The vast forest sea was just touched by the first light of dawn, and lights were already on at the project department of Work Zone 02, Section 01 of the Jilin segment of National Highway G331. The reporter, still bleary-eyed, glanced at the watch: it was just past 6 a.m.

By then, project manager Xu Yongqiang had already led the heads of the various construction teams to stand around the electronic sand table; their morning meeting had the feel of a battlefield command post.

"The building construction team must complete the foundation pouring within three days." "The bridge pile foundations using the new rotary drilling rig process need three more procedures optimized." ... Xu Yongqiang's hoarse voice was laced with anxiety. The countdown board on the wall showed: 97 days left until the main line opens to traffic at the end of September.

At 8 a.m., the reporter arrived at the construction site of Comprehensive Building No. 2 in the Baixi Service Area, where the workers were also holding their routine pre-work morning meeting.

Safety production is the top priority every day. Project department safety director Zhao Guangyi repeatedly stressed: "The pump truck outriggers must be checked at three points," "vibrator operators must rotate in pairs," "the dispatch of large concrete pump trucks must be confirmed on site multiple times," "during work at height, at least two people per group, and safety rope buckles must be checked repeatedly" ... Every word was filled with tension and urgency. Conducting safety briefings every day for the workers pouring the first section of the raft foundation concrete is the bottom line that Zhao Guangyi and all project management personnel value most.

At 10 a.m., the reporter arrived at the pile foundation pouring site of Pile 2-1# on the left carriageway of the Touxi Small Bridge. Project chief engineer Liu Kailai was guiding the workers in testing the latest rotary drilling hole-forming scheme.

He bent down to carefully check the various parameters of the drilling rig, gesturing with his hands while patiently explaining the key points to the workers: "The rotation speed still needs a slight adjustment to ensure the verticality and stability of the hole—this is the backbone of a century-long project!" From time to time he picked up the drawings to analyze them against on-site conditions, not overlooking the slightest detail, striving to make every step as perfect as possible.

In the afternoon, the early-spring sunshine was especially pleasant. Walking along, the reporter saw busy scenes everywhere. Led by team leader Hu Shumin, members of the surveying team methodically carried out re-surveying of the horizontal and vertical control networks. Carrying their instruments, they measured every stretch of road inch by inch, precisely capturing every data point. In their eyes, these data are not just numbers but the solid support for road construction; each one carries responsibility and mission.

In the distance, amid the roar of rotary drilling rigs, at the roadbed earthwork and stonework construction site, deputy chief engineer Cao Yang led testing personnel conducting on-site surveys and sampling on the scorching ground. To gain more working time and speed up construction progress, they repeatedly tested improvement schemes for the ordinary soil used in the roadbed.

As night fell, the workers, weary from a long day, drifted off to sleep one after another. The meeting room lights in the office building were bright, and the project department team was still busy reviewing and verifying the day's work. They carefully sorted through the day's work, summed up experience, identified shortcomings, and promptly adjusted current work arrangements to make full preparations for the next day's construction.

Preparation.

At midnight, the Touxi Small Bridge construction site was still a busy scene, with bright lights illuminating the night as if it were day. The powerful roar of excavators broke the stillness of the night, weaving into a symphony of striving. Construction worker Zheng Chuang stayed at his post, focused on operating equipment to carry out excavation work.

To fully advance the project schedule, the project department planned scientifically and organized meticulously, implementing a three-shift operation model to truly achieve "people rest, machines don't." With a high sense of responsibility and mission, the builders raced against time, traveling day and night, advancing the construction of the Touxi Small Bridge step by step toward the completion goal.

At 3 a.m., all was quiet, and steam rose in the project department canteen. Chef Li was busy moving through the swirling mist; before her, 300 insulated meal boxes were neatly stacked, each carrying warmth and care. "Everyone works so hard out there; we must make sure they get a hot meal."

On this land at the foot of Changbai Mountain, the builders of the G331 project interpret responsibility and dedication through their 24-hour vigilance and effort. Every minute and every second embodies the builders' painstaking effort and sense of duty. They are sprinting toward the goals of opening the main line to traffic by the end of September and completing the entire line by the end of the year, determined to make the border-area open tourism corridor "open in one place, open everywhere" as soon as possible.