I'm trapped in a block

Chapter 1254 Mining Park
The two followed the route the old man had given them and soon arrived at the mining park.

It was also very quiet here. Inside the security booth at the entrance, there was only an old man wearing a white vest, fast asleep in a chair.

The cicadas chirping all around became the old man's best lullaby. The increasingly scorching sunlight was shaded by the trees planted in the park, and the trail meandered inward, disappearing into a grove of trees.

Some strange devices were placed on both sides of the trail, seemingly placed there intentionally, with signs in front of them describing the devices.

Upon closer inspection, the two discovered that the equipment consisted of old mining machines that had been disassembled into various parts for passersby to view and learn about.

These old pieces of equipment lie there quietly, weathered and worn. Time has left indelible marks on them, and even though they are no longer functional, they can still play their last role.

Further on, some enormous creatures appeared in the forest.

There were abandoned mining trucks, as well as huge excavators and drilling rigs. The tires of the mining trucks alone were more than two meters high. Standing under these mechanical behemoths created by humankind, a sense of fear arose spontaneously.

These vehicles are also marked by the passage of time; they are now just old and massive empty shells, showcasing the bustling activity of the former No. 1 mine in the forest.

It's as if you can see through them that period of struggle, but a gust of wind and the rustling of leaves bring your thoughts back to reality.

The mines are gone, and the old ones have passed their service life. The only function of these "veterans" now is to show off their many achievements to everyone who passes by, allowing people to imagine that vague past.

After passing through these "veterans," the two finally saw the entrance to Mine Pit No. 1, with many warning signs and safety nets erected nearby.

"Please do not approach."

"Beware of landslides."

"No swimming allowed."

The mine pit has been replaced by a lake of blue-green water.

The lake water wasn't murky; on the contrary, it was exceptionally clear. Although it had some color, you could still tell that the lake water was very "transparent." There was no garbage, no phytoplankton, and no soil particles. It was like a completely settled clear liquid, without any impurities.

Mining water typically contains a high amount of minerals, which can affect the absorption and reflection of light.

Long-wavelength light, such as red and orange light, is easily absorbed by sunlight, while short-wavelength light, such as blue and green light, is easily scattered or reflected, which makes the lake water appear blue-green.

This is also a characteristic of many mining lakes.

Since most mine pits are quite deep, this makes the water appear even more "deep" and the color even purer.

At this time, the lake formed in this mine pit, like other mine pit lakes, is deep and pure, and the blue-green color contained within it has a sense of tranquility.

Even the increasingly scorching sunlight could not penetrate the calm lake water. No matter how the wind blew, it only caused slight ripples on the surface of the lake, which quickly disappeared after hitting the cracks in the rocks on the shore.

“It’s quite beautiful,” Martin said softly, standing by the lake.

The lake submerged everything, including traces of the disappearance.

Time flies, and droplets of time fall, turning this abandoned mine into a beautiful lake. Those twenty people were gradually forgotten in the waves of history, until no one remembered them anymore...

The two gazed at the calm lake surface and remained silent for a long time.

"What should we do?" Martin's words broke the silence.

Lu Youqi didn't know what to do either. He gently squatted down, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it into the lake.

The pebble created ripples, sank into the lake, and disappeared into the deep waters. Soon, the lake returned to its calm state.

"How about we go down and take a look? I'll go," Martin suggested.

Lu looked up at him, pondered for a moment, and nodded.

After receiving confirmation, Martin walked straight towards the lake.

However, just as his feet were about to touch the lake water, he suddenly stopped and turned to look back at the path he had come from. Someone was coming.

Martin had no choice but to temporarily halt his operations.

If someone sees him "drowning in the lake," it will be difficult to explain.

The newcomer was a refined-looking middle-aged man carrying a simple briefcase. He had a scholarly air about him, but a sadness lingered on his face. He seemed somewhat surprised when he saw Lu Youqi and Martin after crossing the path.

He walked up to Lu You in a familiar manner and greeted him.

"You came to see the lake?"

Lu Qi stood up and nodded to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man looked at Martin by the lake again. After seeing Martin's appearance clearly, he was stunned, and a strong curiosity appeared in his eyes.

He adjusted his glasses and stared at Martin, making Martin feel a little uneasy.

"Are you here to see the lake too?" Lu Youqi interrupted the middle-aged man's observation in time.

"Hmm." The middle-aged man nodded, a faint sadness appearing on his face, then shook his head: "It's not just about looking at the lake..."

He looked out at the lake, his gaze seemingly piercing through the water to look down below.

Lu You immediately became interested and asked, "What else?"

The middle-aged man wanted to explain, but after thinking for a moment, he waved his hand gently: "You're tourists from out of town, right? You wouldn't be interested in explaining."

"It's alright, go ahead and tell me."

For some reason, the sadness on the middle-aged man's face became even more pronounced...

He thought about it for a long time, and finally sighed, "Never mind, it'll make me feel better if I say it..."

"Do you know what strange thing happened here before?"

……

As the middle-aged man recounted his story, Martin and Lu Qi finally understood that the "strange thing" he was talking about was the mysterious disappearance case from decades ago.

To their surprise, the middle-aged man turned out to be the child of one of the missing persons from that incident!

"My father and mother met in the mine, they fell in love, got married, and then I was born..."

“I was 7 years old that year. When I got home from school, I found that they hadn’t finished get off work yet. It was very late when my neighbor took me to his house for dinner. He also told me that my parents couldn’t come back for the time being and that I could stay at his house for a while.”

"Later, the police came to my house several times and even asked me some questions. That's when I found out what had happened..."

At this point, the middle-aged man lowered his head, his eyes reddening slightly.

Even at this age, the shadows of his childhood still haunt him.

“My grandmother took me to the city. She's so old, yet she had to run back and forth to various departments to inquire about the investigation results. My mother's disappearance was a huge blow to her; she was exhausted and passed away not long after…”

“I was sent to my third uncle’s house, but my third uncle’s family was not well-off. With one more person, there would be more mouths to feed. Because of my situation, my uncle and aunt argued every day and eventually got divorced. I was such a 'jinx' that my third uncle eventually sent me away to my younger uncle’s house.”

"Fortunately, my uncle didn't believe in these things. He was very good to me and supported my studies until I went to university."

The middle-aged man spoke in a muffled manner, calmly recounting the tumultuous first half of his life.

(End of this chapter)