Chapter 66: Ice Wind Deadlock, Rules Frozen

Bingfeng Valley lives up to its name. The biting cold wind, like countless ice blades wrapped in it, howls through the jagged ice-eroded terrain, lifting hard snow grains from the ground and slapping them against people's faces, causing sharp pain. The air is thin and icy; each breath feels like swallowing shards of glass, and even the flow of Primordial Force here seems to become sluggish and congealed.

Chen Mo-led rescue team hid behind a ridge covered in thick ice; the sight of the valley below made everyone suck in a breath of cold air.

At the valley's center, it was not naturally formed but an area clearly shaped by large-scale mechanical excavation and construction. A silver-white, streamlined metal building is half-embedded in the ice wall; its surface is mirror-smooth, reflecting the dim sky light, with no visible seams or windows, only a few vents constantly flashing blue indicator lights, emitting a low hum. This is the "factory" mentioned by the scouts.

But right in front of the factory on a relatively open ice plain, the situation is dire.

Han Qing and four other scouts were tightly trapped in place by a grid of intersecting blue energy nets! The energy net is not static; it constantly contracts and writhes like the tentacles of a living thing, tightly binding their limbs and torsos. Worse still, where the energy net touches, their skin is covered with a thick layer of chilling ice crystals, and even the faint glow of Primordial Force within them is frozen and dulled! Han Qing half-kneels on the ground, his face purplish, still trying to resist the bone-deep freezing with willpower, while the others have already grown dazed, on the brink of death.

Outside the energy net, eight white-clad "Ark" soldiers stand, still wearing that cold, precise appearance, holding the strange firearms that fire blue energy nets, expressionlessly monitoring the prisoners. Besides them, there are two obviously officer-clad white-clad individuals; the gear-and-wheat insignia on their shoulder pads is more intricate, and one of them holds a tablet-like device, seemingly recording and analyzing the energy net's data.

"That's the net!" Su Yu lowered her voice, True Knowledge Vision piercing the snowstorm, locking onto the structure of the energy net: "Its core rules are 'absolute cold' and 'energy stagnation,' specifically targeting biological vitality and Primordial fluctuations! Forced attack could accelerate freezing, even trigger an explosion!"

"Damn, how do we save them?" Zhang Yang stared at the trapped comrades, his eyes nearly popping out, his fingers clenched tight on the machine gun's trigger.

Wang Hu let out a low growl from his throat, the chill on his battle axe seeming to resonate with the valley's icy cold.

Hui Jin narrowed his eyes, feeling the rule fluctuations emanating from the blue energy net: "Pure 'negation' and 'termination' force, more direct and overbearing than the Data Plague. My Pure Fire might temporarily counter its freezing effect, but it cannot last."

Everyone's gaze turned to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo's mind raced. A frontal assault won't work; the energy net's traits are too troublesome. Rule mediation? That energy net itself is a highly condensed rule construct; directly mediating its structure would consume huge resources with unknown effect.

His gaze swept over the entire valley environment—the biting cold wind, the heavy ice layers, the bone-chilling low temperature… and the energy net constantly emitting cold.

An extremely daring plan formed in his mind.

He looked at Hui Jin: "Guide Hui Jin, I need you and your followers to, at the moment of my action, use Pure Fire to scorch the edge where the energy net contacts Han Qing and the others' bodies—no need to break it, just create a brief 'loosening' and 'temperature rise' to give them a chance to break contact, even if only half a second!"

Hui Jin nodded solemnly: "We can try, but we only have one chance."

Chen Mo then looked at Su Yu: "Su Yu, lock onto the connection points between the energy net and the ground ice, as well as its core power circuit; when I freeze it, point out the most vulnerable node!"

Su Yu took a deep breath, golden light flowing in her pupils, and analyzed with all her might.

Finally, Chen Mo gave orders to Zhang Yang and Wang Hu: "Wait for my signal; when Pure Fire takes effect and the energy net shows a loosening, lay down fire on those white-clad soldiers to draw and suppress their fire! Don't worry about the two officers—I'll handle them!"

With preparations complete, Chen Mo closed his eyes, no longer looking at the dangerous situation, but sinking all his consciousness into resonance with the surrounding environment. He no longer sensed the active Primordial Laws; instead, he focused his attention on the most fundamental, vast rule of this Bingfeng Valley—"cold"! "freezing"! **"stagnation"!

What he intended to do was not to oppose, but… to guide and amplify!

"Weave: here—gather the cold rules! condense! direct toward the target—the blue energy net and surrounding area!"

In silent stillness, a chill far colder and more deathly than the valley's natural cold wind spread from Chen Mo as its center, like mercury poured across the ground toward the valley below! This was not an energy attack, but a rule-level "environmental enhancement"!

The wind and snow inside the valley seemed to freeze at this moment.

The eight white-clad soldiers' movements showed a momentary lag; they seemed to detect the sudden change in environmental parameters, but still did not understand what had happened.

The two officers also raised their heads, looking toward the ridge where Chen Mo and the others were hidden; data streams flashed rapidly in their electronic eyes.

And the first to bear the brunt was that blue energy net!

The energy net's inherent "absolute cold" rule, under Chen Mo's guidance and amplification, instantly surpassed the load limit of its own structure!

Hum—!

The blue light emitted by the energy net suddenly became blinding, then it snapped inward! The energy lines making up the grid began to destabilize, violently flickering, and a thick layer of abnormal azure ice formed on its surface! Its own inherent "freezing" rule was backfired by a stronger external "freezing" rule.

Now!

"Pure Fire!" Hui Jin shouted low, and he and over a dozen followers slammed their staves to the ground! Pure white flames, like a reverse-flowing waterfall, precisely washed over the edge where the energy net contacted Han Qing and the others' bodies!

Hiss—!

The collision of extreme heat and extreme cold burst into a dense white mist! The freezing effect at the edge of the energy net was forcibly neutralized by Pure Fire, producing an extremely brief loosening and melting!

"Now! Move!" Su Yu shouted sharply, simultaneously pointing out several energy nodes of the net that had become brittle from over‑freezing!

"Damn it!" Zhang Yang's machine gun and Wang Hu's thrown battle axe roared together! The metal storm and howling axe blades, like the grim reaper's scythe, swept toward the eight white‑clad soldiers!

The sudden strike caught the white‑clad soldiers off guard; they tried to raise their guns to fire back, but their whole bodies felt as if stuck in sticky ice slurry, their motions slower than usual by more than a beat! In an instant, three were hit by the violent firepower and Wang Hu's thrown axe, their white uniforms bursting open to reveal the mechanical structure underneath, sparking with electricity.

And Chen Mo, at the moment he guided and amplified the cold rule and sent the signal, had already shot down from the ridge like a cheetah! His target was straight at the two officers—especially the one holding the tablet device!

Mid‑air, his hands already forming a vague grasp, he directed rule‑weaving at the area where the two officers stood!

"Definition: here—energy activity, return to zero!"

A stronger rule suppression descended! The officers' shimmering shield lights dimmed sharply, the screen of the tablet device in one's hand instantly went black, and the other's oddly shaped hand‑cannon, just about to be raised, sputtered out! Chen Mo's rule definition directly disabled their high‑tech gear they relied on!

"Low‑entropy disturbance entity! High‑dimensional rule interference level raised to 'critical'! Execute maximum threat elimination protocol!" the officer holding the tablet emitted a piercing electronic tone, discarded the device, and together with his partner drew high‑frequency vibration blades, one left, one right, charging at Chen Mo!

Their close‑combat skills remained superb, speed fast enough to leave afterimages. But under Chen Mo's rule perception, their movement trajectories were clearly visible. He no longer performed large‑scale rule weaving, which would consume too much, instead concentrating his force on himself and the immediate surroundings.

"Mediation: air resistance on the left‑side attack trajectory—double!"

The left officer's blade, as if stuck in a mire, saw its speed plummet.

"Guidance: release the ice‑layer stress under the right‑side foot!"

The ice under the right officer's feet suddenly exploded, causing him to stagger.

Chen Mo fluttered like a butterfly among flowers, weaving calmly between the two fierce attacks; each dodge and block was just right. His fingers occasionally tapped the opponent's swinging arm or blade, not a hard clash, but transmitting a faint "rule disturbance" aimed at their internal precise structure.

One officer's vibration blade suddenly lost frequency control, emitting a piercing noise; the other felt his balance system lightly disturbed.

Meanwhile, the rear battlefield.

In the brief gap created by Pure Fire and under the frantic firepower suppression of Zhang Yang and Wang Hu, Han Qing roared, unleashing his final willpower, and violently broke free from the already‑fragile energy net binding him! He drew back his waist‑stowed backup dagger and fiercely chopped at the energy node restraining his comrades!

Crack! Crack!

A few crisp sounds, and the other four scouts also broke free one after another; though covered in frostbite and moving stiffly, they at last escaped that deadly freezing trap.

"Withdraw! Take the wounded, pull back fast!" Hoarsely shouted Han Qing, waving his dagger to deflect scattered energy shots while covering his companions' retreat toward the ridge.

Hui Jin and his followers continued to release Pure Fire, forming a moving flame barrier that blocked the white‑clad soldiers' pursuit and possible data contamination.

As the rescue target was about to escape, the two officers dueling with Chen Mo had red light flash in their electronic eyes.

"Target priority changed! Capture or destroy the high‑dimensional rule interference entity!" They abandoned chasing Han Qing and the others, their assault grew even more frenzied, disregarding their own damage, trying to tightly entangle Chen Mo.

Chen Mo felt the pressure surge; maintaining multiple rule effects at once, his mental power was draining rapidly.

"Chen Mo! Go!" Su Yu shouted anxiously from the ridge.

Chen Mo's eyes turned cold; he suddenly leapt backward, temporarily leaving the combat circle. He clasped his hands together, gathering his last mental power.

"Ultimate Definition: This place — All things freeze (duration: 5 seconds)!"

"An invisible, absolute 'stillness' force exploded outward centered on him! Snowflakes falling within the range froze in midair, drifting dust halted, and even sound seemed to be swallowed! The two officers maintained their forward-charging posture, being forcibly 'nailed' to the spot; only the frantic flickering data streams in their electronic eyes showed they were desperately resisting this rule-level solidification!"

"\"Go! \" Chen Mo shouted low, turning without hesitation and charging toward the ridge."

"Five seconds passed in an instant."

"When the freezing effect wore off, the two officers broke free of their bonds, only able to watch helplessly as Chen Mo and the others' silhouettes disappeared beyond the rugged ridge. In the valley, only the remains of a few white-clad soldiers remained, the energy net still slowly repairing but with greatly diminished power, and that silent silver-white factory."

"Deep inside the factory, in a certain control room, a cold electronic voice sounded:"

"\"High-dimensional regulation interference body confirmed. Threat level: highest. 'Epidemic Doctor' protocol upgraded. \""

"\"Requesting authorization to use the Ark's deep-layer armaments. \""

"\"Purification sequence, entering phase two. \""

"The rescue operation in Bingfeng Valley, though it successfully retrieved Han Qing's squad, also thoroughly enraged the mysterious behemoth known as the 'Ark'. A more severe test looms ahead."