Chapter 3

Viola quickly nodded along. "Go ahead and grab your lunch, David. I've got things under control, so don't worry."

David smiled. "Alright, if you say so. Tell Elden to swing by my place when he's changed; I've got something for him."

Viola let out a long breath of relief and immediately nodded before David walked off without a doubt.

I had no strength left to scream for help, so it seemed that I was destined to await death at the bottom of this well.

Closing my eyes in despair, I listened to the frantic beating of my heart in the silent water before Ron's voice suddenly crackled in my ear.

"Are you still hoping to get rescued, Elden? What makes you think I'm just going to stand by and watch you succeed?

"I'm telling you—even if you die down there, no one's coming for your help. So, get on your knees and beg, and I might send you some oxygen."

My eyelids grew heavy as I listened to their endless insults. In that moment, memories flashed before my eyes like an old movie strip.

The thought of dying at Viola and Ron's hands filled me with bitter unwillingness.

Why should I suffer such humiliation? If that were the case, I would drag everyone down with me.

As the thought crossed my mind, my eyes snapped open. I stared at the drill bit and let out a cold laugh.

When I gripped the drill bit, the icy touch brought a sliver of clarity clarity back to my mind.

It was too solid to be smashed with my weakened strength, but I knew that I could dismantle it. If I succeeded, the scattered parts would sink into the water and make it impossible to continue drilling even with a replacement.

I tightened my grip around the drill bit and began wrenching with all my might.

The sound of my efforts echoed through the water, so Viola and Ron immediately noticed something amiss.

"Why are you still causing trouble? Have you lost your mind?" Viola growled through gritted teeth.

When I didn't answer and kept turning the screws on the drill bit, they finally understood my intent to bring us all down together.

Viola's panicked voice rang in my ear. "Elden, stop! I'll get you up right now, so don't do anything reckless! It was just a joke!

"Please! If this goes wrong, we're all doomed!"

I stayed silent and only sped up my movements, so Viola immediately had Ron open the cover. "Hurry up and open it! If you hadn't come up with this stupid idea, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Ron quietly grumbled, "How was I supposed to know he'd still have the strength to cause trouble after being down there for so long?

"We'll deal with him once he's up here. Next time, I'll make him kneel and bow to me."

Reluctantly, he started moving the heavy cover.

A loud rumbling echoed from above as it was dragged away, but my vision was obscured by the murky well water.

Upon surfacing, the drilling diver had to sign off on the timestamp for the shift and to prevent accidents. Without my signature, the two of them couldn't prove that I had intentionally damaged the drill.

I looked forward to seeing if their family fortunes could cover an eight-billion-dollar construction project.

Viola went from begging me to stop to cursing and hurling insults, but I never showed any reaction. Ron had donned his gear and moved the cover away, diving into the water to stop me.

Once he was underwater, he charged toward me and yelled, "Stop! You're insane! If you want to die, just do it and don't drag us down with you!"

It was a pity that he was too late.

With my last ounce of strength, I ripped the final bolt free. The drill bit fell apart, and the heavy steel segments plummeted into the bottom of the water, sending up a massive splash.

A massive plume of mud completely clouded the water in the region.

I gave Ron a wave, then heavily closed my eyes and let myself sink.

Above ground, the technician monitoring the underwater feed saw the drill bit collapse. He shot to his feet, grabbed a loudspeaker, and yelled in terror, "The drill bit's dropped. Emergency response to the well, now!"