Master, That's My Wife and My House! - Chapter 27

“Sigh, I was talking nonsense. How could you climb a gas pipeline!” The old miner’s face showed a hint of helplessness. He had lost his mind. He was only thinking about saving people and didn’t realize how risky it was. Going in would be like courting death.

Wu Wenhua’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He couldn’t help but look at the chemical oxygen generator he was carrying, a hint of hesitation appearing on his face. After a few seconds, he immediately asked, “Can we empty the gas pipes first?!”

“Yes, but it will take time, probably several hours,” the vice-captain said.

A worker nearby shook his head and said, “It might take several hours. I just checked, the power supply is buried inside, so it can’t be turned on.”

The deputy captain immediately said, “Not necessarily. The gas pump was always on before the accident, and the power was only cut off after the accident. There might not be much gas inside. As long as we can find a way to turn it back on, it might not take more than a few hours.”

The worker who had just spoken was the coal mining team’s electrician. He shook his head without hesitation and said, “That’s not what you said. Although the pump was running the whole time, the gas at the face was also being released. When the power went out, the gas that had accumulated inside would flow back, and even… even overflow from the extraction port at the face. So… Old Chen didn’t have more than a few hours. Considering the gas produced at the face, he could have died of gas poisoning at any time.”

The crowd’s faces darkened again; the glimmer of hope that had just emerged had been completely extinguished.

Wu Wenhua’s face was grim. His gaze fell once more on the chemical oxygen self-rescue device he carried with him. He thought to himself, “Could it be some kind of destiny? Otherwise, how could I have encountered this situation so soon after I took Chen Feng’s self-rescue device?”

“I have one more question.” Wu Wenhua’s eyes flashed with malice as he immediately asked, “If I can survive the gas, crawl inside, and rescue Old Chen from the other side, what are the chances?”

The crowd looked at each other, no one daring to utter a sound. Wu Wenhua’s words most likely indicated that he wanted to take a risk, but this was the mine’s section chief. Who would give the advice? What if they died inside?

Wu Wenhua was anxious and immediately said, “I’m asking you a question! Deputy Captain, tell me, can you rescue Old Chen?”

The deputy captain was sweating profusely, but he was genuinely worried about his coworkers when he was called out. He gritted his teeth and said, “It’s possible, but not 100%. Nobody knows what’s going on with Old Chen inside. The people who go in aren’t afraid of gas, but what about Old Chen?! If he’s been stuck in the gas pipeline for too long, when he’s pulled out… he’ll be dead.”

“How long do we have?” Wu Wenhua asked.

The deputy captain shook his head, he really didn’t know. Finally, the old miner spoke up: “Not long. I’ve experienced gas outbursts before. Based on my experience, if Old Chen is poisoned, it will be difficult to rescue him if it takes more than ten minutes. Even if he survives, he will be a burden on his family. I think… it should not exceed ten minutes at the latest, the shorter the better.”

The old miners’ experience lacked scientific evidence, but Wu Wenhua had no other choice at the moment, so he asked, “Approximately how many meters has the cave-in occurred inside?”

“It won’t be more than forty meters,” the deputy captain said immediately. He was confident of this, as he could roughly calculate the distance of the collapse based on the previous support situation.

“I’ll dismantle the gas pipe here and go over there. It’ll only take a minute or two,” Wu Wenhua calculated, then said, “The problem is with Old Chen. If he doesn’t know how to dismantle the pipe, I’ll get blocked too.”

“Knock on the pipes, everyone knock on the gas pipes together, Old Chen will understand,” the deputy captain said.

Wu Wenhua nodded and gritted his teeth, saying, “Knock on the pipes, and also remove the pipes. Take off the screws, but don’t open them. You all step outside the damper, and I’ll handle the rest myself.”

The deputy captain’s eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “Section Chief Wu, if you have any ideas, give them to me, I’ll go! To save our own brothers, there’s no reason for you to die!”

Wu Wenhua shoved the deputy captain aside, his eyes also reddening, and said, “Go to hell! I’m the leader. You think I’ll let you do it? What do you take me for?! I’m the highest-ranking officer here. Listen to me, unscrew the screws, knock the pipes, let’s give it our all!”

With Wu Wenhua’s words, everyone sprang into action. Wu Wenhua picked up the self-rescue device and muttered, “Brother, you better be reliable, or I’ll be done for today.”

If the self-rescue device works, then no one will need to help. If it doesn’t work, Wu Wenhua might be able to climb in, but he probably won’t be able to climb out, and he will definitely die in the gas pipeline in the end.

However, Wu Wenhua was not without teeth. Without saying a word, he took off the self-rescue device, turned it on, and used it as Chen Feng had instructed. Finally, he put on the nose clip and mouth gag.

As soon as the device was installed, Wu Wenhua felt a sense of suffocation. However, before he could worry for long, a burst of heat emanated from the airbag, and the suffocating feeling disappeared. The self-rescue device had started to work.

Wu Wenhua was overjoyed. As long as the self-rescue device worked, there was a chance to rescue the person.

“It’s off!” the deputy captain shouted. All the screws on the gas pipeline had been removed, and now all it took was a kick to open the pipeline.

Wu Wenhua immediately waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave, otherwise, if the gas pipe was turned on, the gas inside would spread, and everyone would be doomed.

“Section Chief Wu, if it can’t be done, then it’ll have to be me…!”

Before the other party could speak, Wu Wenhua kicked them away, then looked at the gas pipeline and thought to himself, “Old Chen, whether you live or die today depends on your fate.”

Wu Wenhua and the others exited the ventilation door, gritted their teeth, kicked open the gas pipe, and crawled inside. The 78-centimeter diameter pipe was not small, but it still allowed Wu Wenhua to crawl forward inside.

As Wu Wenhua climbed, he tapped on the pipes, and the same tapping sound came from the other side. It was clear that Lao Chen understood what everyone was thinking and was also dismantling the gas pipes.

When Wu Wenhua climbed to where Lao Chen was, he found that Lao Chen had not completely disassembled the pipeline yet. He could only lie there and wait. A burning sensation came from his throat. The heat emitted by the chemical oxygen self-rescue system felt like it was going to dry out his throat.

“Damn it! What are you dawdling for?! Don’t you want to live?” Wu Wenhua thought to himself, but he also understood that while several people were unloading it outside, Old Chen was doing it all by himself inside, so he certainly wouldn’t be as efficient.