296: Chapter 296 Explosion Blocked

Boom—!

The Runic Nail on the seventh segment of the production line exploded.

Flames erupted violently from the seams of the guide rails, leaping into the air like a crimson venomous snake as the shockwave swept across the ground.

The metal brackets groaned and bent into arcs, while several protective plates were blown away, spinning through the air before crashing into the cooling tank, splashing white mist everywhere.

Chen Xiaodao's pupils constricted, and he instinctively raised his hand to shield himself.

But when the fierce wind rushed toward his face, it felt as if it had slammed into an invisible wall.

"Buzz!"

The pale gold shield vibrated violently, its surface rippling with dense layers of waves. The shield firmly contained the violent energy produced by the explosion, which then rapidly dispersed along the hexagonal patterns.

The air currents rushed into the sky along the edges of the shield, tearing a hole in the morning mist before slamming back into the ground, shaking the entire factory site.

Inside the workshop, the three men in black were completely stunned.

The oldest one was about to retreat when his foot slipped, nearly causing him to fall to his knees.

He looked up at the slightly vibrating light membrane above him, his voice trembling: "This... what is this?!"

The man in the middle still had his finger pressed on the control panel. The screen had long since gone dark, but he acted as if he hadn't noticed, murmuring: "The intelligence didn't mention this kind of Formation at all... Impossible, absolutely impossible! We've been watching for three months; where did they get the resources to deploy a defense of this level?!"

The one on the right with the broken hand had just scrambled up from the ground, his chest still aching severely. Hearing this, he let out a cold laugh: "Heh... what does it matter what it is now? The mission failed! The Master said—failures need not return!"

"Shut up!" the elder suddenly barked. "Now is not the time for this! The shield might block it once, but it might not block it a second time! There's backup outside; as long as we hold out until the signal gets out—"

"The signal?" Chen Xiaodao wiped his face, the blood from the wound on his lip staining the corner of his mouth again. He grinned. "Try and see if you can send it out."

The three of them were stunned at the same time.

The man in the middle looked down abruptly. The beacon chip in his palm showed no response, not even the most basic fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Jammed?" He stared wide-eyed. "This shield can even block transmissions?!"

"More than that." Chen Xiaodao took a step forward, his sword tip carving a shallow mark on the ground. "If you even breathe a little too loudly now, I'll be able to hear it."

Before his voice finished echoing, he suddenly kicked off the ground, rushing out like an arrow from a bow. The mechanical joints of his left arm locked into place with a 'click,' and his sword momentum surged as a brilliant flash of sword light swept out.

"Retreat!" the elder roared, flipping backward.

But Chen Xiaodao was too fast, and his Sword Qi had already caught up to their backs.

"Clang!"

With a flick of his sword, he knocked away the second Runic Nail hidden in the broken-handed man's arms. The thing was detonated before it even hit the ground, but its power was entirely swallowed by the shield, creating only a ripple on the ceiling.

"Still want to go down with me?" A cold sneer hung on Chen Xiaodao's lips as he slowly sheathed his sword. "I'm telling you, you can't even self-destruct now."

The broken-handed man's face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth and pulled a short dagger from his waist, preparing to pounce again.

"Don't move!" The elder grabbed him. "If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

"Drag you down?" The broken-handed man violently shook off his hand. "Then tell me, where can we go now?! The mission failed; going back means death! We might as well fight for it and at least make them pay a price!"

"A price?" Chen Xiaodao stood three paces away, his sword tip swaying slightly. "You've already paid it."

His gaze swept over the three of them, his tone suddenly dropping an octave: "Do you know why your intelligence missed the existence of the shield?"

No one answered.

"Because from beginning to end, you never understood the Chen family's foundation." He sneered. "Did you think we relied on people? On old craftsmanship? On production lines cobbled together from scrap metal?"

He raised his left hand, his mechanical arm emitting a faint hum as his knuckles slowly tightened.

"We relied on—knowing you were coming in advance."

The elder's pupils constricted: "What did you say?"

"I'm saying your move was spotted three days ago," Chen Xiaodao said calmly. "The gaps in the cooling tanks, the angles of the ventilation pipes, the pressure-bearing weaknesses in the rail joints... Every spot you chose was a flaw we left intentionally."

"Bullshit!" the man in the middle roared. "Who would use their own workshop as bait?!"

"We would," Chen Xiaodao smiled. "And it worked quite well."

Just as he finished speaking, he stomped his right foot.

"Boom!"

The ground vibrated, and a ring of red light suddenly lit up along the hexagonal patterns at the edge of the shield. Immediately after, three metal gates dropped from both sides of the workshop with a 'swish,' sealing off all escape routes.

"You used the old maintenance tunnel when you came in, right?" Chen Xiaodao walked forward leisurely. "That path hasn't been repaired for three months, and the surveillance 'just happened' to fail. How thoughtful; it's almost like a door opened specifically for you."

"You... you set a trap?" the broken-handed man's voice trembled.

"What else?" Chen Xiaodao shrugged. "Did you really think we'd let a bunch of outsiders weld nails onto the core energy rails for three days without anyone noticing?"

The elder's expression changed completely. He looked around abruptly, finally realizing that from the moment they stepped into the factory area, every step might have been calculated.

"So... the explosion was fake?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"No, it was real," Chen Xiaodao shook his head. "But it couldn't blow anything up."

"What do you mean?"

"It means—" Chen Xiaodao raised his sword and pointed at the ceiling, "what you ignited was a waste ammunition depot where we had removed the fuses long ago. The real energy hub was switched to the underground backup lines two days ago."

The three of them paled in unison.

"Then the rails we welded..."

"Were models," Chen Xiaodao laughed. "Bait used to fish for you."

"Fuck!" The broken-handed man slammed a fist into the ground. "We were played!"

"Not played." Chen Xiaodao slowly approached. "Crushed."

With a flick of his sword tip, he sent the communicator at the middle man's waist flying and crushed it with his foot.

"Now, none of you three can think of leaving."

"Don't get cocky!" The broken-handed man suddenly lunged toward a pile of scrap parts in the corner, reaching out to grab something.

Chen Xiaodao's eyes turned cold, and his sword flashed.

"Squelch!"

The man's wrist was grazed by Sword Qi, and blood flowed instantly. The metal block he had just touched fell to the floor with a 'clang.'

"Final warning." Chen Xiaodao sheathed his sword and turned around. "Move again, and I won't guarantee I'll hold back next time."

The elder finally couldn't stand anymore. He stared at Chen Xiaodao, his voice raspy: "Who... exactly are you?"

"Chen Xiaodao," he said indifferently. "The Young Lord of the Chen family, the Sword Tester personally appointed by the Family Head."

"Sword Tester?" the man in the middle sneered. "Testing what sword? Testing it on us?"

"No." Chen Xiaodao shook his head. "Testing whether this System can withstand a real attack."

He looked up at the shield. The pale gold ripples flowed slowly, as stable as if they would never break.

"Now I know—it can."

"So we just... came for nothing?" The broken-handed man panted heavily, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

"Not entirely for nothing." Chen Xiaodao turned toward the main control console. "At least you proved one thing."

"What thing?"

"Proved..." He pressed a button, and the overhead lights of the workshop all flared to life, forcing the three to instinctively squint. "...that in the future, anyone who wants to touch the Chen family's things has to ask this shield if it agrees first."

"Hummm—"

The shield vibrated slightly again, and a circular energy wave expanded from the center, sweeping across the entire workshop. All the equipment indicator lights lit up one by one, the guide rails began to auto-calibrate, and the detection array emitted a faint buzz.

Chen Xiaodao stood under the light, his mechanical arm slowly relaxing.

"The explosion was blocked," he said. "Next, it's our turn to act."

The elder looked up sharply: "What else are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do?" Chen Xiaodao looked back, his gaze cold as ice. "Don't you want to know who the mastermind is?"

He paused, a trace of a smile curving his lips.

"How about—I take you to see him?"