One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

As the suit-wearing elite finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the hall for a brief moment.

Before the joy of victory could be fully savored, it was replaced by an even greater problem hidden behind that heavy metal door. That door stood at the far end of the hall, like the closed mouth of a silent behemoth, and what lay behind it was enough to turn this mountain area and even further into scorched earth.

"Damn! I almost forgot about that!" Zhang Chulan slapped his forehead, his excitement instantly vanishing as if he'd been doused with cold water. "Even after winning the fight, I still have to deal with this time bomb... no, this bomb that could fly at any moment!"

Master Wang Ye turned to Gao Lian, who had been standing guard at the back with an equally grave expression, and said in a deep voice, "Gao Lian, contact the higher-ups. This matter needs to be handled by professionals. We... are afraid we can't handle it."

Gao Lian took a deep breath and nodded emphatically. He walked to the side, took out a uniquely shaped encrypted satellite phone with a prominent company logo from his inner pocket, and began to report the situation quickly and in a low voice. He spoke rapidly, his expression serious, glancing occasionally at the metal door, and even beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The others were equally tense. Wang Zhenqiu dropped his carefree smile, walked to the metal door, and carefully examined its structure and potential traps. His fingers gently traced the rough weld marks along the door seams, his brows furrowing deeper. Zhang Lingyu silently regulated his breathing; the battle had taken a toll on him, and he needed to recover quickly. His Qi flowed slowly like a tide. Feng Baobao remained expressionless, simply standing beside Zhang Chulan, her clear eyes glancing at the door, then at Xiao Yun, who had fallen asleep again in Nie Lingfeng's arms, seemingly oblivious to the missile threat.

Chen Duo held the sleeping Xiao Yun in her arms and stood quietly a little behind Nie Lingfeng. She didn't quite understand what "missile" specifically meant, but she could feel the tension and solemnity in the air, and she could also sense that although Brother Lingfeng was calm, his eyes never left that door.

Nie Lingfeng gently patted Xiaoyun's back, his gaze sweeping across the door, then at the faint water stains left by the "Blood Cherry" sword on the ground, finally settling on Yuri's massive, already cold corpse in the corner. His eyes were calm and unwavering, as if the thrilling arena match just moments before was nothing more than a morning practice. For him, the outcome was decided; how to handle this "spoils of war" was a headache for the company. However, having promised Gao Lian and Xiaoyun to "help," he would wait for the result.

Time ticked by in a stifling silence. The white light of the emergency lights stretched everyone's shadows long and pale, like a taut bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.

About half an hour later, a series of rapid footsteps could be heard at the entrance of the hall.

"Here it is." Gao Lian put away the phone, let out a long sigh of relief, and his shoulders visibly relaxed a bit.

Soon, a team of personnel, dressed in the company's special uniforms, fully armed, and with cool and capable expressions, filed in. Their uniforms were dark gray, with the unique flame emblem of NaDuTong embroidered on the left chest, and fine energy circuit patterns inlaid on the cuffs and collars, shimmering slightly under the lights. Their movements were swift and their roles clearly defined—one group immediately set up red and white striped warning lines around the perimeter, deploying various detection and jamming instruments, their indicator lights flashing red and green rhythmically; the other group, carrying large and small, high-tech-looking toolboxes, headed straight for the metal door, their footsteps hurried and orderly.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing glasses and with meticulously combed hair. His glasses had gold rims and thick lenses, revealing narrow, sharp eyes. His expression was as serious as a steel plate, with a slight downturn at the corners of his mouth, devoid of any extra emotion. He walked up to Gao Lian, nodded, and spoke in a monotone voice, as if reading a standard document: "Officer Gao Lian, the situation briefing has been received. I am Zhao Qiming, the head of the technical response team sent by command. We will now take over the site. Please cooperate."

"Understood, Engineer Zhao, thank you for your hard work." Gao Lian immediately stepped aside, relinquishing control. Leaving professional tasks to professionals is the company's rule and a matter of common sense for survival.

Zhao Qiming stopped wasting words and strode to the metal gate. The technicians he brought had already begun scanning the gate's structure with various instruments—some held ultrasonic detectors, pressing the probes against the door panel, their eyes fixed on the flickering waveforms on the screen; others used Qi-sensing lenses to scan the door cracks, the lenses displaying a dense array of colored light spots. Detecting energy reactions, checking for explosives and booby traps—every step was taken with extreme caution, as if walking on thin ice. Their practiced movements and seamless teamwork clearly indicated they were seasoned veterans.

"Structural scan complete. Thickness 47.3 cm, special alloy, composition includes titanium, nickel and unknown anti-magic materials. Internally has independent energy source and mechanical locking device; forced entry may trigger an unknown reaction." A technician staring at the screen reported the data without looking up.

"Energy detection shows that there is a high concentration of unstable energy source behind the door, which matches the characteristics of 'Polaris' by 99.7%. The radiation index is on the edge of the safe threshold, but the fluctuation frequency is abnormal."

"No conventional booby traps or explosives were found. However, there were complex residual Qi near the door hinges and electronic locks, suspected to be from alchemy or a special ability seal. The residual energy spectrum showed characteristics of high-temperature solidification, suggesting it originated from a fire-based or lava-based ability user."

As messages were rapidly relayed, Zhao Qiming's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. He removed his gloves and gently touched the remaining, faded energy patterns on the door panel with his fingertips, feeling the slight burning sensation. The situation was far more complicated than he had anticipated.

This is not as simple as removing the missile's warhead. First, the heavily protected door must be opened safely. Then, the missile, in its "ready" state, must be approached and dismantled without knowing its internal structure or the possibility of self-destruct or detonation devices. Every step is like dancing on a knife's edge; the slightest mistake could have disastrous consequences.

"Attempt conventional password cracking and mechanical unlocking," Zhao Qiming ordered in a deep voice, his tone not loud, but carrying an unquestionable authority. "At the same time, prepare 'Qi Network Neutralizer' and 'Energy Stabilizing Field Generator' to deal with any possible supernatural power sealing and energy rampage. Third team, calculate the minimum yield directional detonation plan as a last resort."

"yes!"

Technicians sprang into action immediately. One connected to a military-grade decoder, inserting a data cable into a concealed port on the side of the door. The decoder's screen rapidly scrolled through numbers and codes, emitting a soft "beep" sound. Another carefully applied a viscous, luminous silver liquid to the door seams and around the keyhole. The liquid, as if alive, slowly seeped into the cracks, silently resisting the residual supernatural seal on the door, emitting a faint, colorful aura of energy—red, blue, and purple—like the aurora borealis flowing through the door seams.

Some people started setting up several oddly shaped ring-shaped devices in front of the gate—these were energy stabilizing field generators. The metal rings were inlaid with fine runes, and when powered on, they emitted a low "humming" sound. A layer of light blue light film spread out from the rings, covering the gate and a three-meter area in front of it.

Zhang Chulan and the others retreated to a safe distance, watching intently. Although they couldn't understand the specific principles behind the instruments, the highly professional, tense, and orderly atmosphere made them hold their breath, afraid to even breathe.

"My goodness, this is way more exciting than a fight," Zhang Chulan muttered to himself, his palms sweating slightly. Losing a fight might only result in injury or even death, but if this thing explodes, everyone will probably be vaporized, leaving not even ashes. He subconsciously touched his chest, feeling his heart pounding like a drum.

Time ticked by in a suffocating tension. One second, two seconds, one minute, two minutes—each second stretched out like a rubber band.

The decoder's screen was still scrolling rapidly, but after three cycles, it still hadn't found the correct password combination. Most of the applied "Qi neutralizing agent" had been used up. Although the sealing patterns on the gate had faded considerably, the core area stubbornly resisted, even beginning to slightly retaliate—the silver liquid hissed and bubbled when it touched the core seal, as if it were being boiled.

Zhao Qiming stared intently at the various data points, sweat beading on his forehead. He bit his lip, his fingers rapidly swiping across the tablet, bringing up backup plans one by one, then crossing them off one by one.

"Electronic lock cracking failed. There is a dynamic password and physical isolation; the decoder cannot penetrate the physical isolation layer." A technician wiped his sweat, his voice filled with frustration.

"The Qi neutralizing agent has taken effect, reducing the strength of the outer seal by 27%, but the core is unusually stable, showing signs of backlash. Further forced penetration may cause the seal to self-destruct."

"The energy stabilization field is ready, covering the gate and a three-meter area behind it, but it is not enough to completely withstand the shock wave in the event of an explosion."

Bad news kept coming. Zhao Qiming's face grew increasingly grim, his jaw clenched tightly. Conventional methods seemed to have run into obstacles. He glanced at the directional demolition team beside him; they were already calculating the explosive yield, but that was the worst-case scenario—the explosion would cause a huge sound and vibration, and no one knew if it would detonate the missile behind the door.