Chapter133 The Mine Collapsed
At the mine, machinery roared and dust swirled.
Miranda followed the assistant, her steps uneven on the rough terrain.
The deeper they went, the higher the rock walls rose, and the light gradually dimmed.
She held a freshly chipped piece of ore, carefully examining its texture. It really was top-quality material.
Just then...
"Rumble!"
The ground beneath her feet suddenly shook violently without warning.
On the distant slope, rocks tumbled down, followed by the teeth-grating sound of rock layers fracturing.
"Run! Quick!"
The assistant ahead paled, dropped his tools, and bolted outward. "Cave-in! The mine's collapsing!"
Miranda reacted instantly.
But against nature's disasters, human strength was pitifully small.
She'd just turned around, hadn't even taken two steps, when the ground beneath her feet opened like a giant beast's maw and collapsed.
"Ah!"
Weightlessness struck instantly.
Miranda only managed a short cry before falling with the cascading dirt and stones.
In that instant, survival instinct kicked in. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around her head and curled into a ball.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar shook everything, dust filling the air.
Seconds later, everything fell silent.
...
Time passed, though she couldn't say how long.
Miranda slowly opened her eyes.
Before her was pitch blackness, so complete she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.
She tried to move and found herself wedged in a small triangular space. The slightest movement sent fine sand trickling down from all sides.
Her chest felt suffocatingly tight, the air thick with choking dust.
"Cough, cough!"
Miranda coughed twice, the sound dull and oppressive in the enclosed space.
She was buried.
The realization made her heart leap, fear flooding through her like a tide.
"Is anyone there? Help!"
She shouted.
But her voice couldn't penetrate the thick layers of earth surrounding her.
Can't panic.
Absolutely cannot panic.
Miranda forced herself to calm down, taking deep breaths, steadying her racing heartbeat.
She reached for her waist. Her tool bag was still there.
With trembling hands, she unzipped it and felt the cold metal cylinder inside: her portable flashlight.
"Click."
A blinding beam of light cut through the darkness.
Miranda squinted, adjusting to the light, and began surveying her surroundings.
The space was barely two square meters. Above her, a massive boulder had lodged against the rock wall at an angle, shielding her from the crushing weight.
But all around, broken rocks and dirt blocked everything completely.
She picked up a stone and tapped lightly on the surrounding rock walls.
"Thud, thud, thud."
The sound was dull, with no hollow echo.
That meant the collapse was thorough. There were no gaps.
An unprecedented sense of despair washed over her.
Miranda bit her lip, fighting the burning in her eyes.
She pulled out the pack of compressed biscuits she'd meant to eat on the road and clutched them tightly.
"I can't die here..."
At the mine office.
Allen stared at the message he'd just sent on his phone when a massive boom suddenly echoed nearby.
Coffee spilled across his desk. He didn't bother wiping it up, jerking his head toward the window.
In the distance, toward Shaft Three, a brownish-yellow cloud of dust rose like a mushroom cloud, instantly obscuring the previously clear sky.
Alarms blared throughout the mine site.
"What happened?"
Allen's heart sank, an ominous premonition shooting through him. He shoved back his chair and rushed out of the office.
Outside was chaos, workers fleeing in panic toward safe zones.
Allen grabbed someone and shouted, "What happened? Is that Shaft Three?"
The man's face was covered in ash, his whole body trembling, barely able to speak. "Col... collapsed. Massive cave-in."
Allen felt like his head was ringing. He gripped the man's collar tighter. "Did you see a woman? Did she get out?"
"No, no woman got out."
"Fuck!"
He pulled out his phone and sent Harrison a voice message.
"The mine collapsed. Miranda might be buried."
An hour later.
A black car screeched to a halt outside the security line with an ear-splitting brake squeal.
The door was violently pushed open.
Harrison stumbled out of the car.
His expensive bespoke shirt was buttoned wrong, his tie hung crooked around his neck, and his usually immaculate hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot.
He started to charge forward.
"Harrison, calm down!"
Allen, who'd been anxiously waiting outside the security line, grabbed Harrison's clothes.
Harrison whirled around. "What's the situation? Has she been rescued?"
Allen sighed. "The rescue team has gone in, but the situation inside is unclear. There could be a secondary collapse at any moment."
Harrison muttered those words, his body swaying, his face deathly pale.
If Miranda had successfully negotiated with Allen today, would she have avoided going into the mine?
Regret, fear, self-blame gnawed at his heart like ten thousand ants.
"This is my fault." Harrison's voice was hoarse and broken.
"Harrison, this was just an accident. Nobody expected the mine to collapse." Allen tried to comfort him.
Harrison straightened abruptly and shook off Allen's hand. "I'm going in."
"Are you insane?" Allen blocked him. "You're not rescue personnel. Going in will just cause problems. If there's another collapse, you'll die in there too."
For a full minute, Harrison stood motionless.
Then he suddenly took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his trembling, and looked at Allen.
"Get me protective gear. Now."
Allen looked into those bloodshot but incredibly determined eyes. He opened his mouth but couldn't voice any objections.
"Fine. I'll get you the equipment."
Five minutes later.
Harrison changed into heavy orange rescue gear and put on a helmet.
He followed the second rescue team into the dust-filled chaos.
Meanwhile, twenty kilometers from the mine in the suburbs.
"Finally. Mission target secured safely."
A muscular team member removed his tactical goggles and dropped onto the grass with a long exhale.
The group, fresh from the brink of death, wore relaxed smiles.
They all looked toward the man standing at the front.
Clifton, in black tactical gear, stood straight as a pine, his bearing noble and cold even covered in dust.
He was methodically removing his tactical gloves, revealing long, powerful fingers.
"Boss, we're not escorting the target back until tomorrow. Does that mean we have free time now?"
A bold team member approached with a grin. "Everyone's starving. There's nothing to eat around here. How about we head into the city for a meal?"
Clifton tucked the gloves in his pocket and swept his gaze over them, his tense jawline softening slightly.
"Fine."
His voice was low and magnetic. "Pick a restaurant. My treat."
The team members cheered and immediately huddled together, pulling out phones to search for nearby restaurants.
Clifton listened to the cheerful noise, a hint of a smile touching his lips.
He walked to a shaded spot under a tree and pulled out the personal phone that had been off during the mission.
The moment he powered it on, countless message notifications chimed rapidly.
His finger scrolled across the screen.
Suddenly, a red breaking news notification appeared without warning.
[Breaking! Massive collapse at XX border mine in Europe, multiple people still missing, rescue operations underway...]