The mine supervisor's expression changed, and he immediately snatched up the duty roster.
"Impossible. Only six people entered the old mine tunnel last night."
"Heartbeats aren't written on the roster," Lin Yuan said.
Laxus walked over to the rock wall and gripped a section of minecart rail protruding from the rubble.
A faint current spread along the metal into the depths of the tunnel. The broken rails lit up one after another, like a golden thread stretching into the darkness. A moment later, several irregular knocks traveled back along the rails.
Three knocks, a pause, then three more.
"Six people are knocking," Laxus said, his eyes closed. "The one deeper inside isn't moving."
"Save the six closest to us first," the mine supervisor said. "There's a ventilation shaft behind the main rock. As long as we break through at the edge-"
"There's no time to dig slowly."
Through Lin Yuan's spatial perception, the rock strata above were slowly sinking. Every time rubble slid down, the weight on the three support pillars increased.
He crouched and drew the positions of the main rock, the pillars, and the six miners on the ground.
"I can stretch the distance between the main rock and the strata above it, temporarily relieving some of the pressure."
"How long can you hold it?" Laxus asked.
"I don't know."
"Then we'll assume the shortest time."
Laxus didn't laugh at that answer. After studying the structure Lin Yuan had drawn, he raised a hand and pointed at the lower left corner of the main rock.
"You hold up the top. I'll make an opening here."
"The lightning strike will shake the whole tunnel."
"Then don't let the vibrations spread."
The two exchanged a glance and acted at the same time.
Black-and-silver magic spread silently. The space bearing down on the main rock stretched layer by layer. The gap was only half a foot wide, yet it was suddenly as though several yards separated the two sides. The steadily sinking strata lost their point of support, and the groaning of the three pillars finally weakened.
Lin Yuan brought his hands slightly together, temporarily separating the lower left corner of the main rock from the rest of the rock wall.
"Now."
Golden lightning flared.
Laxus drove a fist into the designated spot. The lightning didn't burst outward, but crashed back and forth along the spatial boundary Lin Yuan had drawn. The hard rock shattered from within, every vibration trapped in an area less than a person's height.
As the first piece of rubble fell, Laxus was already reaching out to drag it free.
The rescuers immediately stepped forward to carry it away. The narrow opening gradually widened, and at last the miners' hoarse cries came from behind the rock wall.
"Here! We're all here!"
The six crawled out through the opening one after another. Some had sprained legs, others had blood on their foreheads, but fortunately they could all still speak. By the time the last person was carried out, the folded space Lin Yuan was maintaining had begun to tremble.
"Pull back first!" the mine supervisor shouted.
Lin Yuan didn't move. "There's one more."
The seventh heartbeat came from behind a deeper rock wall. It wasn't far away, but there were no gaps in between. To transfer the person directly out, Lin Yuan first had to confirm the position of his body. Even the slightest misalignment could cause space to cut through his arms or legs.
Laxus pressed his hand against the rail again.
"There's a mining lamp over there," he said. "Its metal handle is still connected."
The current crossed the broken rail and released a brief flash along the lamp's handle.
Lin Yuan's perception caught the moment the light flared.
The sealed cavity lit up. An elderly man with a head of gray hair lay behind the rock wall, sheltering the mine's blasting box beneath him. Its lid was already warped, and the magical explosives inside could be triggered at any moment by the pressure of the rock.
"It's Old Hake!" The supervisor finally realized what had happened. "He wasn't on duty last night. He must have discovered water entering the tunnel and gone in himself to move the explosives!"
Laxus raised his right hand. "I'll burn out the fuses with lightning."
"They'll explode too."
"Then send the explosion away."
"There's no safe exit here."
Another cracking sound came from above.
Both men fell silent for a moment.
Lin Yuan suddenly recalled the cup of water that had nearly fallen. What truly needed protecting had never been limited to what could be seen in front of him.
"Give me your lightning."
Laxus frowned. "What did you say?"
"The smallest bolt you can make. Don't let it touch the rock wall."
Laxus didn't ask any more questions. He bent his index finger and flicked a strand of lightning as thin as a hair toward Lin Yuan's palm.
Space folded continuously in front of the lightning.
The bolt never touched the rock. Instead, it traveled through countless short distances linked end to end. Using the mining lamp's metal handle as the endpoint, Lin Yuan sent the bolt straight into the blasting box.
There was a faint sizzle.
All the fuses went out.
"Clear the way!"
Laxus smashed through the last layer of rock. Before the rubble could reach the old man, Lin Yuan stretched the distance between them. The next moment, he appeared directly inside the cavity, grabbing the old man with one hand and picking up the blasting box with the other.
Space folded back.
Three figures rushed out of the tunnel. Behind them, the pillars broke, and great slabs of rock crashed down, burying the old tunnel completely.
Mira and Erza, who had been waiting outside, immediately took charge of the injured. The rescue team Macao had brought was busy on all sides. Only after Mira had confirmed that Lin Yuan wasn't missing any arms or legs did she toss a roll of bandages into his arms.
"You went in to save people, so why did you bury the whole tunnel?"
"Ask him." Laxus pointed at Lin Yuan.
"You were the one who broke the pillars at the end."
"I was also the one who cleared the way."
Their argument continued all the way back to the Guild.
After hearing what had happened, Makarov picked up the proof of completion Laxus had submitted earlier and tore it in half right in front of him.
Electricity immediately sparked at Laxus's temple. "Old man!"
The mine supervisor, however, smiled and produced a new certificate bearing the seals of the mine, the rescue team, and all seven workers.
Makarov placed it between Lin Yuan and Laxus.
"No one died, and all the explosives were recovered. As for the old tunnel that collapsed, it was supposed to be sealed anyway, so there'll be no deduction from your pay."
Laxus picked up the certificate and read it. At last, he stopped arguing.
Makarov smiled and stamped it with the Guild seal.
"This time, the job is complete."