333: Chapter 333 Expansion Plan, Clear Objectives

On the console, the "Magic-Technology Coupling Initial Proposal" chip lay quietly, its edges slightly hot.

Chen Wuwang stood before the holographic projection, tapping his finger lightly, and the star map instantly covered the entire floor.

The blue light marked the Family's existing territory, while the gray zones spread in all directions like a tide.

He did not turn around, but his voice struck like a hammer against a steel plate: "We have proven that we can build mechs capable of casting spells, and we can also allow Sword Cultivators to use magic chips. Now I want to ask one thing—where do we go from here?"

Footsteps approached from afar. Chen Tiezhu strode in, still carrying the charred cannon barrel in his hand, with grease on his face that he hadn't even had time to wipe off.

"Family Head, that's a foolish question to ask." He slammed the cannon barrel onto the ground, "We've come this far, how could we possibly retreat? We just need to charge forward!"

"Let me tell you, that abandoned mining belt to the north, although Spiritual Qi is scarce, the veins are clear. As long as we open up three main mining tunnels, it's no dream for the Artifact Refining Workshop's annual production capacity to increase fivefold!"

He slapped the north side of the star map, "I've already modified the earth dragon, just waiting for the order."

Chen Xiaodao walked over from the direction of the training grounds, his left arm's Mechanical prosthetic limb still dissipating heat, emitting a faint hum. He stood still on the west side of the star map, staring at a wrinkled area, his brows tightly locked.

"There... is the scent of the Zerg."

He spoke very softly, but every word seemed to nail into the floor, "The place where I was rescued three years ago had this same terrain. Collapses, wreckage, traces of underground nests... it was cut from the same mold."

He looked up at Chen Wuwang: "If it really is an ancient battlefield, it might contain a complete military formation System, or even an unactivated broodmother core. I'm not afraid to go in; I want to pry it open with my own hands."

Bai Ling approached slowly from the south, a faint ripple of green light appearing as her skirt brushed the floor.

She lightly touched three blurred points of light at the southern end of the star map and said in a low voice: "These three star gates... are not completely dead."

She closed her eyes to sense for a moment, her eyelashes trembling slightly: "They seem to have been forcibly closed by someone, but their internal structures are still operating. It's like... a heart that has stopped, yet there is still warmth in the blood vessels."

She opened her eyes and smiled: "I can feel the frequency of a restart. As long as we find the key, we can open the passage. I don't know where it leads, but I know—there is someone waiting for us on the other side."

Chen Wuwang slowly looked around at the three of them, his gaze sweeping over the determination, fanaticism, and persistence on their faces.

He didn't speak, slowly raising his right hand to condense a rune mark in his palm that only he could see—the unique interface of the family rise system, which was quietly flickering.

But he just clenched his fist, pressing that light into his flesh.

"Good." He spoke, his voice not loud, yet it rolled through the hall like thunder, "Then we advance on three fronts—expand resources in the north, explore ruins in the west, and open the star gates in the south!"

He pointed to the center of the star map, the Family emblem slowly rising, burning with red light like a flame.

"From today on, the Family is no longer a small clan in a corner of the Eastern Wasteland. What we are going to do is build a cultivation technology Dynasty that spans ten thousand worlds! Whoever dares to stop us, we will blow their heads off!"

Chen Tiezhu jumped up abruptly, grabbing the console next to him and slapping it hard: "Let's do it! I haven't felt this thrilled in thirty years! Automated mining and refining lines, intelligent furnace clusters, all-weather patrol mech squads—build them all for me!"

He turned his head to glare at Chen Xiaodao: "Kid, you go raid your ancient battlefield, and I'll build you ten 'earth dragon type-ii' units as the vanguard! Thickened armor, doubled firepower, I'll even roast the bugs' eggs for you!"

Chen Xiaodao curled his lips: "No need for you to send them, I'll hack my way in myself. But I lack a sword formation module that can operate in high-pollution areas; if you can make that, I'll acknowledge you have real skill."

"Bullshit!" Chen Tiezhu glared, "Do you think these hands of mine are just for show? I'll weld an anti-corrosion amplifier for you by tomorrow, guaranteed not to jam even if you're hacking through a pile of corpses for three days!"

Bai Ling chuckled, green light flowing from her fingertips: "Then I can't fall behind either. Since the star gates need a key, I will encode all the magic frequencies recorded these days into a readable 'Natural Key Chip'. Whoever takes it into the ruins will be able to hear the whispers behind the gate."

"Excellent!" Chen Wuwang slapped the console, "Then it's settled—Tiezhu is responsible for the northern mine development, have the engineering blueprints ready within seven days; Xiao Dao leads the team to scout the western border, recon first, then attack, no reckless charging; Bai Ling focuses on star gate decoding, you must obtain the first effective key within three months."

He paused, his eyes sharp as knives: "Remember, this is not a drill. Every step is concrete expansion. What we want is not just territory, but the right to speak, the right to set the rules! Whoever disagrees, shut them up with your fists!"

Chen Tiezhu squatted beside the projection of the northern mineral veins on the star map, took out his portable engineering notebook, flipped through it to a blank page, and his pen tip moved rapidly while he muttered: "How to arrange the transport rails... where to put the energy relay station... should I build an underground transfer warehouse..."

Chen Xiaodao stood at the edge of the western ruins area, his left hand gently stroking the sword hilt, silver light flashing in his eyes, as if he had already seen his own figure hacking through layers of ruins.

He whispered to himself: "This time, I am no longer that child running for his life."

Bai Ling stood in the southern star gate area, the green light at her fingertips not yet dissipated, the vine scroll in her hand glowing slightly, as if organizing new data.

She looked at Chen Wuwang's back and said softly: "You said you want to build a Dynasty... but a Dynasty doesn't just rely on strength; it also needs people willing to follow."

Chen Wuwang heard her, but did not turn back, simply replying calmly: "That is why you are here now."

She smiled, a clean and determined smile.

Outside the hall, the Technology Workshop was brightly lit, mech patrol squads moved in an orderly fashion, and in the distance, young clansmen were still swinging their swords tirelessly on the training grounds.

Energy conduits hummed, and coolant flowed through transparent pipes like blood.

Everything was silent, yet it felt like hearing the prelude to an approaching storm.

Chen Wuwang stood at the forefront of the main console, fists clenched, the fire of ambition burning in his eyes.

Deep within his consciousness, the [family rise system] was quietly operating, waiting for the three "heavenly secret instruction" at midnight tomorrow.

But for now, he didn't need to foresee the future. Because he had already drawn the map of the future with his own hands.

Chen Tiezhu was still looking down, writing and drawing, muttering "the composite spirit steel piles aren't load-bearing enough, need to add support";

Chen Xiaodao stood where he was, unmoving, the surface temperature of his Mechanical prosthetic limb slowly dropping;

Bai Ling's fingertips flashed with green light, saving a segment of new data into a chip, which she gently tucked into her bosom.

The four of them stood side by side, reflecting the radiance of the star map, like four iron pillars supporting the firmament.

The wind poured in from the ventilation duct, blowing an unfixed engineering sketch on the wall.

The page flipped, revealing a line of scrawled handwriting on the back: "Phase one goal: Take the three-line entrances, achieve energy self-sufficiency within three months."

Chen Wuwang took a look, said nothing, and simply pressed the paper back onto the wall.