Lin Wei emerged from the maintenance hatch like a man reborn.Covered in dust.Breathing hard.Helmet cracked.One sleeve torn.
But alive.
The emergency crew swarmed him immediately.Two engineers grabbed his arms.Another steadied his back.
But Liu Fang didn't wait her turn.
She ran straight to him—eyes wet, face pale—and wrapped her arms around him with a force that almost knocked the core out of his hand.
"Lin Wei—!"Her voice broke at the end.
He stiffened in surprise, then slowly relaxed, letting her tremble into him.
"You're okay," she whispered."You're okay, you're okay…"
Her fingers curled into his suit like she was afraid he would vanish.
Lin Wei closed his eyes a moment.
"Don't cry," he murmured."I'm really fine."
"You weren't fine five minutes ago!" she snapped back, tears streaking down her dusty face."You almost died in front of me!"
Director Li approached quietly.
"We need the core."
Reluctantly, Lin Wei passed the device to him.The Director held it like a bomb that might detonate if breathed on wrong.
Old Zhang whistled low.
"This thing… even the casing looks dangerous."
Master Yu frowned at the exposed connectors.
"That saboteur isn't just talented. He's a structural theorist on par with military-grade designers."
Liu Fang wiped her cheeks, though her hands were still shaking.
Lin Wei reached over and gently steadied them.
Her eyes jerked up to his in surprise.
"You alright?" he asked softly.
"You're asking me?! After that?!"
His lips twitched.
"Fair point."
The Device Speaks Again
Before anyone could relax, the core twitched in Director Li's hands.
Beep.
Everyone froze.
"…Did it just move?" Old Zhang whispered.
Beep. Beep.
The lights overhead flickered.A thin mist of dust fell from the upper beams.
Director Li stepped back fast.
"Lin Wei—"
"I know," Lin Wei said grimly."Put it down. Slowly."
Director Li placed the core on the ground.
The device vibrated faintly.
Then…
A small side panel slid open.
Liu Fang gasped.
Old Zhang swore.
Inside the compartment was a tiny speaker grill—and a blinking indicator.
A pre-recorded voice played.
Cold.Smooth.Mocking.
"Lin Wei."
Everyone stiffened.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
"If you are hearing this, then you survived.""Good."
Lin Wei's fists clenched.
"But understand something: removing the core was never the end. It was the beginning."
Master Yu muttered, "Insane lunatic…"
The voice continued unfazed.
"There are other structures. Other weaknesses. Other tests.""And the next one… has already begun."
The indicator blinked three times.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Then the message ended.
Silence.
Director Li exhaled shakily.
"Next one…? Already—?"
Old Zhang grabbed his hair.
"Oh great. GREAT. As if one wasn't enough—!"
Master Yu punched a railing so hard it rattled.
"That bastard is treating our entire city like his personal classroom!"
Liu Fang whispered:
"…Lin Wei. He's targeting you."
Lin Wei didn't answer.
The System Responds
A soft tone chimed inside his helmet.A blue panel appeared before his eyes.
[CHAIN QUEST ACTIVATED]['Heaven Rewards Hard Work: Structural Trials'
Trial 1: Survive Sabotaged Bridge — COMPLETEDTrial 2: Remove Destabilizer Core — COMPLETED
Trial 3: UnknownTrial 4: UnknownTrial 5: Unknown]
[Warning:][The antagonist possesses advanced predictive modeling.][The trials will escalate.]
Lin Wei swallowed.
Escalate.
Meaning worse than what he just survived.
The system wasn't done.
[New Sub-Skill Acquired:][Micro-Tremor Sensitivity (Lv.1)]
[You can now detect abnormal vibration patterns within a structure from up to 7 meters away.]
He blinked.
That was…
Really useful.
But also terrifying.
Because the system only granted skills when danger demanded them.
Liu Fang touched his arm gently.
"Lin Wei… what did the system say?"
He hesitated.
Then gave her the truth.
"It says there are more trials coming."
She went pale.
"More…? H-How many?"
"Five total," he said softly."I've passed two."
Her eyes widened.
"Then… the third trial…"
"Has already started."His voice was steady, but cold.
Director Li Takes Control
"We are shutting down every high-risk structure in the city," Director Li barked.
He snapped orders to the emergency team, his face grim.
"No public bridges, no old buildings, no tunnels. I want full inspections. No excuses."
Old Zhang nodded.
Master Yu grabbed two engineers.
Liu Fang stayed beside Lin Wei, fierce and determined.
But Lin Wei's gaze drifted toward the river.
Toward the faint shimmering skyline.
Somewhere out there—
The saboteur watched.And waited.
For him.
The man's voice echoed again in his mind.
"This was only the first test."
A Message Arrives
A young intern sprinted toward them, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"D-Director Li!" he shouted."Emergency report from Sector 7!"
Everyone froze.
"What happened?" Director Li demanded.
The intern gulped.
"T-The old residential Siheyuan district… You know the row near the hillside—?"
Lin Wei's heart stopped.
"…What about it?"
The intern swallowed hard.
"A section of the retaining wall just… cracked."
Liu Fang's eyes widened.
"That wall? It's ancient—!"
The intern nodded frantically.
"And it's spreading. Fast."
Old Zhang let out a string of curses.
"Sector 7? That whole area is packed with families!"
Master Yu grabbed the nearest hard hat.
"We need to move NOW!"
Director Li looked at Lin Wei.
Not angry.Not panicked.
But with the expression of a general who knows who his strongest soldier is.
"Lin Wei," he said quietly."You know what this means."
Lin Wei did.
Trial Three.
Beginning in the oldest part of the city.
In a Siheyuan.
Liu Fang grabbed his sleeve.
"I'm coming with you," she said, voice trembling but unwavering.
He looked at her.
And nodded.
As they raced toward the vehicles—
Something cold slithered through Lin Wei's mind.
A structural memory.
A deep echo in his chest—
A tremor.
Small.But wrong.
His new skill flared.
The ground beneath his boots quivered.
Only once.
But enough.
Trial Three wasn't waiting for them to arrive.
It had already begun.