Card maker? No, I'm a mechanic!

"Could it be willpower? Or is there some external force involved?"

He licked his lips, and his eyes gradually became sickly yet gentle.

"But no matter what, as long as I can thoroughly analyze him and uncover his secrets..."

"Then this is a groundbreaking masterpiece!"

"At that point, let alone returning to headquarters, you might even get a seat on the board of directors."

Upon hearing this, the assistant nodded repeatedly in agreement, as if he could already see the day when he would rise to prominence.

After envisioning the future, Gao Chi seemed to feel much better.

He turned his head and looked at the silent figure in the corner.

"Hey, Old Chen."

"Once I've dealt with this test subject and brought the data back to headquarters, you'll definitely get your share of the rewards."

"Once you've pulled off this job, you should be able to retire pretty much."

"After all, the company is also preparing to take back this business."

The figure in the corner paused slightly, but did not answer.

"Tch, boring."

Seeing this, Gao Chi curled his lip, clearly too lazy to bother with this guy.

He simply turned around, preparing to move on to the next step of his work.

However, just as he raised the scalpel high once more...

"Buzz..."

A very low, humming sound came from above without warning.

Immediately afterwards, the entire underground base seemed to tremble slightly.

Gao Chi's hand trembled, and the sharp scalpel cut open a gash on the arm, from which black blood gushed out.

"Damn it, what's going on?!"

Gao Chi cursed angrily, ignoring the gushing black blood, and suddenly raised his head to look at the ceiling.

But before he could do anything...

A pale blue ripple, visible to the naked eye, swept over in an instant.

The ripples not only penetrated the thick layers of soil, but also swept across the entire underground base.

"Sizzle sizzle..."

The next moment, the lights in the base began to flicker, and all the instruments seemed to be affected by something at the same time.

"Enemy attack?"

Gao Chi's expression changed drastically in an instant.

But what's strange is that the energy fluctuations came and went very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the subtle sense of oppression quickly dissipated.

It was as if it had never existed.

"What... are you done playing?"

Gao Chi was taken aback upon seeing this, and his movement of preparing to run away froze.

"How is this possible? How could an attack of this intensity be a one-off event?"

"And there's not even the slightest reaction from outside?"

His brows furrowed, and a deep sense of unease rose within him.

This doesn't seem like an attack... more like some kind of signal?

Something's not right. Nine out of ten things are not right.

Completely disregarding the unfinished surgery, Gao Chi ripped off his gloves, his face turning terribly grim.

"Quick, go ask an adult!"

He strode quickly into the deeper parts of the base.

……

Meanwhile, in the command post of the Tianlan City defense forces.

The place is brightly lit, and countless people are constantly moving back and forth.

In the center of that command hall, next to a huge sand table.

"Haha, don't worry, teacher."

A middle-aged man in a silver uniform was chatting and laughing with Professor Lin next to him while holding a teacup.

"Although this upheaval at the ruins was sudden, our city defense forces are not to be underestimated."

"All the elite troops have been deployed, and the city's energy monitoring network has been activated."

He pointed to the sand table, where there were countless cards that were faintly glowing.

"The slightest movement, even the smallest fly carrying energy, will not escape our notice."

"My guys have been idle for quite a while now."

"Yes, that's for sure."

Professor Lin took a sip of tea, his expression calm.

"I trust your abilities, but this situation is indeed quite special, so we still need to be careful."

"Understood, understood."

The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly as he listened.

However, just as the words left his mouth...

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out, sounding particularly jarring in the hall.

Upon seeing this, the smile on the middle-aged man's face instantly froze.

Immediately afterwards, he turned his head sharply to look at the sand table, and saw the card that represented the area outside the city.

At that moment, it cracked open without any warning.

"Sir! Something's happened!"

"I saw it!"

The middle-aged man's expression changed, and he slammed the teacup in his hand heavily onto the table.

"That's... a mining area?"

He subconsciously glanced at Lin Classroom beside him, his eyes looking somewhat strange.

After all, the teacher had just told them to be careful, and then something happened the next second.

When did the teacher become so accurate?

"Don't look at me, I didn't expect this either."

Professor Lin also looked puzzled, then suddenly stood up, his expression turning serious.

"The terrain inside that mining area is complex. If it really is an energy leak from the ruins..."

"Or if new ruins were to appear deep within, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Quickly! That area must be sealed off immediately!"

"Yes! Assemble!"

Without further hesitation, the middle-aged man waved his hand, and the entire command post instantly entered a state of combat readiness.

"All standby teams, depart immediately! Destination: North City Mining Area!!"

"Buzz..."

However, amidst the chaos, the communication card in Professor Lin's arms vibrated at an inopportune moment.

His expression shifted slightly, but he then quietly retreated to a relatively quiet corner.

"Feed?"

"Old Lin, I've taken care of it."

Jiang Zhe's slightly breathless but excited voice came from the other end of the communication.

"And the noise will be absolutely loud and clear."

"I saw people running around inside; they must be terrified."

"You little brat..."

Hearing the constant sound of wind in the background, Professor Lin couldn't help but smile slightly.

That kid ran fast...

"Well done."

"The city defense troops have also started moving, and they should be able to set off in about ten minutes."

"I'm inside too. We'll meet up outside the city."

"Okay."

After hanging up the call, Professor Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief and composed himself.

He then strode towards the students who were lining up.

"Let's go, I'll go take a look too."

……

Meanwhile, in the wilderness, a dark figure was darting through the night at breakneck speed.

"Huff... huff..."

Jiang Zhe adjusted his breathing, but dared not stop for a moment.

It was the cloaking effect of the floating cannons that made all the difference; nobody noticed them at all.

However, it seems that for some reason, no one from their organization came out directly to pursue them.

"Did they realize something was wrong and were preparing to hide on the spot?"

He pondered to himself.