"What the hell is going on?"
Chen Fei had just locked on the target when, for no apparent reason, they beca aware of his presence and responded imdiately, almost foiling his plan.
"We've been discovered!"
Princess Lin Ziyu also couldn't understand; maybe it was the Octoped chanical Spider that had disturbed the people in the courtyard.
But under the operation of the AI, they had been extrely cautious, never once appearing within the enemy's line of sight. Even Chen Fei himself would not be on guard for such slight disturbances at all tis.
"It could be a mole, or maybe a supernatural power user—after all, it's 'Water Bear.' It's not surprising at all."
Having dealt with "Water Bear" and its vassal force "Sacred Advent" quite often, Chen Fei quickly regained his composure.
This kind of mishap wasn't new to him.
Even companions from Team 04, including the formidable Holy Knights, had fallen in combat.
When dealing with these insidious creatures, one must always be on high alert.
Without hesitation, Her Royal Highness the Princess said, "Summon the Giant Dragon! Go for a direct assault!"
She didn't care if the powerful figures living there felt endangered; she was going all-in with a trump card, no, a dragon trump. The tallic Dragons didn't even have to do anything—a re free fall from high altitude could wipe out everyone in the courtyard.
And then they could just wait for tomorrow's news explosion about the Imperial Capital Delan City!
"No, follow them first, and expand our victory!"
Chen Fei saw several people inside a house pinpointed by the quadrotor drone gather in a particular room, then they opened a secret passage and filed in, while others in the courtyard continued with their usual activities.
The AI "Adam" obtained the underground structure of number 14 Ice Flower Road and its surroundings, including a long underground passage extending all the way to number 7 Cold Wind Road, through the feedback from the active sonar's echoes.
It must be a recently developed secret passage; otherwise, it wouldn't escape the regular security inspections of the noble community.
An Octoped chanical Spider closest to the location imdiately followed and crawled into the secret passage, trailing behind those people.
Unfortunately, the palm-sized chanical spider was equipped with only one engraving unit for a Magic Array Inscription, just enough to contain one "Mind Brand" and barely extend its spiritual power within reach for so minor disruptions.
Chen Fei actually wished to add the "Gravity," "Silent Domain," and "Light Distortion" Magic Arrays to the spider, which would significantly enhance its effectiveness.
"Click!"
A crisp sound echoed by Chen Fei's ear, and the image transmitted back from the passage turned into a black screen.
The AI "Adam" lost the signal from the Octoped chanical Spider that had entered the secret passage.
"Damn! The chanical spider's been found."
Chen Fei grimaced and imdiately had "Adam" control two other chanical spiders to board the quadrotor drone and move to the courtyard at number 7 Cold Wind Road.
Secret passages have their advantages; almost no traces are visible above ground, but the downside is equally clear—the route can be restrictive, with no possibility of changing paths on the fly, and in a noble community, secret passages can't be dug with unrestricted access.
After all, this is the Imperial Capital, not an outskirts manor; they would face restrictions from public pipelines, underground transport, and other landowners' safety concerns.
Princess Lin Ziyu asked, "Is it an Ability User?"
The Octoped chanical Spider that had entered the secret passage hadn't detected any chanting of Incantations. Chen Fei speculated, "It could be a Special Ability user!"
If it was a spell cast without an Incantation, it would consu too much Magic Power, which is essential for Mages. As each drop had to be used cautiously, unless in an ergency, Spellcasters generally would not do it casually.
However, Special Ability users were unique products of Blue Star; their abilities could be triggered quickly without any incantations. It wasn't surprising that "Water Bear," rooted in Blue Star, would have Special Ability users around Xia Ji.
Even today, there were a handful of unregistered supernatural power users outside the managent of the Psychic Managent Center.
"Don't let these bastards escape!"
Princess Lin Ziyu checked the destination of those people, the end of the secret passage.
The owner of the approximately five-acre estate at number 7 Cold Wind Road was Baron Lanfeng, who even belonged to the Princess Faction among the nobility. Unexpectedly, he had a connection with the "Water Bear" organization.
These people, secretly cultivating ferocious Mutants in the dark—don't they have any inkling of the dangers posed by "Water Bear"?
"They can't get away for now; I'll find an opportunity to lay a trap for them."
Those racing through the secret passage were as slippery as oiled eels, making it hard for Chen Fei to make his move; he just had to patiently look for an opportunity.
The quadrotor drone, carrying two Octoped chanical Spiders, raced ahead of the people traveling through the secret passage and made it to the estate at number 7 Cold Wind Road before them, infiltrating it right away.
The original courtyard at number 14 Ice Flower Road, however, kept one Octoped chanical Spider in place to maintain surveillance to avoid falling for a feint.
Although Chen Fei was alone and had limited attention to spare, the AI "Adam" excelled in multitasking with parallel operations. With its vast computing power, it truly could act at will.
"The distance is too far; I need to get closer. Your Highness, wait for in the vehicle!"
Chen Fei looked at the brightly lit noble community and imdiately stood up inside the vehicle.
The "Mind Brand" inscribed with spiritual power cannot be too far distant, or the response capability would diminish with distance. To prompt those chanical spiders into actions beyond their programd functions, one must close the distance.
"Where are you going?" Princess Lin Ziyu felt sowhat uneasy about being left alone in the vehicle.
"I'm going to use my abilities inside the noble district. Don't worry, with 'Adam' here, we'll stay in contact."
Chen Fei waved his hand at the door of the vehicle. His tactical helt enveloped his head, and with a leap, he vanished into the noble district's fenced walls without triggering any alarms.
While parked by the roadside, "Adam" had obtained the highest access to the community's security system, giving Chen Fei the green light to enter unimpeded, as if entering a deserted realm.
"Be careful..."
Before Princess Lin Ziyu could finish her sentence, Chen Fei had already disappeared from her view.
The massive mobile base vehicle, equipped with nearly a hundred Magic Array Inscription units, could beco as sturdy as a small fortress when focused on defense, capable of protecting Her Royal Highness the Princess's safety for a short duration.
Furthermore, there were tallic Dragons circling in the night sky, ready to swoop down and offer support at any mont.
At the study of the main building in the courtyard of Cold Wind Road No. 7, the inner wall of the fireplace that led straight to the roof suddenly recessed before it silently slid sideways, and a Light Orb floated out, illuminating the empty study.
"No one! Safe!"
The person in the lead peered outside before following the "Illumination Technique" Light Orb out of the fireplace.
Several others ard with Cold Weapons and Firearms erged in succession from the fireplace.
They were not worried about alerting anyone in the courtyard. To be precise, Baron Lanfeng's family was away on vacation, and the few remaining servants were likely deep in slumber.
Xia Ji approached a study window in another noble district courtyard, gazed off towards Ice Flower Road, and after a mont of scrutiny, puzzledly remarked, "It seems quiet at the original site!"
He had expected an extensive military and police blockade of the entire district and a rush into the courtyard, but the place remained tranquil, without any change.
"Inside the tunnel, I found sothing strange."
Among the group that passed through the tunnel, soone opened their hand to reveal a pile of mangled tal parts with a green bean-sized Crystalline Block particle at the center, along with a microscopic cara's optical lens.
It was unmistakably the remains of the Octoped chanical Spider that had burrowed into the tunnel, now crushed.
Xia Ji turned to the voice, unable to help his surprise as he exclaid, "What in the world is this thing?"
The Spellcaster who had provided the Light Orb asked, "Looks like so chanical entity, was it originally in the tunnel?"
"No! Definitely not, Lord Baron's estate never had such things inside. I don't know when it crawled in. This is bad; the secret passage has been exposed!"
The complexion of one man, the Butler from the Ice Flower Road No. 14 courtyard, shifted.
As an Earth Caster and the secret builder of this tunnel, he knew the ins and outs of the tunnel's facilities and was certain no chanical entity should have been placed there.
"What?"
Everyone in the study exclaid in unison.
The man holding the remains of the Octoped chanical Spider lanted, "Damn it! We've been marked."
The destruction of the chanical entity was futile, as the person controlling it must have already learned about their presence and the existence of the tunnel, aning the transfer operation had utterly failed.
This was even more pressing than the earlier statent "It has been exposed."
Xia Ji swiftly scanned the study, then took a few steps, picked up a Dagger from the desk as a weapon for self-defense, and without any hesitation declared, "This place isn't safe anymore, we must leave imdiately, no, leave Delan City."
No one knew how many more fallbacks the chanical spider had, and there could very well be more miniature chanical entities nearby.
Once he was certain of being targeted, a chilling sensation tingled down his spine.
Xia Ji was acutely aware of the extermination that exposed mbers of the "Water Bear" organization would face. Had he not feigned death earlier, he might have t the sa dire fate.
The Spellcaster who had led the way said with a furrowed brow, "No choice, let's hurry and leave. The black market in the shopping district is open, and there will be ways to leave Delan City safely."
"I'll arrange the vehicle!"
The Butler from Ice Flower Road No. 14, equally familiar with the Cold Wind Road No. 7 courtyard, could not have tunneled there otherwise.
-
24 hours later.
Around 600 kiloters from the Imperial Capital Delan City, a private estate where pathways intersect and the sounds of chickens and dogs were heard, the air was filled with the fragrance of plants and the mixed scent of livestock dung,
Only after departing from the city's clamor could one observe the pristine environnt of the plantation area.
"Mr. Moker, Mr. Xia Ji, Butler Huoke, ladies and gentlen, please rest assured, there will not be any unfamiliar faces within a ten-kiloter radius, everyone here is one of ours," the Manor Lord personally assured Xia Ji and his group who had fled all the way from Delan City.
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