Upon hearing the news, Harold Jefferson and Marie’s faces turned pale. It was daytime, and many miners were working inside the coal mine. Most of these miners were villagers from Jefferson Village. If the mine collapsed, the miners inside would be in danger. At that moment, many villagers from Jefferson Village also heard a loud bang. Everyone rushed out, looking towards the direction of the mine.
“The mine has collapsed! The mine has collapsed!” they shouted. “Many people are trapped below, let’s hurry and rescue them!” “What? The mine has collapsed!” “Hurry and save them!” “Hurry and save them!” “Save them…” Waves of hysterical shouting ensued.
Without any hesitation, all the villagers ran towards the mine. The news of the mine collapse quickly spread throughout Jefferson Village. Upon hearing the news, all the villagers of Jefferson Village headed to the mine.
At this moment, Chris Shelby’s face was extremely grim. A mine collapse was a major safety incident, especially under the irregular mining operations in Jefferson Village! He hoped that not too many lives were lost… With this thought, Chris Shelby immediately turned to Harold Jefferson and Marie and said, “Let’s go and see!”
Harold Jefferson and Marie nodded immediately. They had grown up in Jefferson Village and knew nearly all of its villagers. Most of the village’s young and middle-aged men worked in the mine, and it was uncertain how many were trapped inside.
Without any delay, Chris Shelby and the others headed to the mine. Upon arrival, they saw that the area around the mine was already crowded with villagers from Jefferson Village. Meanwhile, Chris Shelby saw Harold Jefferson’s father, Stewart.
Stewart came over as soon as he saw Chris Shelby and others. Chris Shelby asked, “Uncle, what’s the situation now?” Stewart replied anxiously, “I don’t know the details! But I heard that this time, nearly a hundred people were buried in the mine shaft, it’s just too tragic!”
Hearing this, a flash of anger crossed Chris Shelby’s face. Over a hundred people, nearly all the village’s labor force. If these people were harmed, the entire Jefferson Village would face a disaster.
Chris Shelby knew that this mining disaster was largely related to David. It was David who, greedy for monetary gains, had neglected the miners’ safety, leading to this disaster! Meanwhile, at the collapsed mine entrance, hundreds of miners’ relatives were crying their hearts out. Many relatives wanted to rush into the mine shaft, but they were held back by other villagers. With the entire shaft collapsed, the condition inside was unknown. Rushing in could be extremely dangerous.
Chris Shelby looked around and did not see David. Curiously, he asked Stewart, “With such a big incident, where has David, the village head, gone?” Stewart snorted coldly, “This accident has a lot to do with David; I guess he’s hiding somewhere.”
Simultaneously, “Dad, something terrible has happened! It’s bad!” Evan rushed into his own home, shouting anxiously. David glanced at Evan and replied irritably, “What happened? What’s got you so panicked?”
“Dad, the coal mine collapsed!” Evan took a deep breath and said, “More than a hundred miners are trapped inside, and their fate is unknown right now.”
“What?” Upon hearing this, David immediately stood up.
He asked urgently, “Has anyone died?” The collapse of the coal mine was a major safety incident!
As the mayor of Jefferson Village, he was the primary person responsible for this accident.
If there were deaths, an investigation from above would surely mean he could no longer maintain his position as mayor.
Evan shook his head and said, “I don’t know. The entire mine has collapsed, and it’s impossible to get inside to rescue anyone. We have no idea what the situation is like inside the mine.”
“It’s over! This time I’m completely finished!”
With a thud, David collapsed to the ground, his face extremely pale.
More than a hundred people were buried inside, and it was unclear whether they were alive or dead.
If they all died, the villagers of Jefferson Village would surely devour him alive!
Evan, looking anxious, asked, “Dad, with such a big incident happening, what should we do now? If we don’t handle this properly, the villagers of Jefferson Village will never forgive us. Maybe we should run away now!”
Such a massive upset also frightened Evan!
The miners trapped were all from Jefferson Village.
If anyone died, how could the villagers of Jefferson Village let it go?
By that time, their family would surely be burned by the villagers’ fury!
“Run away? I’ve been waiting for that old bastard Peter Jefferson to die, and I’ve only just taken my seat as mayor. And you want me to run away?” David said, unwilling to give up.
He had waited too many years for the seat of mayor.
Only after Peter Jefferson’s death did he finally take his desired position as mayor.
Just as he was about to accomplish significant things, this disaster happened.
Evan, frantic, said, “Dad, we can still get away now! Once those villagers come charging over, it will be too late for us to escape! We can go to Greensands to find my brother-in-law; he’s the leader there, and he will surely help us!”
“Yes, yes, you’re right!” David’s eyes lit up. “The most urgent thing right now is to escape quickly, or else when those villagers come charging over, we’ll be done for! Son, quickly gather all our money, and let’s get out of here!”
Afterward, David and Evan began to pack up their belongings.
To escape, they needed to do it quickly.
Once the villagers of Jefferson Village stormed in, they would have no chance to escape.
By then, they would surely be killed by the angry villagers.
Bang!
Just as David and Evan were about to flee.
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted as their house’s front door was kicked open.
Then, one by one, furious villagers stormed in.
Their faces filled with rage, they wielded weapons like sickles and hoes.
“David, Evan, you two have done so much evil, and now with such a big incident, where do you think you can escape to?”