Chapter 38: Terror at the Precipice, Rescue in Icy Waters

The mountain road winding through the Taihang Mountains was in abysmal condition, a constant, bone-jarring ordeal. The headlights of the jeep barely illuminated the road surface and the jagged cliff edge to the right.

Rain had begun to fall at some point, icy droplets drumming a frantic, staccato rhythm against the canvas roof of the vehicle.

Suddenly! A sharp, urgent roar from Wang Meng erupted from the truck, crackling through the walkie-talkie inside the jeep: "Old Zhao! Watch out ahead! The front right tire!"

Zhao Tiehu slammed on the brakes. With a piercing screech of rubber against mud and sludge, the jeep skidded forward. The headlights cut through the gloom, revealing the truth: the roadbed beneath the outer edge of the front right tire had completely collapsed!

A gaping, jagged chasm stared back at them, with loose soil still crumbling into the abyss.

Wang Meng gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, his muscles bulging under the strain. He roared into the walkie-talkie, his face as pale as parchment: "The truck is sliding! The bearings! The bearings are in the cargo hold!"

"Hold steady!" He Yuzhu’s shout cut through the wind and rain. He kicked the door open and leapt into the freezing downpour, mud immediately swallowing his ankles. "Xiao Wang! Grab the chain block and the steel cable! Ma Hua! Come with me! Move the rocks! We need to wedge the tires!"

Ma Hua and Xiao Wang scrambled, lunging toward the truck’s toolbox.

He Yuzhu reached the truck, rain plastering his face. He didn't even bother to wipe it away, his eyes scanning the perilous situation.

Under the weight of the truck, the soft soil beneath the rear right tire continued to give way. Every microscopic slip brought the crates in the back—carrying the very lifeblood of national defense—that much closer to the abyss.

"Here!" He Yuzhu pointed to the relatively firm ground inside the rear left tire. "Wedge it tight! Hurry!" He lunged toward the large mountain rocks scattered along the roadside, their surfaces slick with freezing water, their weight immense.

Ma Hua and Xiao Wang dragged the heavy chain block and steel cable over. The three of them roared, heaving the massive stones with desperate strength, packing them against the inner side of the rear left tire. They used their own bodies as levers, shoving the stones deep under the rubber to create friction and counteract the lethal lateral slide.

"Chain block! Hook it to the tow ring on the front bumper! Attach the other end of the steel cable to the jeep’s rear hitch!" He Yuzhu’s voice remained clear and forceful amidst the storm.

Zhao Tiehu had already turned the jeep around, backing it up to the truck’s front. The engine growled in a low, steady rumble, ready to exert force at a moment's notice.

Xiao Wang and Zhao Tiehu worked in tandem, swiftly locking the heavy chain block onto the truck’s front tow ring. The steel cable snapped taut with a metallic *clack*! The other end was secured firmly to the jeep’s trailer hitch.

"Master Wang! Listen to my signal! Release the brake slowly! Inch by inch!" He Yuzhu slapped the side of the truck’s cab, rain streaming down his arms. "Master Zhao! Jeep! Get ready to throttle! Keep it steady! Pull slowly!"

"Understood!" Wang Meng’s voice trembled, but it was resolute.

He took a deep breath, gripping the steering wheel, and began to release the brake pedal with agonizing slowness—a millimeter at a time.

As the braking force lessened, the suspended rear right tire slipped a fraction further! Debris and soil rumbled into the darkness below!

"Hold!" He Yuzhu roared, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Master Zhao! Jeep! Throttle up! Pull!"

Zhao Tiehu’s right foot controlled the gas pedal with surgical precision. The jeep’s engine emitted a deep roar, and the massive pulling force traveled through the taut steel cable to the chain block. The gears of the hoist emitted a heart-stopping, metallic *clack-clack* sound!

The truck shuddered violently! With the aid of the cable’s pull and the support of the stones wedged beneath the rear left tire, the suspended rear right tire slowly, arduously crawled away from the edge of the deadly gap!

One inch! Two inches! Amidst the teeth-grinding screech of metal, the truck was dragged, bit by bit, back onto solid ground.

When all four tires finally rested on the relatively safe roadbed, everyone collapsed, leaning against the cold metal of the trucks or sinking into the mud, gasping for air.

"Check the bearings!" He Yuzhu was the first to jump up. He pulled back the canvas cover of the cargo hold, his fingers flying to wipe the water droplets from the crates, meticulously checking the ropes and fasteners.

"The restraints are secure!" He Yuzhu felt a momentary sense of relief, but his expression soured instantly. The casing of the bearing crate, touched by his fingertips, was ice-cold!

The nighttime temperature in these mountains was near freezing! And bearings—especially precision-engineered ones—were most vulnerable to sudden, drastic changes in temperature!

The five characters "Avoid sudden temperature changes" circled in red on Engineer Chen’s document burned into his mind like a hot iron!

"Quick! Get the spare quilts from the trucks! All the thick clothing! Bring everything! Wrap the bearing crates!" He Yuzhu shouted, tearing off his own soaked cotton-padded jacket. Ignoring the biting cold, he wrung it out and began frantically wiping the water from the crates.

Ma Hua and Xiao Wang snapped into action, scrambling to pull every quilt and coat they could find from the jeep and the truck cab, clumsily wrapping the cold wooden crates in layer after layer.

"Water! Find water! Clean water!" He Yuzhu yelled while he wrapped.

Temperature difference! The bearings had to be brought back to room temperature slowly! Direct heat was forbidden; otherwise, the internal stress changes in the metal would destroy their precision!

"There! There sounds like running water ahead!" Xiao Wang pointed toward the dark mountain ravine below the road. He Yuzhu grabbed a canteen and a spare iron bucket from the jeep. "Ma Hua, come with me to fetch water! Master Zhao, Master Wang, stay with the trucks and the bearings! Keep a sharp lookout!" He grabbed a shovel, and he and Ma Hua slid down the steep slope, navigating the thorns and jagged rocks toward the sound of the water.

The mountain stream was bone-chilling. He Yuzhu scooped up the clear, freezing water into the bucket.

Looking at the shimmering, icy liquid in the bucket and then back at the heavily swaddled bearing crates, He Yuzhu’s brow furrowed deep.

Pouring ice water over them to warm them up slowly? The theory was sound, but the risk was immense. A single mistake—water seeping inside or uneven heating—and the consequences would be catastrophic! He needed more precise temperature control!

[Ding! Suitable location detected: Unnamed ravine in the Taihang Mountains. Do you wish to sign in?]

"Sign in!"

[Sign-in successful! Obtained: Primary Metal Material Thermal Stress Perception (One-time use). Skill activated.]

A strange, indescribable sense of perception flooded He Yuzhu’s nerve endings.

He closed his eyes, pressing his fingers through the thick quilts onto the cold casing of the bearing crate. He could "see" the microscopic stress within the steel components inside, strained by the sudden cold and ready to fracture at any moment! He could even vaguely sense the subtle temperature differences across different parts of the crates!

This skill! He Yuzhu snapped his eyes open, a sharp glint of light erupting from them!

"Ma Hua! Quick! Use the ice water in the bucket! Dampen the outer layer of the quilts covering the crates! Fast! Listen to my instructions! Wherever the temperature feels highest, dampen that area first! Be gentle! Keep it even!"

He Yuzhu pressed his hands firmly onto the critical parts of the crates, feeling every subtle change in the internal stress and temperature fields.

Though Ma Hua didn't understand why, he had absolute trust in He Yuzhu’s commands.

He immediately scooped the ice water and carefully, evenly poured it over the areas of the quilt indicated by He Yuzhu’s fingers.

He Yuzhu held his breath, his entire consciousness submerged in the strange perception at his fingertips.

He could see that, under the slow infiltration of the cold water, the strained, near-fracturing stress on the outer casing of the crates was relaxing at a controlled, incredibly slow pace!