97: action!

The beast-hide map was spread out under the dim oil lamp, and Lin Ye and his companions gathered around it, their expressions solemn.

Some of the locations Shadow One pointed out they had suspected before, while others completely surprised them.

"All these points must be confirmed," Shadow One said.

"Okay, leave it to us…" Looking at the areas on the map almost circled by crimson ink dots—military camps, watchtowers, and even a small altar adjacent to Shi Potian's personal guard's station.

Lin Ye, though heavy-hearted, still agreed.

Shadow One reached out a finger and pointed to three of the deepest and most dangerous locations on the map: "I'll go to these places."

Lin Ye suddenly looked up, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

"These… places are very dangerous," Lin Ye said.

"There's no need to incur unnecessary losses," Shadow One replied indifferently.

Lin Ye stared into Shadow One's calm, unruffled eyes for a moment, then said, "Okay… thank you…"

Regardless, Shadow One's action indeed took the biggest risk off their shoulders.

"Then it's settled. Three days from now, at sunset, we'll meet back here," Shadow One said, folding up the map.

"Understood," Lin Ye replied.

He turned to the few remaining 'Dawn' companions, his gaze sweeping over their tired but still burning faces.

"Have you all memorized the locations on the map?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

The young man with a blood-stained cloth wrapped around his arm grinned, trying to laugh, but the blood and dust on his face made his expression look a bit disheveled: "Boss, don't worry. We could find these points with our eyes closed."

He paused, then added, "Besides, isn't there also the 'priority care' areas Mr. Shadow One gave us? With him to chew on those tough bones, our pressure is much lighter."

Lin Ye glanced at him, not taking the bait, and continued: "Contact the others, then…"

His finger pointed vaguely in the air, "Old rules, two people per group, conceal your tracks, safety first. If anything feels wrong, immediately signal to evacuate, no hard fighting."

"Understood!" they responded in hushed voices, a fierce determination in their tone.

The man with the burn scar on his face unconsciously glanced towards the door; Shadow One had disappeared without a trace at some point.

The shadow by the door was still the same shadow, as if he had materialized from it and returned to it.

The man whispered, "Mr. Shadow One's skill, it's truly…" He shook his head, unable to find the right words, finally blurting out, "Amazing!"

"Stop messing around."

Lin Ye cut him off, his gaze also flicking over there before returning, "He has his battlefield; we'll take care of ourselves. Everyone check your belongings; we leave in fifteen minutes. Remember, Panshi City is full of Shi Potian's pawns, so be careful."

The young female member who had shed tears earlier over a fallen comrade now had no tear stains on her face; only the light in her eyes was astonishingly bright: "Brother Lin, we know what to do. What Shi Potian owes us, what he owes everyone in Panshi City, it's time to pay it back!"

Lin Ye looked at her and simply gave a heavy "Mm."

At this point, superfluous words were meaningless; only the undying hope and resolute will in their hearts were the most solid reliance.

He couldn't help but recall Shadow One's words, "Destroy Panshi City"; after the initial shock, he now found a strange sense of resonance in them.

Perhaps this city had long been rotten to its core.

His gaze finally settled on the worn wooden door in front of him.

Outside the door was the bottomless dark night, the perilous Panshi City, and the place where they would risk their lives for a glimmer of hope.

"Depart," Lin Ye uttered two words, no longer hesitating, and was the first to pull open the door, his figure stooping low as he disappeared into the winding, dark alleys of the slum.

"Everyone, take care!"

"Come back alive!"

"Damn Shi Potian!"

A few low goodbyes sounded inside the room, filled with determination and ruthlessness.

The remaining 'Dawn' members exchanged glances, their eyes filled with complex emotions: solemnity, anticipation, and an unyielding fighting spirit.

Then, they no longer lingered; one by one, they swiftly merged into the dense night, leaving no trace.

.......

Inside Panshi City, the streets were adorned with lanterns and streamers, and the people's faces were filled with "joyful" smiles as they flocked to the altar plaza in the city center, preparing to witness their wise and mighty City Lord Shi Potian preside over the ceremony.

This was the annual "Harvest Festival."

It was also the day Shadow One and the 'Dawn' members, after their reconnaissance, decided to act to destroy Panshi City's great protective array.

In the center of the plaza, the towering altar had been completed, and Shi Potian's majestic figure, like an iron tower, appeared exceptionally dignified under the light of countless torches.

He was clad in dark golden heavy armor, his gaze sweeping over the "cheering" crowd below, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

Among the crowd, several inconspicuous figures moved quietly, none other than Lin Ye and his 'Dawn' companions.

They had changed into ordinary clothes, blending into the throng heading towards the altar, but their eyes occasionally scanned the guards and patrol teams hidden in the shadows.

The young man beside Lin Ye whispered, "Boss, that old dog Shi Potian is out; his pomp is truly immense."

Lin Ye did not respond, only his eyes grew colder.

He could feel the subtle energy fluctuations around the plaza, a sign that the protective array was being pushed to its limit during the ceremony.

"Proceed according to plan," Lin Ye's voice was very low, "Be careful, and once you succeed, withdraw immediately; do not linger in battle."

"Understood!" several people responded in low voices, then dispersed, disappearing into the bustling crowd.

At the same time, near a disused smelter in the southeast corner of Panshi City, Shadow One's figure moved along the crumbling walls.

Here, far from the ceremony's clamor, only the mournful sound of the night wind blowing through the buildings could be heard.

He avoided a patrol of city guards who happened to be passing by; these soldiers were clearly somewhat relaxed due to the festival, discussing the excitement in the plaza and the extra wine and meat they might receive tonight.

Shadow One's target was deep beneath the smelter; according to his investigation and conjecture, that should be the core convergence point of the great protective array.

With a flash of his figure, he vanished into an inconspicuous ventilation shaft deep within the smelter.

At midnight, the stars and moon in the night sky were dim, and thick clouds obscured the last of the light.

The torchlight in the altar plaza, however, grew more intense, and Shi Potian's voice echoed throughout the plaza via some amplification device: "Today's harvest, all thanks to the unified efforts of Panshi City, and even more so to…"

His impassioned rhetoric, to Lin Ye and the others at this moment, felt incredibly ironic.

Beneath a hidden watchtower in the west of the city, the man with the burn scar on his face and the young female member held their breath, watching the shimmering runic light at the top of the tower.

The man gestured to the female member, who nodded and took out a specially made metal cylinder from her embrace.

"Three, two, one!" the man counted silently.

The female member abruptly pressed the bottom of the cylinder, and an almost imperceptible energy wave shot towards the runic node at the top of the tower.

Almost simultaneously, 'Dawn' members were acting at various array nodes, and array keystones were quietly being destroyed.

Meanwhile, Shadow One had already delved deep beneath the smelter.

The air here was hot and turbid, and complex pipes formed a labyrinth.

He ignored the harsh environment, relying on his keen perception of energy flow to approach, step by step, the core that seemed to be somewhat restless.