Caught Between Duty, Death, and a Setup

It is 1:00 am, and I'm still in the inspection office in the suburban power plant, compiling the equipment defect records for the week. Suddenly, there's loud kicking at my door. Brad Greer's panicked voice rings out. "Sam! Come with me right now! The pressure-regulating valve on the main steam pipe of Unit 4 is completely stuck! "The automatic pressure relief device didn't get activated! If it explodes, the three maintenance workers in the control room next door will be burned to a crisp!" Just as I grab my hard hat and am about to rush out, an anonymous encrypted email pops up on my office computer. It said, "Don't go there. The three maintenance workers have already been burned to death by the gushing steam. "He is the one who violated regulations by performing the pressurized maintenance after replacing the valve core with a substandard one, and now, it's completely stuck. He's just trying to make you take the blame. "If you touch the valve even once, you'll get your fingerprints all over it. The CCTV footage will show only you fiddling with it. You're going to take the fall for him and spend the rest of your life in jail. "You're going to have to pay tens of millions of dollars in compensation, and the victims' families will even have the right to sell off all your assets for compensation. You'll never have a peaceful life in prison either." The kicking at the door continues, and the hinges on the wooden door are about to fall off. "Samuel Williams! What are you dawdling for? You're the only one in the whole plant now who's received valve debugging training! You're the only one who can do it! "If you come out any later, those three maintenance people are going to be cooked!" I grip the computer mouse and withdraw my hand from the doorknob. I then say, "I'm sorry, but I'm only an inspector, not a maintenance technician. You need to call the plant's emergency number right away." Chapter 1 Brad Greer hesitated for a few seconds outside the door. Then, he kicked ever harder and yelled, "Samuel Williams! You know that the emergency response team will take at least 20 minutes to get here! Do you seriously think that the three maintenance people can hold out until then? "You've had professional training! What's wrong with you taking a look at it first?" My back was soaked with cold sweat. I tightened my grip on the mouse and replied, "It's not that I don't want to go and take a look, Brad. I just don't have the technical qualifications for this. "If I make a mistake, the consequences will be even more serious than now. You should contact the shift manager at once." Brad's voice was laced with anger when he yelled back again. "Stop pretending not to know a thing, Samuel! You've helped the maintenance team adjust the valve on Unit 3 last week! Everyone in the factory knows how skilled you are! "We're talking about three lives in danger right now! Are you seriously just going to stay here and watch them die?" A new anonymous, encrypted email appeared on my computer screen. "He's the person primarily responsible for this. If the plant finds out that he violated regulations by replacing the defective valve core with a substandard one and operating it improperly, he won't just go bankrupt from the consequences—he'll also end up in jail. "He's just using you because you're a new contract worker with no real connections, and he's setting you up to take the fall for him." My chest tightened at that. I immediately recalled the problem I'd found during the inspection yesterday. Brad was the maintenance foreman for the steam pipeline in Unit 4. But he hadn't followed the proper procedures for depressurizing the unit yesterday afternoon. I called out to the door, "You're the maintenance foreman, Brad Greer, aren't you?" "Yes! It's me! Open the door quickly and come out! You're only going to cause a disaster if you keep dawdling like this!" I didn't budge from my position at the computer. I could see his vague figure through the slightly translucent glass partition in the wall. "Let's not panic, Mr. Greer. Let me ask a few questions first. What's the actual pressure in the pipeline right now?" He paused for a bit and replied, "12 MPa." "12? Are you sure?" "Yes. I checked the pressure gauge." The proper standard operating pressure for Unit 4's main pipeline was supposed to be only 10 MPa. 12 MPa of pressure was way past the upper limit, indicating that the depressurization device was certainly not working properly, like he said. "Has the overpressure alarm sounded?" Brad hesitated. "No. Nothing's happening." I asked again, "Mr. Greer, did you turn off the upstream shut-off valve to release the pressure first while repairing it earlier?" He answered quickly, "Of course I turned off the pressure-regulating valve first before releasing the pressure!" As soon as he said that, I understood what had happened. I'd caught him doing it during yesterday's inspection. He didn't release the pressure before removing the valve core because he'd been in a rush. According to the standard operating procedures, he should have first turned off the upstream shut-off valve to release the steam in the pipeline before any repairs could proceed. However, he'd gone ahead and attempted repairs while the pressure was still up. I reminded him about it yesterday, but he told me off, saying that he'd been doing this for 20 years and never had an accident with it. With him replacing the valve core under pressure, it meant that the seals on the valve would have had to be damaged by the high-pressure steam long ago. It was no wonder that it finally malfunctioned and jammed now. I had already written the defect report tonight, but the accident happened before I'd managed to submit it to my supervisor. I never had a good relationship with Brad. When I reminded him about the proper procedures yesterday, he cursed at me for being nosy and told me off. And now, he thought that I could be easily bullied into submission. Brad got more and more impatient outside the door. "Samuel Williams! Open the door right now! We're working at the same factory! Did you think I'd try to trick you or something? "If you'll help me this one time, I'll talk to the director and get you a permanent position by next month. This is an opportunity anyone else would kill for, and you know it!" Did Brad just think that he could buy out my future with promises of a permanent position at this plant? He really was a sly fox. I couldn't see his expression clearly now, but I knew that he was just treating me like a sitting duck, waiting to be sent to the slaughterhouse. Chapter 2 I didn't open the door. Instead, I said calmly, "Mr. Greer, according to regulations, you need to report it immediately to the supervisor-on-duty if key equipment malfunctions. Have you reported it yet?" Brad replied, "Yes, I did, but he was out drinking with clients and didn't answer the phone." "Then, did you report it to the plant's safety department?" Brad hesitated. "No, I haven't had a chance to report it yet…" I smiled. "Alright. Then, let me make the report on your behalf." Brad froze abruptly as his tone became increasingly urgent all of a sudden. "No! Don't report this to the safety department! It's just a small problem and not worth bringing it to their attention. If you do, our safety bonus for this month will be gone! "Samuel, I'm begging you, please don't report it! I've been working here for 20 years and never had an accident. If this gets reported, I'll lose my 100-thousand-dollar bonus at the end of this year! "Here's what I'll do! I'll give you three thousand dollars if you don't tell anyone. Just go and adjust the valve in Unit 4 and come back! It's something you can handle very easily!" Then, he tried stuffing a wad of cash under the door and even took a photo of it. Another email appeared on my computer screen. "He's really good at scheming, isn't he? Three thousand dollars in exchange for a 100-thousand-dollar year-end bonus? And he'll even be awarded the safety employee of the year and get an extra 50-thousand-dollar bonus too—he's got it all figured out! "Don't you touch the money he gave you. He'll flip the narrative around and say that you refused to help him, demanded a bribe, and then made a mistake in your operation. That'll be ironclad evidence against you." I stared at the money under the door and kicked it back out. "I don't want your money, Mr. Greer. I can't help you. You should hurry up and get a hold of the shift manager for now instead of wasting time here with me. If not, I'll just make the call to the safety department for you—" "Why the hell are you being so cold-blooded and stubborn?" Brad suddenly screeched at my door, attracting the attention of a couple of other night-shift employees in the middle of a shift change. He looked at them with an indignant expression on his face. "You guys can be the judge! The steam pipe valve is stuck, and I just asked Sam for help to adjust the valve, but he keeps making excuses and refusing to go! "He even insisted that he was nothing but an inspector and didn't know how to repair the valves. That's bullshit! He's just being arrogant on purpose! "There are also three maintenance workers trapped inside the control room! If the unit blows up, they're going to be…" The other employees immediately gathered at my door when they heard what Brad said. "Isn't this the new guy? Samuel Williams or something? I thought he was supposed to be pretty skilled, and he can't even adjust a valve?" "He's doing this on purpose, isn't he? Just to show off in front of us?" "Sam! You know that this isn't right! We're all coworkers here. You're being really inconsiderate by refusing to help like this." "Yeah. Brad is usually really good to us. He's just doing this for the sake of the three other people in the control room. Just do it, for goodness' sake!" "Their lives are at stake! Even if you're just an inspector, you can't just stand by and watch them die, can you?" Brad kicked at my door again when he saw everyone speaking up for him. "Don't you dare push your luck, Samuel! I'm only asking you to go and adjust the valve because I look up to you! Don't be so damn stubborn! This is our plant! Wanna bet that we're going to burst in and drag you out of there?" I fought to keep my voice as calm as I could. "I've already told you very clearly that my job here is only to inspect the plant equipment and not to repair valves. I don't have the qualifications for it. I really can't help you here." "Impossible!" the employees exclaimed. "How can someone with no qualifications be allowed to inspect our power plant?" "Dig into his background! All his information should be inside the safety supervision system. Let's see if he actually knows what he's talking about." Hearing this, Brad quickly took out his phone to check my qualifications on the plant's internal website. "Samuel Williams. You have a special equipment operation certificate and even took part in three state-level equipment maintenance inspections. And now, you tell us that you don't know a thing about repair works? You think we're just born yesterday or something?" A wicked grin curled at the corner of Brad's mouth once he was done talking, as though he had already figured out how to trick me once more. "Samuel! If you still refuse to go and check the valve, it's all going to be your fault if anything happens! You'll be held fully responsible for it!" The other employees next to him began pounding heavily on my door with him. "Samuel! You're too pompous and arrogant! The plant hired you to work here, so you have to be responsible for our safety! Now get out of there!" "Yeah! Stop wasting everybody's time! This is a matter of life and death! And you still think you have the luxury to put on airs? Can you even afford to take responsibility if anything terrible happens?" Brad looked at me mockingly through the frosted glass. "Samuel! If you admit you're completely incompetent and that you bought your phony certificate online, or publicly admit that you forged your ID and background qualifications, then we'll let you off the hook. If not, I'll make sure you never live another peaceful day in your life ever again!" The half dozen men continued pounding heavily at the door. The wooden door was starting to give out when a loud voice suddenly boomed from outside the door. Chapter 3 "What are you all doing here in the middle of the night?" It was the shift manager, Leo Swanson. He pushed through the crowd, reeking of alcohol. He was clearly quite drunk. "What's going on? What are you all doing here gathered around Samuel's office door?" Brad hurriedly stepped forward to explain things. "Mr. Swanson! It's like this! The pressure-regulating valve on the main steam pipe of Unit 4 is stuck and poses a risk of exploding! I asked Samuel to go and adjust it for us, but he refused and put on airs, saying that he knew nothing about repairs! He's just blatantly lying to us!" Leo seemed to have sobered up a bit. He exclaimed, "How could the valve have gotten stuck? How did you repair it? What's the situation now? Has the unit been depressurized? Is it leaking?" He bombarded Brad with one question after another, making the latter even more nervous. "It… It just suddenly got stuck during normal maintenance. There's no leak yet, but if it's not fixed soon, it's going to explode…" Leo frowned. "Who usually handles these kinds of things?" Brad cowered. "Me and another maintenance foreman. He's on sick leave today." "And you can't handle it on your own?" Brad averted his gaze and said, "I tried adjusting it a few times, but I really couldn't fix it. I was afraid that I'd cause a bigger problem if I continued fiddling with it, so I came to find Samuel." I said from inside the door, "Mr. Swanson, in a situation like this, I highly suggest reporting it to the safety department and also calling the police and ambulance before safely evacuating everyone from the factory and nearby residents as well." Leo was about to agree when Brad grabbed his arm and said, "No, we can't report this, Mr. Swanson! This is a crucial moment for us since we're negotiating a multi-million-dollar order with the steel mill! "If the safety department gets involved, even if there really was no accident after all, it will be recorded, our qualifications will be downgraded, and the order will definitely fall through!" Leo immediately sobered up completely and frowned hard. "You're right. We can't report this." He then knocked on my door and said, "See here, Sam. This is just a small issue. There's no need to get the higher-ups involved. Go and take a look at the valve. I'll thank you on behalf of everyone." Brad changed his tone as well. "Sam, I'll admit that I acted impulsively just now. I was just really anxious about it… There's no gas leak yet, so everything should still be salvageable. But if we delay this any further, the residents nearby will all be affected." I thought that Brad probably wouldn't be able to frame me with so many people watching now. However, just as I was about to open the door, my computer dinged with a new email from the same anonymous sender. "Don't open the door. Brad has already cleaned up the repair site. If you go, he'll make you enter the control room alone under the excuse of taking safety measures. "The surveillance feed in the control room has already been cut off. If you go in, you'll have no way to defend yourself, and you'll have walked right into his trap." I hurriedly withdrew my hand once again as if I'd gotten an electric shock. I politely refused through the door. "I'm sorry, but I really am not familiar with this valve model. I might only make things worse if I try to do anything with it. I still strongly suggest reporting it to the safety department to deal with it as soon as possible." Leo's face darkened as he lost his temper with me. "Don't you think your excuse is too weak, Samuel? I'm in charge of production! And this problem should be easy enough for you to handle! You're just trying to get something out of it for yourself, aren't you? "Just relax. I'll get the finance department to give you a thousand dollars tomorrow in return for your help tonight." Brad then added in a sarcastic tone, "Mr. Swanson, he's already returned the three thousand dollars I offered to him, and you're only offering a thousand? Mr. Bigshot Williams won't even bat an eye at that!" He then sent a message into the group chat, tagging me and saying, "Sam, I'm only earning four thousand dollars a month, and this is literally three-quarters of my pay! I know that it's not enough for you, but please just help us and adjust the valve." That message woke everyone up in the group chat, and suddenly, the group was flooded with all sorts of nasty comments directed toward me. "Three thousand dollars for adjusting a valve? Who the hell doesn't he think he is?" "He's demanding compensation for something he can do in his sleep? What the hell? He's eating and sleeping on company dime, and he still thinks that we owe him big?" "Report him to the labor bureau! People with this kind of character don't deserve to work in our plant!" Brad then urged Leo, saying, "Mr. Swanson, we really can't delay this any longer. If the unit explodes, we're all doomed." Leo gritted his teeth and yelled at my door. "Samuel Williams! I'm asking you for the final time! Are you coming out to fix it or not?" I couldn't stop shivering, not in anger, but in fear. Chapter 4 Another email popped up on my computer screen. "Call the safety department. Brad is desperate. He'll break in and forcibly take you away." I quickly dialed the safety department hotline. "Hello? This is the suburb branch of Powerup Thermal Power Plant. The pressure-regulating valve on the main steam pipeline of Unit 4 is stuck, posing a risk of overpressure and an explosion. Please send someone over immediately." There was a loud silence outside the door, followed by Leo's furious roar. "Samuel Williams! You called the safety department? How dare you! Don't you know that your call will shut down the whole factory for rectification and millions of dollars in orders will be lost? You're putting everyone at the factory out of work!" The other employees also got worked up when they heard what Leo said. They grew agitated and banged loudly on the door, cursing at me. "Are you out of your damn mind, Samuel? Are you trying to get us all fired?" "The safety department? Who the hell do you think you are to boss us around like this?" "Break down the door! We must teach him a lesson today!" Brad's face was white with anger. He turned to Leo in fear and said, "Mr. Swanson! We can't wait for the safety department to come here! We must get him to fix the valve at once! When they're here, we'll just tell them that Samuel made a false report, and then we'll all be saved!" Leo's face was grim. "But he won't open the door. What can we do about it?" "Then we'll just break the door down and tie him up before throwing him into the control room to fix it! He's going to have to fix it whether he likes it or not. "And if anything happens to the unit, we can say that he deliberately demanded a high fee, delaying the repair time. We'll be able to pin all the blame on him, and the higher-ups won't hold us responsible!" A ruthless glint flashed in Leo's eyes. He began kicking the door hard. "Smash the door! Smash it down! Tie him up and throw him into the control room now!" With the shift manager now on his side, Brad and the other employees grabbed their nearest tools and began breaking down my office door. The door rattled hard as they pounded on it, and plaster even began falling from the walls. The door itself was teetering on the verge of collapse. I pressed myself tightly against the wall, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. A new email appeared. "They've all gone mad, completely mad! They're stopping at nothing to keep their jobs!" I cried, "What should I do? Am I not going to get out of this alive?" Another email appeared. "Don't be scared. Turn on your phone camera and record everything from start to end." I shakily dialed 911 as well. "Hello? I want to make a police report. There are people trying to break my door down, and my safety is at risk right now." There was a slight pause outside the door. "What the hell? He even called the police on us? He's set on going against all of us, isn't he?" Brad's wicked voice rang out. "Hurry up and break the door down! The police will need another 20 minutes to get here! That's more than enough time for us to grab him!" The door was quickly broken down afterward, and Brad was the first to rush in and grab me by my collar, lifting me off the ground. "Let's see how you worm your way out of this now, Samuel Williams!" I was then forcibly dragged out of my office toward Unit 4. When I arrived there, it was just as the anonymous sender had warned me. Brad shoved heat-resistant gloves onto my hands and then dragged me into the control room along with him. Even with two layers of heat-resistant clothing on me, I could feel the scorching heat emanating from the pipes. Brad glared at me menacingly. "You're too smart for your own good, Samuel, but what's the use of that? Look at you now—you still have to do this like you should have from the start. You wouldn't have had to suffer so much if you'd just agreed to come earlier. "You're going to adjust this valve for me today, by hook or by crook!" Then, he grabbed my hand and forcefully pressed it against the valve handwheel. His grip was like an iron clamp. I struggled desperately against him, but I couldn't break free. "Hold on! The police are coming!" Just as my fingertips were about to touch the handwheel, the piercing sound of police sirens blared outside the plant. Brad froze, a look of disbelief flashing on his face. "They're here already? But it hasn't even been 15 minutes!" I took the opportunity to snatch my hand away from him and sneered. "Because I'd already called the police the moment I called the safety department." The police sirens got louder and louder. Soon, footsteps stopped outside the control room door. Brad's face turned pale with shock.