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Chapter 240 Fixed point blasting
"Probably... I guess." Chen Xuan wasn't sure either.

Did historical demons also raid treasure vaults in this way? First, they used armed helicopters to blast open the gates, and then led a large group of mercenaries to forcibly enter the place.

Needless to say, the security personnel responsible for guarding the treasure vault were far too weak; they wouldn't have lasted a single encounter.

So how was Ruri defeated?

After much thought, the enemy's trump card must be that wave of coins. Even powerful artifacts cannot escape the constraints of the power rules. Judging from the demons' strategy, they clearly knew that there were artifacts guarding the vault, which is why they sent armed mercenaries to conduct the first round of probing, and after confirming the location of the glass, they immediately used drones to scatter coins and activate their abilities.

However, the demon did not expect that there was another group of people in the treasure vault.

This variable meant that they were never able to enter warehouse number one.

The fact that the temple still exists means that even if I don't mess with the mother Lucy, I should be able to avoid the problem of angels gradually ceasing to be born.

However, no one can say for sure how much the devastation caused by the lunar worms is related to the Temple Vault.

Of course, it's not difficult to find out. Just go to New Paris and see the world a hundred years from now, and all your questions will be answered.

"Hello, can you hear me?" Lin Qing asked through her earpiece.

"Well, you said."

“Go check the room near the exit. The security camera footage shows that these guys left a big thing there.”

Big stuff?
Chen Xuan nodded. "Understood. How's the door construction going?"

"Almost there, just a little bit more." Lin Qing paused and asked, "Are you sure you still want to go in? The crisis with the Angel Alliance is over, right?"

"Well, we'll talk about that when I get back to the treasure vault."

Judging from the map, the main entrance is right above them.

After climbing the stairs for two minutes, they arrived at the room Lin Qing had mentioned. The floor was littered with wood and metal fragments, and the biting wind from the snow-capped mountains howled inwards. Two corpses lay near the doorway; one had his hands bound behind his back, his face covered in wounds, and his expression contorted in a grimace, suggesting he had been tortured before his death.

In the center of the room was a square box covered with a black tarpaulin.

"Could it be a trap?" Elori warned.

"The possibility is not high." Chen Xuan had already scanned the area with his mental cultivation technique, and there was no spiritual energy reaction inside. If it was a trap left for the treasure vault guards, it would be unnecessary, because the demons came after making detailed plans. Facing a battle with a very high chance of victory, setting up a trap at the entrance of the treasure vault would be redundant.

Transporting such a large box up to the Himalayas is no easy feat.

However, he decided to be cautious and summoned the Thousand Thoughts Sword to remove the black cloth from a distance.

Underneath the tarpaulin was a wooden box.

With a slight pry of the sword tip, the four sides of the box collapsed.

"hiss……"

The two of them gasped simultaneously.

The "cargo" inside was something that didn't look good at all—eight square steel bars welded together to form a cubic frame, inside which was fixed a huge cylinder, with some electronic equipment connected to the bottom. Chen Xuan didn't know what was inside the cylinder, but he recognized the orange-yellow markings on it.

Radiation warning.

Lin Qing also saw the true appearance of the goods through the camera, "...Is it real?"

A hand-made nuclear bomb?
"It's counting down!" Elori shouted nervously.

Chen Xuan also saw the timer hanging above, the bright red numbers constantly jumping: 5 minutes 31, 30...

Holy crap.

He finally understood where his earlier uncertainty came from! In history, the Temple Vault had completely collapsed after the surprise attack, not simply lost its artifacts! And this underground structure was incredibly well-constructed; even a small force carrying a large amount of C4 would find it difficult to destroy it in one fell swoop. Even if the demon could kill Liuli with forbidden abilities, sending the entire vault underground wouldn't be so easy, especially since the Angel Alliance's reinforcements were already on their way and would arrive in half an hour.

So that's the answer.

They managed to transport a nuclear bomb!
Even if this thing is poorly made, or even if it's a dirty bomb, the energy from the explosion is enough to completely raze the Temple Treasury to the ground!

"Defuse...defuse the bomb?" Elori asked. "Don't even think about it, this isn't a movie!" Lin Qing shouted on the other end, "Come back now!"

"What if we move the treasure vault...and throw it down the mountain?" Chen Xuan hesitated.

"Impossible. As long as there's a level hidden inside, it can explode the moment you lift it," Lin Qing said decisively. "Since they dared to put this thing at the entrance, it's clear they won't let anyone move it."

Chen Xuan decided to listen to the future warrior.

After all, they are professionals.

When he uses his Thousand Thoughts Sword as a shield, it's somewhat effective against bullets, but can it stop a nuclear bomb? Chen Xuan felt he didn't have that ability.

As for pyrolysis and remelting, that won't work either.

It's just a re-fusion; it doesn't destroy the object's original functions. Even a person can still breathe and have a heartbeat after being re-fused, so this thing, after being re-fused, will most likely still be a bomb.

The two ran back to warehouse number one in one breath, taking only about a minute in total.

"What's wrong? You all look so flustered." Liuli looked at them curiously. "Is there some expert outside?"

Chen Xuan decided to tell her the truth: "There's something that looks like a nuclear bomb at the entrance. You'd better run."

"Really?" She paused for a moment, then shook her head and replied, "I can't go anywhere."

Liuli's tone was quite indifferent, as if she didn't care about her fate of being buried with the treasure vault.

"The door is open!" Lin Qing shouted.

As she finished speaking, a half-meter-wide hole was cut into the center of the steel gate.

The previous hesitation was pointless. If they left the Mother Lucy here, she would also be destroyed when the treasure vault collapsed, and history would repeat itself—a wasted effort. They had no better choice than to take the Mother with them.

Suddenly, Liuli blocked their way.

"At this point, do you still intend to fulfill your duties?" Chen Xuan had been wary of her the whole time, and he had told her to escape earlier in the hopes that she would stop interfering in the matter. Seeing that she was relentless, he was prepared to turn on her.

The inability to fuse the whole does not mean that the splitting and refusion method cannot be used. Chen Xuan can choose the opponent's limbs as targets individually... such as a hand or a foot to fuse, which can reduce the cost of fusion considerably.

Even if Liuli is a formidable fighter, she can't possibly be as troublesome as before after losing her limbs.

“You will die,” she said, shaking her head. “There is a path from the shelter to a trail on the mountainside, which is also the escape route to the Temple’s vaults. If you are far enough away from the mountaintop, you might survive the earthquake and avalanches.”

"Could it be that you want to help us?" Chen Xuan asked in surprise.

"Didn't you also help me stop a robbery?" Liuli lowered the brim of her straw hat. "It's all just reciprocity. As long as you don't have any ulterior motives towards the treasure, I have no reason to fight you."

"I see... Then take Miss Angel with you."

“Me? No, I’m going with you!” Elori insisted.

"Now is not the time to show courage!" Chen Xuan looked at her and said in a serious tone that left no room for argument. "If we encounter danger, I can only take one guest with me. Besides, there's no point in you coming with me. If we can ensure the safety of the mother... I will definitely protect her. Just focus on taking care of yourself!"

She bit her lip and lowered her head. "I understand."

Seeing this, Liuli also made way for the cave entrance. "Alright... since you insist on this, then at least tell me your name. That way, if you die, I can still erect a tombstone for you."

“My name is Chen Xuan, so there’s no need for a tombstone.”

After he finished speaking, he went through the door of warehouse number nine.

Lin Qing followed closely behind.

“You should go too.” Liuli opened the hidden door in the floor and turned to Elori, saying, “We don’t have much time left.”

The angel gazed at the dark, round hole in the iron gate, clasped his hands together in silent prayer for a moment, and then followed Liuli into the underground escape passage.

……

(End of this chapter)