391: Chapter 391 The Chen Family's Turmoil Begins, Rebellion Surges

The morning light had just settled on the mountain ridge, and Chen Wuwang was still standing at the edge of the ancestral hall's high platform.

The wind whipped the iron flags, the sound slapping against his eardrums like the approaching footsteps of the Insectoid race on that rainy night thirty years ago.

He did not move, but his right index finger began to tap.

Tap, tap, tap.

It was not fast, but it was highly rhythmic, tapping against the edge of the stone railing, as if counting the number of times mechs took off or landed in the distance, or perhaps waiting for something.

Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, a silent bell rang.

Midnight.

A holographic interface emerged, and three lines of text appeared—

[ Today's Directive ]

1. A new type of crystal core will appear in the South Ridge mining belt in three days, which can be refined into a Spiritual Energy catalyst.

2. Chen Xiaoshi will have an Epiphany regarding the "Wind-Breaking Style" while practicing sword techniques at the Hour of the Dog.

3. A faction within the Alliance will rebel.

As the third line of text appeared, it seared into his Divine Soul like a branding iron; Chen Wuwang's pupils constricted sharply, and the three old scars on his right eye tightened instantly.

"Rebellion?"

He muttered these two words, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye activated instantly, scanning the surroundings with blue light—the clansmen harvesting in the Medicinal Field, the youths lining up in the training grounds, the flight paths of the patrol mechs... everything was as usual.

But something in the air had changed.

It was not a fluctuation in Spiritual Qi, nor was it a shift in the frequency of the Formation, but a kind of indescribable "quietness." It was too quiet. Even the sound of forging hammers seemed to have been muffled.

He slowly withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth suddenly curling up. His voice was not loud, but carried a hint of madness: "Hahahaha... it comes so quickly."

As his laughter faded, he turned and left, his steps steady. With one step off the high platform, his boot crushed a withered blade of grass.

The communication hub was located in the side corridor of the Main Hall. The on-duty messenger was looking down, organizing data pads. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and was just about to salute when he was pinned to the spot by a voice as cold as ice:

"Seal all external communication channels, initiate the Level 3 combat readiness protocol, and have the mech squadron enter standby orbit. Execute immediately."

The messenger's hand shook, and he nearly dropped the pad: "Fa-Family Head? We haven't received any enemy alerts..."

"I am the alert." Chen Wuwang stared at him, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flickering slightly, "Just relay the order, don't ask questions."

"Yes! Yes!" The messenger scribbled down the order, his fingers trembling. The moment he pressed the communication key, the Spiritual Energy network of the entire Chen family territory quietly switched to wartime mode.

The rune lamps atop the Signal Tower turned from blue to red. The gates of the underground hangar slid open silently, and six Black Armor Type III mechs rose slowly from the shadows, hovering in their designated orbits, their cannons slightly adjusting to lock down the surrounding Void Realm.

Chen Wuwang did not linger and immediately headed toward the Artifact Refining Workshop.

Passing by a Medicinal Field on the way, Aunt Li was bending over to cut dew grass. Seeing him approach, she straightened up with a smile: "Family Head, the grass this morning is especially moist. Would you like me to save a bundle for you?"

"Save it," he said, not stopping his pace, "Make some soup later and send it to the night shift technicians."

Aunt Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Oh, alright!"

Watching Chen Wuwang's retreating back, she muttered: "Why is he so quiet today?"

She wasn't the only one who noticed.

Deep inside the Artifact Refining Workshop, the furnace roared, and the firelight cast a crimson glow upon the walls.

Chen Tiezhu was squatting in front of the Spiritual Energy furnace control console, his brows furrowed into a knot.

The temperature curve on the screen should have been as steady as a straight line, but it had suddenly jumped just now, like someone being choked and coughing.

He took off his goggles and squinted at the flames in the furnace opening—the tongues of fire, which should have been golden-red, were tinged with a hint of blue at the edges.

"Something's wrong." He cursed under his breath, "This flame color is exactly the same as when the Zhao Clan of Xiling secretly excavated the branch vein back then."

He slammed the control console, stood up, and looked around.

The apprentices were working as usual, mechanical arms moving base plates, forging hammers clanging—no one noticed anything unusual.

But his ears, accustomed to the breathing of metal, and his nose, accustomed to the scent of Spiritual Energy, knew that even the slightest deviation was wrong.

"Someone is probing us." He gritted his teeth, his fingers flying across the control screen, "Activate the backup monitoring Formation, retrieve the georesonance data from the past two hours."

The System responded, and a series of waveforms popped up.

He spotted the problem at a glance—there was a faint oscillation in the georesonance frequency from the South Ridge direction. It wasn't a natural fluctuation, but "footprints" left by artificial probing.

"Bastards... really trying to stir up trouble?" He spat, grabbed the leather work clothes hanging on the back of his chair, pulled them on, and was about to rush out.

Just as he reached the door, he bumped into a figure.

It was Chen Wuwang.

The two met face-to-face, neither speaking first.

Chen Tiezhu grinned, that stubborn artisan spirit on his face emerging: "You felt it too?"

Chen Wuwang nodded: "The System just reported it—there is a rebellion within the Alliance."

"Damn it!" Chen Tiezhu punched the door frame, causing wall dust to rain down, "Which bastards have the guts to do this?"

"I don't know who it is." Chen Wuwang walked in, closed the door behind him, and lowered his voice, "But I know what they want to do—take advantage of our expansion and the wavering hearts of the people, incite a few small clans to defect, and force us to bow."

"Then let's make them bleed." Chen Tiezhu sneered, "I've got these newly built Black Armor Type IIIs here, just waiting for a chance to test their cannons."

"No rush." Chen Wuwang walked to the control console, his fingertips tapping lightly on the screen to bring up the troop distribution map of the various clans in the Alliance, "Passive defense is for fools. Since they want to make a move, then let me flip the table first."

"What do you plan to do?" Chen Tiezhu leaned in.

"Seal the news, act as if nothing is happening." Chen Wuwang's eyes turned cold, "You continue to tune the furnace, push the 'Spiritual Energy feedback loop' power to the limit. I want to turn the entire Artifact Refining Workshop into a net; whoever dares to reach out, I will snap their hand off."

Chen Tiezhu grinned: "Understood. You lay the trap, I'll bury the fire."

"Correct." Chen Wuwang turned and walked toward the door, "Keep a close eye on the South Ridge data; if there is any anomaly, report it directly to me."

"Wait." Chen Tiezhu called out to him, "What if it really is the Zhao Clan of Xiling? They are backed by the Beigu Lei Family."

"Then we'll wipe them out entirely." Chen Wuwang didn't look back, "Thirty years ago we even cut down the Insectoids; are we afraid of a few clowns?"

The door closed, and the footsteps faded away.

Chen Tiezhu stood there, staring at the slightly trembling georesonance waveform on the screen, and cursed under his breath:

"Come on, my furnace is just short of some firewood."

He put his goggles back on, his fingers dancing across the control console as he entered a series of commands—

[ Spiritual Energy Furnace · Level 2 Alert Mode Activated ]

[ Temperature Threshold Adjusted Upwards ]

[ Georesonance Frequency Locked to South Ridge Coordinates ]

[ Abnormal Intruder Marking Program Loaded ]

The furnace exploded into flames with a roar, the blue flames turning golden, and a wave of heat rushed toward him, casting light and shadow across half his face.

Outside, the sunlight was perfect.

Children were practicing martial arts, pharmacists were gathering herbs, and mechs were patrolling.

Everything was as usual.

But beneath this calm, a string had been stretched to its limit.

Chen Wuwang walked along the path to the Main Hall, his fingers beginning to tap again.

Tap, tap, tap.

As if counting down.

He did not look back, but he knew the storm was already on its way.

The fire in the Artifact Refining Workshop burned brighter and brighter.