The officer rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. “We’ve got city engineers coming, but…” He looked at Daniel again, weighing something. “If you’re willing, maybe you can help us make sense of what we’re seeing.” For a moment, Daniel felt the ground tilt under him—not from collapse, but from responsibility.
Cameras were lowered into the abyss, their feeds projected onto a small screen. Daniel stood shoulder-to-shoulder with officials, heart pounding. The first images showed raw soil walls, layers exposed like a textbook cross-section. Then, deeper, the camera swung right—catching a flat, unnatural edge. Straight. Purposeful. Like something built.