The train driver in the courtyard

It was already close to evening.

The mine's canteen sent someone over to say that the food was ready and that any work could only be done tomorrow.

Section Chief Wu assigned several trusted confidants to guard Cave No. 6.

Zhou Ke also volunteered to stay, and Li Aiguo then led Engineer Liu and the group of experts to the canteen.

The standard of living is quite good in Linxi Mine.

Each person received a plate of pork stew with vermicelli and two steamed buns. Section Chief Wu also had two bottles of sweet potato liquor brewed by the local miners brought over.

These experts were exhausted these past few days. They had a few drinks and a meal before leaving.

Section Chief Wu raised his glass and clinked it with Li Aiguo's: "Aiguo, I really didn't expect that we have Dieter in our mine."

Li Aiguo laughed and said, "Where in this world are there no demons and monsters? They're just clowns, they can't cause any big waves."

Li Aiguo was not trying to excuse Section Chief Wu.

The situation at Linxi Mine was complicated; it was first taken over by the John Bull family's coal mining company.

The Japanese then seized it again. After the Japanese stayed there for a few years, they surrendered, and it was occupied by the enemy again.

Over the course of more than a century, various forces have become intertwined and deeply rooted in this land, much like the old coal roots underground.

Although several strict investigations were carried out after liberation, it was inevitable that a few cunning rats would find loopholes and hide in the shadows.

It is truly remarkable that Linxi Mine was able to stabilize such a mess in just a few years and still manage to mine high-quality raw coal every year to support national construction.

The two drank a few more cups, then Section Chief Wu remembered he had to go back and organize the case materials, so he hurriedly left.

Li Aiguo also took Zong Xianfeng back to the guesthouse.

The bed was already made, but Li Aiguo's eyelids were so heavy he couldn't lift them, and he fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, Li Aiguo was awakened by the sound of a broadcast.

The loudspeaker in the mining area would play "The East Is Red" on time, calling everyone to get up, wash, and prepare for work.

This song is played three times in the morning, starting at 5:30, once every half hour.

By the time the third replay was finished, it was exactly 6:30, and the miners had already finished their meal in the canteen.

The team leaders called for everyone to assemble, and after putting on their mining uniforms, they went down the mine to begin a new day's work.

Li Aiguo had lived in this era for a long time and was already used to this kind of life.

After filling the thermos with hot water, washing up, and eating, he took several technicians to the security department of Linxi Mine.

In the office, Section Chief Wu was talking to an old miner wearing a bamboo safety helmet.

Upon seeing Li Aiguo enter, Section Chief Wu stood up and introduced him: "This is Captain Guo Lin of Mining Team No. 3, a veteran member of the organization who has carried out missions several times. This cleanup work has been assigned to him."

"Captain Guo, you've worked hard. Please keep an eye out for anything suspicious while you're cleaning up." Li Aiguo stepped forward and shook hands with him.

"Don't worry, Wu Ke has already told me about the situation. I led the miners to fight against those people before liberation."

After Guo Lin finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"Sir, Hongshan is a veteran comrade with a positive attitude, so there's definitely no problem."

"Hongshan?" Li Aiguo turned his head and looked at Section Chief Wu with a puzzled expression.

Section Chief Wu explained, "The captain of the No. 6 coal cutting team is Zhang Hongshan, and he led the team for this coal cutting machine experiment."

Li Aiguo hadn't had a chance to talk to the team members yet, so he really didn't know the situation.

Zhang Hongshan is Liu Qingquan's brother-in-law; they even had drinks together when Liu visited Linxi last time.

Guo Lin added, "Hong Shan and I are related by marriage through our children, but I prioritize reason over kinship. His thinking is even more proactive than mine."

They are related by marriage, which is normal, as the mining area is a closed little society and the miners have very close relationships.

Before Li Aiguo could speak, Section Chief Wu had already put on a stern face: "Old Guo, the organization will not let a bad person go unpunished, nor will it wrong an innocent person."

"I understand!" Guo Lin nodded emphatically, then turned and left.

Section Chief Wu sent security officers to the site to keep an eye on things, and Engineer Liu also led a team into Tunnel No. 6 to take charge of the technical work, so there's not much to worry about.

After the arrangements were made, Section Chief Wu looked at Li Aiguo and said, "Let's go, Aiguo, let's interrogate the members of the No. 6 coal cutting team."

On the way there, Section Chief Wu gave a brief introduction to the situation. The No. 6 coal cutting team has a total of 35 people. The team operates on a three-shift system, with about a dozen people in each shift, depending on the situation.

Zhang Hongshan is the squad leader and also the person primarily responsible for workplace safety.

The team consists of 6 coal miners, 3 support workers, and 2 transport workers. In case of special circumstances, 2 blasters will also be assigned.

"Oh, right, there's also an electromechanical repairman."

Li Aiguo stopped in his tracks: "Does every work group have an electromechanical repairman?"

"No, the electromechanical maintenance worker is a technician, and we're short-staffed. This time it's an experimental coal cutter, so the mine temporarily dispatched him."

Li Aiguo nodded and pushed open the door to the detention cell.

This place is called a detention room, but it's actually more like a temporary detention center.

The mining area has a good economy and a diverse population. In addition, the miners work in the mines all year round and are generally short-tempered, so security incidents occur frequently.

Young people will start fighting each other at the slightest disagreement.

If something happens, the security department will bring the person back, dump them here to calm down for a few days, and then notify the leaders of each mine team to come and take them away.

When the security officer on duty saw Section Chief Wu enter, he immediately went up to greet him.

"Bring Zhang Hongshan from the No. 6 coal cutting team to the interrogation room."

"Yes."

Just as Li Aiguo sat down in the interrogation room, Zhang Hongshan, dressed in mining clothes, was escorted in by two security officers.

Zhang Hongshan was detained for several days, and he was listless and his hair was a mess.

When he finally saw Li Aiguo behind the table, he couldn't help but rub his eyes.

"Comrade Patriot, what brings you here?"

"Comrade Li Aiguo is in charge of this case investigation. Old Zhang, you need to cooperate fully." Section Chief Wu stood up and handed him a cigarette.

"I will definitely cooperate, but I've already told you everything I know," Zhang Hongshan said, smoking a cigarette and looking frustrated.

Li Aiguo flipped through his previous notes, which recorded the events as being similar to what Zong Xianfeng had said.

"Patriotism, this coal cutter is much better than the Russian ones. It's a powerful tool for us coal miners to carry out production. If it weren't for the problem with the top plate, the experiment would have been completed by now. It's a pity that I rushed over there, but it was too late."

Zhang Hongshan didn't bother to defend himself; he just kept slapping his thigh in regret.

Li Aiguo sat up straight and asked, "How can you be sure it's a problem with the roof slab? And not an oversight during the survey?"

"Neglect during the inspection? Was it something those people in the production department said?"
What do they know! I led the team that dug Cave No. 6, I know it perfectly well, there's absolutely no problem with the upper coal seam.

"Besides, the coal cutter doesn't vibrate much, how could it possibly collapse the mine shaft? That's utter nonsense!" Zhang Hongshan raised his voice.

Zhou Ke interjected, "What if the roof is also fine?"

"This..." Zhang Hongshan was stunned for a moment, his expression changed several times, and the way he looked at Li Aiguo and the others was different.

He jumped up from his chair: "Is someone sabotaging us?!"

Zhang Hongshan is an old comrade, and he is very sensitive.

Especially after this accident, they were all detained first, and then Li Aiguo and others arrived, so something must have happened.

"No, impossible. I know all the comrades in our coal cutting team. They're all brothers who went through the mines together. They would never do such a thing," Zhang Hongshan said angrily after figuring it out.

Li Aiguo waved to him, gesturing for him to sit down: "Squad Leader Hongshan, the old buddies in the mining team are trustworthy, but what about the newly transferred electromechanical maintenance worker?"

"You mean Xiao Chen?" Zhang Hongshan was stunned, his brows furrowed, and he subconsciously shook his head.

"No way! That kid looks so scholarly, how could he have the guts?"

“Explain his situation clearly, word by word.”

"His name is Chen Liushui. He is really well-educated. He can understand a circuit diagram at a glance. If there is a problem with the circuit, he can fix it after a few tinkerings."

Zhang Hongshan frowned as he recalled.

"He's just a bit listless when he's working, doesn't like to talk, and occasionally slacks off to avoid work, but he's never made a mistake... It definitely can't be him, could there be some mistake?"

Li Aiguo didn't reply, but flipped through the notes on the table: "Understood. Squad Leader Hongshan, you can rest here for a few days and cooperate with the investigation."

After asking a few more questions, and seeing that Zhang Hongshan really knew nothing about Chen Liushui's background, Li Aiguo stood up.

“I’m not worried, but I’m a little anxious about not being able to get production going.” Zhang Hongshan also stood up and asked, “I heard that the Qingquan family has a big, fat grandson.”

"Yes, it happened a few months ago. The child was chubby and very well-behaved."

"Sigh, in the blink of an eye, Qingquan has become a grandfather." Zhang Hongshan sighed, full of regret.

A few casual words eased the tension in the interrogation room.

Li Aiguo gestured with his chin toward the door, and the security officer immediately came in and took Zhang Hongshan away.

Immediately afterwards, the other members of the No. 6 coal cutting team were brought in one by one.

The statements were all the same few sentences, and no one knew the cause of the accident.

The team members all had similar impressions of Chen Liushui.

Young, knowledgeable, and a bit lazy, but he never shirked his responsibilities.

One of the younger team members said, "I always felt that Chen Liushui's mind wasn't on the mine."

Section Chief Wu saw through the scheme and leaned closer to Li Aiguo, whispering, "Should we bring Chen Liushui over now?"

Li Aiguo nodded.

A moment later, two security officers escorted a young man in.

He was in his early twenties, with very fair skin, which was quite different from the dark skin of the miners who had been exposed to the sun and wind for many years.

He wore glasses on his nose, his hair was neatly combed and parted to the side, and even though he was wearing mining clothes, he exuded a refined air that was completely out of place in the mining area, looking exactly like an intellectual sitting in an office.

"Good morning, leaders." Chen Liushui nodded to Li Aiguo and Section Chief Wu before sitting down, looking at the two men with unease.

Li Aiguo did not begin the interrogation immediately, but instead opened Chen Liushui's file.

Chen Liushui, a native of Majiagou, graduated from the private Xinsheng Middle School.

This is the only junior high school in Dongsan Mine. It was built before liberation with a day's wages donated by miners from west, Zhaogezhuang, and Tangjiazhuang mines. It is located near the southwest gate of Linxi Mine.

His parents were not miners, but workers at the Banbidian Ironworks.

That ironworks was built by the Japanese invaders back then, who forcibly conscripted able-bodied men from more than a dozen villages to seize steel to make guns and cannons.

Section Chief Wu had mentioned to him that when the Japanese were retreating, the micro-management master sent bombers to bomb the ironworks. The bombs didn't hurt many Japanese soldiers, but they did collapse the blast furnace, burying most of the nearby workers in the ruins.

Chen Liushui's parents were probably also lost in that explosion.

There are too many people like Chen Liushui these days.

Life is as fragile as grass, swept along by the torrent of the times, and no one can say for sure where they came from or where they are going.

Li Aiguo closed the file and looked at Section Chief Wu to indicate that they could begin.

Section Chief Wu asked, "Chen Liushui! What exactly do you know about the collapse of Mine No. 6?!"

Chen Liushui shuddered, but shook his head vigorously: "I don't know, I'm just an electromechanical repairman, I don't know anything."

Hearing this answer, Section Chief Wu was somewhat disappointed. He had wanted to trick him, but he hadn't expected that he wouldn't reveal any flaws.

"According to other people's testimonies, you once ventured alone into Cave 6. Is that true?"

"Yes! The coal cutter needs to be powered on, and the cables must be laid in advance. I went in that day, but I came out right after the cables were laid. It was less than half an hour, and everything was normal inside the tunnel!"

"Where were you when the incident happened?" "I didn't go into the cave that day. The cage car outside broke down, and I was repairing it. Many of my coworkers can testify to that."

Section Chief Wu asked a few more questions, and Chen Liushui's answers were always flawless. His fear on his face was just right, and there was no flaw in his answers.

He was somewhat discouraged, and looked up at Li Aiguo with a questioning look in his eyes.

Li Aiguo lit a cigarette and asked, "Chen Liushui, according to the records, you and Comrade Pan Jinyue from the mine's logistics department are cousins?"

"Does this...does this have anything to do with the mine?" His voice trembled slightly for the first time.

"Answer what I tell you! Stop talking nonsense!" Section Chief Wu shouted sternly.

“I’m from the same village as Pan Jinyue. Her mother is my mother’s younger sister. We are cousins, but both of our parents died in the explosion,” Chen Liushui said with a sigh.

"Alright, take him away," Li Aiguo suddenly said.

Section Chief Wu was taken aback for a moment, and wanted to ask more, but was stopped by a look from Li Aiguo.

The security officer stepped forward and escorted Chen Liushui away.

The iron gate closed again, and Section Chief Wu couldn't help but ask, "Aiguo, you noticed it too?"

Li Aiguo lit a cigarette and nodded: "This kid is highly suspicious."

Zhou Ke frowned and interjected, "But he answered fluently just now, without a single flaw?"

Section Chief Wu laughed and said, "It's just that he answered too fluently, that's not right! If anyone else were interrogated like this, they would have been so scared that they would have been incoherent. Look at Zhang Hongshan just now, he was so anxious that his face turned red. And look at Chen Liushui, except for the last one, he spoke like he was reciting a book. He clearly had prepared his words in advance!"

Zhou Ke suddenly realized, recalling Chen Liushui's reaction, and nodded repeatedly.

"Should we interrogate him again? I refuse to believe we can't get him to talk!"

"No need. Chen Liushui is clearly prepared and has an alibi. Even if we interrogate him, we won't get anything out of him. Let's wait until the collapsed area is cleared and the investigation is completed before we talk about it."

Li Aiguo knew that with the enemy prepared, it was almost impossible to get the case approved through confession.

He is not in a hurry.

"Old Wu, two things. First, immediately send someone to keep a 24-hour watch on Pan Jinyue, and record her every move. Don't alert her. Second, bring me Pan Jinyue's file right now."

"I'll do it right away."

Section Chief Wu stood up and left, returning a moment later with a file.

Pan Jinyue, 25 years old, is from Chenjiazhuang, Banbidian, just like Chen Liushui.

His parents died in the bombing. He graduated from the private Xinsheng Middle School and now works as a logistics officer.

The file contained only a few lines of text, with just one note from the logistics department: "He has a frivolous style and associates closely with many people in the mining area."

There was also a one-inch photo pasted in the file folder. The woman in the photo had curved eyebrows and eyes with a captivating curve at the corners. She was indeed charming and beautiful.

Li Aiguo, who played "Pan Jinyue," frowned as he looked at the photo.

"Sister Pan, when can you get me out of here?!" In the detention room, Chen Liushui huddled in a corner, holding her head in her hands, completely lacking the composure she had shown during the interrogation.

He already felt a deep sense of crisis. The young comrade looked kind, but his eyes were like knives, and he did not believe him.

"If I had known... I shouldn't have taken this job... Now I regret it, but it's too late, all too late..."

The night is dark.

Linxi Mine, however, showed no sign of taking a break.

Since the start of the labor competition, the mining area has adopted a three-shift work system, with miners taking turns to work, and a roaring sound can be heard from the mine.

The white house, the most bustling building on the mining street, was brightly lit at this moment.

That was the mine's first workers' club, which held a friendship dance every night to relieve the miners' fatigue.

A few years ago, ballroom dancing was popular, but in the last two years, the trend has changed. The dance floor is now filled with powerful group dances, accompanied by rousing music, and the place is packed with people.

"Oh, Section Chief Liu, you look so energetic. I'm exhausted, I need to rest for a while." Inside the ballroom, Pan Jinyue had just finished a dance, and her slender waist and charming dance drew a lot of applause.

She walked straight to the most secluded corner of the dance hall, sat down, took out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly exhaled smoke while holding the cigarette between her fingers.

Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind: "Didn't I tell you? The mine is cracking down lately, you're not allowed to contact me privately."

Pan Jinyue froze, then picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

"Teacher, something has gone wrong. The matter in the mine has been exposed, and the Qianmen Locomotive Depot has taken over the investigation directly. Even Team Leader Liu can't keep quiet about it."

"What's the panic? As long as we do as I say with Chen Liushui, everything will be fine. No one in this mine has been able to see through my plan yet."

Upon hearing this, Pan Jinyue's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Teacher, has the passage to the sea been opened? I'm always afraid the current won't be able to hold it... I want to rescue him."

"Nonsense! The mine hasn't caught any evidence yet. If you panic, aren't you just handing yourself over? Remember, do as I say and don't do anything rash."

“…Understood,” Pan Jinyue replied softly.

When she turned around again, the shadow behind her had vanished silently, as if it had never existed.

She stared blankly at the noisy figures on the dance floor, lost in thought, not knowing what she was thinking.

Outside the white house, a tall, thin figure pulled up his coat collar, buried his face in the shadows, and blended into the crowd on the street, disappearing in a few steps.

These past few days, Li Aiguo hasn't been too busy. During the day, he goes to the mine to keep an eye on things for a while, and around noon, he goes to the mine to get some food to take to Zong Xianfeng and the wild car expert.

These two kids complained that the hospital's communal cooking was tasteless and kept clamoring to eat the pork stew with vermicelli from the mine's canteen.

When the nurse on duty saw this, she just frowned and muttered a few words: "You guys are just causing me trouble. Patients should eat light meals!"

"I know, I know, I'll definitely be more careful next time," Li Aiguo replied with a smile, then turned and handed the lunchboxes to the two of them.

"Eat it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"Brother Aiguo, this accident wasn't an accident, right?" Zong Xianfeng couldn't eat, so Zhou Ke sat next to him and fed him with a spoon.

"Don't worry about this, the department will handle it."

Before Li Aiguo could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.

A security officer from the mining area, dressed in uniform, pushed open the door to the ward and walked in.

"Comrade Li Aiguo, our Section Chief Wu requests that you come to Cave No. 6 immediately."

"Okay, come right away."

Li Aiguo knew that Cave No. 6 had been cleared, so he stood up.

Zhou Ke wanted to go too, but he was still holding a lunchbox.

Just as I was hesitating, the nurse next to me snatched the spoon and lunchbox away, and said with a stern face, "Put them down, I'll take care of the patient, you all go back to your work!"

"Thanks, nurse!" Zhou Ke grinned.

"Stop coming here, that's the biggest thank you you can give me!" The nurse rolled her eyes at him and then lowered her head to feed Zong Xianfeng.

Zhou Ke could only chuckle twice and quickly followed Li Aiguo away.

These days, doctor-patient relationships aren't that complicated.

The nurses in the hospital may have a sharp tongue, but they genuinely care about their patients, and they treat everyone with the same attitude.

Once, when Section Chief Xing was hospitalized, he secretly smoked and was caught by a nurse who scolded him like a grandson. As a senior section chief, Section Chief Xing could only smile and admit his mistake.

Li Aiguo was already used to it and took Zhou Ke back to the No. 6 mine shaft.

Upon entering the tunnel, we saw that the collapsed area had been largely cleared, and Engineer Liu was leading several experts to inspect the coal cutter.

"how is the situation?"

"The problem isn't as serious as we thought. Some areas of the cutterhead are damaged, but fortunately the boom wasn't injured." Engineer Liu straightened up.

Li Aiguo stepped forward to take a look, and indeed, as Engineer Liu had said, the coal cutter would be able to operate normally after repairs.

"Alright, you guys take a rest for a while."

Knowing that Li Aiguo and Section Chief Wu had something to discuss, Engineer Liu led the experts out of the cave first.

"Patriotism, during the process of clearing the ruins, no fragments of the alarm clock were found." Section Chief Wu's brows furrowed at this moment.

When the collapse occurred, no one had a chance to come into contact with the collapsed area, so it was impossible for the explosives to be ignited temporarily.

However, no trace of the timing device can be found now.

Zhou Ke frowned and interjected, "Could it be a fuse? Lighting it beforehand can delay the ignition."

Li Aiguo said, "The typical burning speed of a fuse is 1 centimeter per second, while the explosion occurs 30 minutes after the start of coal cutting. To delay the explosion by 30 minutes, at least 18 meters of fuse would be needed."

Li Aiguo had once tested fuses at the meteorological station's equipment department and knew the ignition speed.

Of course, the weather station also produced a batch of fast-ignition and ultra-slow-ignition fuses.

However, that thing is quite difficult to make, and it's impossible for an ordinary person to build it.

"That's strange. What did Dieter use to set the timer?" Zhou Ke was also puzzled.

“Turn on all the lights and let’s check everything carefully again.” Li Aiguo felt that something had been overlooked.

Section Chief Wu immediately called over the security officer, and more than a dozen miners' lamps were lit up at the same time, instantly illuminating the dim mine.

The crowd scattered and carefully searched the place.

"Section Chief! I've found something!" a security officer shouted excitedly.

Li Aiguo walked over quickly and saw that the clerk was holding a small piece of transparent glass in his hand. The edges were very smooth and the light transmission was excellent. It was not the rough glass of a wine bottle at all.

"Not broken pieces of a wine bottle?" Section Chief Wu leaned closer, his brows furrowing even more.

Miners would occasionally sneak some liquor down the mine, but those broken bottles were completely different from this stuff.

"I have one too!" came a shout from another direction.

Soon, several identical glass shards were found, and when put together, they could be seen to be remnants of the same small bottle.

The fragment was so transparent and covered in coal dust that no one noticed it during the previous cleanup.

"Why does it smell weird?" Zhou Ke had a keen sense of smell and leaned over to take a sniff.

Li Aiguo picked up a fragment, sniffed it lightly, and his eyes suddenly narrowed: "It's sulfuric acid."

"Sulfuric acid won't explode, so how could it be found here?" Section Chief Wu was also baffled.

Li Aiguo pondered for a moment while holding the fragments, then said loudly, "Everyone, search again. This time, the focus is on a small piece of wire, the kind with corrosion marks."

Everyone was stunned by these words.

Sulfuric acid, glass shards, and iron wire with corroded marks.

How does this relate to the bombing?

The officers exchanged glances, about to ask a question, when Section Chief Wu glared at them fiercely: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and find it!"

"Yes!"

No one dared to say another word, and they immediately dispersed, carefully searching through the pile of rubble.

Section Chief Wu was also full of doubts. He lowered his voice and asked, "Aiguo, what are you up to? How can this wire be related to a timer device?"

Just as Li Aiguo was about to speak, he heard a loud shout from not far away: "Found it! I found the wire! One end is really corroded!"

The officer ran over, holding a small piece of rusty wire, his face full of disbelief.

Section Chief Wu took the wire, his eyes widening in surprise: "Aiguo, how did you know there was something like this here?"

Li Aiguo smiled and said, "I think I already know how Dett detonated the explosives."

(End of this chapter)