271: Chapter 271 Improved Spirit Array, Monitoring Blood Demon

Morning light slanted through the window lattice of the Main Hall's living quarters, a teacup still resting on the corner of the table, a faint ring of tea stains remaining on its wall.

Chen Wuwang sat in his chair, the data streams that had yet to be closed scrolling within the field of view of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye—

The crystal energy spectrum handed over by Bai Ling was still being analyzed; blue-green ripples rotated slowly in the air, like a cloud of mist that had not yet dispersed.

His fingertips tapped against the tabletop, not fast, but one after another, with great regularity.

The door was not fully closed, and the wind slipped in through the gap, blowing the corner of a scroll on the table.

He did not look up, only saying in a low voice: "Here again?"

The footsteps outside the door were steady, carrying a hint of urgency, but no panic.

When the door was pushed open, it made a slight creaking sound, and a figure stepped across the threshold, wearing a rough cloth array robe with frayed, white-worn cuffs, a string of jingling rune copper plates hanging at his waist.

It was Ling Zhenzi.

The first thing he said upon entering was a sigh: "This place of yours, all day long it's either people or mechs; there isn't even a moment of peace."

Chen Wuwang finally looked up, the three scars on his right cheek left by the Zerg twitching slightly, yet the corner of his mouth lifted into a half-smile: "Then don't come."

"Don't come?" Ling Zhenzi snorted coldly, "If I don't come, you won't even know how you died the day someone raids your nest."

As he spoke, he pulled something that looked like a bronze compass from his bosom.

Its surface was carved with crisscrossing runes, and a fingernail-sized crystal was embedded in the center, emitting a faint cyan light.

He placed it on the table, his movements crisp, as if he were tossing away something scalding.

"Here, the 'Global Monitoring' you wanted; I've revised the array base topology thirty-seven times, and finally managed to expand the detection range to the border of the Eastern Wasteland."

Chen Wuwang stared at the compass for two seconds without touching it, only asking: "What can it do?"

"It can lock onto the aura fluctuations of the Blood Demon," Ling Zhenzi's tone was stiff, as if he were afraid of being praised, "As long as someone from the Blood Demon Sect uses the Blood River Demonic Art, even if they are three mountain ranges away, I can know the direction, number of people, and Rank of intensity."

He paused, then added: "It's more than six hours faster than relying on scouts to send messages before."

The room was silent for a moment.

Chen Wuwang suddenly laughed.

"Hahahaha—!"

The laughter was short and sharp, like a blade scraping across iron, and then it stopped abruptly.

He stood up, walked over to Ling Zhenzi, and reached out to pat the other man's shoulder: "Old thing, you didn't hold anything back this time."

Ling Zhenzi shook off his hand, his brows knitting into a knot: "Cut the crap. I didn't do this to suck up to you."

"I'm just afraid that one day you'll be caught in your nest without even knowing how you died."

Chen Wuwang nodded, putting away his smile: "You're right. We almost fell into the hands of Blood Butcher."

He pointed to the compass on the table, his voice dropping a few decibels: "But this thing is not just an early warning network."

He raised his right hand, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashing with a faint light, projecting a map of the Eastern Wasteland in the air, with mountains and rivers clearly visible.

The data from the compass connected automatically, and several red dots lit up on the edge of the map, distributed in different directions.

"It is an eye, a nerve ending, the first point of contact for the entire defense System."

He looked at Ling Zhenzi: "You have given us reaction time."

Ling Zhenzi was stunned for a moment, then snorted coldly: "Suit yourself. Anyway, I've already handed over the array map."

He turned and left, his robe hem stirring up a gust of wind.

"Wait," Chen Wuwang called out to him.

Ling Zhenzi didn't stop, but his ears perked up.

"Continue to optimize it," Chen Wuwang said, "I want it to be able to distinguish the aura characteristics of each Blood Demon."

The room was quiet for two seconds.

Ling Zhenzi finally stopped, his back to him, and cursed in a low voice: "Madman…"

Then he strode out, his figure disappearing into the morning light.

The door closed gently, leaving a thin strip of light cutting across the floor.

Chen Wuwang stood where he was, unmoving.

His Mechanical Prosthetic Eye was still running, the terrain map hovering in mid-air, with red dots blinking incessantly.

He reached out and loaded the crystal left by Bai Ling into the System, comparing the two sets of data side-by-side, and the energy frequencies began to automatically match.

"Dual-line monitoring… one to guard against the overt, one to guard against the covert."

He muttered to himself, his fingertips lightly tapping the phantom image, zooming in on a red dot at the border.

The data showed that there had been a weak fluctuation last night, lasting less than seven breaths, which had already been marked by the System as "Low-Risk Interference."

But he knew, this was not interference.

Blood Butcher had escaped, heavily injured, and would not immediately counterattack.

But a person like him, the more injured he was, the more he would bite.

And this compass happened to catch him on his most prized Move—once the Blood River Demonic Art was activated, aura leakage was inevitable.

No matter how hidden the lurking, it could not escape this net.

He sat back in his chair, picked up the cold cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

The tea was terribly bitter, but he seemed not to feel it.

Outside the window, a wind chime rang softly.

He didn't look back, only taking the compass and rubbing the runes on its surface with his fingertips.

The bronze was cold, but the crystal was somewhat warm, as if it had just been warmed by someone.

"Ling Zhenzi, oh Ling Zhenzi… your words are harsh, but your work is truly no-nonsense."

He chuckled softly, and began tapping the table again, the rhythm faster than before.

The next step was to gather the people.

But now was not the time.

He was still missing one thing—trust enough to make everyone shut up.

Just having magic crystals and a detection compass was not enough; he had to let them see the threat approaching with their own eyes, and then see this pair of "eyes" sound the alarm in advance with their own eyes.

He wanted to turn this battle into a lesson.

To let everyone remember: what it means to seize the initiative.

He brought up the Family communication panel, his finger hovering over the "Summon Council of Elders" button, paused for two seconds, then withdrew it.

Wait a little longer.

Wait for a signal.

A breath from the depths of the Eastern Wasteland, belonging to the Blood Demon.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye still working, the field of view filled with constantly refreshing maps and data streams.

Outside, the sound of patrol mechs sliding by could be heard, regular and steady.

In the distance, someone was calling out in the Medicinal Field, their voice blurry and unclear.

Everything was as usual.

But he knew that beneath this calm, something was crawling.

Just like before the Zerg first crawled out from underground back then, it was just as quiet.

He opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling, and suddenly said in a low voice: "At midnight today, it's time for new instructions."

As his voice fell, only his own breathing remained in the room.

The teacup was turned upside down on the table, the edges of the water stain already beginning to dry.

The sunlight slowly crept up the wall, shining on the corner of the bronze compass, the runes flashing with a faint light, vanishing in an instant.