174: Chapter 174 Combating Smuggling and Seizing Supplies

The wreckage of the transport ship was still smoking, and the blue-gray mist, carrying the scent of scorched metal, drifted along the edge of the asteroid belt.

Chen Wuwang stood motionless on the high rock, the gravel beneath his feet rolling gently in the wind. In the distance, the corpses of the Insect Race lay scattered across the rift valley, and dark green slime oozed from the cracks in their carapaces, slowly evaporating into tiny wisps of toxic miasma.

He raised his right hand, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed with blue light as the tactical interface automatically popped up.

The three cleanup squads had deployed according to their designated areas. The clan members, marked by red dots, were systematically clearing the battlefield. Their movements were crisp and efficient; no one shouted slogans, and no one took photos for memories—they had done this job too many times.

"Eastern sector reports discovery of an underground capsule, structure intact."

"Western sector confirms two camouflaged Worker Insects, now under control."

"Central route detects a self-destruct signal source, frequency locked."

Brief reports came through the communication channel.

Chen Wuwang tapped his fingers on the tactical board, his brow furrowing: "Cut the detonation frequency and send the engineering mechs down to seal it off. Don't let the spirit core explode; if the contamination spreads to the surrounding farmland, Old Man Lin will chase me for three blocks with a hoe."

The moment the order was given, the ground suddenly shook.

Immediately after, a deep purple light shone from the depths of the rift valley, as if something were heating up inside.

"The reactor is about to overload!" the technician's voice sounded tense.

"Activate spiritual energy interference, set power to maximum." Chen Wuwang's tone remained unchanged, as if he were discussing what to have for lunch. "Send another team down with a shielding cover and weld the core hatch shut. Remember, come back alive."

Before his voice had even faded, an engineering mech equipped with magnetic rail clamps on its back leaped from the high rock with a boom, landed on all fours, and scrambled rapidly toward the rift.

A few seconds later, the purple light was covered by a silver-white shield, and the humming sound gradually subsided.

"Sealing complete, energy stabilized."

"Good."

Only then did Chen Wuwang jump down from the high rock, his boot soles making a faint, crisp sound as they stepped onto the scorched earth.

He walked toward the central cleanup area, where three temporary supply platforms had already been set up: on the left were weapon crates, on the right were sealed boxes, and in the middle were spread out a dozen animal-hide scrolls covered in runes.

Aelia walked over from the docking area, her cloak flapping loudly in the wind.

She glanced at the pile of scrolls and raised an eyebrow: "Smuggling route maps? The Insect Race has quite a lot of nerve, daring to write down cross-Star Domain contact codes on paper."

"They thought no one could decipher them." Chen Wuwang crouched down and used the tip of his dagger to flip open one of the scrolls. "We have scanners."

The portable spiritual energy scanner started up quickly, a deep blue beam sweeping over the runes, and a data stream projected into the air, forming readable information.

A clan technician quickly recorded it, muttering: "The encryption method for nodes B-7 to G-12 is a three-level nesting... It's unlocked! It's the 'Lunar Eclipse' protocol!"

"Oh?" Aelia leaned in to take a look. "That's a communication standard only used for high-end black market goods. You country folk really struck gold."

"Country folk can also build the po xu type-2." Chen Wuwang stood up and clapped his hands. "And we can even force your merchant caravans to take a detour."

Aelia let out a soft huff and didn't take the bait.

She walked to the other side and opened an alloy box half-buried in the ground, inside of which were neatly stacked dozens of crystal-clear raw spiritual material ores, each one glowing with a faint golden light.

"High-purity star-patterned stone, with at least a 90% Spiritual Qi retention rate." Her tone became more serious. "It's well-preserved, no oxidation."

"Sealed spirit box plus a micro-shield generator, learning as they go." Chen Wuwang walked over and reached out to touch one of them. "If we refine this entire batch, it'll be enough for us to swap out the power cores for our third-generation mechs."

"You plan to keep it all?" Aelia glanced at him sideways.

"Of course."

"Won't you sell me some?" She smiled. "Five times the market price."

"Not for sale." Chen Wuwang shook his head. "Family use takes priority; that's an iron rule."

Aelia pursed her lips: "Stingy."

"It's not stingy, it's being clear-headed." He turned to look at her. "When you Angel Race do business, isn't it always about lowering the price first and then setting a trap? That black market deal three years ago, did you think I hadn't figured out who leaked the information?"

She was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "You actually believed you were being scammed? That intelligence was something I leaked on purpose, just to see how long you could hold out. Turns out not only did you hold out, you turned around and swallowed up the opponent entirely."

Chen Wuwang didn't respond, just lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.

The two were silent for a moment, then Aelia suddenly reached out and pulled a long blade from the bottom of the box.

The scabbard was pitch black, with fine patterns resembling circuits flowing across its surface.

"What about this?" she asked. "A Fusion of technology and runes? I haven't seen this model before."

"The strangest item among the seized goods." Chen Wuwang took the blade and unsheathed it half an inch; a cold light flashed on the edge. "The material doesn't look like it was refined locally, and it doesn't look like your side's craftsmanship either. It's more like... a cobbled-together piece."

"Someone is making hybrid weapons." Aelia narrowed her eyes. "There must be a big client behind this."

"It will surface sooner or later." Chen Wuwang sheathed the blade and handed it to a clan member behind him. "Send it to the Artifact Refining Workshop and have the experts dismantle it. Don't use a power saw; be careful not to trigger a self-destruct."

The clan member acknowledged the order and left.

At this moment, a young female technician ran over hurriedly: "Family Head, new content has been deciphered from the documents! In addition to the route maps, there are three transfer station coordinates, one of which is on the edge of the Northern Territory, near the abandoned mine shaft you mentioned last time."

"Mark them." Chen Wuwang nodded. "When we get back, hand them over to the intelligence team for deep analysis. For now, categorize and pack up all the supplies. Use transport aircraft to lift the heavy equipment, and have two people escort the sensitive documents."

"Yes!"

The crowd became busy immediately. Moving, numbering, labeling—it was orderly and well-organized.

There were no cheers, no celebrations; just like farmers putting away their sickles after harvesting crops, they were skilled and calm.

Aelia watched this scene and suddenly gave a thumbs up: "This operation had a fruitful harvest, thanks to your command."

Chen Wuwang smiled but didn't speak. He walked to the transport ship, looked up at the gangway entrance, and then turned back to scan the battlefield one last time.

The smoke hadn't fully dissipated, but the battle was already over.

He was already calculating in his mind: the star-patterned stone would be prioritized for the new generation of mech production lines; weapon samples would be used for reverse engineering; and the route map would be the key to cracking down on other smuggling chains in the future.

Just as he was thinking, a clan member walked over quickly: "Report! The last batch of supplies has been tallied. A total of 427 units of spiritual materials, 19 standard weapons, 11 volumes of encrypted documents, and 2 complete mech wrecks have been seized and registered into storage."

"Good." Chen Wuwang nodded. "Everyone, check your equipment and prepare to board."

The team began to assemble. The clan members lined up and walked toward the transport ship, their steps uniform; no one looked back.

Aelia stood at the entrance of her own ship and waved to him from afar: "Next time there's a job like this, remember to call me."

Chen Wuwang raised his hand in response, then turned and stepped onto the gangway.

The transport ship's engines slowly started, the spiraling airflow kicking up the ashes on the ground, carving a gray-white trail in the air.

Just as the hatch was about to close, he took one last look at the battlefield.

Scorched earth, broken armor, severed blades, and that fissure that had been welded shut.

Everything returned to silence.

He knew that these things would not lie here in vain.

They would become stronger shields, faster mechs, and sharper swords.

They would also become the steps for the Chen Family to climb higher, one step at a time.

The hatch closed with a heavy metallic clang.