"Doctor, save my father! Please, save my father!"
The young man knelt before Elder Doctor Li, thudding his head against the ground again and again. His bloodstained face was a mask of desperate pleading and overwhelming despair.
Elder Li didn't answer. With decades of medical experience, he could easily tell whether the man, who was barely breathing, could be saved.
In fact, anyone present with eyes in their head could see the truth of the situation.
"I will do my best."
Elder Li sighed. He had seen this same pleading, this same despair, countless times in this mine.
Everyone knew that as long as the mine existed, this would certainly not be the last time.
Elder Li crouched and looked at the barely-breathing old man, letting out another sigh.
'Do what man can, and let fate decide the rest…'
That was all he could do…
"Alright, back to your posts! What are you all standing around gawking for?!"
The treatment was still underway when a harsh rebuke rang out.
Li Gang's expression was thunderous. At his rebuke, the crowd of Forced Laborers quickly dispersed, and the spectating Inspectors scrambled to turn and leave.
Chu Mu didn't linger either. With his team leader looking so grim, he had no desire to get on his bad side.
"After this incident, the team leader is probably in deep trouble..."
"Tell me about it. Of all the times to die, it had to be now. I was just waiting for our team leader to get promoted so I could ask my uncle to see if I could snag the position!"
"What damned bad luck!"
The hushed whispers of two Inspectors nearby reached his ears. Chu Mu raised an eyebrow. Looking again at Li Gang's grim face, he started to understand.
After a moment's thought, Chu Mu pushed it from his mind. There was no way a promotion would have anything to do with a newcomer like him who had just joined the Inspection Office.
"Brother Mu, wait up."
"Weren't you on Guardian duty over there? What are you doing here?"
Chu Mu asked casually, watching Xu Yuan trot over to him.
Although Xu Yuan was on his team, they had both been on Guardian duty at the mine for days. Aside from their off-duty hours, they had barely seen each other.
After all, Zone A1 Mine Area, which their team was in charge of, was massive. Each Inspector had their own designated area, so there was little chance of them crossing paths.
"The team leader sent me to get the Squad Leader..."
Xu Yuan trotted over and said with a smack of his lips, "Half his body was crushed. I doubt he can be saved."
"Doesn't that bother you?"
Chu Mu recalled the mangled, bloody corpse, and his chest tightened.
"It's not so bad. Much better than the one I saw in the No. 3 Mine Area yesterday."
"The guy was crushed into a pulp. The sight of it gave me nightmares all night!"
Chu Mu raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing over there?"
"I was temporarily reassigned to help out. The Thousand Households and Vice Thousand Households were all there."
Chu Mu frowned. His gaze shifted, finally settling on the bottom of the mine. If he remembered correctly, the No. 3 Mine Area was located at the very bottom of the pit.
After staring for a moment, Chu Mu turned back to Xu Yuan and asked, "What were the Thousand Households and Vice Thousand Households doing in the No. 3 Mine Area?"
"I think they were digging for something. I'm not sure..."
Chu Mu was taken aback. 'This is a mine. What could they possibly be digging for besides ore?'
'Could there be an ancient tomb or some kind of treasure beneath the Iron Ore?'
Chu Mu said, "What was going on? Tell me in detail."
"I was with them all day yesterday, and I didn't see them dig anything up."
Xu Yuan scratched his head. "Anyway, they were just digging all over the place, a bit here, a bit there. I think I saw the Thousand Households holding a Compass..."
"What do you think, Brother Mu? What could possibly be in this mine? It's not like there's actually treasure, right?"
"Who knows!"
Chu Mu glanced at the mine pit. He was curious but didn't dwell on it. He'd only been in this world for a little over half a month, and there were far too many things he couldn't figure out. If he obsessed over every little mystery, he'd go crazy.
"Oh, right, Brother Mu, have you heard about the expansion?"
Xu Yuan was clearly even more carefree than Chu Mu, changing the subject in the span of a few breaths.
"Didn't you tell me about that already?"
"Not just that, I mean the concrete details!"
"You've got another inside scoop?"
Chu Mu glanced at Xu Yuan. He was beginning to realize that this young friend of his was far more well-connected at the Inspection Office than he was, like a walking source of information.
Xu Yuan glanced around conspiratorially and whispered:
"The county's Inspection Department is transferring a Hundred Households from the Patrol Camp, and our own Inspection Office is also expanding to add a new Hundred Households!"
Chu Mu's eyes narrowed. "Where did you hear that?"
"You know I was reassigned yesterday, right? Well, last night the Vice Thousand Households threw a banquet at the Fengyue Tower in town. I was called over to serve drinks, and I overheard it while I was there. The Thousand Households from the county said it himself. It's got to be true!"
"Speaking of which, my dad had such bad luck. If he were still alive, with his seniority in the Inspection Office, he could have definitely used this expansion to land a Squad Leader position."
A strange look crossed Chu Mu's face. He suddenly recalled that Xu Yuan's father seemed to have served in the Inspection Office for a much shorter time than his own late father...
When the body's original owner was four or five years old, his father had joined the Inspection Office. Xu Yuan's father, however, only seemed to join when the original owner was around ten.
There was a difference of several years in their seniority, yet Xu Yuan's father had been promoted to team leader long ago, while his own predecessor's father... he had remained a common Inspector until the day he died.
From what he remembered, Xu Yuan's father didn't seem to have any incredible background or connections either. Like his predecessor's father, he came from an ordinary family.
'Character... determines destiny?'
Chu Mu glanced at Xu Yuan. He had a sudden feeling that this young friend of his, despite his youth, would probably do quite well for himself in the Inspection Office.
"Brother Mu, do you think... I have a chance?"
"I'm not asking for much. Just landing a team leader position would be enough..."
"COUGH, COUGH..."
Chu Mu nearly choked on his water. He put down his flask, his gaze on Xu Yuan growing even more peculiar.
After a long moment, Chu Mu spoke in a low voice:
"Don't tell me you actually have a way to make something like that happen?"
"Brother Mu, you know I don't have any connections!"
Chu Mu shot Xu Yuan an exasperated look. "No connections... Then keep dreaming..."
"Heh heh, I was just thinking aloud..."
"Well, you can keep on thinking then..."
Chu Mu casually hung the flask from his belt, gave a wave, and walked off alone toward his Guardian post.
Xu Yuan scratched his head and chuckled. "Hey, Brother Mu, I'll come over to your place for dinner tonight!"
"Don't forget to buy the groceries..."
Chu Mu waved a lazy hand, leaving Xu Yuan with only the sight of his retreating back.
...