"If my guess is correct," he told Young Master Liu, "this Mountain God Egg must be planning to escape tonight. We can devise a scheme to stop it then. We'll see what this Mountain God Egg really is."

Young Master Liu glanced at the house-sized cylindrical stone and asked, "How do you plan to stop a stone this big from leaving? I imagine a rock of this size must be incredibly powerful; we probably have no way to deal with it."

Fan Debiao, however, smirked mysteriously. "No matter how great its ability, can it move this entire mountain? We'll use the cables from the cable cars to lash it to the mountaintop. I don't believe this stone can break free then." Fan Debiao finished by pointing at the thick, tough cables of the cars.

"Alright then, we have no choice but to take this gamble. Let's hope this big rock moves against the incline, that it doesn't have that much strength, or we'll be in serious trouble."

Fan Debiao gathered the men. "Brothers, this is the time to declare your loyalty. Follow me, and we'll eat well and live comfortably; you won't have to suffer like slaves here anymore."

Silence met him below, as this was clearly an act of treason.

"Good, very good. It seems you are all truly loyal. Now I'll tell you: I want you to help me dismantle the ropes from those cable cars. One side will help secure the Mountain God Egg, and the other side will help secure the mountaintop. Whoever does the best and fastest job today will receive six work points; everyone else helping gets five points."

Damn it, even if it costs us our lives, we have to earn those five points! Everyone started working busily.

The strength of the collective is indeed great; in less than half a day, the entire project was completed.

Fan Debiao stroked his nearly shaved mustache and chuckled, "Not bad, very good, excellent! I see now I haven't misjudged you all. Alright, go rest now. We have big things to do tonight." Fan Debiao sent everyone off to rest.

Who was Fan Debiao? He was a man of some standing, only hiding out here to lie low for a while. A delay of a day or two in the construction schedule was hardly a major issue.

When night fell, Fan Debiao woke everyone up early, keeping watch on the Mountain God Egg. Would it awaken tonight? Would something hatch from it?

Indeed, as the third watch approached, the Mountain God Egg began to stir. As time passed, its movement grew more pronounced until it began to vibrate violently, seemingly trying to push itself out of the cave.

Damn it, this thing really has strength! Fan Debiao couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. He had seen strong men before, but never with such raw power; it was overwhelming.

The situation escalated, and after an indeterminate time, a massive sound tore through the world as the stone finally rolled free from the cave.

But just then, the tide turned. As it began to roll towards the mountaintop, the cable ropes snagged it! Although the stone strained with all its might, desperately rolling upward, the ropes held fast.

Remember, these cables were specifically designed to pull cable cars, capable of bearing the weight of over a dozen men. Their tensile strength was incredible.

Clearly unwilling to yield, the stone kept pulling against the cables, trying to drag them from one side to the other.

After an unknown duration, the vibrations grew more intense. Everyone felt a tremor under their feet.

What should be done next?

Fan Debiao grew anxious. If the stone continued to struggle and managed to pull the mountain off balance, it would be disastrous.

But as soon as Fan Debiao voiced his concern, a sharp crack echoed from the mountaintop.

Everyone looked up in alarm. My God, the very peak holding the Mountain God Egg captive had actually split open!

The Mountain God Egg was straining with its full power, pulling the cables taut until they hummed, sounding as if they might snap at any second.

"Quickly, quickly! Wake up everyone in the dormitories! Get out of there!" Fan Debiao roared. He noticed that if the mountaintop collapsed, it would fall directly onto the dorms. If any lives were lost here, it would cause him considerable trouble, as he was currently in hiding.

Huang Shitou and Su Yougui sprinted into the dormitory, shouting, "Get out! Earthquake! Earthquake!" A few people trickled out of the dorms, then froze, terror making them nearly soil themselves as they stared at the massive fissure in the mountaintop; their legs were shaking uncontrollably.

"Damn it all, hurry up! The mountaintop is about to collapse!" Fan Debiao yelled.

The few men spurred their legs and sprinted frantically toward safety.

Snap, snap, snap.

The cables finally began to break, followed by one final, earth-shattering sound like a bowstring being released. The Mountain God Egg finally shook off the restraint of the ropes and shot abruptly skyward, before crashing heavily back onto the ground.

The earth trembled violently.

At that moment, the mountaintop, already fractured, was shaken apart by the impact, splitting open from the top and tumbling downward.

With a deafening roar, the mass of rock plummeted from mid-air. Clouds of dust enveloped an area spanning two kilometers, instantly reducing visibility to barely two meters. Compounding the darkness of the night, everyone fled like headless flies.

Young Master Liu shouted, "Don't run! We are within the safe zone if the mountain falls! Don't panic!"

But no one heeded him.

Fan Debiao roared now, "Damn it, all of you stop moving! If anyone runs again, I'll be the first to shoot him!" Following this threat, the distinct sound of a gunshot rang out. Instantly, everyone quieted down and stood still.

The mountain settled down as well, with only the occasional small stone dropping with a faint rattling sound.

Everyone was astonished. Did Fan Debiao actually have a gun? They knew he was connected to the underworld, but they hadn't expected actual firearms. How could a mere construction supervisor possess a gun in those days?

However, when Young Master Liu saw Fan Debiao hastily shoving what looked like firecrackers into his pocket, he couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

"Damn it, you're safe, why are you running? Now all of you go clean up the dorms and report any damage. Today, we experienced a minor earthquake, understand? It has nothing to do with that Mountain God Egg. That thing doesn't exist." Fan Debiao looked incredibly imposing after firing his shot.

"Understood. We understand," the workers replied in unison.

"Good, that’s more like it. Go clean up. Su Yougui, Hu Beikang, Huang Shitou, Master Liu, you follow me. Let's go see what happened to the Mountain God Egg." Fan Debiao hefted a shovel from the ground and motioned for the others to grab convenient tools as they headed toward the stone.

Because it had been bound earlier, the Mountain God Egg had likely exhausted all its strength struggling. Now free, it offered no resistance and stood perfectly still, as if at attention.

Only then did Fan Debiao dare to approach it with his group.

But before they could get close, the stone let out a hoarse shriek, and the Mountain God Egg suddenly exploded! A brilliant, blinding light flashed from within the fissure, forcing everyone to shut their eyes tight.

They were temporarily blinded.

When they could finally see again, the scene before them was one of utter devastation.

Two halves of the smoking stone lay in the middle of the path. Between the cracked halves was a circular indentation.

Clearly, the object that had shot out from the center was the spherical core inside. It resembled an egg in structure, only the shell of this Mountain God Egg was considerably thicker.

"Master Liu, take a look. What's going on here? What was that round thing that flew out?"

Young Master Liu looked at Fan Debiao with some embarrassment. "Actually... I don't know."

Truthfully, to every question Fan Debiao had asked since the beginning, Young Master Liu’s answer had been "I don't know." Yet, for some reason, Fan Debiao still seemed to trust him implicitly. Why did he keep asking? Young Master Liu was starting to feel awkward about having to say "why" so often.

"Hey, you over there! Send a few strong men over here... come on, come over!" Fan Debiao pointed toward several burly men down the hill.

In a moment, a few strapping fellows climbed up to the summit.

"You lot, move these stones into the dormitory. See if there's anything strange about them," Fan Debiao directed.

The men froze immediately. These were demon stones weighing thousands of pounds! How could just a few of them move such objects?

"What are you waiting for? Get moving! Every person who helps carry them back gets three work points!"

Wow, three work points! Damn it, even if we kill ourselves, we have to move this stone! Instantly, the men grabbed the stone with hands and feet and transported it down the hill.

These three points were well worth earning. If Young Master Liu hadn't felt he lacked such immense strength, he probably would have jumped in to earn those three points himself.

Fan Debiao looked at Young Master Liu and the other two. "Master Liu, based on your wisdom, perhaps we should go take a look at Bodhisattva Mountain? With so many strange things happening, we need to take some action." Fan Debiao stared at the distant Bodhisattva Mountain, his curiosity almost consuming him.

"Yes, alright. Since you suggest it, we will certainly go to Bodhisattva Mountain when we have time. I have a feeling Bodhisattva Mountain holds secrets we don't know about." Young Master Liu glanced toward his dormitory as he spoke. It had been reduced to a pile of dust—the large stone that fell had crushed his living quarters entirely. That damned Fan Debiao, he hadn't done much good, but he came up with the terrible idea of pulling the mountain; now his residence was gone. Where would he live now?

Fan Debiao also felt a pang of guilt as he looked at the collapsed thatched hut below. He followed Young Master Liu and the others down. "No one was hurt, right?"

"Yes, I've checked. Everyone is accounted for, no injuries," Su Yougui replied.

"Good, as long as the people are safe, we must uphold Chairman Mao's spirit: the more difficult the task, the more determined we must be! So what if the thatched hut is destroyed? We workers have the strength; we must rebuild it!" Fan Debiao roused morale. It had to be said, although Fan Debiao was cunning and clearly a gangster type, he was skilled at framing his speech using the structure of Chairman Mao’s quotations. In those days, referencing the Chairman could get you anywhere.

Fan Debiao didn't say more, simply looking at the assembled crowd and stating, "Since no one is injured, everyone will temporarily settle in tonight. Today was a mountain collapse; the construction team owes us compensation. Furthermore, Su Yougui, Hu Beikang, Master Liu, you said three comrades were seriously injured and need good food to recuperate. Tomorrow, I will send someone to the engineering department to secure compensation funds. Then, brothers, we will have a proper feast, and everyone gets an extra five work points for your active participation and selfless assistance to our injured comrades—this exemplifies the glorious spirit of our socialist nation in helping those in difficulty. You are all excellent, very strong."

Fan Debiao's speech stirred the hearts of the men. Young Master Liu felt that Fan Debiao was like a leader who genuinely cared for his brothers, unlike the leaders he had known before.

Truly a gangster, he thought. Gangsters, damn it, they have loyalty!

Young Master Liu felt this way. To earn those five points, they wouldn't complain even if they had to sleep outside for ten days or half a month.

"Come on, Liangzi, go to the engineering department and tell them our mountain collapsed, smashing the workers' dormitories. Report that three comrades are severely injured and need proper care. Hurry back!"

At this, a figure stepped out from the crowd. This man was dark-skinned, with bulging muscles and exceptionally tall—a clear indication of immense physical strength. Compared to Fan Debiao, Fan Debiao looked like a child next to him.

"Understood!" Liangzi's deep voice boomed, and the ground trembled slightly from the sheer force of his running.

This guy is truly tall and mighty, Young Master Liu marveled.

By the next day, Liangzi had returned, looking flushed and energetic—a sure sign he had taken a detour for some personal pleasure en route. Huang Shitou looked terribly jealous; Damn it, that slut must have been waiting for me, and this simple brute stole the spoils! Huang Shitou’s expression suggested Liangzi had slept with his wife.

Liangzi lumbered up to Fan Debiao, panting slightly. "Captain, I'm back from there."

Fan Debiao sat up quickly from his stool, looking at the gasping Huang Shitou, and then at Liangzi. "Liangzi, was it settled? How much did they give you?"

Liangzi replied, "They said this was a natural disaster and told us to uphold the spirit of unity and mutual assistance to fix our dorms and let the comrades rest well. Man will conquer nature; we cannot yield to nature; we must fight it."

Fan Debiao looked at Liangzi, growing impatient. "Did they give you any money or anything else?"

Liangzi said, "I told them we are working hard every day and can barely afford food to keep our strength up, so please give us some money to eat something to replenish our bodies. Then he slapped me."

"Damn these sons of bitches! What do they take us for? Watch how I torture them this time! You, you, you, follow me! We're going to the engineering department. Damn it, if we don't show them what we’re made of, they won’t realize we’re gangsters!"

Fan Debiao picked up a shovel from the ground and gathered a few of the sturdiest men to accompany him to the engineering department.

Looking at Fan Debiao, he really was loyal, thought Liu.

When they returned the next day, every man was carrying a cloth sack, and Fan Debiao himself was beaming—it was clear the rogue had enjoyed some private 'restitution' along the way.

In those times, when most men were away working, only women and children remained in the villages, including many newly married women who had barely tasted married life before being separated. Few could endure such hardship. The construction site near their village happened to have a crew, and these laborers had become a paradise for those women. If Fan Debiao knew this was happening, the old rogue would probably be running down the mountain three times a day.

"You all, distribute what you're carrying among the brothers to eat. I managed to secure some money here. Liangzi, come here, go down to the mountain village hotel and bring back twenty jin of Shaodaozi [a strong liquor]. Listen, the walk to the village is only half an hour. If you aren't back in half an hour, I swear I'll castrate you!" Fan Debiao warned, worried Liangzi might get into mischief in the village again.

"Understood, Boss!" Liangzi lumbered off toward the foot of the mountain, causing the ground to tremble lightly once more.

The large group got quite drunk. With no place to sleep that night, as the thatched huts were only half-repaired during the day and completely uninhabitable, the men simply slept outside, snoring heavily under the starry sky. The construction site was unnervingly quiet that night; one could hear a pin drop, or indeed, a fart.

Just as dawn was breaking, a man suddenly shrieked, "Bad news! Bad news! Dead body! Dead body! Someone come quick, a dead body!"

Everyone was jolted awake and rushed toward the location of the deceased. Seeing the body on the ground, even some of the more timid men vomited.

The location where the man lay was what they called the latrine area—a place reserved for men, so no separate toilet was built; they had simply dug a large pit for waste disposal, which was overflowing from accumulation over time.

The corpse was submerged up to its waist in excrement and urine, covered head to toe in filth, with more waste oozing from its mouth. If someone claimed the man had drowned, no one would believe it, as the man's intestines and internal organs were floating atop the heap of refuse.

"Damn it... this... this dead bastard..." Fan Debiao was nauseated beyond measure, nearly gagging, and could barely form words.