Chapter 9
1412words
"Well done!" Moriyama raised his glass, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Did you see Kokonogi's face? He looked like he'd swallowed a fly!"
Shin took a small sip of beer: "This is just the beginning. Moriyama-senpai, I need your help."
"Tell me, what is it?"
"The problems with the Civic Center are more serious than I imagined. I need more internal documents from the construction period." Shin put down his glass, his expression grave. "Design blueprints and public records alone aren't enough to grasp the complete truth."
Moriyama was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly: "I understand. Actually... many workers who participated in that project back then feel guilty."
"Guilty?"
"Because we all knew there was a problem, but no one dared to speak up." Moriyama's voice was low, "Now you've given us an opportunity, a chance for redemption."
Moriyama took out his phone and began dialing: "Tanaka... it's me, Moriyama. Yes, it's been a long time... There's something important I want to discuss with you."
The next day at noon, five people gathered in a modest teahouse.
Besides Shin and Moriyama, there were three men in their fifties: Ryoichi Tanaka, the former foreman of the steel workers; Kenji Sato, the concrete quality inspector; and Shoichi Yamada, the on-site supervisor.
"Mr. Shin, I heard from Moriyama that you're investigating the Civic Center incident?" Ryoichi Tanaka got straight to the point.
Shin nodded: "You were all witnesses at the site back then. I hope to learn about... the real situation that wasn't included in the official records."
The three exchanged glances, and Kenji Sato smiled bitterly: "It's been twenty years, this matter has been weighing on my heart for twenty years."
"What exactly happened back then?" Shin asked.
Ryoichi Tanaka took a deep breath and began to recall: "For the Civic Center project, the construction period was compressed by one-third. A project that should have taken eighteen months was forcibly required to be completed in twelve months."
"To meet the deadline, many necessary tests were skipped," Kenji Sato continued. "I remember clearly, there was a batch of concrete that was obviously below the strength standard, but the higher-ups said there was no time to redo it."
"And the steel bars," Tanaka's face darkened. "The contract required HRB400 grade threaded steel with a diameter of 16 millimeters. But what was actually supplied was HRB335 grade, with a diameter of only 14 millimeters."
Shin suddenly looked up: "Such a big difference?"
"The strength was nearly 30% less," Tanaka nodded. "I wanted to report it at the time, but the team leader threatened that if I spoke up, he would make sure I couldn't work in the construction industry anymore."
Shoichi Yamada added: "There were also problems with supervision. Many key inspection points were merely formalities. Some concealed works were sealed off directly without being properly inspected according to regulations."
Moriyama clenched his fists: "These beasts! To save money, they treat human lives as a joke!"
Shin took notes of every detail: "Seniors, does anyone else know about these situations?"
"Yes." Kenji Sato said, "The former assistant project manager, named Matsui, had a work journal that recorded every regulatory violation in detail."
"Where is he now?"
"He passed away three years ago from liver cancer," Tanaka shook his head, "but I heard he left the journal to his son."
Shin immediately took out his phone: "Can we contact Matsui's son?"
At 10 PM that night, Shin sat in front of his computer, inputting the data collected during the day into structural analysis software one by one.
Actual rebar specification: HRB335 grade, 14mm diameter
Actual concrete strength: C25 (design required C30)
Concealed construction defects: Insufficient foundation treatment, inadequate thickness of some load-bearing walls
"Damn it..." Xin stared at the flashing red numbers on the screen, cold sweat streaming down.
The calculation results show:
● Safety factor for load-bearing: 1.1 (National standard requires above 2.0)
● Seismic resistance: Can only withstand magnitude 5 earthquakes (Design requirement is magnitude 7)
● Estimated service life: 15-20 years (Design requirement is 50 years)
What's more terrifying is that the building's deterioration rate far exceeds expectations. Based on the current structural condition, in another two to three years, the entire building will enter a dangerous phase.
"We can't wait any longer." Xin grabbed the phone and dialed Moriyama's number.
"Senior Moriyama, the situation is a hundred times worse than we imagined."
"What do you mean?"
"The civic center could collapse at any moment. Especially if there's an earthquake or extreme weather, the consequences would be unimaginable."
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds: "Xin... are you sure?"
"Data doesn't lie." The new voice trembled, "There are more than two thousand people working in that building every day, and countless citizens coming and going. If something really happens..."
"I understand. We must take action."
"But we need more direct evidence, evidence that can convince the public and the media."
"You mean..."
"I need to go to the site and see for myself."
At three o'clock the next morning, Moriyama and Shin secretly infiltrated the Civic Center.
As a former construction worker, Moriyama knew the internal structure of the building like the back of his hand. The two entered through the back door and headed straight to the underground parking lot.
"The load-bearing columns should be in this direction," Moriyama lit the way with his flashlight. "I suspected issues with the construction quality in this area back then."
The underground parking lot was vast and cold, with only the echo of their footsteps.
"Over there." Shin pointed to a row of massive concrete columns in the distance.
The two approached the first load-bearing column, and Moriyama carefully illuminated the surface of the column with his flashlight.
"Here..." Moriyama's voice trembled.
At a height of 1.5 meters from the ground, there was a crack hastily concealed with white paint. The crack was slanted, extending more than thirty centimeters in length.
"My God..." Xin lightly touched the edge of the crack with his finger, discovering that the concrete beneath the paint had already loosened and fallen away.
Moriyama examined the second pillar: "There's one here too!"
The crack on the second pillar was longer, forming a ring-like pattern that almost encircled a third of the entire column.
"Quick, take pictures!" Xin reminded.
Moriyama took out his camera and rapidly shot more than a dozen photos. Each one clearly showed the position, length, and severity of the cracks.
"This one too." The two continued their inspection and discovered that among the eight load-bearing pillars, six had cracks of varying degrees.
"Xin..." Moriyama's face turned pale, "If these cracks continue to expand..."
"The entire building will collapse like dominoes," Xin's voice seemed to come from hell itself, "And it might happen very soon."
The two looked at each other, both seeing the fear in each other's eyes.
"We must act immediately." Xin clenched his fist, "First thing tomorrow morning, I'll report this to the Construction Department."
"I'll go with you," Moriyama said firmly. "This time, we cannot remain silent anymore."
Just then, the sound of a car engine came from the entrance of the underground parking garage.
"Someone's coming!" Moriyama immediately turned off the flashlight.
The two held their breath and hid behind a pillar, watching as a black sedan slowly drove in. The car door opened, and two men in suits stepped out.
"How's the inspection going?" one of them asked.
"The cracks have widened again. At this rate, it won't hold up for more than half a year," the other replied.
"The higher-ups want to drag it out a bit longer. Once the new complex is built, we can relocate."
"But what if it collapses before then..."
"Then we'll call it an accident. The insurance company will cover it anyway."
The conversation between the two made Arata and Moriyama burn with anger. It turns out the government officials had known about the dangerous condition of the building all along, yet chose to conceal it for the sake of face and profit!
After the two left, Moriyama angrily pounded the wall: "These bastards! What do they think those two thousand lives are worth!"
"Senior Moriyama." A flame of vengeance burned in Arata's eyes, "Now we not only need to expose the truth, but also make those vermin who concealed information pay the price."
