8: Chapter 8 Technological Spirit Array: Initial Victory

At the moment the electric light exploded, Chen Wuwang's palm was still pressed against the rock layer.

The rune lines beneath his fingertips suddenly grew hot, and blue light snaked out along the cracks, following the energy-conducting circuits laid last night to trace a dense web across the mine floor.

The current hissed as it surged into the swarm. Several Gold-Eating Insects pouncing toward Chen Tiezhu's back stiffened on the spot, their six legs twitching and shells crackling with smoke. Like walnuts crushed by an invisible giant hand, they exploded into black sludge.

"It worked!" he growled. The three claw marks on his right cheek tightened. In the thermal imaging of his mechanical prosthetic eye, a gap appeared in the once-dense cluster of high-temperature spots.

The swarm's rhythm was broken.

The antennae of the silver-gray lead insect trembled wildly, and its compound eyes contracted sharply. It clearly hadn't expected such an attack to erupt from the ground—not spiritual energy, nor the fluctuations of a Spell, but more like... some kind of precisely calculated physical strike.

"Uncle Tiezhu!" Chen Wuwang's voice sliced through the air. "Conduct the current! Smash their formation!"

"Understood!" the response came like a thunderclap.

Chen Tiezhu had been waiting for this moment.

With a roar, he slammed the modified iron pickaxe into a glowing rune node on the ground. The moment the handle made contact with the rock layer, the entire weapon erupted in a blinding blue light with a low hum.

The muscles in his arms bulged, and his mechanical elbow joints emitted a low, overloaded whine as he swung the electrified pickaxe in a wide sweep—

"Clang!!!"

Sparks exploded!

The head of the leading Gold-Eating Insect was smashed to pieces, fragments flying everywhere.

But the real killing blow followed—the current conducted through the shell fragments, instantly piercing through three nearby kin. They didn't even have time to shriek before their bodies convulsed and they collapsed, limbs twisting at grotesque angles.

"Patriarch, this pickaxe can conduct electricity!" He wiped the sweat mixed with insect blood from his face and grinned broadly, black residue still stuck between his teeth. "The rune path I modified actually fucking worked!"

His laughter boomed through the mine tunnel like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of the clansmen. The eyes of several men who had been hesitating to move forward suddenly lit up.

Someone cursed under their breath, "Fuck, it actually works?"

Technology wasn't just for show.

It was a blade that could kill insects.

The corner of Chen Wuwang's mouth curled up. He didn't speak, but his right hand rose quietly, tapping three times on the hilt of his dagger—clack, clack, clack—short and forceful, like typing on a keyboard.

This was the signal.

Full team advance.

The battle entered its second phase.

The swarm was clearly panicked. Their frontal assault had been disrupted by the electric shocks. The lead insect emitted a high-frequency screech, seemingly issuing new orders.

The remaining Gold-Eating Insects quickly pulled back. No longer spreading out to flank, they gathered into a cluster against the rock wall, their shells overlapping to form a defensive formation.

"Trying to hold your ground?" Chen Wuwang sneered, his mechanical eye locking onto the core of the swarm. "Xiao Dao! Clear the flanks!"

"Been waiting," Chen Xiaodao replied coldly.

He hadn't moved until now, his sword still sheathed, but his left hand was pressed against the hilt at his waist, his knuckles white.

Hearing the command, he pushed off with his toes and shot forward like an arrow from a bow, his sword light suddenly surging—

"Falling Star Form!"

The sword tip split, raining down like a shower.

It wasn't slashing, but precise stabs. Every strike landed on the weak points where the insects' wings met their torsos. Four flying insects that had just glided down from the ceiling for a sneak attack had their wings severed at the base; they fell to the ground wailing and stopped moving after a few twitches.

He sheathed his sword in a clean, swift motion. His gaze swept over the retreating swarm as he reported to Chen Wuwang, "Patriarch, the insects are retreating!"

His tone was certain, without a hint of hesitation.

It wasn't a guess; it was a judgment.

The insects were afraid.

Their coordinated combat System had been disrupted by the spirit array, causing delays in their information transmission. Now, they only wanted to withdraw.

Chen Wuwang's pupils constricted slightly as the data stream in his mechanical eye refreshed rapidly. The speed of the six high-temperature spots in the rear had slowed, their trajectories showing hesitation—clearly also interfered with by the spirit array. The window of opportunity hadn't closed yet.

"Chase them!" He raised his hand abruptly, his voice cutting down like a blade. "While they haven't reacted yet!"

The team moved immediately.

Torches and spirit lamps pushed forward again, casting flickering shadows on the mine walls. Chen Tiezhu walked at the front of the right flank, carrying the iron pickaxe that was still sparking. His right mechanical elbow joint was smoking slightly, but his steps were steady, and he occasionally glanced down at the pickaxe head with eyes full of excitement.

"This thing can last another round," he muttered to himself. "I'll have to have the furnace supply more pressure later."

Chen Xiaodao followed closely behind Chen Wuwang's flank, his left hand always on his sword hilt, his gaze scanning the rock crevices like a hawk. He didn't believe the insects would just retreat like this.

These things were treacherous; during the last village massacre, they had feigned a retreat only to slaughter their way back in the middle of the night.

He suddenly paused, his ears twitching.

"Patriarch," he whispered. "Thirty zhang to the front-left, there's a vibration in the rock wall."

Chen Wuwang stopped immediately, switching his mechanical eye to vibration-sensing mode. In his field of vision, deep within the rock layer to the left, there was indeed a faint fluctuation. The frequency was irregular, like... something crawling.

It wasn't high temperature, nor was it a life signal.

It was mechanical movement.

He narrowed his eyes.

There was more than one energy-conducting circuit buried underground.

One of them led to a backup array base he had secretly laid last night—a habit from his programmer mindset: always leave a backdoor.

"It's not an insect," he whispered. "It's our line."

Chen Xiaodao frowned. "Could it be damaged?"

"No," Chen Wuwang shook his head. "If it were damaged, the first wave of electric shocks wouldn't have been so precise." He paused, a cold sneer forming on his lips. "On the contrary, it shows that someone is trying to follow the line in."

Hearing this, Chen Tiezhu immediately got excited. "Should I go take a look? One swing of the pickaxe, and I don't care if it's a person or an insect."

"Don't," Chen Wuwang raised his hand to stop him. "Let it in. We'll change our tactics."

He crouched down and pulled a palm-sized metal plate from his robes, its surface covered in intricate runes.

This was a "Signal Reflector" he had cobbled together last night using scrap circuit boards and Spirit Stone powder; it could redirect the feedback frequency of the spirit array.

"Uncle Tiezhu, when I shout 'grounding,' slam your pickaxe into Node Number Three and conduct energy with all your might."

"Got it!"

"Xiao Dao, ambush at Fissure Number Seven. Don't show yourself, wait for my signal to act."

"Understood."

The two moved quickly. Chen Wuwang pressed the metal plate against the rock wall, his fingers sliding rapidly across the runes to adjust the frequency. His movements were practiced, like he was writing code.

Three minutes later, the vibrations intensified.

A faint click came from underground, sounding like gears engaging.

Immediately after, a crack opened in the rock wall, and a mechanical tentacle slowly extended. At its end was a detection crystal, aimed directly at the core node of the spirit array, attempting to interface.

"It's here," Chen Wuwang whispered.

He didn't move; instead, he took half a step back, his right hand resting lightly on his dagger as he tapped his knuckles twice more.

This was a new signal.

Prepare for the countermeasure.

The mechanical tentacle extended further and further, about to touch the energy-conducting line—

"Grounding!" Chen Wuwang barked.

Chen Tiezhu didn't hesitate, swinging the pickaxe and slamming it hard into Node Number Three!

Boom—!

Blue light exploded, but this time, the current didn't surge toward the insects. Instead, it flowed backward along the underground lines, heading straight for the mechanical tentacle!

Zzzt—!

The detection crystal shattered instantly, and the mechanical arm convulsed violently, as if burned through from the inside. Following that, a muffled bang echoed from deep within the rock fissure, sounding like some device had exploded from an overload.

"Is it dead?" Chen Tiezhu stared.

"More than that," Chen Wuwang sneered, "Someone is testing our System."

"Who?"

"I don't know." He stood up and brushed his hands. "But if they dare touch the Chen family's lines, they'd better be prepared to be counter-tracked."

A stream of data flashed through his mechanical eye—the momentary current bounce had captured the frequency signature of the other party's equipment.

He remembered this signal.

"Let's go." He stepped forward. "Keep chasing. The swarm is just a smokescreen; the thing behind them has only just surfaced."

The team advanced once more.

Under the firelight, the mine tunnel grew deeper. The moss on the rock walls gradually disappeared, replaced by some kind of dark red mineral crystals that emitted a faint, dim glow.

The air became dry, carrying a hint of metallic scent.

Chen Wuwang walked at the front, his mechanical eye continuously scanning the darkness ahead. Eighty zhang.

They were eighty zhang from the entrance.

He didn't stop.

Ahead, the passage branched into two deep, unpredictable paths. The sound of wind on the left was faint, while on the right, there was a very subtle airflow, as if... there was an exit.

"Take the right," he ordered.

Chen Xiaodao frowned. "The airflow there is too steady; it doesn't seem natural."

"Precisely because it's so steady, there's a possibility of human intervention," Chen Wuwang said. "Insects don't dig ventilation shafts. But those who know how to use them certainly will."

Chen Tiezhu followed with his pickaxe. "Patriarch, are you saying... someone has been in here all along?"

"I don't know." Chen Wuwang gripped his dagger. "But one thing is certain—"

He stopped, the claw marks on his right cheek glowing a dark red in the firelight.

"We aren't exploring a mineral vein."

"We were led in here by someone."