42: Chapter 42 A Small Clan's Scheme, Stealth in the Dark

Chen Wuwang sat upright on a solitary rock, as motionless as a boulder.

But his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye had already lit up—blue light swept in circles deep within his pupil, like the final calibration before a radar locks onto its prey.

A soft sound came from the earpiece: "Family Head, the communication jade talismans from the three locations have been routed back, and all feeds have been connected to the main control console."

It was the voice of Chen Tiezhu, deep and steady, with a hint of hoarseness from staying up late.

"Play it." Chen Wuwang said only one word.

The next second, three virtual screens appeared in his field of vision: in the Zhao Family secret chamber to the north, candlelight flickered, and an armored old man was slamming the table and shouting in anger; deep in the withered forest to the west, the Clan Head of the Wang Family crushed a jade talisman and issued an order in a cold voice; in the Li Family ancestral hall on the southern cliff, the clan elders sat in a circle, staring gloomily at a topographic map of the Eastern Wasteland.

"The Chen Family only has seven people guarding the spring, those thirty mechs are all illusions!" the Zhao Family leader gritted his teeth, "They are just bluffing! The gushing of the Spiritual Spring is a blessing from heaven and earth, how can one Family monopolize it?"

"We act tonight." The Clan Head of the Wang Family slowly stood up, "While they are not yet firmly established, we will seize the spring and destroy the array, letting Chen Wuwang know that he does not have the final say in the Eastern Wasteland."

"Right! We cannot let them firmly establish their technology tree!" A Li Family elder slammed the table, "If news of 'mass production of Spiritual Qi' spreads tomorrow, us small families who rely on medicinal herbs will all have to kneel and beg him for handouts!"

Three voices, three different tones, but the goal was the same: "Night raid to seize the spring."

The corner of Chen Wuwang's mouth twitched imperceptibly. He tapped the hilt of his dagger three times with his right hand—the exact same rhythm as last night, only this time, it was not to order defensive deployment, but to activate countermeasures.

"Buzzer level two response, activate." He said in a low voice.

There was silence in the earpiece for two seconds, followed by the sound of keyboard typing, and then Chen Tiezhu's voice rang out again: "Twelve vibration sensors have been switched to high-sensitivity mode, the Earth Vein Rail energy feedback System is fully charged, and low-frequency shockwaves can be released at any time. Trap program... is online."

"Good." Chen Wuwang closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the scanning frequency of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye doubled, "Let them walk further in before entering the circle. I want them to step into it themselves."

Meanwhile, in the West Suburbs, stealth teams were quietly gathering on the mountains on three sides.

The Zhao Family sent eight elites, cloaked in Spiritual-concealing capes, stepping with silent footwork, approaching the spring using the shadows of vegetation. The Wang Family was even more ruthless, directly ordering two Qi Refining ninth-level Cultivators to crawl along the ground, their spiritual power restrained, even their breathing compressed into a thin line. The Li Family sent their fastest scouts, holding array-breaking talismans, preparing to forcibly cut off the rail network.

What they did not know was that every step they took was being clearly recorded by sensors buried deep underground.

Chen Xiaodao lay on the edge of the high ground, a Psionic Cannon telescope pressed against his eye socket, chewing on dry rations, muttering in a low voice: "They're coming from three directions, the Zhao Family in the lead, the Wang Family bringing up the rear, and the Li Family wanting to cut off the retreat... Heh, quite methodical."

"They think this is a sneak attack." Chen Wuwang's voice came from the earpiece, as calm as if he were talking about the weather, "In reality, they are testers we invited."

"Testing what?" Chen Xiaodao asked.

"Testing the reaction speed of the traps." Chen Wuwang said, his fingertip gently tracing a rune on the dagger handle, "And, testing just how greedy they are."

As soon as he finished speaking, the person at the very front of the Zhao Family team stepped into the thirty-zhang perimeter line.

Hum—

An invisible low-frequency shockwave instantly spread out, sweeping across the ground like ripples in water. That person's footsteps faltered, and the spiritual power within his body suddenly became chaotic, as if someone had whipped him from behind.

"What's going on?" He growled, but dared not raise his voice.

His companions behind him quickly gathered around, some forming hand seals to investigate, only to find that the surrounding Spiritual Qi was abnormally stable, with no signs of attack.

"Continue." The team leader said coldly, "Don't be scared by illusions."

They pushed forward another ten zhang.

Just at this moment, dozens of phantom images suddenly appeared on the ground—all outlines of mechs, shouldering Psionic Cannons, standing in formation, their muzzles slowly charging, emitting a low hum.

"Damn it!" A Zhao Family Cultivator almost jumped up, "A mech brigade?! They really brought this many?!"

"Calm down!" The leader gritted his teeth, "These are projections! Don't panic!"

But the moment his words fell, the soil beneath their feet suddenly shook—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three micro-shock talismans exploded in succession, their positions precisely placed at the joints of the formation. Dust exploded, vegetation shattered, several people were knocked to the ground by the blast wave, and their spiritual power circulation was completely disrupted.

"It's an ambush!" Someone screamed.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

But their retreat route had already been sealed off—the rail network automatically activated its second phase, the low-frequency shockwave was amplified three times, and everyone's spiritual power felt like it was trapped in a quagmire, unable to muster even a fraction.

This was the moment Chen Xiaodao jumped down.

He leaped down from the high ground, landing without a sound, his left mechanical prosthetic limb slightly hot, his sword still sheathed, and he was already standing ten zhang in front of the spring, directly blocking the escape route.

"You lot." His voice was not loud, but it felt like an ice blade scraping across eardrums, "Don't even have the qualifications to enter the circle."

The Zhao Family leader struggled to get up, roaring: "Chen Xiaodao! Your Chen Family is being too overbearing! The Spiritual Spring fell from the heavens, why should your Family monopolize it?!"

"Why?" Chen Xiaodao sneered, "Because you dare to reach out without even being able to distinguish between real and fake."

He raised his left hand, and a micro-screen appeared on the palm of his mechanical prosthetic limb, playing the surveillance footage from just moments ago—the Zhao Family leader slamming the table and cursing in the secret chamber, the Clan Head of the Wang Family ordering the night raid, and the Li Family elders gnashing their teeth.

"When you were plotting, you forgot that this place had long been bugged." He said calmly, "Now, go back and tell your Clan Chiefs—next time you want to steal something, learn to look at the data first."

The few men looked deathly pale, exchanged glances, turned around in a panic, and stumbled as they fled into the night.

In the earpiece, Chen Tiezhu's voice came through: "Family Head, the trap System is operating normally, energy consumption is fifteen percent lower than estimated, the vibration sensors are undamaged, and the rail network is stable."

"Record the time." Chen Wuwang finally spoke, his voice deep but clear, "Night raid failed, zero casualties."

He paused, then added: "Notify the Artifact Refining Workshop to recover the fragments of the shock talismans. Repair what can be repaired, and dismantle and re-forge what cannot. Cultivation of technology, lesson one—don't be wasteful."

Chen Xiaodao sheathed his sword, retreated to his original position, sat down against a tree, and looked up at Chen Wuwang's back.

That figure was still sitting on the solitary rock, as motionless as a mountain.

But he knew that tonight, no one would be able to get another step closer to the spring.

The wind blew gently, and the spring water flowed calmly, as if nothing had ever happened.

But the rails underground were still running, the rune boards were still on standby, and the buzzer System lay quietly in wait, like a sleeping beast, waiting for the next intruder.

Chen Xiaodao took out the last piece of dry rations, took a bite, and laughed in a low voice: "In the past, fighting relied on whose fists were harder. Now, fighting... relies on whose brain is faster."

He looked up at the sky, the moonlight fading, dawn approaching.

In the distance, the last fleeing figure disappeared over the ridge.

Chen Wuwang slowly opened his eyes, the blue light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye extinguished, returning to the appearance of a normal person.

He raised his hand and gently stroked the rune carvings on the dagger handle.

Tonight, he had won another round.

And, without drawing a single blade.