Chapter 184: Dilemma
Having dug for a full day and night, the men were thoroughly exhausted.
It was now daytime outside, and there was a possibility of encountering government soldiers, so the few men simply stopped digging and lay down to rest. They would resume digging once the sun sank in the west.
Light could already filter through the opening, so digging further would be simple. With Shang Yue around using bamboo, stones, and even timbers to construct a resistance framework against a secondary collapse, the speed of excavating the passageway accelerated slightly.
After the moon rose, a narrow and tiny tunnel that was just wide enough for a person to crawl out of was finally complete.
The men had barely let out a sigh of relief when Old Ou shot out like an arrow from a bow, scrambling up in just a few movements. Shang Yue and the others were too late to block him, and not daring to shout aloud, they could only watch helplessly as Old Ou sprinted away.
Wang Sheng grit his teeth. “That Old Ou!”
Lu Bo shook his head. “Forget it. It’s fine as long as he got out; at least he didn’t have to die inside this mine shaft.”
Although it was the government soldiers who committed the villainy, Lu Bo still harbored a trace of guilt in his heart. However, he was a man destined for grand things; he would not let himself be troubled by emotions, choosing only to do as much as lay within his capability for his brothers at the opportune moment.
Lu Bo, Shang Yue, and Wang Sheng wrapped Ke Wen in the water-soaked straw mat. With a collective heave and pull, they managed to deliver him outside.
Lying on the straw mat, Ke Wen looked at the moon and stars outside, weeping silently in torrents. He was finally out…
There was no one outside. It was unknown whether it was because of the cave-in, but the carts and rolling logs originally used to transport mined stone had all been cleared away. It appeared that after the collapse, the government soldiers carried zero intention of rescuing them.
No one felt surprised by this; their hearts held only fury and rebellion.
The three men dragged Ke Wen toward the woods. Before they had even walked a few steps, they were nearly scared to death by Old Ou suddenly leaping out—
Old Ou had originally been flat on the ground in the pitch-black darkness, so no one could see him. Once they dragged Ke Wen right up close, Old Ou abruptly bounded up, pointing at the ground with a highly mysterious air: “Having! Having!”
“Having what? Someone is there?”
Old Ou gave a giggling laugh, offering no answer, and ran far away to himself once more.
The men exchanged glances. They didn’t give chase, looking down beneath their feet instead.
“Rescue?”
“Rescue!”
They were all people who had received rescue while on the edge of life and death amidst utter despair, regardless of whether that rescue came from the Heavenly Dao or from a benefactor. Since they now possessed the capability, they could extend a helping hand to others as well.
The three men dragged Ke Wen into the woods, finding a concealed spot to hide him. Wang Sheng remained behind to scout around and search for a water source. Lu Bo and Shang Yue, meanwhile, carried the machete along with the makeshift “bamboo shovels” and “bamboo spades” they had crafted out of thick bamboo tubes, returning to the spot where Old Ou said “having.”
Neither man held any certainty, unsure if Old Ou meant there was a person, and whether that person was still alive. Yet neither hesitated, picking up the tools to begin excavating.
The heavens had opened their eyes—there truly was a person underneath.
“Xiao Liu?”
Deep underground, Xiao Liu raised his head blankly in pure disbelief. He had been buried inside the mine shaft, completely unable to move, as he felt his life slipping away bit by bit. He assumed he was about to die, yet now, someone had actually come to rescue him?
Xiao Liu responded with a tremble: “Brother Shang, Brother Lu… am I dreaming?”
The moment Xiao Liu opened his mouth, his voice was entirely raspy. Having gone without a single drop of water for two days and a night, his throat and lips were completely cracked and dry.
Lu Bo also licked his lips. “Get up first! Is there anyone else down there?”
“Yes!”
The area where Xiao Liu was buried was the main mine shaft. During the two days and a night of the collapse, everyone had tried to find ways to survive, and seven or eight people had unexpectedly congregated toward this main shaft. Shang Yue and Lu Bo dug with all their might. Everyone emerged one by one, and those who came out first joined in the digging, rescuing every single person buried underneath.
Just as they breathed a sigh of relief and intended to head into the woods to rest, they had barely walked two steps when Old Ou suddenly materialized out of nowhere again.
“Haha! More! More!”
Xiao Liu and the others were bewildered. “Old Ou? Old Ou’s disease flared up again?”
Lu Bo and Wang Sheng shook their heads, indicating they didn’t know—Old Ou was mysterious and divine even when he was fine, looking no different from a madman. However, the two were already highly familiar, chasing after the spot where Old Ou had leaped out. Sure enough, there was movement in the dirt pile there.
This single run rescued another three people.
By the time Wang Sheng returned with water, Lu Bo’s squad had already expanded to over twenty people. They were unexpectedly all acquaintances who were on good terms inside the mining camp.
Everyone felt both surprised and unsurprised.
“It must be those lackey soldiers who discovered we were uniting. Last time we stood right up against them for Xiao Liu’s sake, so they found an excuse to catch us all in one net and send us into the mine shaft together!”
Wang Sheng’s legs were nearly broken from running. “I can’t haul any more water! Hurry up, all of you, stop standing here talking. Go hide in the woods first.”
Having been buried for so long, the men had spent the vast majority of their time trying to save themselves with minimal rest. At this moment, their physical stamina was somewhat failing. Hearing Wang Sheng say there was a water source, everyone hurriedly supported each other, first drinking their fill of water.
Hiding deep within the mountain forest, Shang Yue pulled out the other lotus leaf bundle of leftovers, triggering a round of frantic gasps from the crowd.
“My goodness, am I just like Old Ou, completely crazed? I seem to smell the fragrance of meat!”
“Ha, you only smell it? Look at Brother Shang’s hand! It’s practically dripping with oil!”
One thick-skinned fellow spoke up directly: “Old Shang, don’t wash this hand in a bit, let us lick it…”
This thoroughly disgusted everyone, and they couldn’t resist delivering a collective beating to that man. But then again, they were all newly “exhumed,” so no one possessed much strength.
Shang Yue distributed all the food, and each person was allocated only a small palm-sized mound. It wasn’t a vast amount, but it was already the fullest and most sumptuous meal the crowd had eaten since arriving at the mining camp.
“Old Shang, where did you get this food? There’s so much rich oil! And plenty of salt. I reckon what the soldiers eat isn’t as good as this.”
Ke Wen’s wound had been bound by now. Among the rescued individuals was a physician, who had re-cleaned his wound and applied some local wild herbs he had crafted himself. Having recovered his strength, Ke Wen helped explain on Shang Yue’s behalf: “It was delivered by Brother Shang’s benefactor. A pity his benefactor originally only intended to relieve Brother Shang, not expecting our place to suffer a cave-in.”
Yet Ke Wen was filled with confidence: “But Brother Shang’s benefactor said that as long as we can escape, she will continue to assist us!”
Hearing Ke Wen speak with such absolute certainty, the crowd assumed he had also seen Shang Yue’s benefactor, harboring even less doubt regarding his words. The crowd ate the food in their hands, feeling their slipping physical stamina gradually return a bit. The crowd cupped their fists and bowed toward all directions in a chaotic mess: “Thank you, Benefactor!”
Currently, however, the one facing the greatest dilemma was Shang Yue.
He was out now, but how was he supposed to inform his benefactor? His benefactor had indeed stated she would summon him over again tomorrow, but she had also mentioned that the items he carried back were actually his “wages” earned at the manor. Yet last time he hadn’t done a single thing and brought back a mountain of items.
Now there were far more people in the squad, requiring an even greater abundance of supplies. He had to perform more labor in order to secure more wages. However, with everyone staying in one place, how was he supposed to explain to everyone that he would suddenly vanish out of thin air?
Furthermore, there was a highly serious problem—the first two times, he had gone to the guesthouse straight from the mine shaft. Now that they had all emerged and the mine shaft had also collapsed, he carried no way to return to the shaft.
Could he still go to the manor?
