215: Chapter 215 Flanking Enemy Open, Attacked from Both Sides (1)

Lu Changyuan picked up the copied Jade Slip from the map table—the one engraved with the data for the Main Hub of the seal. He turned it over in his palm.

"This is what they want. The copy Leng Feng brought back from a depth of two thousand five hundred zhang in the Dragon Burial Trench—the triple-ring sub-pattern structure of the Main Hub of the seal, the flow rate of the spiritual power conduction lines, and the frequency of the High Priest's scepter. Add to that Su Qingli's analysis of the seal's weak points—the time to wear through The Lid, the time to fill the Lock Core, and the calculation of the gap in the Connection Node. If these things fall into others' hands—all the battles Blue Moon Island has fought over the past four days, all the intelligence gathered, all the windows of opportunity won—it will all have been in vain, serving only to benefit others."

"This group seizes the intelligence—and stabs us in the back when the Haiyuan Clan attacks. All the Blue Moon Island garrison die in battle—faked to look like they died for their country. The intelligence is taken away during the chaos—no one will suspect a dozen dead, routed soldiers."

Su Qingli was silent for three breaths in front of the Receiving Formation. Then she drew the induction attenuation curve for the third formation eye on the flank—the curve began to drop from the hour of Mao. By the hour of Chen, the induction range had shrunk to less than ten li.

"The blind zone is expanding. They will continue to sprinkle Corrosion Powder—until the formation eye is completely disabled."

Lu Changyuan straightened up. He did not say "Arrest them immediately." He called Leng Feng outside the Formation Affairs Room—to stand on the Pier. The sea breeze blew from the direction of the Dragon Burial Trench—the wind carried the sound of broken waves after the tide receded.

"Do not move against them. Two people—from the hour of Chou to the hour of Mao. Shorty destroys the formation eye—Scarface is in the shed. The other ten are all on standby. Their next step—is to signal after the blind zone is completely open. Before the signal—they will not act against any target on the island. Because we are not yet in chaos."

Leng Feng aimed the observation scope at the northeast corner of the flank. The sea surface in the direction of the blind zone was calm—the Ring Reef cast a dark gray shadow in the morning light. The seawater at the turn of the reef was nearly a degree darker than the surrounding area—the undercurrent beneath the turn was churning upward.

"I will send men to keep a close watch on them. From the moment each person leaves the shed until they return—someone will follow every step they take. When Shorty touches the formation eye again—we will follow until the moment he sprinkles the powder."

"Do not arrest them."

"Do not arrest them. Follow them—make no contact. Let them think everything is going smoothly."

Lu Changyuan turned and walked toward the Formation Affairs Room. He stood at the entrance of the Formation Affairs Room for a breath—then turned back to glance in the direction of the isolation zone. The palm leaf roofs of the three wooden sheds shimmered with a semi-dry grayish-yellow in the morning light—there was no one at the shed entrances. Everything looked the same as when they were settled last night.

"They want to take action during the chaos. That means—the Haiyuan Clan will definitely give them a chaotic situation. What we need to do is not to prevent this chaos—but to know which door they will come in from before the chaos arrives."

The hour of Si. Scarface came out of the shed. He stood at the shed entrance—and squinted against the sunlight. His bandaged left leg stepped onto the muddy ground outside the shed door—the footprint was about half a finger deeper than yesterday. He placed his hand on the shed door frame—and tapped on the frame twice. The rhythm was the same as last night.

On Su Qingli's Receiving Formation plate—the induction range of the third formation eye on the flank was still shrinking. The rate of shrinkage was nearly half as slow as it was at the hour of Mao—the penetration rate of the Corrosion Powder in the old sand layer was attenuating. But the blind zone was still expanding.

Shorty was in the shed—tying the wooden splint back onto his right shoulder. The copper box was at the very bottom of his Storage Pouch. The edge of his poisoned blade reflected a very dim green light in the darkness.

When Scarface walked back—he touched his waist with his right hand. His fingertips brushed against a tiny Spirit Beast bone fragment guiding talisman hidden in the lining of his waist. The bone fragment had not yet been activated—the pulse Array Pattern on its surface was dark. The time for activation—is when the blind zone is completely open.

The hour of Wu. The induction range of the third formation eye on the flank of Blue Moon Island had shrunk to less than three li.

Su Qingli was sitting in front of the Receiving Formation plate—the four legs of her rattan stool had already worn two holes through the old sea chart underneath. From the hour of Mao to the hour of Wu, she had not left the Formation Plate. The marked light spot for the northeast corner of the flank on the Formation Plate had lightened all the way from dark yellow—so light that it eventually almost blended in with the old wood color of the Formation Plate's base. The induction formation path was still there—the Spiritual Vein of the formation path itself was not damaged. But the outer layer of old sand seal was loose—the Corrosion Powder had been seeping since the hour of Chou until today at noon, and nearly seventy percent of the adhesive surface of the seal had been decomposed. The formation path was exposed to the air, and the speed at which spiritual power was dissipating was getting faster and faster.

"The third formation eye—is completely disabled." Su Qingli drew an X next to the marked light spot with a charcoal pencil. The horizontal stroke of the X went from left to right—she paused at the end when finishing the stroke. She shifted the detection direction of the Receiving Formation from the northeast corner toward the Dragon Burial Trench—that area on the Formation Plate was pitch dark. The early warning blind zone—was about two li wide, starting from the turn of the Ring Reef and extending toward the Dragon Burial Trench.

"The blind zone is completely open."

Lu Changyuan stood at the entrance of the Formation Affairs Room. His cuffs were still stained with charcoal dust from the map table last night—he hadn't brushed it off. He called Leng Feng to the door—Leng Feng was holding the observation scope, the lens tube turned about twenty degrees toward the flank.

"They will receive the signal that the blind zone is open—and will immediately activate the guiding talisman. It is about eighty li from the Dragon Burial Trench to the northeast corner of the flank. The Haiyuan Clan assault team's propulsion speed in normal water layers—is fifty li per hour. With the influence of the undercurrent—it will take one and a half hours. Counting from now—at the latest, by the third quarter of the hour of Wei, the first batch of the Haiyuan Clan will surface from the blind zone."

Leng Feng handed the observation scope to Lu Changyuan. The sea surface at the northeast corner of the flank in the lens was still calm—the turn of the Ring Reef cast a knife-like shadow under the noon sunlight. The white foam splashed by waves hitting the reef was as high as usual. Beneath the sea surface—the undercurrent was churning upward. The position where the undercurrent was churning was exactly at the narrowest part of the gap in the blind zone—pushing from the outside of the gap toward the inside. The Haiyuan Clan was coming from the direction of the Dragon Burial Trench—moving with the undercurrent, nearly twenty percent faster than their normal swimming speed.

"What about the front?"

"The main force on the front is still advancing toward Blue Moon Island." Su Qingli shifted the detection direction of the Receiving Formation from the flank toward the front. On the Formation Plate, in the direction of the front—the positions of the sixth to tenth fluctuation sources had moved nearly sixty li from early this morning until now. The propulsion speed was about fifty li per hour—consistent with the previous propulsion speed at the mouth of the Dragon Burial Trench. "The tenth fluctuation source is less than thirty li from the reef. At the current speed—the main force will enter the alert line by the end of the hour of Wei."

Less than thirty li at the front. The flank blind zone is open. Inside, there are twelve Private Soldiers ready to take action during the chaos at any moment.