I'm trapped in a block

Chapter 1250 A Horrifying Experience in the Mine
Xu Demin had completely lost his ability to think at this point.

Everything that happens here is challenging his understanding of the world.

He studied materialism at school, and after arriving in Tonggu, his mentors taught him "seeking truth from facts." But now he's hearing—

"The person vanished into thin air?"

After listening to the emergency responders' account, his thoughts were the same as the hospital's.

"Something must have gone wrong that couldn't be known to outsiders. In order to cover up these mistakes and protect certain people, they made up this absurd story."

But looking at the emergency responder's face, Xu Demin couldn't tell he was lying; there was only endless confusion and fear.

A liar will either feel guilty and have shifty eyes, or he will pretend to be calm and confident in order to boost his confidence.

But the person in front of me had a blank look in his eyes, and his face was pale and flustered, as if he had encountered something unacceptable.

Having worked at the mine for a year, Xu Demin got to know the people there. They didn't have the backstabbing and scheming of big cities. Even the leaders in high positions were very simple-minded, focusing wholeheartedly on construction. They said what they meant, and many were even a bit too straightforward. They would argue with the workers below over trivial matters, insisting on finding out who was right and who was wrong.

Although Xu Demin did not know all the leaders, he knew that this was the prevailing practice at the Tonggu Mine: after an accident, immediately shirking responsibility and concealing the truth was not the way people in the mining area should behave.

Seeing that the leader couldn't handle the situation alone, Xu Demin stepped forward and spoke up for him.

"Comrades, after the blasting at the mine, there will be a lot of loose rocks in many places. Our vehicle tires have been specially treated so that they can get over those rocky roads, but your ambulances cannot."

"Besides, it rained a few days ago, and water will accumulate at the edge of the open-pit mine. You are not familiar with the terrain, and it is easy for accidents to happen if you go down."

"It's not that we're trying to stop you on purpose. We know that lives are at stake, but it's even more important to prevent mistakes from happening in the rush after an accident."

Xu Demin took out his small notebook, which contained a planning map of the open-pit mine. This was the task given to him by his superiors, to see if he could optimize the route of the ore trucks. Now it came in handy.

"Comrade, look how complicated it is inside the mine! It must be difficult for an ambulance to drive through, right?"

He handed the planning map to the hospital staff and asked politely.

Seeing that someone had presented factual evidence, the other party's anger subsided considerably. He took the planning map, looked at it for a while, and finally sighed before returning it to Xu Demin.

Do you know how to rescue survivors trapped under rubble?

"I know, it's all written in the emergency plan, even I, an ordinary worker, know it."

The hospital staff member's expression softened: "Let me remind you, that explanation doesn't hold water. When the police arrive, you'll have to explain it yourselves."

"Okay," Xu Demin replied.

He turned his head, and the leader gave him a wink, so he stepped aside.

While the leaders and hospital staff were talking, Xu Demin quietly asked the emergency responder, "Is what you said true?"

Upon hearing Xu Demin's question, the man became somewhat agitated.

"Of course it's true! Why would I lie to you? What would I gain? The people are gone, the entire demolition team, all twenty of them, have vanished!"

"Don't get agitated, don't get agitated. Have you reported this to headquarters?"

"It's been reported. Let's continue the search."

"The mine is so big, weren't there any witnesses?"

"The demolition took place during lunchtime, when everyone had left. Moreover, the demolition required clearing the area to prevent anyone from running in and getting into an accident."

“That’s true…” Xu Demin nodded.

From his conversations with the emergency responders, Xu Demin increasingly felt that they were not lying; their fear and anxiety were not something that could be faked.

The explosion went smoothly, but the person is nowhere to be found?
Xu Demin suddenly had a flash of inspiration:
"Could it be... that the explosion had nothing to do with the disappearance of those people?" The explosion was just a point in time; something else happened when the explosion occurred?
Xu Demin vaguely felt that he had discovered the truth, but he was not a professional detective like Bao Zheng. He had to wait for the police to arrive before he could investigate the matter thoroughly.

Just then, the leader spoke up.

"Demin, organize the onlookers at the scene and tell them to go back first. Don't let them obstruct the rescue. Also, go and get a few more copies of the mining area's planning map..."

"clear."

Xu Demin knew that this matter would not be resolved anytime soon. Following his superior's instructions, he began to organize the site. After finishing, he went back to find several planning drawings and handed them back to his superior.

When he returned to the scene, the police had also arrived. The emergency responder was surrounded and interrogated.

Xu Demin saw from afar that the man was about to cry, gesturing wildly as he spoke, but the police officers around him all had ashen faces; no one believed him.

"Go back first, Demin. You've worked hard too. You probably won't be able to give birth for the next few days, so take this opportunity to rest."

The leader, holding the planning map, spoke to Xu Demin.

He couldn't help either, so he nodded to the leader and returned to his dormitory.

In the following days, just as the leaders had said, production stopped, and official vehicles from various departments drove up to the Tonggu Mine one after another. Xu Demin also met many people he had never met before.

Many others were taken away and never returned, including Xu Demin's superior.

On the fourth day after the incident, Xu Demin was summoned to the mine's guard room, which had been temporarily taken over by the public security department.

"Comrade Xu Demin, right?"

"Ah."

"We called you here to find out some things, so don't be nervous."

"Understood, sir." Xu Demin, sitting in his chair, had a sweaty hand.

Will he be taken away directly after the interrogation, just like his superiors?
"Comrade Xu Demin, could you please recount the events of that day in detail? What did you do that day, and what did you handle when you arrived at the accident scene?"

"can."

Xu Demin cleared his throat and recounted what had happened that day from his own perspective.

When Xu Demin mentioned "the person suddenly disappeared," he glanced at the interrogating officer and noticed that the officer had no expression on his face, as if he was already used to this kind of statement.

After recounting what happened that day, the interrogators asked Xu Demin another question:
"Comrade Xu Demin, are you very familiar with the terrain of the mining area?"

Xu Demin paused for a moment, then cautiously replied, "I've only been here for a year, so I'm not very familiar with the area."

Upon hearing his words, the interrogator brought him a document and glanced at it.

"According to others, when the hospital arrived at the scene, you provided a planning map. Later, when our colleagues arrived, the planning map provided by your superiors was also from you. The early search work was also carried out according to the planning map you provided..."

At this point, the interrogators suddenly fixed their gaze on Xu Demin's eyes.

"Are you really not familiar with the terrain of the mining area?"

Upon hearing this question, Xu Demin felt a chill run through him from head to toe. He hadn't expected that his momentary act of standing out would arouse such suspicion.

He panicked for a moment, and the interrogators immediately noticed his flustered expression. Their eyes instantly turned even colder, as if they wanted to rip his bones out of his flesh.

Xu Demin took a deep breath. He knew that his explanation had to satisfy the other party in order to clear his name.

"Sir, that planning map is a work assignment I received not long ago..."

(End of this chapter)