Simulation Game: Crisis Management-Chapter 111 - 88: Secrets of the Chamber_2

Chapter 111: Chapter 88: Secrets of the Chamber_2
"Putting aside the possibility of hitting a stone slab midway, as the steel pipes penetrate deeper and deeper, the soil’s shear strength, compressive force, and friction will all increase, requiring exponentially more force!"
Perhaps because it was related to his field, Chen Jianhe straightened his back, his tone carrying a hint of lecturing.
Bai Maoliang seemed somewhat skeptical.
Gu Ji, however, remained calm.
"Mr. Chen is correct, but you overlooked one thing. The hardness of the soil is mainly determined by its texture, density, and moisture content, with moisture having the greatest impact; high moisture content means high compressibility and low strength, making it softer. Besides, didn’t I also ask you to bring a hydraulic jack?"
As he spoke, he inserted the third steel pipe into the soil.
Chen Jianhe immediately crouched down, picked up a handful of soil, and gently squeezed it; indeed, it was very wet. He nodded to Bai Maoliang, then awkwardly smiled.
"Mr. Wa, what great knowledge you have. I, Mr. Chen, was indeed showing off before an expert."
"Hurry and go help them!"
Seeing that this method was feasible, Bai Maoliang urged the company executives and employees to lend a hand.
Before long, Gu Ji had inserted four steel pipes into the soil. When it was time for the fifth, manpower gradually began to fall short, as if it had hit something.
This was the situation he feared most.
Meanwhile, the employees around them were all gasping for breath, even Mr. Bai and Mr. Wa, who were not working, were breathing heavily, indicating that the oxygen inside the building was starting to run low!
Gu Ji immediately ordered his subordinates to bring the hydraulic jack, placing it at the base of the steel pipe.
"Everyone, hold the connection points, keep them steady!"
Everyone nodded.
As Gu Ji pumped the mechanical lever, the steel pipes continued to drill upward into the soil. Although it moved slowly, it was progressing bit by bit. Simultaneously, a considerable amount of muddy water flowed down inside the steel pipes and along the wire.
The fifth pipe, the sixth pipe...
Until the seventh steel pipe was added.
With a "whoosh" sound, the employee managing the steel pipe suddenly felt his wrist relax.
"Mr. Wa, it seems the steel pipe broke through!"
Gu Ji quickly removed the hydraulic jack and pushed hard upward; the steel pipe felt no resistance.
He then hurriedly leaned on the table and looked up through the steel pipe, but unfortunately, it was pitch dark inside.
Bai Maoliang’s eyes lit up.
"Is it done?"
"Almost there."
Gu Ji tugged the wire up and down, and accompanied by a grating friction, more soil and black water trickled down until the wire could move freely inside the pipe. He then brought his mouth close and took a breath.
A strong, rotten soil smell filled his mouth, but the suffocating sensation from earlier was gone.
It was fresh air!
"It’s open, Mr. Bai!!"
"Really!?"
Fanning himself, Mr. Bai pushed aside the employees and rushed to the base of the steel pipe. Feeling the airflow, he hurriedly took two breaths.
The other executives were equally excited; some even got close to the steel pipe and shouted:
"Is anyone out there?"
"Help!"
"We’re trapped underground!"
...
Gu Ji pressed his ear to the steel pipe and listened carefully for a while. Aside from the sound of wind and some static, there was no other response.
"It’s useless; such a small opening makes it hard to be heard outside."
"Then what should we do next?"
Bai Maoliang had just asked the question.
Behind him, a multitude of footsteps sounded as Kai and Chaojun led a group of seventy or eighty people to the top of the building. Some were injured and leaning on each other, others weeping for joy, while some were apprehensive, their heads lowered.
Those who appeared anxious were the employees who, fearing execution by the warlord faction, chose not to support the Bai Family.
Yang Chen naturally noticed these subordinates.
Now in his element, he couldn’t wait to vent his anger, "Mr. Bai, these few people are cowards who betrayed the Bai Family!"
"I, I didn’t!"
"Mr. Yang, Mr. Bai, spare us!"
...
A few employees kneeled down, begging for mercy.
Just as Bai Maoliang was about to wave for Kai and Mr. Wa to kill them, Gu Ji intervened.
"Mr. Bai, now’s not the time to kill them. The water has already flooded the eighth floor. We don’t have much time to waste. To get out quickly, we need a large workforce."
"So what should we do now?"
"Simple, dig!"
Gu Ji pointed at the crack above, "Each steel pipe is one meter long, which means we’re six and a half meters from the ground. It’s neither too deep nor too shallow, but luckily, we have enough people."
"This crack is wide enough for two adults to go through. Since the soil is moist and loose, it can be easily dug out by hand, while another person reinforces the internal wall to prevent collapse. As long as the building doesn’t shake again, within three hours, we could dig a tunnel to the surface."
"Alright! Let’s do as you say!"
Bai Maoliang now regarded Gu Ji as his only hope for survival and immediately turned to command the recently arrived employees, "Did you all hear? Follow orders, and I, Bai Maoliang, promise that once we’re out, there will be no punishment for betraying the Bai Family, no retribution!"
"We all heard it!"
"Thank you, Mr. Bai!"
...
Upon hearing they wouldn’t be executed, these employees eagerly jumped onto the table to start digging.
Gu Ji quickly stopped them.
"Digging is easy; the important part is preventing a collapse. Mr. Chen, your real estate team understands construction better, so you must oversee them. Every half meter dug, you need to press the surrounding soil by hand and reinforce it with plastic or wooden boards, secured with wire or steel pipes."