After the Divorce, My Ex-Wife Suddenly Became an Alpha - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Unexpected Situation

“President Gu, there’s a situation at the old mine. Sister Yan asked me to come notify you.”
The speaker was a tall, refined-looking Alpha woman. She wore a black camouflage long-sleeve outfit, her long hair tied in a ponytail swaying behind her head. She was out of breath but still spoke clearly to Gu Jin Xiao: “We suspect someone entered our mine tunnel.”

Gu Jin Xiao recognized her—it was Ding Yao, one of the security personnel specially selected by Cross Star from a military academy. Before coming to N92, Gu Jin Xiao had specifically asked Gu Xingchen to arrange a team of escorts, assigning them to standby duty at the old mine, led by the former head of security, Sister Yan.

Gu Jin Xiao turned her head and smiled at the people beside her. “I’ll go take a look. You all continue construction this afternoon according to the plan.” With that, she walked out at a steady pace. Ding Yao quickly followed: “President Gu, should we notify the patrol office?”

Gu Jin Xiao shook her head with a smile. “No need. I’ll go check it out first. If it’s just some tunnel rats scouting, there’s no need to make a fuss and waste resources.”

She led Ding Yao into the office, instructed her to grab the waterproof travel bag hanging by the door, then opened the safe and started pulling things out—climbing ropes, carabiners, a compass, a headlamp… professional gear, one after another. Lastly, she took out a small, gleaming crossbow.

Seeing the cold glint of the crossbow, Ding Yao finally realized—perhaps the boss wasn’t as calm as she appeared.

The two drove toward the old mining site. The area was filled with sprawling abandoned mines. Even before they arrived, they could already see the thick dust swirling in the air. Dirty tents and makeshift shelters made of plastic sheets dotted the roadside. Sun-darkened children played in dirt pits, watched over by expressionless mothers.

Sister Yan came out to greet them personally. She was a native of N92, her dark face framed by resolute eyes. She, too, wore a black camouflage uniform and even carried a particle gun on her back. She apologized, saying, “There’s been a water shortage lately. The vagrants have caused a few incidents. Better to be cautious.”

In truth, it was more out of fear something would happen to Gu Jin Xiao. Gu Jin Xiao understood this and nodded, leaping lightly out of the vehicle. “Which mine had the issue? Take me to see.”

They entered the mining area. The Gu family’s old mine occupied nearly a third of the western mining district. The view stretched far and wide. The noon sun blazed, baking the dry ground until it turned white-hot. Mining slag on the ground reflected the sunlight, like burning crystals. Giant steel frames stood silently at the entrances of mine shafts, guarding the desolate landscape.

These lands, post-extraction, were no longer suitable for farming or construction. Beneath the surface, hollow tunnels posed constant danger. Maintaining guards was costly, so most mine owners turned a blind eye, allowing tunnel rats to run rampant.

But Gu Jin Xiao had always been cautious. Since taking over N92, she’d repeatedly emphasized mine safety. The old mine was never left unpatrolled—which is why they were able to discover the problem so quickly.

Sister Yan brought them to a shaft near the edge of the site. “Patrols work in two shifts. At the shift change, everything was fine. But when the next team arrived, they found rope abrasion marks by the mine entrance. They double-checked with the previous shift to confirm—someone had entered.”

She pointed to the mine entrance. Sure enough, there was a roughly 50 cm-wide mark at the edge. The dirt surface bore jagged patterns. Sister Yan explained, “Looks like it was a thistle vine rope—thinner than normal rope, easy to conceal. Tunnel rats often use it to go down shafts.”

Since this happened under her watch, Sister Yan feared Gu Jin Xiao’s displeasure and quickly added, “I’ve already had surveillance footage pulled for review. All the entry points have been checked for missing slag. We’ve also sent people to investigate the black market…”

Hearing her anxious tone, Gu Jin Xiao reassured her: “It’s alright. Even if some slag was stolen, it’s not a huge loss. What I’m more concerned about is something else.”

She crouched to examine the rope marks more closely. As she leaned in, struggling to see clearly, a beam of light shone directly into the tunnel. Ding Yao had smartly switched on the flashlight. “President Gu, are you looking for something?”

With the tunnel illuminated, her view was much clearer. Gu Jin Xiao bent lower and spotted what she was looking for. Her expression darkened.

“Have the surveillance team count carefully—did the number of people entering and exiting the mine match?” She brushed the dirt off her hands. “Let’s hope I’m just being paranoid.”

Not long after, the surveillance room reported a finding. By the time they arrived, the security officer had already clipped the footage and played it on the screen.

Though many old surveillance units had been deactivated, the main entry points still had working cameras. The video showed an old pickup truck parked roadside in the middle of the night. Its rear was half-open, shadows moving inside—clearly people.

As the footage switched to the exit view, daylight revealed the figures more clearly. Hunched backs, thin frames, ragged clothing.

“That’s them—tunnel rats,” Sister Yan said grimly. “Years of crawling through narrow tunnels has curved their spines…”

The last person climbed into the truck before it slowly drove away.

Gu Jin Xiao watched, a sinking feeling in her chest. The others in the room sensed something was off too.

“I think there were more people in the truck earlier… but the shadows were all jumbled, I couldn’t count clearly,” one guard said uncertainly.

“Yeah, it does feel like someone’s missing…” another confirmed.

Gu Jin Xiao turned sharply, her tone firm: “At least three people are missing. You couldn’t count because they were small—blending into the others’ shadows.”

Sister Yan, seasoned as she was, quickly grasped the implication. “Those bastards… they brought children into the mine!”

The room erupted.

It wasn’t unheard of—sneaking into uncertain, cramped mines was tough for adults. But underfed children, being smaller, could navigate better. Some tunnel rats offered money to poor families to “rent” their kids for mining.

But the mine’s dangerous and complex terrain posed a deadly risk, especially to clueless children. Despite strict government bans on child labor, desperate families still took the money.

If those kids had been abandoned underground due to a broken rope—it was serious. Gu Jin Xiao immediately ordered Sister Yan to contact the patrol office and simultaneously mobilized the mine’s security team to prepare for a rescue.

She herself borrowed a patrol uniform, startling Ding Yao. “President Gu, we’ll go down and search. You shouldn’t take the risk.”

Gu Jin Xiao waved her off. “One more person means one more pair of hands.”

She picked up the uniform and headed to the office, worry gnawing at her. Ding Yao might not know this, but N92 was a marginal mining planet with limited federal support. The patrol office was chronically understaffed. If they waited, the kids might not last.

That’s why she came personally without hesitation.

Under Sister Yan’s orders, guards assembled support structures around the mine. A strong male Alpha tested the winch. When Gu Jin Xiao arrived, Sister Yan strongly objected to her descent.

“If something happens to you, I can’t answer to Madam Gu!” she pleaded. “The patrol office is on their way.”

Gu Jin Xiao shook her head. “This mine has dozens of tunnel branches. Searching will take time. I’ve had professional training and can protect myself. Besides… if they’ve done this once, they might have harmed other kids. I need you here to deal with the patrol office and catch those responsible.”

Sister Yan was silent. She knew this young boss, gentle as she seemed, was unwavering in serious matters. She lowered her gaze and quietly pulled Ding Yao aside, giving her strict orders to keep Gu Jin Xiao safe.

The mine stretched dozens of meters deep. As the search team descended, they were greeted by foul air. Guards held up lights, alert as they scanned their surroundings.

Soon, they found a broken basket at the shaft’s bottom, with thistle vine scattered around. The rope had clearly snapped during retrieval, forcing the tunnel rats to retreat.

To their relief, there were no bodies—only scattered droplets of bl00d, indicating the kids weren’t dead. Judging by the scene, they’d likely fled in panic into one of the tunnels.

Gu Jin Xiao had the mine map brought over. Several tunnel branches extended from this one, including many hidden forks. After a moment of thought, she split the eight security members into four pairs to search each direction.

“Set a two-hour limit. Regardless of the outcome, return to the nearest exit when time’s up and let the next shift take over.” After issuing safety protocols, she led the way into a dark passage.

Ding Yao followed right behind, both of them using flashlights to navigate the tunnel walls. As their light receded, their figures disappeared into the endless dark.

…

Meanwhile…

The moment Chi Yue Jing couldn’t get through to Gu Jin Xiao’s communicator, a strange unease swept over her.

She glanced at the matcha pudding she had just made. Though Gu Jin Xiao had told her not to deliver lunch today—saying she’d be busy at the mine all day—Chi Yue Jing couldn’t shake her growing anxiety. As noon approached, her heart pounded faster.

Should she go anyway, even if it might make her angry?

Well… if she brought the pudding along, Gu Jin Xiao would probably just give her a soft glare—then show that cute expression and wait obediently for her dessert.

She’ll be happy with the pudding. And while she’s eating, I can ask what she wants for dinner.

With that excuse settled, she didn’t hesitate. She packed the pudding into a cold case, grabbed her car keys, and headed out.