Chapter 841

Noticing the same anomaly appearing on his own body, Li Ang paused for a moment, then turned to look toward Wang Gong.

Though he still didn't know exactly what was happening, the source of this anomaly was almost certainly inside Wang Gong—over ninety percent certain. As for why he could make such a judgment…

He could only say that, in both his past and current lives, he had always cultivated the habit of studying diligently.

Squinting at the citizens being transformed in the distance, he deduced a rough arc-shaped boundary, then took charcoal and a map of the vicinity of Wang Gong from the Mirror World, drawing a roughly accurate arc on the map.

According to the professional knowledge Emma had taught him, large-scale anomaly effects generally follow one of two patterns.

Either everyone who meets the conditions is affected immediately, like his own 【Heart of Ambition】, or the anomaly spreads outward in a circular pattern from its holder as the center.

Now, all citizens near Wang Gong had turned into Ironskin, while those farther away had not yet been fully affected, showing a clear sequence—thus, the anomaly's mechanism was the latter.

So, knowing the anomaly's range was circular and expanding outward from a central point, the next step was a classic geometry problem.

Given an arc of a circle, how do you find its center?

The answer: mark two points, A and B, on the arc, connect them, then draw a perpendicular bisector of AB; find a third point C, connect BC, draw a perpendicular bisector of BC; the intersection of these two perpendiculars is the approximate center.

After sketching two lines on the map with the charcoal, Li Ang saw the two perpendiculars intersect precisely at Wang Gong. He drew a large X over it, pinpointing the approximate location of the "Ironskin Anomaly."

His initial guess had been correct—the object was indeed inside Wang Gong.

He could now largely rule out the Honor Square, Royal Gallery, Memorial Hall, Royal Stables, Foreign Affairs District, and all other structures in the front half of the Wang Gong complex, narrowing it down to the imperial bedchambers in the rear.

According to the intelligence he had, the Princess was being held captive in the bedchambers—he needed to get there quickly. Also… the coup couldn't stop!

…

Looking at the X on his hand-drawn map, Li Ang stretched his palm—appearing perfectly normal, yet cold and hard as iron—and immediately decided to press forward.

Though he didn't know the exact effect of this "Ironskin Anomaly," he possessed the 【Heart of Ambition】's death-replacement ability, so the risk to him was minimal.

Even if the 【Heart of Ambition】 failed, given his status as leader of the rebels, he could declare war on the kingdom on the spot, activating the 【War Opposite】's battle-immortality effect—adding a second layer of invulnerability.

If, with two layers of immortality as a double safeguard, he could still be killed by this sudden "Ironskin Anomaly," then it was truly heaven's will to destroy him—he might as well accept his fate.

Besides, even ignoring the potentially dangerous Princess, such a perfect opportunity for a coup didn't come often.

If the Director hadn't received word from the Snow Woman—that the female reporter following the Aquarius Director had allegedly infiltrated the Fallen Soul Abyss and had rushed into the Dream Realm to capture her—he wouldn't have dared lead the rebels in an assault on Wang Gong.

Wang Gong must contain the Director's hair.

Once the Director's Blood of Execution left behind sensed the presence of an anomaly approaching, given her speed, she could arrive at Wang Gong in under half a minute.

Only while she was in another world, unable to sense the anomaly's aura here, could he lead the rebels' anomaly-bearers to launch a surprise attack on Wang Gong. At any other time, he'd have to rely solely on sheer numbers of lives to break through.

So, faced with this divine opportunity, regardless of what the Ironskin Anomaly was, it was worth the gamble.

"Guest?"

Watching Li Ang pull up the Freckled Prince and reboard the carriage, the Ironskin driver's mouth opened slightly, revealing a foolish yet chilling smile.

"Have you finished your business?"

"Yes, finished."

Nodding to the Ironskin driver, Li Ang said:

"Keep going. Wang Gong doesn't allow outside carriages inside. Drop us off at the registration point after we pass the square in front of Wang Gong… here's your fare."

"Got it!"

Taking the silver coin Li Ang handed him, the Ironskin driver's smile grew even more genuine, and the carriage, amid the screeching of the Ironskin horse's hooves, began moving forward again.

But since the Ironskin horse's joints couldn't move like those of a real horse, the carriage jolted to a halt every few yards, making the Freckled Prince, huddled in his seat, turn pale with each shake.

Hmm… so that sudden stop earlier, which had accidentally saved Joshua from my hammer blow, must have been caused by this.

Now that he understood the reason, under Joshua's terrified gaze, Li Ang pulled the small silver hammer from the seat and said with apparent concern:

"Are you feeling terribly shaken? Would you like me to help you fall asleep?"

"…"

Looking at the small silver hammer in Li Ang's hand, the already numb Freckled Prince shuddered, instinctively wanting to flee the carriage again—but remembering the cold, chilling Ironskin world outside, he couldn't bring himself to move.

Staying in the carriage might mean getting beaten, but at least this man still looked human. And given his princely status, he probably… maybe… wouldn't dare kill him… right?

But the strange Ironskin people outside—no telling what they'd do. The Cleaners wouldn't kill a prince, but those things? They might not care about his title. So between two options, staying in the carriage and taking a beating was the safer choice.

"Um… could you put the hammer away?"

After psyching himself up, the Freckled Prince, face twisted in distress, looked at the gleaming hammer in Li Ang's hand and pleaded:

"Can't you just hit me with your hand, like before?"

"…"

"As you wish."

…

"Bang!"

Just as the Freckled Prince had successfully negotiated better treatment, deep within the rear section of Wang Gong, the imperial bedchamber—seemingly calm as ever—was filled with piercing, relentless noise, turning the maids outside the Princess's bedroom pale with dread.

"Clang!"

That sound—must be the desk being overturned by Her Highness!

"Clang!" "Crash!!"

That noise… she's tearing apart the bed frame—and she's already dismantled it completely!

"Bang!" "Squeeeee—"

Oh no—she must've pulled over the cabinet, scraped the rug, and is now dragging it violently across the floor! What… what do we do?

While the maids outside panicked, wanting to enter but unable to, a series of angry footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"What's going on?!"

Hearing the piercing noises coming from Princess Veronika's room, the Queen arrived with guards and scolded furiously:

"Is this how you guard her? You just let her rampage inside?"

"Your Majesty…"

Hearing the Queen's rebuke, the two maids dropped to their knees. One, gathering courage, said:

"The door is locked from the inside. We… we don't have the key, and we dared not enter, so…"

"Useless fools!"

Glaring at the maid who spoke, the Queen—two parts frenzy, three parts arrogance, five parts domineering fury—her expression identical to Joshua's before he was beaten—roared:

"Bring me someone! Break down the door! I want to see what devilry she's up to in there!"