Chapter One, Two Hundred and Three Days

As the drill penetrated the dark rock, the sound of "bang bang bang" echoed in the ears, shaking the brain painfully

As they were speaking, they had already arrived at the intersection of the mine tunnels, where two individuals coming from a side passage burst into loud laughter, saying: "What 'Skywalker' are you talking about? You're dragging everyone down to the point of becoming 'Incapable Brother'!"

Tianxing raised his palm, which was covered in blood, and in the center of his palm was a black dot. As he focused on it, he felt a wave of dizziness, and then he fell into a deep sleep

Damn, this is really bad luck. Over the past few months, more than ten have already been buried. We've already scrapped five drilling machines. How the hell are you all working!

Wuwuwu! Brother Tianxing, I can’t go on anymore

Above is the area where the mine supervisors reside. Through the gaps in the floorboards, one can see that the people above are drinking and having dinner

Tianxing protected the little girl he had held close to his chest, maintaining balance as he ran upward with the crowd. When everyone reached the well's opening, the terrified youths, their faces pale, collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

The scolding supervisors drove everyone towards a nearby shed. Under the illumination of the surrounding searchlights, all individuals lined up obediently in two rows and entered. Once everyone had entered the shabby shed, the door was locked.

Seeing the foremen standing at the wellhead, their expressions unfriendly as they waved the whips in their hands, someone finally shouted out

The accountant quickly intervened, shouting: "Heizi, the mayor is bringing the leaders for an inspection tomorrow. You need to manage these little rascals well. If something goes wrong, it won't just be a matter of a few slaps!"

Upon hearing the mocking words of the two individuals, Xiao Feifei cried even harder, with tears streaming down her face, which was smeared with black and gray, leaving two deep tear marks on her small face

Half an hour later, at the sound of the whistle from 'Dudu', those who had finished their meal were herded by the overseers into a cave not far behind the work shed, where a pile of disordered wooden planks had been arranged into a row of makeshift beds

It has collapsed again! There is another collapse below!

Seeing the several young people approaching, everyone coldly watched as they cleaned out the meat from the soup bowls in front of them

In the well-connected alleys, a group of boys, roughly the same size as Tianxing, rushed out in panic from the alleys and the library path, scrambling to run towards the upper levels.

Unrestrained laughter erupted from the mouths of the two individuals as they dragged a basket filled with ore up the upper passageway. Although both of them were relatively young, the basket was being swiftly pulled along through their combined efforts

Shh! Lower your voice, Feifei! If the supervisor hears us, we will get whipped again

Mr. Huang, there have already been five collapses this year, and today another drilling rig has been rendered unusable

Upon seeing the dinner that had already been laid out, everyone rushed forward, each person receiving a bowl of slightly yellowed rice, accompanied by a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and today there was an additional bowl of meat soup.

The famished youths picked up their bowls and began to eat. Tianxing swiftly fished out the small piece of meat from the soup bowl, regardless of whether the steaming morsel was too hot to handle, and swallowed it with a choke. At the same time, he retrieved the piece of meat that belonged to Xiaofeifei and stuffed it into her mouth, ignoring her struggle as she choked on the meat. He glared fiercely at Xiaofeifei, watching her swallow the scalding piece of meat.

Through the narrow gaps in the wooden planks, one can see that the burly man is nodding and bowing in agreement

The walls of the alley nearby began to shake, and a deep rumbling sound followed closely behind them.

Hahaha ... ...

The swift figure broke free from the rope that was looped over its shoulder, turned around, and grabbed the little girl behind her. Under the girl's bewildered gaze, it removed the rope from her shoulder and pulled her up to run upward.

The sound of a bowl being overturned echoed from not far away, accompanied by a pitiful cry. The people at the same table raised their heads, and everyone saw in the distant corner a young boy holding a bowl who was being beaten by someone.

Suddenly, the alley beneath my feet began to tremble, accompanied by a buzzing sound echoing through the passage. Faintly, one could hear the cries of someone in agony.

Several youths were fiercely beating the child curled up on the ground, his dinner already overturned on the floor. A stronger boy was trampling the food with his foot, while the overseers standing at the door laughed heartily, completely indifferent to the scene unfolding before them

Hearing this shrill sound, Tianxing estimated it was the accountant from the mine

Wuwuwu! Brother Tianxing, it is all my fault...

Gritting his teeth, the boy named Tianxing strained as he pulled the rope pressed against his shoulders, taking one step after another. His frail shoulders bore two deep bloodstains, and the purple bruises were soaked with sweat, causing a searing pain. Meanwhile, the deep whip mark on his back had swollen after being drenched in sweat, making him wish he could cry out in agony.

Tianxing pulled the shivering Xiaofeifei and found his own place. He tucked Xiaofeifei into the spot against the cave wall, and only then did he lie down himself. He covered both of them with a thin blanket and tilted his ear to listen to the sounds coming from above.

In the dimly lit tunnel, scattered rubble lay everywhere, as two frail and short figures struggled to pull a massive basket, laboriously making their way forward

The fifteen-year-old boy, who was straining to pull the rope in front, lowered his voice to scold, but upon hearing the continuous sobbing from behind, he turned his head and said: "Use less strength, but be sure not to let go of the rope, otherwise the overseer will see and start hitting people again"

Forget it, forget it. I will call Lao Nian tomorrow and ask him to send someone over again

You little rascal, you don't understand any rules! I will make you eat mud today

Yes, yes, yes, I assure you that there will be no mistakes tomorrow, you can rest assured, mine manager

A look of panic appeared on Tianxing's face as he shouted loudly: "It's collapsing! Everyone, run!"

The dim safety light overhead emitted a pale glow, illuminating the crowd that surged like a disturbed nest of wasps. It was unclear who had fallen to the ground, but immediately countless feet trampled over him, and the cries of pain quickly faded into the alley as everyone desperately rushed toward the upper levels

The person known as the Yellow Mine Foreman scolded, and with the sound of 'slap slap slap', the foreman, who usually instilled great fear in everyone, was repeatedly slapped in the face by him

Just hold on a little longer, it's the last basket. As long as we pull it up, we can have dinner and rest.

Get lost, you unfortunate child! I don't even know who caused this! Just all of you, get out!

Tianxing's eyes were fixed on the long and short lines he had carved into the cave wall, and finally, another day had passed. This marked his two hundred and third day here.

With the crack of the whip, the person being struck let out a mournful cry. The little girl hiding behind Tianxing had her mouth tightly covered by him, fearing that her sobs would be heard by the overseers.

A little girl, no more than eight or nine years old, was sobbing, her entire body marked with wounds caused by flying debris. Two thick ropes hung from her frail shoulders