Chapter 2: A Line Drawn by Blueprint

Lin Wan crouched by the bridge pier, her fingers tracing the rusted iron plating. In her vision, several dark red stress fractures were slowly spreading along the rivets, like veins crawling across aged skin. She closed her eyes, and the Blueprint Library activated automatically. Countless construction paths unfolded and folded within her mind, finally settling on a detour that hugged the riverbank. It required the least amount of work and offered the shortest timeline.

She pulled out a pencil and began sketching rapidly on the back of the blueprints. Zhao Jianguo walked over and glanced at the page. "This isn't the original alignment."

"The original line crosses the river, but the riverbed here is sandy soil. It'll collapse the moment the flood season hits. If we detour to the north bank, it adds two miles to the trip, but we save an entire bridge pier." Lin Wan looked up. "I can tell it wouldn't last three months."

Zhao Jianguo frowned. "The piers are set in stone by the blueprints. You think you can just change them on a whim?"

"Blueprints are static; the ground is dynamic." She handed him the sketch. "Look at these contour lines. The north bank is bedrock. The foundation is solid, and we can cut the piling work in half."

Old Zhang strolled over at that moment. He snatched the sketch, scanned it for a few seconds, and slapped it back onto the table with a loud thud. "Ridiculous! This plan was set by the Chief Engineer. You're just a female clerk—you think you can change the alignment based on a hunch?"

Lin Wan remained unfazed. "The Chief Engineer's plan puts the foundation for pier number three in silt. The load-bearing calculations are wrong."

Old Zhang’s expression darkened. "Those figures came from the survey team. What makes you think they're wrong?"

"Because I calculated it." Lin Wan pointed to a spot on the map. "Eight meters down right here is a layer of quicksand. The survey team only took surface samples; they didn't go deep enough. Once the floods come, that pier is guaranteed to sink."

Old Zhang was so angry his mustache trembled. "You're a draftswoman! What do you know about quicksand? I've been building railroads for thirty years, and I've never seen anyone try to correct the Chief Engineer's blueprints with their bare eyes!"

Lin Wan stayed calm. "How about a test?"

"What kind of test?"

"Drill three small test bores in a limited area to check the soil quality at eight meters. We'll have the results in three days."

Old Zhang stared at her for a long time before letting out a cold snort. "You've got a real knack for scheming, don't you? Fine. I'll let you try. But if those bores come up with hard soil, you can tear up these drawings yourself."

"Deal."

The next day, the drilling began. Engineer Li and a few workers labored away, grinding deep into the earth. When they hit the seven-meter mark, the slurry suddenly thinned. What came up was nothing but fine sand—wet, loose, and crumbling at a touch.

Engineer Li froze. "It really is quicksand? How did nobody notice this?"

Lin Wan crouched by the hole, picked up a handful of sand, and rubbed it between her fingers. "The surface is clay; it masked the layer. If we hadn't accounted for this, the pier would have been toast the moment the floods hit."

Engineer Li jumped up. "Comrade Lin, I'm sold! Your blueprints are spot on! Let's go tell the Chief Engineer right now!"

Old Zhang stood by the bore, his expression shifting between shock and doubt. He crouched down, grabbed a handful of the quicksand himself, and rubbed it for a long time without saying a word.

Finally, he stood up and looked at Lin Wan. "Where the hell did you get eyes like those?"

Lin Wan smiled. "It's not my eyes. It's my brain."

Old Zhang was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let me see those drawings again."

He picked up the sketch and scrutinized it. The North Bank Line followed the bedrock, meaning the piles would be driven into hard ground. Although it added two miles to the route, it eliminated a bridge pier and actually shortened the construction schedule by seven days.

Old Zhang put the papers down, his gaze complicated. "Fine. The North Bank Line is approved. But this is an experiment. If anything goes wrong, it's on your head."

"I'll take responsibility."

As the news spread, the workers began to gossip. A draftswoman changing the Chief Engineer's plans and actually winning the argument—that was a first for this site.

That was when Su Man arrived. She was wearing a brand-new set of work clothes, followed by two men in suits carrying briefcases.

She scanned the site, her eyes landing on Lin Wan. A smirk played on her lips. "I heard you changed the blueprints?"

Lin Wan looked up. "I did."

Su Man gave a light laugh. "Do you have any idea who invested in this bridge?"

"I don't care who built it; it still has to follow the geology."

Su Man paced a few steps. "This bridge is for hauling coal to the Steel Mill. By detouring to the north bank, you're adding two miles. Have you calculated how much extra coal will be burned every year?"

Lin Wan replied, "I have. Two extra miles means three thousand more tons of coal per year. But have you calculated how much it costs to rebuild the bridge after it collapses?"

Su Man's expression shifted. "Why would the bridge collapse? The blueprints were set by the Chief Engineer."

"The Chief Engineer's blueprints put pier number three on quicksand. When the floods hit, it's going down."

Su Man sneered. "You're a draftswoman. You can 'calculate' quicksand?"

"I don't calculate it," Lin Wan said, meeting her gaze. "I can see it."

Stung by that look, Su Man recoiled half a step. "Stop playing these mysterious games. I am the investor; I have the right to demand construction follow the original plans."

"You have the right to demand it, but the geology doesn't take orders from you."

A low ripple of laughter broke out among the watching workers. Su Man's face flushed red. She turned to Old Zhang. "Old Zhang, say something! Whose blueprints are we using for this project?"

Old Zhang remained silent for a moment, then spoke slowly. "Hers."

Su Man's eyes widened. "You—what kind of spell has she cast on you?"

"No spell," Old Zhang said, pointing to the test bore. "Eight meters down, quicksand. That's a fact. In the face of facts, everyone's blueprints have to change."

Su Man was shaking with rage. "Fine! Great! You're all in on this to make a fool of me! I'm calling the main plant right now. I'm pulling my investment from this project!"

Lin Wan spoke up. "You can pull your funding. But if the bridge collapses, it's the workers who die. If you pull the funding, the people stay alive."

Su Man froze.

The crowd went silent. Someone whispered, "The girl's got a point."

Su Man's face turned a shade of pale green, then red. Finally, she stomped her foot, turned on her heel, and marched away. The two men in suits scrambled to follow her.

Engineer Li shouted after her, "Safe travels, Comrade Su! If the bridge collapses, remember to come back and visit!"

The workers erupted in laughter.

Lin Wan didn't laugh. She watched Su Man's retreating figure, then looked back at the blue detour line on the map. She had a nagging feeling that this wasn't over.

Three days later, Old Zhang found Lin Wan, holding a stack of documents.

"Comrade Lin, this North Bank Line you drew... I want you to lead the re-survey."

Lin Wan was stunned. "Me?"

"Yes. You've got a sharp eye and you're accurate. If this line can actually be built the way you drew it, then I, Old Zhang, will officially be impressed."

Lin Wan took the documents, glanced at them, and looked up. "Engineer Zhang, you don't mind that I'm just a draftswoman anymore?"

Old Zhang huffed. "So what if you're a draftswoman? A draftswoman is still a railroad person. As long as your eyes are sharp and your brain is quick, you can build a railroad."

Lin Wan smiled. "I'll give it a shot."

"Not a 'shot,'" Old Zhang said, his face turning stern. "It has to work. I'm putting thirty years of my reputation on the line for this. If you fail, my old face will be completely ruined."

Lin Wan looked at him solemnly. "Don't worry. I won't let you down."

Old Zhang gave her one last look and turned to leave. After a few steps, he paused and looked back. "By the way, that 'seeing' ability of yours... what exactly is it?"

Lin Wan thought for a moment. "It's... just being able to see the cracks in the rails."

Old Zhang was silent for a while. "I wish I had a pair of eyes like that."

With that, he walked away. Lin Wan stood there, watching his back, a wave of warmth swelling in her chest.

She looked down at the blueprints. The blue detour line shimmered under the sunlight. In her vision, the stress fractures were slowly fading, replaced by a clear, solid path.

She gripped her pencil and wrote four words in the corner of the map: North Bank Line, Confirmed.