Han brought the revised map to the command table. It showed the hidden settlement beneath the lower road, its school, water route, and chosen exits. Vessa’s messenger waited beside the table while Sella checked the engineering marks.
“Is anything wrong?” Han asked him.
He studied the page. “The official map had nothing here.”
Sella signed the engineering section. Vessa’s messenger carried a copy back below for the council to review.
Bai reported that the warehouse team had found ceramic collars, but not the full shipment. The keeper said the remaining parts were sent to a depot farther inland. Han ordered the recovered pieces brought under guard and asked Bai to trace the next invoice.
The collars were enough for a first bypass. Gu checked each one against Sella’s measurements. Yan offered to carry the heavy casings. Sella accepted the help and kept control of the repair sequence.
A low tremor shook the station. Dust sifted through the south hatch. Vessa’s runner arrived from below with word that the crack above the school had widened. The chosen evacuation moved forward by half a day.
Han sent the water carts to the upper road and posted lookouts at the public gate. Oran guided families through the lower passage. Qinghe moved the infirmary supplies to a wagon. Ning’s latest message confirmed the first clinic room was ready, but White Orchard still needed a local vote before it could open more homes.
