chance of survival if someone fell. They had never considered that there might still be living beings here, so they carried their guns on them. Uncle Lai was a bit flustered; before he could even pull the trigger, a ghostly figure pounced on him. After several rolls, he ended up at the edge of the platform's iron railing. The platform had also been bombed, now slanted, rendering the iron railing useless and unable to stop anyone. Uncle Lai was extremely tense; if he rolled forward just one or two more meters, he would fall off the platform.

How can such a scene be described? The machinery is colossal, yet in comparison to the entire project, it resembles a swarm of tiny ants gathering around a massive loaf of bread, nibbling at it bit by bit