387: Chapter 387 Strengthening Defenses and Preparing for Enemy Encounters

The night passed quietly. The morning breeze poured in from the cliff edge of the Main Peak, making the iron sheet flag in front of the Main Hall rattle.

Chen Wuwang had already arrived at the Main Hall, preparing to deploy the next course of action.

Chen Wuwang stood before the holographic projection. With a swipe of his finger in the air, the topographic map of the Eastern Wasteland immediately appeared in mid-air, with three red dots flickering like nails driven into the ground.

"Nanling Outpost No. 13, the cliffs of the Western Desert, and the thunderstorm zone in the North Valley."

His voice was not loud, but every word hit the ground hard. "At 2:17 last night, someone used short-range teleportation to scout. Their goal was clear—to check our defenses."

Chen Tiezhu was squatting in the corner gnawing on a sesame seed cake. He nearly choked when he heard this. "Damn it! They dare to come back? Last time, we blew Blood Butcher up so hard he didn't even have his underwear left. Do these bastards have too long a life?"

"It's not that they have too long a life." Chen Xiaodao leaned against the doorframe, his mechanical arm slightly hot—he had consumed too much spiritual power in last night's drill. "It's that someone wants to figure out our trump cards. What they fear isn't the mechs; it's not knowing how many backups we've hidden."

Bai Ling walked in holding a glowing crystal, the vines at her feet swaying gently. "There is an anomaly in the earth veins. It's not the Zerg, nor an earthquake... It's like some kind of detection wave, scanning repeatedly."

Ling Zhenzi snatched the crystal from her hand, squinted at it for two seconds, and his expression changed. "This is the residual frequency of a 'Heaven-Peeping Needle'! It's a nasty piece of work that can penetrate three layers of stealth units and is specifically designed to collect data on Formation nodes! Who placed this?"

"I don't know." Chen Wuwang shook his head. "But I know what they are going to do next—once they finish mapping the defenses, they will test our reaction speed. They want to catch us off guard."

The hall was quiet for a moment.

Chen Tiezhu brushed off the sesame cake crumbs and stood up. "Then what are we waiting for? Should we sound the alarm and have everyone grab their weapons and wait?"

"No." Chen Wuwang raised his hand. "If we move, it's equivalent to telling the other side: we are panicked. That's exactly what they want."

"Then do you intend to play dead?" Chen Xiaodao frowned.

"We won't play dead, and we won't act rashly." Chen Wuwang sneered. "We will upgrade."

He turned and tapped the projection, and the map instantly split into five areas.

"Ling Zhenzi, you take a team to Nanling Outpost No. 13. Leave the original Formation base untouched, add three layers of interference patterns, and bury a 'Phantom Decoy Formation'—whoever comes to scout will only see a fake defensive layout."

Ling Zhenzi grinned. "Understood. Let them think our left flank is empty and the center is weak. When their army presses in, they'll step right into a minefield."

"Correct." Chen Wuwang nodded. "You leave tonight. Move fast and leave no traces."

"No problem." Ling Zhenzi grabbed his cloak and headed out, then turned back at the door. "I need ten signal flares, the miniature kind."

"Approved." Chen Wuwang waved his hand.

"Chen Tiezhu!" he called out again.

"Here!" The old man puffed out his chest.

"The Artifact Refining Workshop starts a dual-track night shift, twenty-four hours without stopping. Prioritize building ten Type III Black Armor patrol mechs, all equipped with automatic identification and tracking Systems."

Chen Tiezhu stared. "Ten units? The production line is only running two lines right now!"

"Then open four." Chen Wuwang stared at him. "Is there enough star-fall iron?"

"Enough is enough... but refining takes three days."

"It won't take three days." Chen Wuwang pulled out a black chip. "I saved half the energy of the pure yang thunder marrow. It's enough for you to boost the high-intensity furnace once."

Chen Tiezhu's eyes lit up. "You prepared this early?"

"I have always been preparing." Chen Wuwang said calmly. "Why do you think I insisted on creating the prototype before the celebration? It was for this day."

Chen Tiezhu grinned and slapped his thigh. "Fine! I'm not sleeping tonight. I'll watch the furnace myself!"

"Also." Chen Wuwang handed over a talisman paper. "This is the newly compiled key sequence. All instructions are encrypted and transmitted via the secret network System. If anyone asks, say we are testing the patrol routes for the new mechs."

"Understood." Chen Tiezhu put away the talisman. "Act normal."

"Yes." Chen Wuwang nodded. "The more normal, the better."

He turned to Chen Xiaodao. "Take the young Sword Cultivators and incorporate them into the mobile team, responsible for near-space patrol. Real combat simulations start tonight at the training ground, with the theme—'Encountering a Surprise Attack'."

Chen Xiaodao's mouth curled up. "How do we simulate it?"

"Assume high-level Cultivators from the enemy side break through the defensive line and charge in from three directions."

Chen Wuwang gestured. "Your mission: aerial interception, ground encirclement, and Spirit Array coordination. Three groups will rotate, each group for the time of two incense sticks, no stopping."

"Understood." Battle Intent flashed in Chen Xiaodao's eyes. "I will let them know what it means that 'the Chen family is not a soft persimmon'."

"Finally." Chen Wuwang looked at Bai Ling. "Go deep into the Medicinal Field, connect to the ancient tree of the earth veins, and use the breath of life to sense vibrations in the soil. Guard against underground sneak attacks and also against Formation infiltration."

Bai Ling nodded. "I can feel movements within a hundred miles. If anything digs underground, I will discover it immediately."

"Good." Chen Wuwang looked around at the four of them. "Remember, we are not passively defending right now; we are fishing. The enemy wants to see us in chaos, but we must remain steady. The more they investigate, the stronger we become."

The four of them responded in unison and turned to leave.

"Wait." Chen Wuwang called them back again. "Don't tell the clansmen the truth. Just say—we are preparing for the next major drill."

"Understood." Chen Tiezhu chuckled. "I'll just say the Clan Head had a sudden inspiration to hold a 'limit survival challenge'."

"Say whatever you want." Chen Wuwang twitched his mouth. "As long as you don't scare the children."

The people dispersed.

He was the only one left in the hall.

He walked to the console, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed, and the holographic screen immediately switched to the Artifact Refining Workshop.

Chen Tiezhu had already rushed into the workshop, yelling at a group of technicians: "Wake up! No sleeping tonight! Whoever dares to doze off will be cleaning the toilets tomorrow!"

The screen switched to the training ground. Chen Xiaodao stood on the high platform, waving his long sword, and a hundred youths immediately lined up, waiting for orders.

He roared: "First group! Aerial interception drill! Take off!"

The screen turned again. Bai Ling was sitting cross-legged in the center of the Medicinal Field, her hands on the ground, her eyes slightly closed.

She carried a medicine pouch, talisman stones, and an old map on her back. Vines slowly wrapped around her arms as if transmitting some kind of message.

The last scene was Nanling Outpost No. 13.

Ling Zhenzi and two Disciples were squatting on the ground carving Formation patterns, with a pile of miniature signal transmitters beside them.

Chen Wuwang stared at the screen, motionless.

He knew the enemy was still watching from the shadows.

So he could not give anything away.

But he had already set the trap.

The night passed.

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Chen Wuwang walked out of the Main Hall and headed straight for the Artifact Refining Workshop.

Sparks flew in the workshop. Ten Type III Black Armor mechs were lined up neatly, and energy modules were being injected with spiritual energy.

Chen Tiezhu was slumped over the console, dark circles under his eyes, but his face was full of smiles. "The last one, done!"

"Not bad." Chen Wuwang inspected the identification System of one mech. "What about the automatic tracking?"

"Tested it." Chen Tiezhu said proudly. "It can lock onto a fly flying by, let alone a person."

"Good. Arrange for them to join the patrol team, encrypt the routes, and vary them randomly."

"Understood."

He went to the training ground again.

The drill had just ended. The clansmen were covered in sweat, but their eyes were bright.

Chen Xiaodao walked over and handed over a record. "Three groups rotation completed, average reaction time shortened by 40%. Aerial interception success rate is 82%."

"Still not enough." Chen Wuwang shook his head. "I want over 95%."

"Give me three days." Chen Xiaodao gritted his teeth. "I can train them to that level."

"You have two days." Chen Wuwang patted his shoulder. "Hurry."

Finally, he came to the Medicinal Field.

Bai Ling was still sitting cross-legged, sweat on her forehead, but with a smile on her lips. "No signs of underground invasion. The earth veins are very stable."

"Thank you for your hard work." Chen Wuwang handed over a water bag.

She took it, drank a sip, and said softly: "But I feel... they are waiting for something."

"I think so too." Chen Wuwang looked into the distance. "Waiting for a signal."

The two were silent for a moment.

In the distance, the firelight from the Artifact Refining Workshop reflected on the base of the clouds, the mech patrol team on the training ground moved back and forth, and the clansmen in the Medicinal Field had already begun a new day's labor.

Everything was as usual.

But everyone knew, it was different.

Chen Wuwang returned to the edge of the Main Peak cliff. Chen Tiezhu, Chen Xiaodao, Bai Ling, and Ling Zhenzi arrived one after another. The five of them stood in a row, looking at the brightly lit territory.

"Full-territory defense System." Chen Wuwang said in a low voice.

"Officially activated." The other four responded in unison.

The wind swept across the cliff edge, blowing his long silver-white hair.

Below, a mech slowly lifted off, its infrared scanner rotated once, emitting a faint hum.