"I know, isn't it the 'Insertion Skill'?"

Chen Jianhe spat on the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and started directing his subordinates to prepare the boards.

Seeing the crowd get busy, Bai Maoliang finally felt a slight sense of security and couldn't help praising.

"Wa Xueming, you really are a jack of all trades, I never thought you knew so much, what did you use to do?"

"I used to work in civil defense in the Myawaddy unit, and after coming to the Jinyuan Group, I worked mine duty for a few years, so I'm quite familiar with this soil knowledge."

Gu Ji casually fabricated.

In a lawless enterprise like the Jinyuan Group, a miner wouldn't have time to learn so much knowledge.

All the methods he was using were self-rescue measures from the "Military Disaster Prevention Manual."

Theoretically speaking, post-earthquake self-rescue methods are extremely limited, mainly relying on external government rescue. The primary thing one can do is keep breathing unobstructed, which is one reason he went to great lengths to extend the steel pipe passage outside.

Most fatalities in geological disasters, 58% of them, are due to suffocation.

Then it's about trying to send signals to the outside world. If signaling fails, you can only tend to wounds, collect water resources, food, and ensure that one's biological functions remain stable.

And from the moment Gu Ji awoke from the sinkhole, he had been doing these things.

Chaojun listened on the side with changing expressions, unsure of what he was thinking.

Two hours later.

After joint efforts by Gu Ji and Chen Jianhe, a muddy path of more than five meters long was finally dug, large enough for two people to pass through.

But as the tunnel extended upward, the collapse pressure from both sides grew stronger.

The iron wire and steel pipe frames, which were barely fixed, would still fall apart due to slipping soil, causing a collapse. Moreover, the building's oxygen supply now depended entirely on this steel pipe connection. The employees hadn't eaten for half a day, and as they dug further, their speed slowed.

"Hush, hush..."

At this moment, the employees near the stairwell vaguely heard the sound of rushing water.

The henchman responsible for monitoring the water level hurried inside, his shoes completely soaked.

"Mr. Bai, Mr. Wa, the water has already passed the 30th floor!"

"What!?"

"Weren't we told it would take four to five hours to flood to the top? It's only been a little over half that time!"

"Hey! Those upstairs, can't you dig faster! The water is already coming in!"

"Oh my god, are we going to drown here?"

...

Upon hearing the news, the crowd in the office instantly panicked, each wide-eyed and staring at the entrance to the staircase, desperately urging the employees digging the tunnel.

Bai Maoliang's expression changed dramatically.

He snatched the gun from Mr. Liu's waist and, Bang!

The employee, struck in the leg by Bai Maoliang's shot, fell from the desk, clutching his thigh and screaming incessantly.

The muzzle was raised again, causing the crowd to freeze in terror like quails.

"Dig through right away! Otherwise, we're all going to die!"

"Quick, quick! Mr. Bai has spoken, everyone put in more effort!"

Chen Jianhe shouted desperately, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead, his heart filled with fear.

Gu Ji hadn't expected Bai Maoliang to panic to this extent.

He turned his gaze, suddenly having an idea.

"Mr. Bai, the water level is rising too quickly. At the current digging speed, it's hard to ensure nothing unexpected will happen. I recall that there are portable oxygen masks in the medical department downstairs. I can go down and get them just in case!"

"Really?"

Bai Maoliang, upon hearing this, was overjoyed.

But Mr. Liu on the side spoke up: "The 30th floor has been submerged, even if you remember where the items are, under pitch-dark conditions you'll inevitably take a detour to find them, and also carry them. The oxygen consumption for this back-and-forth isn't something an average person can handle, unless you've undergone special free-diving training."

Free diving training is something only extreme sports enthusiasts, professional divers, or naval or special forces undergo.

But Gu Ji was just an army mercenary from Myawaddy.

If he claimed to be adept at free diving now, it would surely raise suspicion.

Nonetheless, he showed no sign of panic. He took off his backpack, pulling out a portable firefighter's respirator chosen via a system reward, "I got this from the fire control room, a 6.8L respirator theoretically lasts for 40 minutes, practically about half an hour, which is enough time for me to retrieve the items."

"Great! Hurry and come back quickly! Liu, go along to assist."

"Yes!"

Looking at Mr. Liu, who was coming over obediently on Mr. Bai's orders, Gu Ji squinted his eyes.

Didn't expect this old guy to be so cautious.

Even at this stage, he wants someone to keep an eye on me.

That's right.

Gu Ji's proactive proposal to retrieve oxygen masks from the medical department was actually intended to explore a side mission. But even with someone following, he remained unflustered, knowing well that this Mr. Liu couldn't go into the water.

However, he couldn't trust the Bai Family's henchmen, so he called Chaojun and Pan Xinli to help him with the safety rope.

Upon reaching the 31st floor stairwell, water had already risen to the second step.

Gu Ji removed all gear, keeping only a high-power flashlight, and strapped the portable respirator onto himself. Its structure was quite simple—a reflective orange vest with two gray high-pressure tanks resembling large soda bottles, with a tube leading to the breathing mask.

Chaojun tied the safety rope around his waist.

"Be extremely careful!"

"Rest assured."

Gu Ji showed a grin, made an "OK" gesture, then with a "splash," entered the water.

Gurgle, gurgle...

The groundwater quickly filled his ears, blocking his hearing, while in front, all was pitch black. He also faced the oppressive feeling from underwater in all directions. This extreme situation caused his heart rate to spike, his nerves to tense, and triggered rapid breathing.

Luckily, Gu Ji often swam during college.

He turned on the high-power flashlight. As professional firefighting gear, waterproof, dustproof, and heat-resistant were must-have features. With light, the physiological tension eased a lot.

Earlier, in the search for the hidden room, he'd closely examined the detailed layout of the 30th floor, naturally knowing where the oxygen masks were.

So Gu Ji now had plenty of time to look for them.

"Wait, why does this area feel a bit low on floor height..."

While walking below, he hadn't noticed it, but now, maneuvering at the ceiling's edge, Gu Ji found he needed to swim downward constantly, sensing the ceiling seemed inclined.

He shone the light along the ceiling, found a crack, and kicked hard at it, but the concrete brick didn't budge.

Applying force underwater was tricky and also wasted oxygen.

Gu Ji had to find another method.

He went to the office with the lowest floor height, where due to the water's wash, a filing cabinet had moved, revealing a security door at the back, complete with a combination lock on the door.

Luckily, due to the building's deformation, the security door had been squeezed open, leaving a gap.

Pushing outward was hard, but with a point of leverage, it was different.

Gu Ji tucked his flashlight into his waist, braced himself against the wall with his feet, and gripped the door gap with both hands to pull it open with force. After trying two or three times, with a gurgling noise and a few bubbles rising, the door finally opened!

He swam into the room, pulling out the flashlight.

Instantly, white faces filled his vision, sending a chill down his spine and making his hair stand on end!

[Side Objective: Successfully found the hidden room on the 30th floor!]

[Initiating Hidden Objective: Discover the secrets hidden by the Jinyuan Group!]

Gu Ji temporarily forgot the system prompts, his attention absorbed by the three floating corpses in front. They were all tall, hefty males, entirely nude, their eyes bloodshot and appearing menacing.

Curiously, they hadn't died from being crushed by earthquake rubble or drowning.

Instead.

They had killed each other!

Yes, the bodies bore various wounds, some with throats pierced by broken glass, others with rear skull injuries from iron objects.

The most terrifying thing was.

Their expressions were sinisterly bizarre, especially the cruelly distorted smiles on their faces!

Outlaws!

This was the first instinctive thought flashing through Gu Ji's mind.

[Discovered special item, would you like to exchange for crisis points!]

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