Broken Arms and Legs

Mrs. Zeng's entire attention was focused on the machine right now, completely oblivious to what was happening behind her.

Mrs. Zeng hooked one arm around Mrs. Lu’s, and because she was short, she had to stand on tiptoe, fully concentrating on the female supervisor.

The female supervisor swept her gaze over the women workers, then walked over to the machine’s switch.

The switch was a valve; moving the handle on top could turn the machine on or off.

The female supervisor shouted, "Watch closely, I’m starting it up! Once it’s running, anyone who messes with the machine could get their arm caught and broken!"

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the supervisor’s hand, all of them incredibly tense, holding their breath, eager to see what the magical machine would look like once it started.

Truth be told, the supervisor herself was nervous too. With such a valuable machine, if anything went wrong, she couldn’t bear the responsibility. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead.

The supervisor yanked the valve handle with force. With a loud bang, one of the women workers suddenly burst out from the crowd, screaming as she rushed toward the machine like she couldn’t stop herself.

"Ah!!" Mrs. Zeng crashed right into the machine, so frightened her soul nearly flew out. She clung to the machine, her legs going weak, screaming, "It’s over, it’s over, I’m going to lose my arms and legs!"

"I’m doomed, I’m going to be crippled!"

"Help!"

"Ahhh!"

Mrs. Zeng, eyes squeezed shut, lay on the machine yelling and screaming, but suddenly realized she didn’t feel any pain. She opened her eyes and checked herself, discovering her hands and feet were perfectly fine.

"I..." Mrs. Zeng was stunned.

The other women workers and the supervisor were also startled by Mrs. Zeng’s sudden outburst, too shocked to react. Only Mrs. Lu, quick and nimble, managed to pull Mrs. Zeng off the machine.

"Xiao Zeng, what’s wrong with you? Why on earth did you rush at the machine like that?" Mrs. Lu was so scared her soul nearly flew out, still shaken as she looked at Mrs. Zeng.

Mrs. Zeng looked herself over and found she wasn’t hurt at all. Looking back at the machine, she saw it hadn’t moved a bit—nothing had changed, and it hadn’t mangled her limbs.

Nearby, Greta quietly edged away while everyone else was distracted and confused.

The supervisor snapped out of it, nearly exploding with rage as she rushed over and unleashed a torrent of scolding on Mrs. Zeng: "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Didn’t you hear what I said? You just rushed at the machine—are you out of your mind?"

Mrs. Zeng was nearly in tears, her mind blank. She whimpered, "I-I’m just short and wanted a better look, so I stood on tiptoe and took a few steps forward. Who knew I’d step on a stone, lose my balance, and fall right onto the machine..."

The supervisor was so angry she could barely breathe. "You—you’re driving me crazy! How many times have I told you not to mess with the machine? Why can’t you remember? Luckily, I forgot to flip the main power switch, so the machine didn’t start. Otherwise... you wouldn’t be alive to talk to me right now!"

Mrs. Zeng had no idea how things ended up like this, her face pale with fright. "Supervisor, I’m sorry, I swear I didn’t fall on purpose. Please, don’t kick me out..."

The supervisor looked at Mrs. Zeng, then at the stone by her feet. Sure enough, there was a sizable rock—she must’ve stepped on it and accidentally fell.

The supervisor gritted her teeth. "Fine, I’ll give you one more chance—but this is the last time! Now, everyone step back five paces and keep an eye on each other. No one is allowed near the machine without permission. Otherwise, you’re fired!"