The sabotage device loomed before Lin Wei like the beating heart of a steel beast.
Compact.Precision-built.Humming with lethal potential.
A matte-black cylinder sat at its center—the destabilizer core.
If removed wrong:instant collapse.If left inside:collapse within hours.
No backup team could reach him here.No crane, no support rig, no external machinery.
It was just him.The device.And the ticking countdown of structural death.
He could hear his own breathing echo in the confined space.
Hffff…Hffff…
And beneath it—
the faintest mechanical whine.
The core.
The spine of the whole sabotage system.
The Team Outside
His earpiece crackled softly.
Liu Fang:"Lin Wei… what's your position?"
He took another steady breath.
"My hand is on the casing of the core. Preparing for extraction."
Liu Fang:"…I want you to stop."
Lin Wei paused.
"Liu Fang—"
"No. Listen to me.This isn't like attaching the dampener.This is direct interference with a live destabilizing system."
Her voice cracked.
"If it goes wrong, the pillar won't just collapse. It'll implode."
Old Zhang added, gruff but worried:
"You pull that thing wrong by even half a millimeter… the column wall will shear, and everything above it will come down faster than you can scream."
Master Yu:
"Think carefully, Lin Wei."
Director Li:
"You can still turn back. We can reinforce the bridge and evacuate the city sector."
Lin Wei closed his eyes.
And saw:
—Liu Fang's panicked face—The civilians running from the bridge—The saboteur's mocking smile—The blueprints with red danger marks—The system's mission panel—The device's cruel mechanical heartbeat
"No," Lin Wei whispered."I'm not turning back."
System Activation
The system pulsed with soft blue light.
[CRITICAL OPERATION: DESTABILIZER CORE EXTRACTION]
[Host's pulse: Stable][Hand tremor: Minimal][Cognitive clarity: Elevated]
[Recommended Method:][Rotate outer ring 32° clockwise][Press stabilizer latch inward 4mm][Pull core upward with consistent force]
[Risk if done incorrectly: Catastrophic]
[Proceed?]
Lin Wei whispered:
"…Proceed."
Touching the Core
He rested his right hand on the core.
Cold.Smooth.Quiet.
The kind of device built by someone who understood structures not as buildings—but as living organisms.
The voice of the saboteur echoed in his memory:
"The secondary frequency… reacts to fear."
Was this also tuned to psychology?Was the core booby-trapped to detect hesitation?
Lin Wei steadied his breath again.
No fear.
Only focus.
Engineering focus.
He rotated the outer ring.
One millimeter.Five.Ten.Twenty.
Every click echoed unnaturally loud.
His helmet light flickered once.Twice.
The pillar groaned faintly.
Liu Fang's breath hitched in the earpiece.
"…Lin Wei?"
"Twenty-six degrees," he whispered."Almost there."
He reached thirty.
Thirty-one.
Thirty-two.
CLICK.
The outer ring locked with a satisfying mechanical precision.
Old Zhang exhaled in relief.
"Good. Now press the latch—slowly—"
The Latch
The latch was tiny.A small metal nub recessed into the casing.
He pressed.
1mm.
2mm.
3mm—
The device SCREAMED.
A sudden metallic whine surged through the pillar, vibrating the concrete like a living, angry thing.
Lin Wei jolted—the whole pillar shaking around him.
Liu Fang screamed through comms:
"STOP! LIN WEI STOP—!"
Master Yu shouted:
"Don't pull back! Maintain pressure! THAT'S A FAILSAFE!"
Old Zhang:
"Hold your hand steady, boy! Steady!!"
Lin Wei's heart hammered.
Sweat poured down his spine.
But—
He pressed.
4mm.
The whine stopped.
Instantly.
Like the machine was startled.
Silence swallowed the cavity.
Lin Wei almost collapsed from the tension.
"Latch engaged," he whispered.
The Extraction Begins
Just one step left.
Pulling the core.
Every instinct inside him screamed that this was suicide.
But he slid his fingers around the core's base.
Grip firm.Wrist aligned.Breathing steady.
"Removing stabilizer core in three…""Two…""One…"
He pulled—
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The core shifted.
Only a hair—
But it moved.
The pillar vibrated.
Dust fell on his helmet.
But it held.
One centimeter out.
Two.
Three.
His shoulders burned.Forearm muscles screamed.Sweat blurred his vision.
But he kept going.
Four cm.
Five.
Six—
Suddenly the device emitted a violent shock-pulse.
The concrete around him cracked sharply.
A loud RUMBLE rolled through the column.
Lin Wei's head slammed against the wall.Lights flickered.He nearly lost his grip.
"LIN WEI!!"Liu Fang shrieked."LIN WEI, ANSWER ME!""LIN WEI!"
His hand trembled violently.
He tasted copper.
Blood.
But—
He didn't let go.
He couldn't let go.
He braced his elbow against a rebar rib.
And pulled again.
Seven.
Eight.
One last centimeter—
SNAP.
The core came free in his hand.
All lights died.
Everything went dark.
The Pillar Goes Silent
For a horrifying second—
Silence.
No hum.No pulse.Nothing.
Then—
The system chimed softly in the dark.
[DESTABILIZER CORE REMOVED][Sabotage Threat: Neutralized][Collapse Probability: Stabilizing… Stabilizing…][New Probability: 4%]
[Mission Status: PARTIAL SUCCESS]
[Host Condition: Injured, Conscious][Recommend Immediate Extraction]
Lin Wei sagged against the concrete.
He wanted to sleep.
He wanted to cry.
He wanted to laugh hysterically.
But mostly—
He wanted to hear Liu Fang's voice.
He reached up and tapped his earpiece.
"Hey," he whispered."…The core is out."
Silence.
Then the explosion of voices.
"LIN WEI!!""HE'S ALIVE!!""Oh my god—!""LIN WEI, DON'T MOVE!""We're coming to get you!""DON'T YOU DARE PASS OUT—!"
And Liu Fang's voice, breaking:
"Lin Wei… Lin Wei, please… come back to me."
He smiled weakly.
"…I'm coming."
He crawled toward the hatch.
Carrying the core.
Carrying the proof.
Carrying his life back to them.
But as he crawled—
A faint sound echoed from behind him.
A soft click.
A soft laugh.
A recorded voice from the device:
"Well done, Lin Wei."
He froze.
"But this was only the first test."
Darkness swallowed the space.
And the chapter ended.