The countless battles in her dreams had honed Tao Nanfeng’s reflexes. With a single, powerful pull, she hauled Xiao Aiyun to her feet and dragged her toward the tunnel entrance.
One, two, three, four…
The construction workers stumbled out of the tunnel one by one, their faces ashen.
A thick cloud of dust swirled around them. Xiang Bei was the last to emerge. His jaw was clenched, his expression as hard as iron.
“Sound off!” he barked.
Xiao Aiyun collapsed onto the ground, covered in grime. Only after confirming her safety did she curl up in a ball, hugging her knees, and burst into sobs.
The terror of the last few moments left her shivering. If Tao Nanfeng hadn’t pulled her out, she would have surely perished in that tunnel.
“One… Two… Three…”
The road construction team called out their numbers. Everyone was accounted for. No one was injured.
Xiang Bei finally let out a breath, his gaze fixed on Tao Nanfeng. “How did you know it was going to collapse?”
Standing behind Xiao Aiyun, Tao Nanfeng watched her heaving shoulders and ragged sobs, a mix of frustration and anger bubbling inside her.
She was furious with herself. Her tunnel-digging skill was still so clumsy that she hadn’t recognized the red dots and lines as warning signs of an imminent cave-in.
She was also furious because she had always tried to keep a low profile, refusing to show her skills. This had nearly cost her friend’s life.
Facing Xiang Bei’s question, Tao Nanfeng stopped hiding her abilities.
She straightened her back and looked him square in the eye. “I know how to dig tunnels.”
“You know how?” Engineer Yang, still shaking from the scare, stared at Tao Nanfeng’s slender figure. He found it hard to believe. She was just a high school graduate—how could she possibly know about tunnel excavation?
“Yes, I do,” she confirmed with a firm nod.
Xiang Bei knew she was a woman of few words, but when she spoke, she never lied. He suddenly recalled the deep hole she had carved into a rock the day before. A realization struck him.
*Maybe this girl actually knows how to dig.*
This wasn’t some minor talent, like carving flowers into stone for fun. This was the kind of skill needed for major infrastructure projects—digging tunnels and drainage culverts.
She wasn’t the pampered heiress Mao Peng imagined her to be, nor was she some delicate lady among the educated youth. She was a rough-hewn jade, waiting for the right touch to reveal her brilliance.
Xiang Bei pointed to the tunnel. “Tao Nanfeng, can you predict a cave-in before it happens?”
Her eyes shone with newfound confidence as she stopped concealing her power. “Yes, I can. I was distracted just now and only noticed the warning signs thirty seconds before the collapse. It won’t happen again.”
Now that she’d taken this burden upon herself, she would do her absolute best. Tao Nanfeng’s gaze was unwavering, her arms at her sides and her posture ramrod straight.
In this moment, she chose to step forward.
Xiao Aiyun’s sobs gradually subsided. Hearing Tao Nanfeng’s words, she scrambled to her feet and grabbed the girl’s arm, her voice still thick with tears. “I… I trust you!”
In Xiao Aiyun’s eyes, Tao Nanfeng was a picture of modesty. If she said she knew how to do something, she truly did.
After all, Tao Nanfeng had claimed she only knew a little about construction, yet she had not only drawn the blueprints but also led everyone in building the brick-and-tile houses.
Now she said she knew about tunneling and volunteered to take command. Such a confident tone could only mean one thing:
Tao Nanfeng was an expert.
Qiao Yadong and Wei Min exchanged glances. Qiao stepped forward. “Tao Nanfeng, we believe you.”
The other veteran team members were more hesitant. They brushed the yellow dust and stone chips from their clothes, their eyes darting between Xiang Bei and Engineer Yang.
Engineer Yang’s expression was grim. He removed his blue cloth cap and bowed deeply to the group.
“This was my error in judgment,” he said, his voice heavy. “I assumed the natural walls of this cave were strong enough to withstand a one-meter widening. I nearly cost you all your lives. I am truly sorry.”
Seeing his formal apology, the others hurried to help Engineer Yang up.
“It’s not your fault,” they insisted. “We don’t have any proper equipment—we’re relying on nothing but our eyes and experience to judge the excavation’s direction and depth. This kind of work is never easy.”
“That’s right, Engineer Yang. Please don’t do this. The important thing is that everyone is okay.”
“We were just trying to speed up the construction. It’s not your fault.”
Engineer Yang turned to Tao Nanfeng and bowed again. “Thank you. If you hadn’t warned us in time, I’m afraid…” He trailed off, his voice choking. The forty-something technician could no longer hold back his tears.
Tao Nanfeng quickly stepped aside, refusing to accept the gesture.
Xiang Bei helped Engineer Yang to his feet. “Don’t dwell on it. What matters is that everyone is safe.”
Engineer Yang straightened up. He seemed to have a lump in his throat, his mouth working several times before he could finally speak. “The young are pushing the old aside. Tao Nanfeng, if you truly know what you’re doing, then lead us in finishing the tunnel.”
Xiang Bei swept his gaze over the hesitant road crew members. “Tao Nanfeng’s timely warning saved us all. I’m promoting her to deputy captain of the road construction team. Does everyone agree?”
A heavy silence fell over the group. Promoted to deputy captain? She had only joined the team two months ago. How could these twenty-something men, all in their prime, be expected to follow a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl?
Tao Nanfeng waved a hand dismissively. “I only know about tunneling. I don’t understand the rest of the road crew’s duties. I can’t accept the position of deputy captain—I only ask that you follow my lead while we’re digging the tunnel.”
Mao Peng felt a wave of relief. After Xiang Bei was appointed farm director, he had been planning to promote his right-hand man, Geng Hui, to deputy captain.
But Xiang Bei’s expression remained grim. The scar on his face twitched slightly as he glared at Mao Peng. “Tao Nanfeng gave the warning. Why didn’t you act?”
Mao Peng flinched, unable to meet Xiang Bei’s gaze.
Xiang Bei’s voice suddenly boomed. “You’re the captain! Don’t you understand the principle of safety first? Even if you didn’t trust Tao Nanfeng, you should have acted. When lives are on the line, it is better to be safe than sorry!”
The crew fell into a stunned silence. This was the first time anyone had seen Xiang Bei berate a subordinate. They stared at their feet, terrified to even breathe.
Mao Peng, caught in the center of the storm, felt Xiang Bei’s words lash his soul like a whip, leaving him drowning in shame.
He knew safety came first—cave-ins were a constant threat—but he’d been too paralyzed by fear to speak, proving himself less capable than a teenage girl.
Xiang Bei’s gaze swept over the crew, sharp and discerning. “We are a team,” he declared. “Every member must be respected. Whether you’re the captain or the deputy captain, your role is to serve the crew. There’s no room for a hierarchy of bosses and subordinates here.”
After his speech, Xiang Bei strode to Tao Nanfeng’s side.
“Tao Nanfeng has proven her exceptional skill,” he announced, his voice booming. “Starting today, she is appointed deputy captain. She will command all tunneling operations. Do I make myself clear?”
Xiang Bei stood tall and imposing. Beside him, Tao Nanfeng’s slender figure was like a bamboo shoot leaning against a towering pine—a striking, harmonious contrast.
The educated youth, including Xiao Aiyun and Qiao Yadong, straightened their backs and shouted in unison, “Yes, sir!”
Mao Peng felt a wave of pressure crash over him. He looked up at Xiang Bei, who stared back with a gaze of absolute authority.
“Do I make myself clear?” Xiang Bei repeated.
A palpable aura of menace radiated from him—a killing intent forged in the blood and mud of the battlefield, the kind of commanding presence only a seasoned commander could wield.
Mao Peng snapped to attention, his gaze hardening. “Yes!” he barked.
With their captain’s compliance, the rest of the road crew roared in unison, “Yes, sir!”
The chorus of support washed over Tao Nanfeng, and she felt the weight of responsibility settle on her shoulders. But with Xiang Bei standing beside her like an immovable mountain, she found the courage to accept the burden.
She nodded firmly. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
Xiao Aiyun beamed, clinging to Tao Nanfeng’s arm. “Now that you’re deputy captain, we’ll all follow your lead!”
Qiao Yadong composed himself, his gaze now tinged with admiration. “What’s our next move, Tao Nanfeng?”
“It’s your call,” Yang Xianyong added with a smile. “Do we keep digging?”
“Wait for me,” Tao Nanfeng said, nodding as she turned toward the cave entrance. She needed to scout the area first.
“What are you doing?” Xiao Aiyun tried to pull her back. “There was just a cave-in! It’s too dangerous!”
Tao Nanfeng ignored her, standing at the cave’s mouth and focusing her vision. Inside, a network of fine white lines crisscrossed the darkness. The previously red-warned area was now half-buried in earth, the crimson lines vanished, replaced by a murky black smudge.
The danger in that zone had passed.
“It’s pitch black in there,” Xiao Aiyun said, bewildered. “How can you see anything?”
Tao Nanfeng had her own way of seeing. She waved Xiao Aiyun off with a gesture not to disturb her and stepped steadily into the cave.
Cold. Damp. Dark.
The sharp scent of wet earth filled her nostrils, and Tao Nanfeng’s heart hammered in her chest. The recent collapse made this place treacherous. If not for her Tunneling skill giving her confidence, she never would have dared to enter.
As she gazed around, countless lines began to form on the rugged cave walls, converging into a mental map that laid the entire cavern bare before her. She moved forward slowly, piecing together the data as she went.
White dots marked the weak points in the rock. When they connected, they formed potential paths for excavation.
Red dots, by contrast, signaled danger. A single red point indicated a potential collapse, while a solid red block showed the extent of the area likely to fall.
As she reached the site of the recent cave-in, she saw earth and stone piled waist-high. As her eyes swept across the debris, three brilliant green bands suddenly streaked across her vision.
They stretched from the floor to the ceiling, seemingly bracing the unstable roof and holding back the remaining collapse.
Tao Nanfeng reached out experimentally and tapped the cave wall. A small red dot flashed. Dirt began to rain down from above.
Her heart leaped. She stumbled back, but a hand caught her gently.
As soon as she found her footing, the hand vanished—a brief, restrained touch.
“Get out. It’s too dangerous here.” A deep voice murmured in her ear.
It was Xiang Bei.
Knowing it was him, Tao Nanfeng’s tension eased. She focused her attention on the small red dot that had suddenly appeared. She waited for two breaths, but no other red dots emerged. Clearly, her gentle tap had only disturbed a loose layer of soil.
What do the green lines represent?
A sudden realization struck her. She turned and hurried out of the cave.
As she emerged, a few people rushed toward them, their faces etched with worry. “You two went in without a word! You scared us to death. That area just collapsed—it’s too dangerous.”
Tao Nanfeng turned to Xiang Bei. She had night vision and the Ability to excavate, which was why she dared to enter the cave. But why had he followed her in?
Xiang Bei kept his hands behind his back, his head bowed. He didn’t speak, and his gaze never met hers.
In the darkness of the cave, he had followed her every step by instinct alone. When the earth had fallen from the ceiling, he had reached out without a second thought to steady her. Now, in the light, he felt his actions had been too reckless.
Who was Tao Nanfeng? A true intellectual—beautiful, poised, and aloof. Just standing there, she looked like a figure from a classical painting, someone not to be approached so casually.
Xiang Bei, a man forged in war who feared neither life nor death, found himself lowering his head before a girl for the first time in his life.
A wave of warmth washed over Tao Nanfeng as she recalled Xiang Bei’s steady presence beside her in the freezing cave. She gestured to him, miming a specific length.
“Find me three thick logs,” she said. “About three point four meters long. I need them to shore up the cave walls.”
Green represents life, she thought. Maybe these three green lines are the support points?
If her theory was correct, propping up the ceiling with wooden pillars would allow them to continue excavating.
Though she explained nothing, her fearless entry into the dangerous cave and her calm, unwavering resolve ignited a spark of hope in everyone present.
Before Xiang Bei could even speak, the others chimed in as one. “On it!”
With so many hands, the task was finished in no time. They returned to the cave, their courage bolstered, and installed the three sturdy trunks exactly where Tao Nanfeng had indicated.
As the logs were secured at the locations of the green lines, the white line in her vision surged forward.
A brilliant smile broke across Tao Nanfeng’s face. Unable to contain her excitement, she pumped her left fist in the air. “It worked!”