Chapter 75: Iron Curtain Farce, Rule Mayhem Melee

Iron Curtain outpost, the name sounds intimidating, but seeing it for real, Zhang Yang almost laughed out loud.

"Just this?" he muttered, lying behind the camouflaged rock, holding the "ultra-simple periscope" Kaiwen made from a tin can and lenses, his tone full of disappointment, "I thought it would be an impregnable wall, but this is just a covered-up abandoned factory!"

Indeed, the so-called outpost is just an old factory area covered by a huge metal dome. Through the fence, you can see scattered white-clothed soldiers moving about, plus a few slow-patrolling "Cleaner Drone" drones. The only thing with any deterrence is the two Guardian Mechs at the gate, over three meters tall and clumsily designed, standing motionless like two rusted tin cans.

"Don't underestimate them," Kaiwen whispered, pointing at an inconspicuous two-story building at the outpost's center, "That's the warehouse; the Rule Neutralizer is definitely inside. But the problem is that dome—it's a Regional Rule Stabilizer; inside it, your Definition ability will be severely interfered with."

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes and felt it—sure enough, an invisible force enveloped the entire outpost, making his Rule Perception blurry, as if behind frosted glass.

"A frontal assault won't work," Su Yu observed the patrol pattern, "We need to find a way to sneak in or lure them out."

"Sneak in?" Zhang Yang glanced at his own burly muscles and killing aura, "Do I look like someone who would wear white clothes and act politely?"

Wang Hu replied in a deep, muffled voice: "Neither do I."

Just then, the two Guardian Mechs suddenly sprang to life, taking heavy steps toward a rubble field outside the outpost.

"An opportunity!" Chen Mo's eyes lit up. "Kaiwen, what are those two lumps of iron up to?"

"Routine patrol, clearing nearby 'instability factors'—probably going to blast a few stones that look unpleasant." Kaiwen smirked, "The Ark just loves this kind of formalism."

Chen Mo smiled, a little… mischievously. "Zhang Yang, Wang Hu, I've got a task for you: go play with those two iron lumps. Make a big commotion; ideally, draw everyone inside out to watch."

Zhang Yang and Wang Hu exchanged a glance and instantly felt energized. "This is our specialty!"

A few minutes later, earth-shaking explosions and Zhang Yang's arrogant laughter came from the rubble field: "Hahaha! Haven't you eaten, tin can? Want a tickle?!"

Zhang Yang darted among the rocks, occasionally pounding the mechs' joints with his heavy machine gun, making a clinking sound—though it caused no real damage, it was highly insulting. Wang Hu was even more savage, he hoisted a millstone-sized boulder and roared as he smashed it into one mech's leg, emitting a loud 'clang' that staggered the mech.

The outpost's alarm blared instantly; waves of white-clothed soldiers poured out, surrounding the rubble field, leaving only two guards at the warehouse door.

"A classic lure-the-tiger-away-from-the-mountain tactic—old but effective." Chen Mo gave Su Yu and Kaiwen a glance. "It's our turn."

The three moved like ghosts to the outpost's flank. Kaiwen pulled out his self-proclaimed universal decoder, fiddled with an inconspicuous node on the dome's energy barrier, and the barrier rippled, opening a temporary gap just wide enough for one person to slip through.

"Hurry! It can only last thirty seconds!"

They swiftly infiltrated. The warehouse building loomed ahead; the two guards at the door were craning their necks to watch the distant "Mech War Comedy Show."

"Su Yu, take care of them," Chen Mo whispered.

Su Yu nodded, her eyes flashing with light; True Knowledge Vision instantly locked onto the two guards. She didn't attack, but used her mental power to slightly disturb their balance. The guards suddenly swayed like drunks, wobbling in place twice before collapsing with soft 'thuds' and falling into deep sleep.

"Nice!" Kaiwen gave a thumbs-up, "More eco-friendly than my Electronic Paralysis Needle."

The warehouse door lock posed no challenge to Kaiwen's decoder. Inside lay crates of supplies. Kaiwen easily found a silver metal box marked with a medical symbol, entered the password, and opened it to reveal several vials emitting an icy-blue mist, neatly arranged.

"Found it! Rule Neutralizer!" Kaiwen exclaimed, grabbing two vials.

However, just as they secured the prize and prepared to withdraw, a piercing alarm sounded again—this time targeting the interior! The warehouse's alloy door slammed shut with a boom, trapping them inside!

"What's going on?" Su Yu's face changed.

Kaiwen stared at the blinking red light on his decoder, face grim: "Damn! There's a hidden weight-triggered alarm! We set it off by taking the neutralizer!"

The warehouse lights instantly turned dangerous red; gun ports protruded from the walls, and a cold electronic voice echoed: "Intruders confirmed. Executing purge protocol."

"Get down!" Chen Mo shoved Su Yu and Kaiwen to the ground.

Dense energy beams grazed over their heads, riddling the crates behind them with holes!

"What now?" Kaiwen shouted, clutching his head, "This damned place has its rules suppressed by the stabilizer—your Definition ability won't work!"

Chen Mo felt the omnipresent suppressive force, brow furrowed. Forced Definition was indeed difficult, but…

He glanced at the ceaselessly firing automatic defense guns, then at the neutralizer he'd just acquired, and a spark lit in his mind!

"Kaiwen! Besides healing, what effect does direct contact with high-concentration rule constructs have on the Neutralizer?"

Kaiwen blinked, then grasped Chen Mo's intent, eyes widening: "In theory… it would cause rule chaos, possibly even temporary failure! But it's too risky!"

"No time!" Chen Mo sprang up, dodged a beam, and hurled a vial of neutralizer hard at the nearest defense gun!

The icy-blue liquid exploded on the gun's barrel, mist spreading! The defense gun instantly spasmed—its beam twisted and jerked, the barrel spun wildly, then with a 'crackle' it belched black smoke and died completely.

"It works!" Su Yu exclaimed in delight.

"Crazy! You're all crazy!" Kaiwen muttered, then imitating him, grabbed another vial and smashed it into a second defense gun!

Taking advantage of the defense system's chaos, Chen Mo rushed to the fallen alloy door. He stopped trying broad Definition, focusing all his mental power on a single point—the lock's internal structure!

"Definition: target lock core interior—metal fatigue, maximize instantly!"

Under the Regional Rule Stabilizer's suppression, this micro-manipulation was extremely hard; Chen Mo's forehead veins bulged. But the next moment, a grating metal twist sounded from inside the lock! 'Crack!' The lock core shattered due to inexplicable 'aging'!

Chen Mo kicked the door open! "Go!"

Outside, white-clothed soldiers drawn by the warehouse alarm had already blocked the retreat. Meanwhile, Zhang Yang and Wang Hu were also locked in a tough fight; though the mechs were clumsy, their firepower was fierce, pinning the duo in the rubble.

"Captain! If you don't come out now, we'll end up as meat filling in those tin cans!" Zhang Yang bellowed.

Chen Mo scanned the battlefield, drew a deep breath. The stabilizer's pressure remained, but he'd found a loophole—can't meet force with force, must overcome strength with cleverness!

He raised his hand—not at the soldiers, nor the mechs, but at the ground beneath their feet!

"Guidance: this place—friction, reduce to zero!"

An invisible ripple spread. The white-clothed soldiers charging forward suddenly felt their feet slip, as if on ice, and toppled in a heap! The two mechs aiming also lost traction, their massive bodies losing balance and crashing down, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Hahaha! Ice skating!" Zhang Yang leapt out, firing a burst of bullets at the fallen mechs' joints.

Wang Hu was more direct, charging up, swinging his axe: "Let you press me!"

The scene became utterly chaotic and slapstick.

"Retreat!" Chen Mo dared not linger; Guidance consumed huge energy, and the stabilizer's suppression prevented him from sustaining it.

The group regrouped and rushed back along the same route toward the barrier gap that was about to close.

Just as they were about to burst through the gap, a fallen mech struggled to lift its arm, its cannon glowing, aiming at the rear-most Kaiwen!

"Watch out!" Su Yu cried.

Chen Mo tried to invoke Guidance again, but felt a wave of dizziness, his mental power nearly depleted!

At the critical moment, Kaiwen spun around, his usual carefree expression gone; he pulled out the last grenade-like object and slammed it hard into the mech's barrel!

"Have a taste of Data Overload! No thanks needed!"

That "hand grenade" exploded, without fire, only a dazzling data turbulence. The mech's barrel instantly dimmed, the system seemed to fall into a brief crash.

Kaiwen took the opportunity to scramble out of the barrier gap, patting his chest with lingering fear: "Scared me to death…"

Everyone escaped successfully, carrying two precious Rule Neutralizers, and disappeared into the wilderness.

Behind them, in the Iron Curtain outpost, only soldiers slipping all over the ground remained, a defense system fallen into chaos, and two bulky mechs struggling to get up.

A meticulously planned surprise attack ended in a large brawl full of mishaps and slapstick.

On the way back, Zhang Yang put his arm around Kaiwen's neck: "Nice, tech geek, you didn't drop the ball at the crucial moment!"

Kaiwen smugly pushed at his nonexistent glasses: "That's right, we make a living with our skills."

Chen Mo looked at the ice-blue potion in his hand, then at the chaotic outpost fading behind him, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"The Ark's 'order'…"

He murmured to himself,

"It seems, it's not invincible either."

As long as we find the right method, beneath the Iron Curtain we can also stage a brilliant survival drama. And hope, like this neutralizer, can always find a seam to seep through.