Chapter 974

The collapse didn’t happen all at once. It arrived after layer upon layer of crushing pressure and violent impacts.

Once the lower floors lost their support, the upper slabs—carrying thousands of tons—came down with a thunderous slam, grinding into the level they were on and mercilessly compressing it into rubble. During the collapse, the hastily erected support braces screamed with the shriek of deforming metal, but together with the corner of a load-bearing wall behind the team, they formed a stubborn fulcrum that barely held against the first, most lethal wave of impact.

The roaring, grinding thunder lasted like a century—and like only a few seconds.