"Doctor, please, save my father! Save him!"
The young man knelt before Old Doctor Li, banging his head against the ground, his blood-streaked face a mask of desperate pleading and crushing despair.
Doctor Li said nothing. Decades of healing had honed his instincts—he could tell at a glance whether the old man, barely clinging to life, had any hope.
Truth be told, anyone with eyes could see the grim reality.
"This old man will do his best."
Old Doctor Li sighed. Such pleading and despair, in this mine, he had seen countless times.
And as long as the mine stood, it wouldn't be the last.
Old Doctor Li crouched down, looking at the faintly breathing old man, and couldn't help but sigh again.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
That was all he could do…
"Alright, go do what you're supposed to do! Why are you all standing here?"
While the treatment was still ongoing, an unceremonious shout rang out.
Li Gang's face was dark as a storm cloud, and his scolding sent the corvée laborers scattering. The nearby patrol officers turned and hurried off without a word.
Chu Mu didn't linger either. With his squad leader in such a foul mood, he wasn't about to stick around and catch trouble.
"With this incident, the squad leader's probably in for a rough time…"
"No kidding. Couldn't have happened at a worse time. I was hoping that when the squad leader got promoted, I could ask my uncle to pull some strings and maybe snag a squad leader position myself!"
"Damn, what rotten luck!"
The hushed chatter of two patrol officers drifted to Chu Mu's ears. He glanced at Li Gang's grim expression, piecing things together.
After a moment's thought, Chu Mu didn't dwell on it further. Promotions were far beyond the reach of a rookie like him, just starting at the patrol office.
"Hey, Brother Mu, hold up!"
"What are you doing here, kid? Weren't you posted over there?" Chu Mu asked as Xu Yuan jogged up.
Though Xu Yuan was in the same squad, in the few days they'd been guarding the mine, aside from downtime after shifts, they hadn't crossed paths much.
After all, the Jia-1 mining area their squad covered was vast, and each patrol officer had their own section to watch, leaving little chance for meetups.
"Squad leader sent me to grab the section leader," Xu Yuan said, smacking his lips. "Guy's half-crushed. No way he's making it."
"You're not freaked out?"
Chu Mu's stomach still churned at the memory of that mangled, bloodied body.
"Eh, It's way better than what I saw at Mining Area 3 yesterday."
"That poor bastard was smashed into pulp. That sight gave me nightmares all night!"
Chu Mu's brow shot up. "What were you doing over there?"
"Got pulled to help out. The commander and deputy commander were both there."
Frowning, Chu Mu's gaze drifted to the mine's depths. If he had it right, Mining Area 3 was at the pit's bottom.
After a moment's pause, Chu Mu looked at Xu Yuan and asked, "What were the commander and deputy commander doing at Mining Area 3?"
"Seemed like they were digging something. Not sure…"
Chu Mu froze. Besides digging ore, what else could they be digging in this mine?
Could there be some ancient tomb or treasure buried beneath the iron mine?
"Spill it. What's the deal?" Chu Mu pressed.
"Followed them around all day yesterday, but they didn't find anything," Xu Yuan said, scratching his head. "Just digging randomly, here and there. I think the commander had a compass in his hand…"
"Brother Mu, what could there be in this mine? Could there really be some treasure?"
"Who knows," Chu Mu said, glancing at the pit. Curiosity tugged at him, but he brushed it off. In the half-month he'd been in this world, he'd run into plenty of mysteries. If he obsessed over every one, he'd drive himself crazy.
"By the way, Brother Mu, have you heard about the expansion?"
Xu Yuan, clearly more carefree than Chu Mu, switched topics after just a few breaths.
"You already told me about it," Chu Mu said.
"No, I mean the real scoop!"
"You got some gossip again, kid?"
Chu Mu glanced at Xu Yuan, realizing that his "little brother" was far better connected in the patrol office than he was—a real know-it-all!
Xu Yuan looked around cautiously, then said mysteriously,
"The county patrol office is transferring a hundred-man officer here, and our patrol office is expanding to add another hundred-man officer!"
Chu Mu's eyes narrowed. "Where'd you hear that?"
"Yesterday, when I was seconded, the deputy commander held a banquet at the Fengyue Tower in town. I was called to serve tea and pour wine. I overheard it while moving around. It was the county commander who said it—can't be fake!"
"Speaking of which, my dad had such bad luck. If he were still alive, with his years in the patrol office, he could've used this expansion to snag a section leader position."
Chu Mu's expression turned odd. It suddenly hit him that Xu Yuan's father had served in the patrol office for much less time than his own "cheap" father.
In his memories, the original Chu Mu's father joined the patrol office when the original was four or five, while Xu Yuan's father joined when the original was around ten.
That was a difference of several years, yet Xu Yuan's father had risen to squad leader early on, while Chu Mu's "cheap" father… remained an ordinary patrol officer until his death.
Both came from ordinary families, with no notable background or connections.
"Character… determines fate?" Chu Mu glanced at Xu Yuan, suddenly feeling that his young "brother," despite his age, would likely do well in the patrol office.
"Brother Mu, you think I've got a shot?" Xu Yuan asked, eyes gleaming. "I'm not aiming high—just a squad leader spot would do."
Chu Mu nearly choked on his water. Setting the flask down, he stared at Xu Yuan, his look growing stranger by the second.
After a long pause, he said dryly, "Don't tell me you've actually got a plan to make that happen."
"Come on, Brother Mu, you know I don't have any connections!"
Chu Mu rolled his eyes. "No connections? Then quit daydreaming."
"Heh, just thinking out loud," Xu Yuan grinned.
"Then keep thinking," Chu Mu shot back, hooking his flask to his belt and waving dismissively as he headed to his post.
Xu Yuan scratched his head, chuckling. "Brother Mu, can I come to your place for dinner tonight?"
"Don't forget to buy the groceries…"
Chu Mu waved lazily, leaving Xu Yuan with just his back…
…
*(End of Chapter)*