229: Chapter 229 Ling Zhenzi Improves the Spirit Array, Providing Early Warning of Demon Movements

The morning light had just spread a layer of pale gold over the eaves of the Main Hall, and Chen Wuwang's footsteps had already entered the depths of the Array Hall.

He did not take the main entrance, but instead circled through the side corridor into the Spirit Inscription Workshop on the third underground level, his boot soles clicking sharply against the bluestone floor.

Ling Zhenzi was crouching before the central Array Core, pinching a spirit-conducting wire as thin as a hair, his forehead covered in sweat.

On his left lay three shattered rune boards, and piled by his right foot were seven or eight discarded drafts of array diagrams.

A scorched smell drifted in the air; it was the scent of metal melting after an overload of spirit energy.

Chen Wuwang did not speak, simply placing the armor fragment he held onto the stone platform at the edge of the Array Core.

Ling Zhenzi looked up at him, his brows jumping: "You actually brought this thing?"

"It was purified by Bai Ling," Chen Wuwang's voice was flat, "the residual energy is still there."

Ling Zhenzi immediately reached out to take it. As his fingertips touched the metal surface, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye simultaneously projected a scanning beam.

A stream of data scrolled in the corner of his vision: [Low-frequency oscillation band locked, frequency value: 3.7 Hz, fluctuation pattern non-naturally generated, suspected precursor to psychic creature activity].

"That's it," Chen Wuwang pointed to the data box floating in the air, "Before the Demon Race moves, there is always this slight tremor, like a heartbeat skipping a beat."

Ling Zhenzi stared at that string of numbers for three seconds, then suddenly stood up, kicking over the small stool beside him: "Should have thought of it sooner! They aren't invisible; they are tuning their own energy frequency into the background noise of the ley lines!"

"Ordinary detection arrays can't catch them because they can't distinguish which part is stone vibration and which part is a living creature approaching!"

After speaking, he lunged back to the array diagram, his fingers swiping rapidly through the Void Realm, pulling up the holographic projection of the Ley Line Defense Array.

The originally dense fixed nodes were torn apart by him and rearranged into a reticulated dynamic structure.

"I'll add a 'cursor sensing layer'," he muttered while making changes, "Using the frequency you gave as a baseline, let the Formation learn to 'listen' for specific heartbeats. Once a fluctuation of the same frequency appears within a hundred miles, it will immediately mark it—but it can't trigger an alarm directly; it must filter interference first."

Chen Wuwang nodded: "Insect swarms crawling and Yao Beast migrations will both cause vibrations."

"So we need to set a threshold," Ling Zhenzi bit his fingertip and tapped seven core hubs on the new array diagram, "Connect a filtering rune array to each; only receive signals between 3.5 and 4.0. Don't report if it's too weak, don't report if it's too strong, just catch these sneaky little movements."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Array Core suddenly hummed, and the entire array diagram lit up with red light.

"First test run, failure," he cursed, raising his hand to cast a seal, forcibly pressing the collapsing energy flow back into the nodes, "Damn it, the sensitivity is too high; it's even counting rats digging holes."

Chen Wuwang squatted down and picked up a shattered rune board to examine it: "The Materials can't handle high-frequency sampling?"

"It's not a Materials issue," Ling Zhenzi gasped for air, "It's the algorithm. The current Formation is like a deaf person suddenly hearing sound, getting so excited it's having a fit. We have to teach it to be calm and learn to judge truth from falsehood."

He turned and took a black crystal chip from the cabinet, inserting it into the master control slot.

That was the latest programmable rune board developed by the Family, capable of adjusting logic instructions in real-time.

"I'll write a judgment rule for it," his fingers carved rapidly, "Level 1: capture target frequency; Level 2: duration exceeds three breaths; Level 3: movement trajectory matches an approaching path. Only when all three levels are met will a Level 1 alarm be triggered."

Chen Wuwang stared at the new architecture in the projection for a while, then suddenly asked: "What if the opponent deliberately releases false signals?"

Ling Zhenzi grinned: "Then we'll add one more condition—the energy source must possess life-characteristic fluctuations. Dead objects cannot simulate the micro-tremors of a living body."

After speaking, he started the simulation program.

The sand table in the center of the Array Hall displayed a topographic map of the Eastern Wastelands, with a scarlet dot slowly approaching from the northwest.

That was the Demon Race squad simulated by the System, advancing according to standard stealth mode.

For the first two tests, the alarm was delayed by half a quarter of an hour.

The third time, the array diagram collapsed.

The fourth time, it misidentified a landslide.

The fifth time, when the enemy finally entered the eighty-mile range, it emitted a crisp bell sound, and a red triangular mark lit up on the map, labeled [Threat Rank: Medium], [Direction: Northwest by North], [Estimated Contact Time: 11 quarter-hours later].

"Did it work?" Chen Wuwang asked.

"Not yet," Ling Zhenzi shook his head, "The response speed isn't fast enough. By the time they reached seventy miles, I only just reacted; it's equivalent to having a blade held to one's throat."

He continued adjusting the parameters, shortening the sampling interval from five breaths to two, and added redundant backups at key nodes.

On the sixth test, the alarm was triggered early at ninety-five miles away.

The seventh time, the System output was stable, with an error of no more than three miles.

Ling Zhenzi let out a long sigh, leaning back against the wall, panting. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was pale, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Reverse resonance locking," he pointed to the final version of the array diagram, "We don't actively search; instead, we let the Formation 'resonate' at that specific frequency. As long as the enemy approaches, their energy field will act like a key—a gentle twist, and the door opens."

Chen Wuwang stood up, walked to the master console, and personally pressed the activation key.

Hum—

The spirit inscriptions throughout the entire Array Hall lit up with a ghostly blue light simultaneously, extending along the ley lines and completing synchronization with the three hundred and sixty Array Cores spread across the Family territory.

On the interface of the Family central control System, an independent module appeared: [Demon Race Movement Early Warning System · Activated].

The sand table ran again, this time loading the real raid records from the past three months.

For the three attacks, the System issued warnings twelve quarter-hours, eleven and a half quarter-hours, and thirteen quarter-hours in advance respectively, with all locations falling within three miles of the actual outbreak point.

"It meets the standard," Chen Wuwang said.

Ling Zhenzi didn't say anything, just silently took out a small notebook and recorded the final set of operating parameters.

His hand was shaking a little, and the pen tip drew a few crooked lines on the paper.

"Believe it or not, the next time they come, before they even make a move, I'll know where they're breathing," he smiled, his voice hoarse.

Chen Wuwang looked at the stable red dot on the map and was silent for a few seconds.

Then he turned around, faced Ling Zhenzi, and said something he had never said before: "Thank you for your hard work."

Ling Zhenzi was stunned, then immediately waved his hand: "Spare me that. If you really think it's hard work, don't kick my door down first thing in the morning next time."

"I knocked three times," Chen Wuwang said expressionlessly, "It was you who were sleeping too soundly to hear."

The two looked at each other, neither smiling.

But the tension in the air eased by an inch.

Chen Wuwang took one last look at the System interface, confirmed the early warning module was running normally, and turned to walk toward the exit.

His footsteps did not stop, but his voice carried over: "Prepare to convene the Council of Elders. This thing must be integrated into the overall defense System as soon as possible."

Ling Zhenzi sat on the ground without moving, watching the iron door gradually close, muttering under his breath: "Knew it would be another hassle..."

He looked down at the notebook in his hand that he hadn't closed yet, the pen tip hovering over the paper, hesitant to land.

On the sand table, the final test red dot appeared quietly, located at the southeast border, ninety-seven miles from the main city.

The bell did not ring.

But the indicator light on the Array Core was already turning slightly red.