Moving to the Golden Courtyard

The mission went so smoothly that when Pardofelis came to find Mei, she still seemed a little unsatisfied.

Wasn't she supposed to be... keeping watch?

Back in the car, Xu Qi wasn't as anxious as Pardofelis had imagined, simply saying calmly, "Let's go back to the Golden Courtyard first, Yae."

"Okay."

Yae nodded – undoubtedly, this was a rational and correct choice.

During the return trip, Xu Qi seemed quite silent, and Pardofelis didn't immediately tell Xu Qi about her findings. Anyway, she had the scans and photos, so she could look at them when they got back.

Xu Qi... probably needed some time to process things.

When the group returned to the Golden Courtyard, Elysia came out to greet them.

"Kevin and the others are already back."

It seemed like there weren't any major problems, but Elysia's expression wasn't too good. Yae, who was keenly aware of this, couldn't help but frown.

It seemed that what awaited Xu Qi tonight... probably wasn't good news.

"Is everyone here?" Xu Qi asked.

Not only was everyone here, but there was also one extra person.

Anyway, Mei naturally followed Xu Qi back to the Golden Courtyard.

On the way, Yae was considering a question – where would she sleep tonight?

Never mind, there were still quite a few empty rooms in the courtyard, so it wouldn't be too difficult to quickly tidy one up.

At this moment, everyone was gathered on the living room sofa on the first floor. Aside from Eden, who was still abroad, everyone in the Golden Courtyard was finally here.

The atmosphere was a bit heavy, and everyone's eyes were basically focused on Xu Qi.

"Hoo..."

Taking a deep breath, Xu Qi suddenly revealed a smile.

"Why is everyone so tense? Speaking of which, I have to thank you all. Aiya... it seems I'll have to treat you to a meal next time I go out."

"A meal?"

Griseo's eyes couldn't help but sparkle.

Aponia smiled wryly and gently rubbed Griseo's little head, saying, "Yes, that's right, a meal."

"What? Are you saying my cooking isn't good enough?" Kalpas said in a serious tone, making a joke.

If one didn't know his personality well, they might have thought he really meant it that way.

"Aiya?~~ So Kalpas has such a cute side to him?~~"

"Don't bother me!"

Everyone couldn't help but smile.

The atmosphere... had lightened up a lot.

When everyone looked at Xu Qi again, perhaps he had finally prepared himself to accept things and come to terms with them. Mei could even clearly feel that the burden that had always been weighing on Xu Qi had lessened a lot.

"Pardofelis, tell us, what did you see?"

The cat nodded vigorously.

She thought for a moment and plugged the USB drive into Yae's computer, projecting it onto the screen in the center of the living room.

A scanned document.

Crowdfunding Group 456127940 "This is the investigation report written by Xia Ya when he was still the department manager of the Sixth Repair Department, which contains the full picture of the Line 956 braking failure accident."

"Ding-dong!"

The phone rang suddenly, and Xia Ya, who was lying on a recliner at home, picked it up and glanced at it – "Deployment complete."

"Hmph..."

Xia Ya turned off his phone. In his spacious home, he was the only one, lying in the empty living room...

Xia Ya slowly closed his eyes, and memories of the past flooded into his mind like a tide.

"My name is Luo Mu, and I didn't come here to work just to slack off!"

"Supervisor Xia, I've already surpassed you in my familiarity with the Phase III trains."

"Hmm? Technical Supervisor? No, I haven't fully familiarized myself with all the trains on Line 9 yet, I'm not qualified for this position."

"Supervisor Xia! Train 956 can't brake! I've tried all the methods, but none of them work!"

"The pantograph can't be lowered, and the air pump is locked! Supervisor Xia, the pantograph cylinder will automatically lock during high-speed operation! You should know this better than me!"

"Supervisor Xia! There's no other way, I have to stop 956 immediately! There's only one way now – from outside the train! Forcibly activate the brake cylinder!"

"No! Luo Mu! That's too dangerous! You'll die!"

"I'm an employee of Mode Capital Metro! Protecting the citizens is my duty!"

"Bang!"

Xia Ya flung the water glass in his hand away, his chest heaving violently. This painful memory seemed to be constantly stimulating his already broken body and spirit...

"Luo Mu..."

"The brake air cylinder couldn't start, and the electrical signal couldn't be transmitted. And back then, the subway train didn't have permission to lower the pantograph during high-speed operation."

As an industry insider, Xu Qi roughly understood the whole incident with just a few glances.

"When the EB Valve inside the carriage was useless, he actually thought of... going under the train. That thing is only used during routine maintenance.

Forcibly starting the brake air cylinder, engaging the brake shoes. But the location is on the side of the train's undercarriage, which means..."

"Yeah!" Pardofelis nodded heavily.

"He smashed the train window and jumped out."

"What happened then? What was the result?" A hint of respect appeared on Xu Qi's face.

"Line 956 successfully braked, avoiding this catastrophic accident, but..." Pardofelis turned her head, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.

"He sacrificed himself, Luo Mu... In that situation, it's hard to say if they could even find the body..."

Mei suddenly grabbed Xu Qi's large hand on his leg!

Xu Qi looked at her in confusion, only to see a hint of almost pleading expression in her eyes.

And on the other side of Xu Qi, Elysia also slowly covered his other hand with her own.

The sorrowful expression was not only lamenting the passing of this young and vibrant life, but also because... both girls seemed to have a slight premonition in the dark.

It's like... it's really too much like him...

If the protagonist of this story were replaced with Xu Qi, it wouldn't be surprising at all.

But! They didn't want such a thing to happen to Xu Qi, no matter what!

Xu Qi could of course feel their feelings...

Xu Qi sighed softly and asked, "What happened next?"

Kevin suddenly interjected, "I should have some information about this Luo Mu you mentioned."

Kevin turned to look at Fu Hua and took a master-apprentice training contract from her.

"This was found in the group's human resources center. Luo Mu... was Xia Ya's first disciple, and the only one besides you."

Xu Qi's eyes widened suddenly!

A line, a very clear line! Was being organized into a string of ropes in his mind.

"Ten years ago, Line 956's brakes failed on the main line, and at that time, Xia Ya was the department manager of the Sixth Repair Department. It seems that something happened in that incident that Supervisor Xia still can't let go of."

"Not enough... still not enough!"

Xu Qi said with certainty.

"Xia Ya is not such a petty person. Luo Mu sacrificed himself to save the citizens! But Xia Ya... I have a bad feeling.

I always feel like he's going to do something very extreme! Maybe it's revenge on society, maybe it's revenge on the Mode Capital Metro...

I don't know, but if it's just this, there's no way to answer the doubts in my heart!

There's something... there must be something else..."

"L... Leader..." At this time, Pardofelis suddenly raised her hand tremblingly.

Xu Qi looked over in confusion.

"What's wrong? Pardofelis."

"Leader... I think you'll understand after reading this letter..."

23. A Corrective Punch to the Leader's Face!

"Leader, this is the investigation report on the Line 956 brake failure incident. I have written down the reasons why the Line 956 brake failure occurred.

There are also suggestions for improving the current subway trains. We can't... we can't let Luo Mu's tragedy happen again."

At the group headquarters building, Xia Ya placed the document on the desk of the leader in front of him.

In fact, as a department manager of a maintenance department, he was not qualified to come to the group. But... what Xia Ya wanted to do required the power of the group.

This was no longer something that a subordinate branch could solve.

The 956 brake failure exposed many problems. If there was a way to manually lower the pantograph during high-speed operation, if the brakes could be forcibly started inside the carriage!

Then... then his disciple wouldn't have died like that...

Luo Mu's sacrifice cannot be in vain! Just like the past pioneers of the Mode Capital Metro! His sacrifice will definitely promote another leap forward in the Mode Capital Metro!

At least Xia Ya thought so.

But such a rectification project was too large, and the subordinate branch was not able to directly carry it out, nor did it have the financial resources to carry it out. This kind of thing could only be asked for help from the group...

However...

"Hmm? Oh... I understand. Just leave the file here. Don't worry, I'll definitely read it carefully later. I have a meeting in a bit, so you can head back first."

Again... that dismissive attitude...

Why?! All I need is a decision! I don't even need you to put in any effort or be responsible for this thing! I can do all the work!

I wouldn't even mind if you took all the credit for this rectification!

But... why... why are you all turning a blind eye to these things?!

"Oh, right, right, right! I remember now." The leader suddenly slapped his forehead. He stood up and looked at Xia Ya, saying, "You're... Luo Mu's teacher, right?"

Xia Ya was stunned for a moment, and hope rekindled in his eyes.

"Yes, I am Luo Mu's teacher."

"Haha! That's great! It's like this, we're going to arrange an interview later. We feel deeply saddened by Luo Mu's sacrifice.

But precisely because of this! We must do our best to report his deeds! To let more people see the spirit of our Mode Capital Metro employees.

Xia Ya, you are Luo Mu's teacher, so you must know him best. Just cooperate with the publicity department for a short interview later.

Don't worry, we have specialized people who will polish the wording, and we will definitely not let Luo Mu's sacrifice be in vain! He will, like the predecessors of the Mode Capital Metro, promote the development of the Mode Capital Metro!"