Mei, I Absolutely Won't Let Go (Continued)

The mission had gone so smoothly that when Neko came to find Mei, she still seemed a little reluctant to leave.

Wasn't... she supposed to keep watch?

Back in the car, Xu Qi wasn't as impatient as Pardofelis had imagined. He merely said calmly, "Let's go, Yae. We'll head back to the Golden Courtyard first."

"Mm."

Yae Sakura nodded. Without a doubt, it was the most rational and correct choice.

On the way back, Xu Qi was unusually quiet. Pardofelis didn't immediately tell him what she had discovered, either. They already had the scans and photos, so they could look at them after returning.

Xu Qi... perhaps needed some time to process everything.

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

"Kevin and the others are already back."

Nothing seemed to have gone seriously wrong, but Elysia's expression wasn't very good. Yae, who noticed this keenly, couldn't help frowning.

It seemed that the news Xu Qi was waiting for tonight... probably wouldn't be good.

"Is everyone here?" Xu Qi asked.

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

Mei had simply followed Xu Qi back to the Golden Courtyard.

On the way, Yae had been considering one problem—where would she sleep tonight?

Whatever. There were still plenty of empty rooms in the courtyard. Tidying one up temporarily wouldn't be difficult.

At that moment, everyone had gathered around the sofas in the first-floor living room. Apart from Eden, who was still overseas, the Golden Courtyard could be said to have everyone present.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy, and everyone's attention was focused on Xu Qi.

"Whew..."

After taking a deep breath, Xu Qi suddenly revealed a faint smile.

"Why are you all looking so grim? Come to think of it, I still have to thank everyone. Ah... looks like I'll have to treat you all to a meal next time."

"A meal?"

Stars appeared in Griseo's eyes.

Aponia gave a bitter smile and gently rubbed Griseo's little head. "Yes, that's right. A meal."

"What? Do you think my cooking isn't good enough?" Kalpas asked in a solemn tone, making a joke.

If they hadn't been familiar with his personality, they might have thought he was being serious.

"Oh my?~~ So Kalpas has such a cute side too?~~"

"Stop bothering me!"

Everyone couldn't help smiling.

The atmosphere... had become much more relaxed.

When everyone looked at Xu Qi again, it seemed that he had finally prepared himself to accept the truth and found the resolve to face it. Even Mei could clearly feel that the heavy burden that had always weighed on him had been greatly reduced.

"Pardofelis, tell us first. What exactly did you see?"

Neko nodded vigorously.

After thinking for a moment, she inserted the USB drive into Yae's computer and projected its contents onto the screen in the center of the living room.

A scanned document.

"This was an investigation report Xia Ya wrote when he was still the manager of Maintenance Department Six. It contains the full details of the Line 956 braking failure accident."

"Ding-dong!"

The phone suddenly rang. Xia Ya, lying in a recliner at home, picked it up and glanced at the screen—"The arrangements are complete."

"Hmph..."

Xia Ya turned off his phone. In the spacious house, he was the only person there, lying in the empty living room...

Xia Ya slowly closed his eyes. Memories from the past surged into his mind like a tide.

"My name is Luo Mu. I came here to work, not to waste my days!"

"Manager Xia, when it comes to familiarity with the third-phase trains, I've already surpassed you."

"Hm? Technical supervisor? No. I haven't even completely familiarized myself with every train on Line 9. I don't deserve that position."

"Manager Xia! Train 956 can't brake. I've tried everything, but nothing works!"

"The pantograph won't lower, and the air pump is locked! Manager Xia, while the train is traveling at high speed, the pantograph-raising cylinder locks automatically! You should understand that better than I do!"

"Manager Xia! There's no other way. I have to stop Train 956 immediately! There's only one option now—outside the train! Force-start the brake air cylinder!"

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

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

"Bang!"

Xia Ya flung the water glass in his hand away with all his strength. His chest heaved violently. This painful memory seemed to be relentlessly tormenting his already broken body and spirit...

"Luo Mu..."

"It's impossible to start the brake air cylinder, and the electrical signal can't be transmitted either. Besides, the subway trains of that time didn't have permission to lower the pantograph while traveling at high speed."

As an industry insider, Xu Qi understood the general outline of the incident after only a few glances.

"Even the EB Valve inside the carriage was useless, yet he still thought of going beneath the train. That thing was only used during routine maintenance.

"Forcing the brake air cylinder to start and engaging the brake shoes. But its position was near the edge of the underside of the train, which meant..."

"Mm!" Pardofelis nodded heavily.

"He smashed the train window and climbed out."

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

"Train 956 successfully completed its braking and avoided a catastrophic accident, but..." Pardofelis turned her head away, suddenly feeling distressed.

"He sacrificed himself, Luo Mu... In that situation, it would be difficult to say whether his body could even be found..."

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

Xu Qi looked at her in confusion, only to see an almost pleading look in her eyes.

On Xu Qi's other side, Elysia also slowly covered his other hand with hers.

The sorrow on her face came not only from mourning the loss of that young, vibrant life, but also because... both girls seemed to have sensed something faintly in their hearts.

It was... far too similar...

If Xu Qi replaced the protagonist of this story, it wouldn't feel surprising in the slightest.

But this kind of thing—no matter what! They never wanted it to happen to Xu Qi!

Of course Xu Qi could feel their emotions...

Xu Qi let out a soft sigh and asked, "What happened afterward?"

Kevin suddenly spoke up. "The Luo Mu you're talking about should be mentioned in the records I have here."

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

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

Xu Qi's eyes widened suddenly!

There was a thread—a very clear thread—that was being organized into a chain in his mind.

"Ten years ago, Train 956 lost braking on the main line. At the time, Xia Ya was the manager of Maintenance Department Six. Something must have happened during that incident, something Supervisor Xia has been unable to let go of even now."

"It's not enough... still not enough!"

Xu Qi spoke with absolute certainty.

"Xia Ya isn't such a narrow-minded person. Luo Mu sacrificed himself to save the citizens! But Xia Ya... I have a bad feeling.

"I feel like he's planning something extremely drastic! Maybe revenge against society, maybe revenge against the Mode Capital Metro...

"I don't know. But if that's all there is to it, it doesn't explain the doubts in my heart at all!

"There has to be something else... There must be..."

"B-Boss..." Pardofelis timidly raised her hand at that moment.

Xu Qi looked over in confusion.

"What is it, Pardofelis?"

"Boss... I think you might understand after reading this letter..."

"23—right in the leader's face, one corrective punch!"

"Leader, this is the investigation report on the Line 956 braking failure. I've written down all the reasons this incident occurred.

"There are also proposals for improving the subway trains currently in service. We can't... we can't let Luo Mu's tragedy happen again."

At the group's headquarters, Xia Ya placed the document on the leader's desk.

As the manager of a maintenance department, he technically had no right to come to the group headquarters. But... what Xia Ya wanted to do required the group's support.

This was no longer something a subordinate branch company could resolve on its own.

The Line 956 braking failure had exposed many problems. If there had been a way to manually lower the pantograph while traveling at high speed, or if the brakes could have been force-started from inside the carriage...

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

They couldn't let Luo Mu's sacrifice be in vain! Just like the successive generations of pioneers at the Mode Capital Metro! His sacrifice had to drive another leap forward for the Mode Capital Metro!

At least, that was what Xia Ya believed.

But the rectification project was simply too massive. The subordinate branch didn't have the authority to carry it out directly, nor did it have the funds. For something like this, he could only come to the group for help...

However...

"Hm? Oh... I understand. Just leave the documents here. Don't worry, I'll definitely read them carefully later. I have a meeting soon, so you can go back for now."

Again... that perfunctory attitude...

Why! All I need is for you to make the decision! I don't even need you to take responsibility for the work! I can handle everything myself!

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

But... why? Why did every one of you turn 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. "You're... Luo Mu's master, right?"

Xia Ya froze, and hope rekindled in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm Luo Mu's master."

"Haha! That's wonderful. Here's the thing: we're arranging an interview later about Luo Mu's sacrifice. We deeply regret his death.

"But precisely because of that, we have to do everything we can to report his story! We need more citizens to see the spirit of our Mode Capital Metro employees.

"Xia Ya, you're Luo Mu's master, so you must have understood him best. Just cooperate with the publicity department for a brief interview later.

"Don't worry. We'll have professionals polish the wording. We absolutely won't let Luo Mu's sacrifice be in vain! Just like the pioneers of the Mode Capital Metro throughout the generations, he will help advance the development of the Mode Capital Metro!"