18: Chapter 18 Chen Family Counterattack, Mineral Vein Recapture

Purple light still burned in the sky, and wind-whipped sand lashed against the metal turret. Chen Wuwang's mechanical prosthetic eye had already locked onto three insect swarm gathering points. Data streams flickered across his vision—trajectories, speeds, and densities all pulsing like a fully drawn bow.

He didn't wait.

Raising his right hand, he pressed the global communication key directly: "Counterattack begins! Uncle Tiezhu, bring the Artifact Refining Workshop for support! Xiao Dao, Sword Cultivator Team, launch the raid!"

His voice wasn't loud, yet it was like a blade cleaving into the night, tearing through the dead silence.

The "po shan" mecha roared to life, hydraulic Systems hissing as the energy pack on its back instantly glowed blood-red.

Chen Xiaodao's palm pressed against the control lever, his knuckles turning white as the mechanical joint of his left arm clicked into place.

Before the hatch closed, he looked up at the high platform—Chen Wuwang was standing on the shoulder armor of the "po shan," his silver hair pulled straight by the wind, and the three claw marks on his right cheek glinted like cold iron in the firelight.

"Copy that," he replied with just two words, then pressed the thrusters.

Boom!

The mecha leaped into the air, its shoulder-mounted energy cannon charging instantly. A cone of black light pierced the sky, slamming into the densest part of the insect swarm to the northwest.

There was no loud bang, only a dull burst followed by the cracking sound of the ground fracturing. Worker Insects within a thousand-meter radius were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, collapsing instantly and turning into charcoal without even a puff of ash.

The outer swarm jerked to a halt, their movement trajectories chaotic for a moment.

It was in that very moment.

The "earth dragon" charged out from the rear mining area exit. This thing didn't look like a mecha at all; it looked more like a walking mine tunnel—the front was a spiral psionic drill, its entire body covered in heavy runic armor, with six mechanical arms extending from the sides equipped with purification furnaces and recovery bins.

Chen Tiezhu sat in the cockpit, his gloves stained with oil, his eyes fixed on the main mine shaft ahead that was sealed off by Zerg crystal walls.

"Ram it open for me!" he roared, pushing the control lever forward hard.

The "earth dragon" roared as it collided, the drill spinning at high speed as runes lit up. Psionic energy poured into the rock layer, forcibly tearing open a passage with a loud crack.

The purification furnace activated immediately, spraying pale blue flames that incinerated all remaining Zerg mucus and egg cocoons.

"Recovery team, follow up! Don't miss a single piece of scattered Spirit Ore!" Chen Tiezhu turned on the external loudspeaker, his voice booming loud enough for the entire mining area to hear.

Simultaneously, at the eastern tunnel entrance, Chen Xiaodao led a formation of five flying mechas diving down.

They didn't land, instead flying close to the edges of the tunnel. The laser swords on the mecha arms lit up in unison, their blades intersecting to instantly form a miniature "Star River Sword Array."

Buzz—

Psionic resonance erupted, and Sword Intent surged into the depths of the tunnel like a tide. The parasitic crystal walls clinging to the rock faces began to vibrate before crumbling piece by piece, revealing the blocked mining equipment behind them.

"Cleanup crew, move in!" Chen Xiaodao ordered.

Two Sword Cultivators leaped off their mechas and charged in with swords drawn. Amidst the flashing sword light, the Worker Insects lurking in the shadows were sliced in two before they could even react.

Short screams echoed through the dust, followed by silence.

The battle raged for three full days.

On the first day, they reclaimed the outer positions; on the second day, they cleared the main mine shaft and restored the power System; on the third day, they went deep into the third underground level, uprooting Zerg self-destruct nests one by one.

By the evening of the third day, the final wave of Zerg suddenly initiated a self-destruct sequence targeting the Main Mine Core—where the core node of the entire Spiritual Vein was buried. If destroyed, mining would be impossible for at least three years.

When the alarm sounded, Chen Xiaodao was patrolling the eastern tunnel. Hearing the screeching over the communicator, he turned his mecha without a word and charged toward the core zone at full speed.

"Don't get close! The fuse is activated!" the monitor shouted.

The "po shan" rammed through a wall of rubble blocking the way, forcing itself into the narrow passage. Chen Xiaodao unbuckled his seatbelt, ejected directly from the cockpit, and charged in holding a laser sword in one hand.

The temperature in the core zone soared, and red warning lights flashed frantically. On the central control console, seven fuse lines were counting down, with 0.8 seconds left.

He lunged forward, his mechanical left arm snapping open to clamp three of the lines while his right-hand laser sword swept across, precisely severing the remaining four.

Sizzle—

Sparks flew everywhere.

The countdown stopped at 0.3 seconds.

He leaned against the wall, panting, as sweat dripped from his chin onto the armor plating with a soft "hiss."

"...Done."

There was a moment of silence on the communication channel, followed by an explosion of cheers.

Almost simultaneously, Chen Tiezhu arrived at the mine core monitoring room. He took off his gloves, pressed the detector against the surface of the Spiritual Vein core, and stared at the readings for a full half-minute before suddenly looking up and roaring into the global communication channel:

"Patriarch! The ore vein is fully reclaimed!"

His voice was hoarse, yet it resonated throughout the entire mining area.

The wind suddenly stopped.

The smoke slowly settled, revealing a battlefield riddled with scars. Broken mecha wreckage, charred insect corpses, cracked fissures in the ground, and those mining lights turning back on one by one—like sparks crawling out of the ruins.

Chen Wuwang still stood on the shoulder platform of the "po shan," unmoving.

The evening breeze fluttered his clothes, and his mechanical prosthetic eye continued to scan the panorama: each team reporting battle losses, casualty transfers, equipment inspections... everything was orderly. His fingers unconsciously tapped the control panel—tap, tap, tap—with a steady rhythm, like the lingering echo of war drums.

Below, some people began to laugh, others pounded the ground in celebration, and a young Sword Cultivator even pulled out a wine flask.

Chen Wuwang suddenly spoke, his voice carrying to every corner via the global broadcast: "Today, we have taken back what belongs to the Chen Family."

The laughter stopped abruptly.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the distant flames that had not yet fully died out, his voice deep: "But this is not the end—it is the starting point of our counter-strike."

With that, he pressed the command key: "All units, rest and reorganize on-site. Maintain vigilance."

Communication closed.

He remained standing, his back straight like a flag planted on the battlefield.

Chen Xiaodao emerged from the tunnel and leaped onto the "po shan." The hatch opened, and he looked up. Chen Wuwang didn't turn around, simply raising his right hand and waving it slightly.

"Uncle Tiezhu," he said into the communicator, "drive the 'earth dragon' into the core zone. I want you to personally inspect every inch of the mine shaft to ensure no residual contamination remains."

"Understood." Chen Tiezhu's voice came from afar, carrying exhaustion but also a fierce determination. "I won't leave a single egg cocoon behind."

Chen Xiaodao stood on the mecha's shoulder, half a step behind and to the side of Chen Wuwang. He didn't speak, only silently flexing the mechanical joint of his left arm to confirm the power output was normal.

The wind picked up again.

It blew past broken cannon barrels, over scorched rocks, and across the battlefield that had yet to cool.

Chen Wuwang finally moved. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing over the three claw marks on his right face, his gaze as deep as an abyss.

In the distance, on an observation tower at the edge of the mining area, a damaged surveillance probe rotated slightly, the lens aiming toward them as a red light flashed and vanished.