185: Dam completed

The car drove back along the main road. The surface was smooth, and the tires made a "thud" sound as they passed over the joints. Sunlight shone on the roof of the car, and the metal slowly heated up. Lilia was asleep in the back seat, breathing evenly, with a blanket pulled up to her chin and a cooling patch still stuck on her nose.

Shen Xiaochuan sat in the passenger seat, his hand resting on the door, his eyes looking ahead. He didn't speak, but his mind was on other things—at the power station, the concrete for the closure section hadn't been poured yet, and the weather forecast said there would be heavy rain in three days. If they couldn't finish in time, the entire project would be delayed.

"Can we take the mountain road and make a detour?" he suddenly asked.

Lolia gripped the steering wheel and glanced at him. "To North Ridge? That road is difficult; it's full of gravel and slopes."

"Let's go that way," he said. "The new car was just repaired, and we need to test it again to see if it holds up."

She nodded, turned the wheel, and the car veered off the main road onto a small path at the foot of the mountain.

The road quickly became bumpy. The wheels rolled over stones, and the car body swayed back and forth. The tachometer needle on the dashboard flickered slightly, but the engine sound was steady, with no misfires or strange noises. After passing a sharp turn, the speed picked up on the downhill slope. He tapped the brakes, and the response was very sensitive.

"How is it?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

"Much better than before," she said. "As long as there's fuel and the road doesn't end, it can keep running."

The corners of his mouth twitched—he didn't smile, but he felt reassured.

Twenty minutes later, the car returned to the main road, and the walls of Skydome City were already visible in the distance. Patrols walked past the city gate, and flags fluttered in the wind.

"You go back," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Take good care of your sister and get some rest."

"Then, what about you?"

"I'm going to the power station." He took out his communicator and glanced at it. "Zhou Mingrui just sent a message saying that the last section of the dam is stuck, and he's waiting for me to go over and decide on a plan."

Lolia didn't ask further and parked the car by the plaza in front of the Main Hall. She got out, opened the back door, and helped Lilia out. Her sister's steps were unsteady, but she was conscious, leaning on her sister as they walked toward their residence.

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the steps, watching them walk away, then turned to the driving team and said, "Prepare the car. We're going to the river valley outside the city. We leave now."

A quarter of an hour later, a modified off-road vehicle drove out of the Industrial Zone and headed west along the newly built dirt road. Shen Xiaochuan sat in the passenger seat, the copper gear pendant on his cuff swaying gently with the bumps.

The sun climbed higher and higher, and the air began to heat up. The farmland along the road was lush and green, and the water in the irrigation canals flowed rapidly, diverted from upstream. Further ahead, the terrain lowered, and a river valley appeared. In the distance, the outline of the dam was visible—like a gray wall stretching between two mountains, with a small section missing in the middle.

The car stopped at the entrance to the construction site. Zhou Mingrui was already waiting, wearing a hard hat, holding a blueprint folder, his face covered in sweat.

"You're here," he said, walking up quickly. "It's just that last section, but the rock underneath won't shatter. Three drill bits have already snapped."

Shen Xiaochuan got out of the car, took the hard hat, and put it on. "Take me to see it."

The two walked along the cofferdam toward the riverbed. When the workers saw him arrive, they stopped their work. Someone whispered, "The deity is here." "Is he going to take action?"

The main body of the dam was basically finished; the concrete wall was sturdy and smooth, packed with steel rebar. Only the closure section in the middle remained empty, less than ten meters wide, but the river water underneath was rushing swiftly, and the water level had already risen halfway.

Shen Xiaochuan walked to the edge, squatted down, and touched the giant rock underwater. The surface of the rock was rough and black, appearing like an ancient rock layer, but the patterns were wrong—they hadn't cracked naturally; it looked more like they had been carved by someone.

He frowned.

The copper gear on his cuff suddenly felt a bit hot.

He looked down; the pendant flashed with a golden light, which quickly vanished.

Then, a faint golden light flashed in his eyes, too fast for anyone to notice.

"This isn't an ordinary rock," he said in a low voice.

Zhou Mingrui heard him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Don't blast it yet," Shen Xiaochuan stood up. "Prepare ropes and winches. We're going to pull it out."

"Pull it? This thing weighs at least several dozen tons. Underwater operations are too difficult. What if it causes a collapse..."

"If we don't blast, it won't collapse," Shen Xiaochuan interrupted him. "Just set up the pulley system, use double anchors, and drive the piles on both banks deeper. I want to see for myself what this actually is."

Zhou Mingrui hesitated for a moment, then nodded and went to arrange it.

Shen Xiaochuan took off his jacket, rolled up his pant legs, and walked directly into the river.

The water quickly rose to his waist; it was very cold. He approached the giant rock step by step, his fingers tracing the patterns on the surface—the lines were too neat, like runes or inscriptions.

He closed his eyes and used faith points to scan the material.

[Identification complete: Exclusive Enchantment Stone for the great desolation blade (fragment)]

[Status: Inactive, no binder]

[Properties: Extremely high durability, capable of bearing epic-grade weapon enchantments, naturally resistant to lightning strikes and high-temperature erosion]

The moment the information appeared, his heart rate quickened.

No wonder it wouldn't shatter.

This wasn't just an ordinary rock; it was a top-tier material from the legends of the forging world, specifically used as an energy conduit layer for divine weapons. He had only seen the name in documents before; he hadn't expected to find it at the bottom of this river.

He didn't speak, just whispered, "It was worth it."

He then turned and walked back, saying to Zhou Mingrui, "Change the plan. We're hoisting it as a whole. Remember, don't bump it; this rock is useful."

The workers had already set up the double pulley system, and the steel cables were lowered into the water. Four winches were distributed on both banks, driven by motors. Once the order was given, the steel cables tightened, emitting a "creaking" sound.

The giant rock began to loosen.

The riverbed trembled, mud and sand churned up, and the water became murky.

"Slow down!" Zhou Mingrui shouted. "Pull at a steady speed!"

The steel cables tightened bit by bit, and the giant rock was slowly lifted off the riverbed. Its full appearance was revealed—it was two people tall, irregular in shape, and the patterns on its surface shimmered with a dark golden light in the sunlight.

"Do you see that?" Shen Xiaochuan stared at the rock and said. "Those aren't cracks; they're carvings."

"It really looks like someone made them..." Zhou Mingrui said, looking at the rock.

The rock was dragged to the shore and placed on a concrete slab. The workers gathered around, but no one dared to touch it.

Zhou Mingrui asked, "What now?"

"Seal the formwork first," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Pour the concrete for the closure section immediately. We can't wait."

The pump truck drove up, and concrete flowed through the pipes into the formwork. The workers worked quickly, inserting vibrators to remove air bubbles. For two hours, no one spoke; there was only the sound of machines and the flowing water.

When the last shovel of concrete was smoothed out, the sun had already begun to set.

"Main structure complete." Zhou Mingrui breathed a sigh of relief, took off his hat, and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I wouldn't believe it if it didn't pass inspection."

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the dam crest, looking at the complete dam before him. The river water was held back, and the water surface upstream was calm, reflecting the sky like a mirror.

He walked back to the shore and stood in front of the giant rock.

The rock lay quietly, and the patterns on its surface were even clearer in the setting sun. He reached out and touched it; it was icy cold, but he could feel a force hidden inside.

"It must be transported back," he said.

"Using a crane?" Zhou Mingrui asked. "Should we make a protective cover? This thing is extraordinary."

"No need," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head. "Tomorrow morning, I will handle it personally."

He didn't say what it was, nor did he explain its purpose. Zhou Mingrui didn't ask further.

It was dark, and a few lights turned on at the construction site. Workers packed up their tools and left one after another. Someone took an extra look at the rock as they passed by and muttered, "To be able to dig this up—what luck."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't leave.

He stood there, watching the river surface.

The water was no longer rushing downstream; water began to accumulate inside the dam, and the surface slowly rose. In a few days, this would become a reservoir, providing electricity to the entire Skydome City.

He raised his hand and touched the copper gear pendant on his cuff.

It was still warm.

In the distance, the last ray of sunlight fell on the dam, and the concrete wall turned golden.

He turned to Zhou Mingrui and said, "Leave two people to guard the rock tonight; don't let anyone get close."

"Understood."

"I'm going to the Hospital to check on Lilia's condition."

"Her sister sent a message just now, saying the fever has broken and she's sleeping quite well."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Then I'll be back in a while."

He walked toward where the car was parked without stopping.

The off-road vehicle started, its headlights cutting through the night. He sat in the passenger seat and glanced back at the construction site.

The dam stretched across the valley like a sleeping Dragon.

The rock lay quietly under the lights, the patterns on its surface glowing faintly.

The car drove onto the dirt road and began to bump.

He closed his eyes, with only one thought in his mind: the first thing to do tomorrow is to bring this thing back to the workshop.

He must find out why it was here.