The next morning dawned brisk and bright, the air filled with the scent of steamed mantou from the nearby breakfast stalls. Lin Wei rose before the sun, washed quickly, and checked his tools twice before stepping out.
Today was different.Today was his first real field assignment.
Liu Fang was sweeping the courtyard when he emerged. She paused, leaning on the broom, her eyes drifting over his neatly packed tool bag.
"You're up early," she said.
He nodded. "Professor Han wants me at the North Alley Block by eight."
She hesitated, then held out a small cloth bundle.
"For lunch. I made it."
Lin Wei froze.
"You… made it?"
Her cheeks warmed slightly. "Don't make a big deal out of it. Just take it."
He accepted it carefully, as though it were something fragile.
"Thank you."
She glanced at him once more."You'll do well."
Those simple words settled in his heart like a steady flame.
Arrival at North Alley
The North Alley Housing Block was a relic from a generation past—cramped lanes, slanted roofs, brick walls patched a dozen times over. Laundry hung between windows like colorful banners.
As Lin Wei approached, he found two surveyors and a structural engineer waiting.
One of them, a lanky man with thick glasses, looked him over skeptically.
"You're the new apprentice?""Fresh from school?""Why'd Professor Han send you alone?"
Lin Wei bowed politely.
"I'll be assisting with the assessment."
The man clicked his tongue. "Just don't get in the way."
Lin Wei didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
Inside the Housing Block
The moment he stepped through the entryway, his system activated.
[Field Inspection Mode][Structural Weak Point Detection Lv.1 Active]
[Risk Indicators Visible:— Floorbeam sagging— Mold weakening lower walls— Rot behind plaster— Subtle foundation shift]
Faint shimmering outlines appeared over damaged areas, like soft glows only he could see.
He knelt down and ran his fingers along a cracked floorboard.
The engineer scoffed. "Kid, don't pretend to understand—"
Lin Wei spoke quietly.
"This beam has internal rot. If someone jumps too hard here, it'll collapse."
The man rolled his eyes, but a loud crack from above made them all look up.
A child had tripped while running down the hall—And the opposite end of the same beam gave a sharp creak.
Exactly as Lin Wei predicted.
The surveyors froze.
"…What?"
"How did he know?"
"Wait, check it—quick!"
They pried up the floorboard.
Rotten.Completely rotten.
The man with glasses stared at Lin Wei like he was seeing a ghost.
"Professor Han wasn't joking…"
Deeper Problems
As they moved through the building, Lin Wei pointed out every hidden flaw.
"In this wall, moisture has seeped behind the plaster.""This stair post is unstable.""The roof tile has a hidden crack—rain will leak in."
Every time, the system highlighted the truth.Every time, he was correct.
Soon, the skeptical engineer had stopped talking altogether.
Halfway through the inspection, he finally muttered:
"…Are you really an apprentice?"
Lin Wei looked up innocently. "I'm learning."
The man stared at him for a long second, then burst out laughing.
"Then heaven help the rest of us. You're terrifying."
A Hidden Crisis
Near the end of the inspection, Lin Wei approached a narrow storage room on the first floor. Dust coated the walls. Old wooden cabinets leaned haphazardly against each other.
He placed a hand on the nearest cabinet—
And the system suddenly flared bright red.
[WARNING][Structural Collapse Risk: HIGH][Immediate Danger Detected Behind Load-Bearing Wall]
Lin Wei's heart jolted.
He pulled the cabinet aside and pressed his ear against the wall.
Creak.Groan.
The sound of stressed timber under pressure.
His expression sharpened.
"This wall is going to give."
The others gathered.
"You sure?""Nothing looks wrong."
Lin Wei stepped back sharply.
"Evacuate the first floor!"
They blinked.
"What—"
"Now."
Something in his voice—steady, urgent, certain—made them obey before they could think.
Within minutes, the first floor tenants hurried outside in confusion.
A woman clutching her baby.An elderly man leaning on a cane.Children with wide, scared eyes.
Then—
CRACK.
The wooden beam inside the storage room split.The load-bearing wall trembled violently.
BOOM.
Part of the ceiling caved inward.
Dust shot out the doorway in a choking cloud.
The neighbors screamed.One of the surveyors stumbled backward.The engineer turned pale.
If anyone had been inside—
Lin Wei's fists tightened.
He bowed deeply to the shaken tenants.
"I'm sorry," he said, voice trembling slightly despite his calm expression. "We should have caught it earlier. I'm glad you're safe."
The old man with the cane stepped forward.
"You saved us," he said, gripping Lin Wei's shoulder. "Don't apologize for that."
The others murmured in agreement.
The skeptical engineer was staring at him like he'd never seen a person before.
"Kid," he whispered, "what are you?"
Lin Wei didn't answer.
News Travels Fast
By the time they returned to the bureau, word had already spread.
A crowd of engineers and planners gathered as they entered the office.
"That's the rookie who detected a collapse!""He saved over twenty people!""Professor Han's special apprentice—unbelievable!"
Professor Han himself pushed through the crowd.
He grabbed Lin Wei's shoulders.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"And the building?"
"Stabilized for now. Needs urgent reinforcement."
The professor exhaled slowly, then smiled.
"A good day's work, Lin Wei. A very good day's work."
But Back in the Courtyard…
When Lin Wei returned home that evening, exhausted but satisfied, he expected peace.
Instead—
The moment he stepped through the gate, Auntie Zhang grabbed him by the ear.
"What did you DO?!""Why are there rumors about collapsing buildings?!""Are you trying to give us a heart attack?!"
Uncle Luo burst out laughing.Liu Fang nearly dropped the water bucket she was carrying.Old Madam Chen swatted Auntie Zhang away.
The courtyard swarmed him like anxious hens.
Lin Wei lifted his hands defensively."I'm fine, really—"
But it was Liu Fang who approached silently, eyes wide with worry.
"…Were you in danger?"
He looked at her.
And for the first time today—His heart skipped.
"No," he said softly. "I was careful."
She stared a long moment…Then nodded, relief loosening her shoulders.
"Good."
Nightfall and a Quiet Reward
Later that night, alone under the apricot tree, the lantern swayed gently above him.
The system chimed:
[Heaven Recognizes Your Courage][+1 Skill Level: Structural Weak Point Detection Lv.2][+1 Community Trust][+1 Personal Growth]
[Hard work saves lives.Heaven rewards those who act without hesitation.]
Lin Wei sat beneath the lantern, staring at its warm glow.
Today, he had taken another step—not only as a worker,but as someone who shaped the world around him.
And tomorrow…
He would face even bigger challenges.