Chapter 359: Net‑Casting Operation

Daytime trudged on under an almost solid tension. The Steel Rolling Mill's machines roared, crowds swirled, everything as usual.

But only those in the eye of the storm can feel that beneath the calm surface, a raging undercurrent is tearing at every taut nerve.

Xu Damao paced restlessly in the hut. Daylight gave them a slight sense of safety, but as evening approached, the inexplicable unease in their heart grew heavier.

They leaned on the iron window to look out; the security guards patrolling the courtyard seemed more numerous than in the morning, steps hurried, expressions stern.

This battle‑like posture, as if facing a great enemy, both satisfied their vanity and gave a faint feeling of being squeezed by an invisible giant hand.

They began to regret having spoken so confidently before, fearing… fearing the Security Department might miss it and let the assassin slip through.

No, it won't happen! They forced themselves to stay calm; Li Ping'an isn't someone to be taken lightly, and Chen Jianghe's crew isn't just decoration.

They are now the primary protection target, very safe! They kept urging themselves, yet couldn't help perking up their ears to catch any unusual sound from outside.

Su Xiulan was in the library, like an empty shell whose soul had been drawn out.

She mechanically sorted books, logged borrowing cards, but her fingers were so cold they obeyed nothing.

When a colleague spoke to her, she needed several seconds to respond. Her gaze kept drifting to the slowly moving clock hand on the wall; each tick felt like a step on the tip of her heart.

At six p. m., there were still two hours before the "final message."

Moat's old willow… brother… She closed her eyes, almost smelling the damp earth by the river and feeling the slight itch of willow branches brushing her cheek. Those were a few of the warm memories from childhood.

Li Ping'an sat in the Security Department's command center, the Telephone and Intercom ringing back and forth before them.

Reports kept coming from each deployment point: No movement at Listening Rain Teahouse, no movement in the library back alley, three groups already lurking near the moat's willow bank…

Over at Chen Jianghe's side, covert searches and surveillance of the hardware vault and its surroundings continued, with no abnormal personnel returning or spying detected so far.

Too quiet. Li Ping'an's fingers tapped the desk. This silence was like a heavy cloud before a storm, oppressive enough to make the heart uneasy.

The other side will never give up easily; what are they waiting for? Waiting for night to be completely black? Or some other scheme?

Their gaze fell again on the plant's layout, slowly scanning each critical node.

Xu Damao's hut, Su Xiulan's possible destinations, the hardware vault… finally, their eyes lingered on the boiler room in the plant's northwest corner and the adjacent massive coal yard.

There, the heart that powers the whole plant, also the potential, most dangerous source of chaos.

If I were the opponent, wanting to create enough chaos to draw attention, where would be most suitable? Li Ping'an's inner alarm rang loudly.

They immediately grabbed the Intercom: Boiler room, coal yard, dispatch extra patrols, raise the alert level! Notify the Squad Leader, inspect all fire‑fighting equipment and passages, strictly prevent any unknown fire source or sabotage!

The order just issued, the command center's door was slammed open, a panting guard patrolling the perimeter rushed in: Director! Near coal pile No. 3 on the east side of the coal yard, suspicious traces were found! Looks like someone climbed and stepped there, and… there's half of a fresh shoe print, not the style of the safety shoes issued by our plant!

It's here! Li Ping'an sprang up. The opponent indeed chose this spot! If the coal yard catches fire, the wind and the mountain of fuel will let it spread into an uncontrollable blaze, inevitably pulling the plant's and surrounding area's fire‑fighting forces, causing massive chaos!

They ordered personnel near the coal yard to secretly encircle the area where the traces were found, search carefully, and not stir up a snake, while keeping a tight eye on the clock.

At 7:20 p. m., there were still forty minutes until Su Xiulan's rendezvous. Is the opponent trying to use a fire at the coal yard to draw security forces and attention away, then strike Su Xiulan and Xu Damao simultaneously? Or perhaps the coal yard itself is part of the final target?

No more waiting; Li Ping'an grabbed his hat, put it on, and instructed Wang Dahu: Keep all communications open, respond according to the planned scheme. I'm heading to the coal yard.

Having spoken, they strode out of the command center, their figure quickly disappearing into the deepening dusk of the plant.

Carefree Step unfolded, speed so great it left only faint after‑images in the air; Divine Perception spread like an invisible net centered on them, encompassing all aura and movement within a 150‑meter radius.

At this moment, Old Knife moved like a gecko blending into the night, pressed against the massive shadow of the coal pile, sliding slowly.

They had long placed the oil‑paper‑wrapped "small cube" inside a hidden maintenance hatch near the intake duct of Boiler Room 1.

It was a custom delayed‑combustion device, mixing magnesium powder with a special oil; once triggered, it would generate high heat and thick smoke enough to ignite the adjacent backup coal‑dust pipe, causing a chain reaction.

The activation time was set for exactly 8 o'clock, synchronized with the willow bank side.

He didn't need to see flames soaring; chaos was enough. After the device ignites, they would use the turmoil to sneak toward Xu Damao's confinement point, where a brief defensive gap would inevitably appear.

They were confident they could eliminate the outer guard in seconds, then use a poisoned blow‑dart to send Xu Damao out through a window. Clean, swift.

Just as they prepared to shift to the planned evacuation route, their body jolted! An extremely subtle yet solid pressure, like an icy needle, pierced the skin on the back of their neck! A master was near! And moving at incredible speed!

Old Knife didn't hesitate; their body unnaturally twisted sharply to the side, like withered grass snapped by wind, narrowly evading a virtually silent palm strike aimed at the back of the heart!

Bang! The surface of the coal pile they had leaned against was indented by that concentrated palm force, coal dust cascading down.

Li Ping'an's figure appeared like a phantom on the other side of the coal pile, eyes calm and steady, locking onto Old Knife in the shadows.

So it's you; your aura is well restrained, but unfortunately, murderous intent cannot be hidden.

Old Knife slowly straightened, the eyes beneath the duck‑bill cap glinting with a Poison Snake‑like eerie light in the dim.

He made no attempt to argue or flee; the opponent's silent approach to such proximity proved their power terrifying. No escape, only fight.

He slowly unfolded a Xingyi Quan three‑body stance, his aura suddenly becoming heavy and fierce, contrasting oddly with the filthy, chaotic surroundings, like a lurking beast in the mire suddenly flashing its fangs.

Li Ping'an likewise assumed a stance, feet steady, hands one forward one back, appearing casual yet subtly aligned with Tai Chi's yin‑yang, his aura round as a sphere, while containing the intent of Baji Quan's top, entangling, and leaning force without releasing it.

The two master‑level experts, in this filthy corner piled with industrial fuel, formed a silent yet murderous standoff.

No wasted words, Old Knife moved! Their mud‑splattered steps swift as a phantom, instantly closing the gap; left hand swung an axe‑like palm toward Li Ping'an's neck, right hand hidden beneath the ribs, ready. Xingyi split‑punch, fierce and powerful, bearing the force of splitting mountains and cracking stone!

Li Ping'an neither dodged nor avoided; at the instant the palm struck, his waist turned like water, the front hand arced upward in a Peng, seemingly gently hooking the opponent's wrist; the Tai Chi single‑whip Peng force flowed instantly, not a hard block but yielding and redirecting the energy.

Simultaneously, the Carefree Step footwork lightly shifted, his body drifting like willow fluff to Old Knife's flank; the rear hand extended fingers like a sword, directly targeting Old Knife's City Gate acupoint beneath the ribs!

Old Knife reacted extremely fast; the slashing palm turned into a grab, clutching Li Ping'an's wrist, while the coiled right fist surged like a poisonous dragon from a cave, the crushing punch striking straight into Li Ping'an's solar plexus!

Both moved as fast as lightning, gusting force whistling, stirring up coal dust on the ground, which in the dim light swirled like two entwined black vortices.

Li Ping'an's wrist, once grabbed, was not startled but pleased; the seized arm suddenly became supple as bone‑less, the Tai Chi "Chan Si" force activated, looping around, instead entangling Old Knife's fingers that had clutched him.

At the same time, the finger aimed at the City Gate point changed direction mid‑stroke, turning finger into palm; a light yet weighty Tai Chi "An" force struck Old Knife's incoming crushing‑punch forearm!

Bang! Puff!

Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously. One was the clash of fist and palm, the other a deeper thud—the sound of Old Knife's forearm bone cracking!

Li Ping'an's seemingly gentle press contained Tai Chi penetrating force and Baji Quan's sinking power, a blend of hardness and softness that instantly broke through Old Knife's crushing punch, shattering his bone!

Old Knife let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale, his eyes hardening further. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his arm, he used Li Ping'an's press to hurl his body backward, and with a flick of his left hand at his waist, a black bolt silently shot toward Li Ping'an's face! It was the poisoned blow‑dart!

Li Ping'an seemed to have anticipated; the moment Old Knife leapt back, Carefree Step followed like a shadow, speed beyond imagination, and the blow‑dart skimmed past his ear and lodged into the coal pile behind.

Li Ping'an's right palm pressed down on Old Knife's hastily blocked right arm like a mountain crushing down, while his left fist, like a cannon, struck from a sharply angled direction straight into Old Knife's gaping chest!

Baji Quan, the variation of the top‑heart‑elbow—Heart‑piercing Cannon!

Lao Dao's pupils contracted sharply, feeling the destructive power contained in that punch. He strained to twist his body, holding his uninjured left arm across his chest, while pushing off with his feet, trying to retreat again.

Boom!

Fist and forearm collided, emitting a solid, booming crack! Lao Dao's whole body was struck as if hit by a charging truck, flung backward, and slammed heavily onto the hard coal pile.

A spray of fresh blood erupted, his left arm bent unnaturally, clearly broken.

He struggled to rise, but aggravated internal injuries, coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood‑foam, his gaze beginning to drift.

Li Ping'an curled his fist and stood, breathing steady, only a fine bead of sweat seeping from the corner of his forehead.

The brief clash was exceptionally perilous; Lao Dao truly lived up to being a Xingyi master, each move ruthless, his reactions extremely swift.

Had I not already become a master, Divine Perception's keen foresight would have predicted the blowdart, and the outcome might have required more twists.

He stepped in front of Lao Dao, towering above him. Lao Dao stared at him intently, a grin spreading at the corner of his mouth, blood‑stained teeth exposed, as if laughing, yet his eyes were a cold, dead silence. He knew he was finished, and the mission was over.

Li Ping'an did not waste time interrogating, quickly searched his body, and soon found the small remote used to trigger the delay device, the time frozen at 7:55. Fortunately! He immediately pressed the release button.

Almost simultaneously, his waist‑mounted Intercom crackled with Chen Jianghe's urgent voice: Director! The hardware vault! We've made a discovery! Behind the warehouse, at an abandoned sewer entrance, we found a buried… a small waterproof bag! Inside were… explosives and detonators! Also a new workshop layout map of the Steel Fortress!

Li Ping'an's gaze hardened. As expected! Their goal was not only to kill and silence, but also to sabotage! The coal yard creates chaos to draw attention; the real destruction may be elsewhere! The new workshop layout map…

He immediately ordered: secure the scene, the bomb‑disposal team to the spot at once! Notify the new workshop to tighten security! At the same time, he looked at the dying Lao Dao: How many of you are left? Who is the Shopkeeper?

Lao Dao let out a hoarse, strange sound from his throat, his gaze drifting, yet with a hint of mockery. He clenched his teeth hard!

Li Ping'an struck in an instant to dislodge his jaw, but it was still half a step too late.

Black blood seeped from Lao Dao's mouth corner, his head tilted, his breath cut off. Another poison‑induced suicide!

Li Ping'an's expression grew grim. Death Warrior! He glanced at the time—7:58. With Su Xiulan's side at 8:00, only two minutes remained!

He instantly opened the Intercom, switched channels: Sun! The coal yard assassin has been dealt with, the sabotage device and explosives found! Yaozi's side may have changed, recommend sealing the net immediately!

From the Intercom came Sun's decisive voice: Willow Creek has been covered with a heavenly‑earthly net! Move!

Li Ping'an did not linger, turning and sprinting toward the Security Department. Though Lao Dao was dead, the Shopkeeper remained uncaught; the explosives were found, but does the enemy still have other tricks?

Is Xu Damao's side safe? Can Su Xiulan be smoothly taken under control? A series of questions remain unresolved.

In the night, the Steel Fortress's lights remained bright, the machines' rumble steady. Yet a silent thunder had already detonated simultaneously at several critical nodes.

The net is tightening. And the real contest may have only just entered the most central, most brutal stage.

In the coal yard corner illuminated by furnace fire, only Lao Dao's gradually cooling corpse remained, and a ground strewn with chaotic yet breathtaking battle traces.

Inside and outside the Steel Fortress, the roles of hunter and prey, throughout this night, underwent several heart‑stopping reversals.