201: Chapter 201 The Counter-Espionage Plan is Initially Set, Fake Coordinates are Used for Hidden Laying

The night wind swept through the corridors of the Main Hall, causing the bronze bells on the eaves to chime softly.

Chen Wuwang's footsteps didn't falter; the soles of his boots clicked against the bluestone slabs, each step echoing like the rhythmic beat of a heart.

He pushed open the iron door of the secret room and locked it behind him.

There were no lamps inside; only a crystal plate embedded in the wall emitted a faint, eerie blue light.

He walked to the desk and swiped his finger; the star chart database popped up, with dense clusters of mineral vein coordinates spreading out like stars.

His mind was still racing.

He weighed three different plans back and forth.

Root out the mole? Too hasty. Before the person could be caught, the Family's own ranks would fall into chaos.

Lock down the System? A temporary fix. With the enemy outside, shutting yourself in would be letting them lead you by the nose.

Reverse fishing? That was it. Cast some bait and see who bites.

The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn't smile; instead, his gaze grew cold.

"Since you want to test my limits..." he whispered, "then I'll give you a hole big enough to jump into."

With a tap of his fingertip on the star chart, an abandoned mine shaft was circled in red—the edge of the Eastern Wasteland, the Seventh Branch of the Old Mining District.

Twenty years ago, it had been excavated through the earth-fire layer and collapsed in an explosion; its Spiritual Qi was exhausted, and no one had gone there for a long time.

But now, it was going to "come alive."

He pulled up the authorization interface and entered the commands: forge a high-purity Spiritual Vein fluctuation signal, release it periodically, and simulate the breathing rhythm of a real mineral vein.

The data source was connected to the Family's public exploration network, but it was "wrapped"; while the outer layer appeared normal, tracking codes were embedded within.

As soon as someone accessed, copied, or transmitted it, the System would immediately flag the source IP, revealing exactly which device it was connected to.

"It's not just bait," he said to himself. "It's a net."

Having finished this, he stood up, threw on his outer robe, and pushed open the door to leave.

The Artifact Refining Workshop was deep within the mountain; the further down one went, the higher the temperature rose.

The air was thick with the scent of molten metal, mixed with the smell of engine oil and coolant.

Closed workshops lined both sides of the corridor, with red light leaking from the door cracks like the squinted eyes of beasts.

He stopped at the lowest level and knocked three times on the iron door.

"Uncle, open up."

The sound of a wrench hitting the floor came from inside, followed by footsteps. The door opened a crack, revealing Chen Tiezhu's face; he was drenched in sweat, one sleeve rolled up to the elbow, exposing the joints of a mechanical prosthetic limb.

"So late?" He frowned. "Did something happen?"

"It's more serious than that," Chen Wuwang said as he walked in, closing the door behind him. "Someone is tampering with things in our home."

Chen Tiezhu's expression darkened. Without a word, he turned to twist a valve on the workbench, lowering the furnace's power to the minimum. The sparks died out, and the workshop fell silent.

"Speak," he said, leaning against the bench with his arms crossed.

Chen Wuwang explained the plan, detailing everything from the fake mineral vein to the forged signal and the path of information leakage.

Finally, he said, "I need your cooperation to tamper with an old detector and make it 'misreport' once. Then, arrange for someone trustworthy to report it through regular channels—as if it were a genuine discovery."

Chen Tiezhu remained still after hearing this.

After a few seconds, he spoke, "You know how risky this is."

"I know."

"What if the news leaks to the wrong people? What if they actually take people to dig and it explodes? Three lives were already lost under that abandoned mine; I don't dare let our clansmen bleed again."

"I won't let them dig," Chen Wuwang shook his head. "I'm only releasing the coordinates, not the mining permit. The more noise it makes, the more real it seems, but no one will get the official authorization. If they try to force it... they'll be exposing their own identities."

Chen Tiezhu stared at him with a complex gaze.

"You've changed," he said. "You used to value stability, but now... you're using the entire clan as a chessboard."

"Before, it was about defense," Chen Wuwang's voice dropped. "Now, we must attack."

He walked over to an old-model detector and ran his hand over the scratches on its casing.

"Uncle, do you remember the Zerg raid three years ago?"

"That night, I stood in the ruins, gripping a broken blade, watching the bodies of our clansmen being carried out one by one."

"I swore then—never again would I let someone stab us in the back."

Chen Tiezhu was silent for a long time.

Finally, he sighed and uncrossed his arms.

"Tell me what to do, and I'll cooperate."

Chen Wuwang nodded, took out an encrypted crystal chip from his robe, and handed it over.

"This is the activation key for the forged signal. Install it into the detector's main control board and set it to transmit automatically once every day at the Hour of Chen for seven days."

"Don't use new equipment; use that scrapped 'red eye no. 3.' The more broken it looks, the better—as if it were something scavenged to make up the numbers."

Chen Tiezhu took the chip, looked it over, and gave a cold laugh. "You certainly know how to put on a show."

"If the acting isn't convincing, no one will believe it."

Chen Wuwang said, "We also need to arrange for two people. One to 'accidentally' mention the anomaly at the Dispatch Department, and another to talk about the old mining district at the technicians' tea party. The talk should be rough, but the information must be accurate."

"I'll have A-Chui do it," Chen Tiezhu said. "That kid has a big mouth, but he's meticulous. He'll say exactly what he's told, no more and no less."

"Fine."

"What else?"

"Embed tracking talismans." Chen Wuwang pointed to the bottom of the detector. "I've added a miniature sensing array to the rune board. Anyone who disassembles it for inspection will leave behind psionic residue. Even a remote scan will trigger a hidden log."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower. "I want to know whose hand has reached into our System."

Chen Tiezhu looked at him and suddenly asked, "Who do you suspect?"

"I don't know," Chen Wuwang shook his head. "But I know they will definitely make a move."

The two said no more and began to work.

Chen Tiezhu removed the back cover of the detector, skillfully connecting wires, soldering, and replacing the chip.

Chen Wuwang stood by, handing him tools and occasionally pointing out a location.

Only the hiss of the soldering iron and the soft clinking of metal remained in the workshop.

Time ticked by.

Outside, the sky turned from black to grey, and the first cockcrow echoed from the distance.

The detector was reassembled, with several scratches intentionally rubbed onto its surface, making it look like an old piece of junk just pulled from the warehouse.

"It's done." Chen Tiezhu pressed the test button, and a line of text flashed on the screen: [Signal calibrating... Pseudo-Spiritual Vein mode activated].

Chen Wuwang stared at that line for three seconds, and the corner of his mouth finally twitched.

"The bait has been cast."

Chen Tiezhu wiped his hands and looked at him. "What's next?"

"Wait," Chen Wuwang said. "Wait for someone to come fishing."

He walked to the window and peeled back a corner of the blackout panel.

The eastern horizon was turning pale like a fish's belly, and morning mist shrouded the tower clusters of the Main Domain like a thin veil.

Everything seemed normal.

The conveyor belts of the Artifact Refining Workshop began to run, steam rose from the direction of the Medicinal Field, and a few early-rising youths walked across the square with swords on their backs.

It was so peaceful it was as if nothing had happened.

But he knew that some things were already in motion.

He withdrew his hand and gently closed the blackout panel.

"Go and arrange things with A-Chui," he said. "Spread the news this morning."

"Alright."

"And one more thing..." He turned and stared at Chen Tiezhu. "Only you and I know about this."

Chen Tiezhu nodded. "It stays buried with me."

Chen Wuwang said nothing more and turned toward the door.

As his hand gripped the doorknob, he paused.

"Uncle," he said with his back turned. "If one day I no longer seem like myself... remember to remind me."

Chen Tiezhu was taken aback.

"You are the Family Head," he said steadily. "As long as you don't abandon the Chen Family, you are still you."

Chen Wuwang didn't look back; he pushed open the door and walked out.

The corridor was empty, and the sound of his footsteps faded into the distance.

Chen Tiezhu stood where he was, looking down at the detector in his hands before slowly placing it into a transport box.

He carefully wiped away his fingerprints with a handkerchief and smeared a layer of grease on the surface of the box.

Having done this, he walked to the console, opened his logbook, and wrote a line:

[red eye no. 3 repair complete, pending transfer to the Exploration Team for routine inspection.]

His pen paused for a moment, then he added another sentence:

[Signal test normal, no abnormal fluctuations.]

Closing the book, he looked up out the window.

Day had broken.

A breeze blew in from the mine entrance, carrying a faint scent of burning.

He stood there, hands covered in grease, staring at the detector that was about to be sent out. His eyes held worry and hesitation, but in the end, only a sense of determination remained.

He knew.

This game had begun.