335: Chapter 335 Intelligence Gathering, Insightful Prediction

The night wind poured in diagonally through the high windows of the main control hall, causing the runic paper scraps along the edge of the star map to tremble slightly.

Chen Wuwang remained where he was, his fists still clenched, knuckles white, the fire in his eyes unextinguished.

But his gaze had changed.

It was no longer just the burning of ambition, but rather like the moment before a blade is unsheathed—cold, calm, and with its sharp edge restrained.

His right eye was a normal pupil, but his left eye was embedded with a Mechanical Prosthetic Eye, which was currently emitting concentric rings of ghostly blue light, as if automatically scanning something.

A whisper, audible only to him, sounded in his ear:

"In three quarters of an hour, the East Mountain Signal Tower will receive abnormal fluctuations."

As the voice faded, an interface flashed deep within his consciousness, and the first of the three heavenly secret instructions now showed a countdown: "2:58:17".

He curled the corner of his mouth—not a smile, just a murmur to himself: "Time to work."

He raised his fingers and tapped twice in the air; a floating spiritual energy panel snapped open with a "pop."

He tapped the edge of the console, not quickly, but rhythmically, one tap after another, as if calculating something.

"Retrieve the data streams from all border surveillance jade talismans," he commanded, his voice low yet transmitted directly to the intelligence hub on the third underground level. "Focus on these areas: the southern foothills of the Chuanyun Sect, the eastern outpost of the Leiyin Pavilion, and the intersection of the West Desert Sand Clan trade routes. I need it now."

A hushed voice came from the other side of the communicator: "Clan Head, at this hour... there are only three personnel on duty. The data volume is too large; I'm afraid we won't have time to filter it."

"I don't need you to filter it," Chen Wuwang interrupted. "I want the raw stream. Import everything into the 'Grey Whale' filtering array and initiate the Level 3 monitoring protocol."

"But... this will trigger the anti-detection spell seals of the surrounding forces. If our node is exposed—"

"Exposed?" He sneered. "Let them discover it. It'll give me the chance to see who is the first to jump out and change their secret code."

There was a two-second silence on the other end before a reply came: "Understood, connecting now."

Chen Wuwang didn't say anything more; he turned, walked to the main console, and sat down.

The blue light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye continued to flash as he stared at several faint red dots on the star map—the seven Chen Clan Signal Towers distributed along the outskirts of the Eastern Wasteland.

The signal strength of the one on East Mountain had begun to flicker slightly, as if interfered with by something.

He narrowed his eyes.

It wasn't natural decay, nor was it a Spiritual Qi tide.

This was artificial frequency suppression. The method was very subtle, using old-style runic shockwaves specifically designed to jam spiritual energy communications.

"Putting on an act," he scoffed. "You've changed your secret codes and cleared out the moles, yet you still want to sneakily try to choke me?"

Just as he finished speaking, footsteps approached the doorway.

An intelligence officer walked in quickly, wearing a black hooded robe. An old scar ran diagonally across his face, from his brow bone down to his chin.

He held a glowing crystal tablet in his hands and handed it over. "Clan Head, the first batch of border rumors has been summarized."

Chen Wuwang took it and scanned it.

[Rumors from the Chuanyun Sect market: The Chen Clan's machine Alchemy has ruined the root Meridians of the world; three Loose Cultivators have already suffered burst Meridians after taking the medicine.]

[News from the outskirts of the Leiyin Pavilion: A Cultivator saw Chen Clan mechs digging the earth at night, suspected of unearthing ancestral spiritual bones.]

[Internal bulletin from the West Desert Sand Clan: Twelve clansmen were suddenly investigated last night and imprisoned for 'colluding with foreign enemies.' Among them, three had previously traded runic fragments with Chen Clan caravans.]

He read through them one by one, then slapped the crystal tablet onto the table with a sharp "crack."

"Interesting," he grinned. "These rumors are quite convincing; they've even concocted side effects. Unfortunately—they're too rushed."

The intelligence officer asked, "Should we dispatch undercover agents to spread counter-disinformation and disrupt their judgment?"

"No need," Chen Wuwang shook his head. "Don't they want to hide? Then let them keep hiding. We'll just listen."

He stood up and walked to the tactical screen on the wall, swiping his fingers through the air to pull up an encrypted frequency spectrum.

"Look here," he said, pointing to a section of the waveform. "The Chuanyun Sect changed three layers of keys tonight. The Leiyin Pavilion synchronized their communication rhythms, and the West Desert Sand Clan even stopped using jade talismans, switching to oral messages. They aren't guarding against me; they're guarding against each other leaking secrets."

The intelligence officer frowned. "What are they afraid of?"

"They're afraid of taking the fall," Chen Wuwang laughed. "A bunch of old foxes, none of them want to be the one to stick their neck out. So they organized a 'synchronized operation' to strike together in seven days. If they succeed, they get the credit; if they fail, no one will take the blame."

He paused, his voice dropping. "But they've forgotten one thing—as long as they make a move, they will leave traces."

"I've already dispatched four intelligence officers disguised as wandering Loose Cultivators to infiltrate their peripheral markets," the intelligence officer reported quickly. "They are using the pretext of purchasing old runic boards to gather verbal intelligence, while simultaneously using tracking spell seals to map their movements. Three routes have already reported abnormal activity."

"Very good," Chen Wuwang nodded. "Keep watching them. Especially those places that have suddenly strengthened patrols or changed guards. Also—tell the technical team to widen the receiving frequency band of the East Mountain Signal Tower by twenty units. I want to see exactly what they're suppressing."

The intelligence officer acknowledged the order and withdrew.

He was once again the only person left in the hall.

He walked back to the main console, the blue light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flickering incessantly as data streams cascaded across his vision like a waterfall.

As he watched, he used the tip of a dagger to carve several marks into the stone table, as if simulating a scenario.

Time ticked by, minute by minute.

Two quarters of an hour later, the second intelligence officer rushed in, his face tense.

"Clan Head! The East Mountain Tower has captured an encrypted voice snippet. Although it's fragmented, voiceprint analysis confirms it comes from a trusted aide of a Chuanyun Sect Elder!"

"The content mentions 'synchronized pressure in seven days,' with methods including spreading rumors, severing trade routes, and inciting subordinate tribes to defect!"

Chen Wuwang didn't even look up. "Continue."

"Also!" The man gasped for air. "Over at the West Desert Sand Clan, our undercover agents discovered that they destroyed a batch of communication jade talismans overnight. They were very hurried about it, as if they were afraid of someone finding something."

"Combined with other clues, we can basically confirm—they have indeed reached an agreement for a joint operation!"

Chen Wuwang finally looked up.

He stared at those red dots on the star map, his fingers still tapping on the table, the rhythm growing faster and faster.

Three minutes later, the third batch of intelligence arrived.

[The High Priest of Chiji Ridge summoned six confidants last night and held a closed-door meeting until dawn.]

[The Northern Plains Sun Clan has closed two trading checkpoints that border the Chen Clan.]

[An Elder of the Cangling Clan sent someone to deliver an anonymous letter, which read: 'The wind has not yet risen, but the water is already boiling. Be cautious.']

He finished reading them one by one, then slowly exhaled.

Then, he smiled.

"Hahaha, hahaha!"

The laughter wasn't loud, but it carried a frantic edge, echoing through the empty hall.

He stood up and walked to the holographic star map. He raised his right hand and drew three red lines in the air, pointing towards the directions of the Chuanyun Sect, the Leiyin Pavilion, and the West Desert Sand Clan, respectively.

"Want to play dirty?" he whispered, his voice as cold as ice. "Then let's see whose web is faster."

He pressed a hidden button on the console, and a line of text popped up on the panel: [Reverse Infiltration Plan: Phase 1 Initiated]

He didn't summon his subordinates, didn't issue any orders, and his expression didn't even change.

But he had already made his move.

On the star map, seven tiny points of light quietly lit up, distributed around the various major powers like a silently unfurling spider web.

He stood there, his left hand resting on the console, the blue light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye casting a glow on his face, half in light, half in shadow.

The next second, he picked up the newly printed intelligence brief, his fingertips gently stroking the paper, his gaze cold and stern as he prepared to issue a summons.