Chapter 222

The passage began to slope downward, and more explicit management signs and surveillance devices appeared on the walls.

【Warning: Surveillance density has sharply increased, dynamic energy scanning device detected (interval 5 seconds), biometric lock detected (old model).】

【Target: Energy Core is located behind the sealed door ahead, distance: approximately 50 meters.】

【Current map exploration: 31.7%】

A heavy alloy door stood at the end of the corridor; above the doorway, two activated automatic sentinel machine guns were slowly rotating their barrels, emitting a faint sound.

"Forceful entry will trigger the alarm," Bai Mu Yun crouched in the corner shadow, observing.

"We need to simultaneously disable the lock and keep those two machine guns offline for at least five seconds; my illusion technique has limited interference effect on such mechanical devices."

Lu Mu's gaze also fell on the biometric panel; the two had worked together a few times, so there was some tacit understanding.

"We need the authorized person's biometric data… or a sufficiently forceful hack. I can try to corrupt that thing's internal energy circuit, but it takes time, and I can't guarantee it won't trigger the alarm."

Ying Duo glanced at the door, then lowered his head and began rapidly operating the manufacturing interface of his 【Modification】 skill.

After a few seconds, he produced two metal boxes that looked crudely made and handed one each to Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu.

【Item: Disposable Signal Jammer】

【Effect: Upon activation, generates strong interference to rune devices within a 10‑meter radius, lasting about 4–6 seconds.】

"Use this by sticking it directly onto the door or as close as possible to the panel and machine guns," Ying Duo briefly explained its usage.

Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu looked at the device in their hands, feeling it resembled two firecrackers that could explode at any moment, but there was no better option right now.

"How confident are you?" Bai Mu Yun asked.

"Sixty percent," Ying Duo replied quickly, "My 【Modification】 level is a bit low; if you take me to grind levels, the next one I make can be better."

Bai Mu Yun: "........" Understood, understood—when we get back we'll carve out time to take you to Level Up!

Lu Mu heard that and grinned.

"One hundred percent!"

The three quickly exchanged glances, confirming the timing.

As Ying Duo raised his hand, several small robots silently crawled onto the ceiling and side walls, their gun barrels pre‑aimed at the two machine guns.

"Three, two, one… Activate!"

Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu almost simultaneously flung the Ying Duo‑sponsored jammer toward the designated spot.

"Zila—!!"

A harsh electric crackle sounded, the indicator lights on the door flickered wildly, the biometric panel screen turned white, the two sentinel machine guns abruptly halted their rotation, and their barrels began to twitch erratically.

This is the moment!

Lu Mu transformed entirely into a dense shadow, slipping through the door and panel gaps; within the shadow, the sizzle of metal being corroded could be heard.

Bai Mu Yun maintained his illusion, trying to mask the energy anomalies and sounds here as much as possible.

Four seconds... five seconds...

"Click" a light sound, and the heavy alloy door slid inward, creating a gap.

At the same time, the interference ended, the two machine guns' indicator lights lit up again, and their barrels began to re‑aim......

"Bang! Bang!"

The two muffled thuds, softened by suppressors, sounded.

The pre‑placed small robots fired, and the energy‑charged bullets precisely struck the Energy Cores of the two machine guns.

After everything was settled, Bai Mu Yun used an unknown small device to blast a large hole in the alloy door.

Because the door's alarm system had been disabled earlier, almost the instant the door was forcibly cut open, a wave of dense and extraordinarily pure energy surged forward.

In Ying Duo's view, the red flashing area marked on the map now shone painfully bright.

【System Prompt: Arrived at the mission core area—disguised Energy Core Chamber.】

【Warning: An unknown energy field exists within the Core Chamber; maintain maximum alertness.】

【Map exploration: 42.3%】

The three swiftly slipped into the Core Chamber, and the heavy door behind them closed slowly.

The Core Chamber was much smaller than expected, roughly half the size of a basketball court.

In their original speculation, this Core Chamber should have been deeper inside.

The room was overall circular, its walls covered with dense energy conduits that converged toward a cylindrical pedestal at the center, like the vascular network of a massive organism.

Hovering above the pedestal was a fist‑sized, high‑purity Source Crystal, its interior seeming to contain slowly moving streams of light.

The Source Crystal emitted a soft white glow, its energy being transmitted through the rune circuits around the pedestal into the continuously extending energy conduits.

"Is this the Source Crystal Core that powers the Air Train?" Lu Mu squinted, walking half a circle around the pedestal.

"It looks like it, but this specification… isn't it a bit too small? The Air Train network in Tianmian City consumes astronomical amounts of energy daily—can it rely on this thing?"

Bai Mu Yun remained silent, his golden horizontal pupils meticulously scanning every corner of the room.

Something was off, a hundred percent off.

His illusion perception was nearly fully activated, probing for any hidden traps or anomalies nearby.

It was unusually smooth; even if the Supervision Bureau didn't know their target, it shouldn't have been this easy.

Or perhaps the designer of this place was truly that confident, believing they wouldn't be found here?

Yang Yixie looked at the location given by the system— a disguised Core Chamber?

So this isn't actually their target location, and the real Core Chamber is deeper still?

Yang Yixie was pondering while Ying Duo's hands never stopped moving, already beginning to plant explosives throughout the Core Chamber.

【Explosive unit deployed (Core Chamber 1/6)】

【Explosive unit deployed (Core Chamber 2/6)】

He even took a moment to pry a few unusually distinctive energy conduit plates from the wall and jam them into his backpack, causing Lu Mu and Bai Mu Yun to both break into a frown.

【Obtained: Refined Energy Conductor Board x4】

"Something's off." Bai Mu Yun finally spoke, his voice pressed low, but the two heard clearly what he was saying.

"The defenses here are too lax; although we encountered many obstacles along the way, they were all old standard setups, with no targeted enhancements."

"If this really is the Air Train's power source, the Church couldn't have stationed only this few guards, and would still be using such an outdated system."