The core blast vented into the hollow side of the mountain.
A column of smoke and dust rose behind the station while the evacuation road remained clear. The furnace building shuddered. Its lower wall collapsed across the channel, and the houses in the lower quarter burned where the pressure line ruptured.
Ning’s convoy was less than a mile away at the upper-road staging camp. She ordered the drivers to move farther uphill rather than turn back into the smoke. Vessa checked the household count and found several families missing from the first group.
“Keep the carts facing the road,” Ning said. “No one goes back until Han sends a signal.”
A driver started to argue that his home was still below. Ning put the list in his hand and asked him to show her where his family was counted. He found their names, then lowered the page. The road was clear, but the lower quarter was not safe to enter. He climbed back onto the wagon and helped move the water barrels uphill. Ning stayed beside the path until the last cart cleared the lower turn. She counted the people walking beside it, not only those seated in the wagons. When the road was empty, she asked the guards to keep the lane closed until Han’s signal came.
