192: Chapter 192 Let them in

The covers of thirty-six heavy anti-ship missile silos popped open amidst the ear-piercing sound of mechanical operation. The pitch-black tips of the missiles pointed directly at the sky.

The command room of the comprador destroyer fell into instant silence.

The radar operator's legs went weak. He slumped onto the floor, his hands trembling as he pulled away from the console.

"Stop fire control. Everyone, cease operations." The comprador captain roared hysterically, his head drenched in cold sweat. "Whoever dares to touch the launch button, I will shoot him."

He knew very well that a second-hand destroyer didn't even amount to a speck of dust in front of a strategic nuclear submarine. If they really opened fire, the other side could wipe this place out in a single volley.

On the command tower of viper one, the white captain put down the megaphone and respectfully stepped aside.

The heavy metal hatch popped open with a bang.

Da Biao walked out with heavy steps. His entire body was encased in a dark gray titanium alloy Exoskeleton. As he moved, the thick hydraulic drive shafts emitted a "hissing" exhaust sound.

Behind him, fifty heavily armed security guards walked out one by one. The dark gray mechanical armor shimmered with a cold light under the searchlights. These were the Chenguang Factory Death Squad Soldiers that Gu Lang had arranged to be airlifted and rendezvoused with the submarine in the deep sea.

Da Biao walked to the edge of the command tower. He flexed his mechanical neck, the titanium alloy joints emitting a teeth-grinding friction sound.

"Which idiot was it that wanted to count to one just now?" Da Biao pressed the transmitter at his throat, his voice resounding across the sea through the submarine's massive loudspeakers.

On the comprador destroyer, a dozen sailors holding rifles trembled, and their guns dropped straight onto the deck.

The comprador captain swallowed hard. He forced himself to pick up the walkie-talkie. "A misunderstanding, it's absolutely a misunderstanding. We are a joint patrol fleet, just conducting a routine inspection."

"Inspect your mother." Da Biao didn't mince words. "You dare to inspect my cargo? I think you're tired of living."

The comprador captain's face turned blue and red. "Your Excellency, please watch your language. We represent the Joint Defense Office."

"Go represent the King of Hell down below then." Da Biao snorted coldly.

He reached out directly and pulled out the dark blue electronic card that Lu Chen had given him.

"The Boss has spoken: you won't shed tears until you see the coffin." Da Biao slammed the card into the hidden slot on his Exoskeleton's chest.

"Hum..." A low-frequency vibration emanated simultaneously from inside the fifty Exoskeletons. A layer of pale blue magnetorheological light film instantly covered the surface of all the armor.

Da Biao took half a step back. He bent his knees sharply. "Bang." The steel plate of the command tower was stomped into a deep pit. Da Biao vaulted over the dozen meters of sea and crashed onto the destroyer's front deck with a boom.

"Boom." The high-grade steel deck caved in, and shockwaves rolled out. The surrounding comprador sailors scrambled backward in terror.

Da Biao slowly stood up straight. The two-meter-plus tall mech loomed over the group of people, looking down at them.

A mentally shattered sailor closed his eyes and pulled his rifle trigger. "Da da da da..." A burst of bullets poured out, heading straight for Da Biao's chest.

The moment the bullets touched that pale blue light film, their kinetic energy was instantly absorbed and dissipated. The twisted, spent casings clattered to the ground. The Exoskeleton didn't even have a scratch on it.

The entire scene went quiet.

The sailor who fired stood stunned. He looked at the smoking rifle in his hand, then at the scrap metal at Da Biao's feet.

Da Biao flicked his mechanical wrist. He walked forward, grabbed the sailor by the throat, and lifted him into mid-air with one hand.

"Didn't you eat? Your shooting is so limp." Da Biao grinned coldly.

"Don't kill me, I beg you." The sailor kicked his legs wildly, a large wet patch appearing on his crotch.

"Trash." Da Biao tossed him aside; the sailor flew five or six meters away and slammed heavily against the bulkhead, passing out.

In the command room, the comprador captain was shaking uncontrollably. He had never even heard of such individual armor that couldn't be penetrated even by heavy weapons.

"Make them shut up." Da Biao shouted into the communicator.

The white captain's voice came through immediately. "Received. Weapon systems heating up for a second time. Target locked on the comprador bridge."

"Beep beep beep..." The destroyer's radar alarm blared frantically.

"Surrender. We surrender." The comprador captain completely broke down. He dropped to his knees and roared into the microphone. "Turn off the radar. Depress the main guns to the dead angle. Everyone, hands on your heads."

No matter how much money you have, you need your life to spend it. He immediately gave up resistance.

Dozens of sailors knelt on the deck in unison, hands on their heads, not daring to make a sound.

On the chenguang no. 1 freighter, Zhang Qiang and Lao Li stood before the bulletproof glass. Both of them widened their eyes.

"Lao Li, am I seeing things?" Zhang Qiang rubbed his eyes. "That person who flew over just now, that was Da Biao from the security team."

"It is him." Lao Li swallowed hard. "My dear mother, what kind of god-like bodyguards has the Boss equipped us with? This is too overbearing."

Zhang Qiang suddenly burst into laughter. "Overbearing is good. Being overbearing means no one dares to bully us. Engine room, listen up: ignore these bastards. Maintain course, full speed through Malacca."

"Woo..." The massive ship whistle sounded again. Fully loaded with tens of thousands of tons of amethyst raw ore, the chenguang no. 1 sailed past the destroyer with an arrogant swagger.

Da Biao stood on the deck. Watching the freighter pass safely, he raised his hand to connect the direct line to Jiangcheng.

"Boss, the path is clear." Da Biao grinned. "These cowards didn't dare to put up a fight. Lao Zhang and the others are safe."

Jiangcheng, the data control room on the second floor of the Chenguang Factory. Lu Chen leaned back on a worn leather sofa, fingers tapping on the glass coffee table.

"Well done." Lu Chen's tone was flat. "Have the people on the ship been secured?"

"They're all kneeling. Not a single one dares to breathe loudly." Da Biao glanced around. "Awaiting your instructions."

"Rip out all the fire control chips and radar motherboards. Throw the weapons and ammunition into the sea." Lu Chen stubbed out his double happiness cigarette. "Leave them alive. Let them take a message to their masters behind the scenes."

"What message?" Da Biao asked.

Lu Chen leaned forward, staring at the big screen. "Tell those old fogies in Freemasons: if they want to play, I'll play big with them. In three days, I'll be waiting in the 8,000-acre restricted area in Jiangcheng. Let's see whose bones are harder, theirs or Chenguang Electronics' titanium alloy."

"Understood." Da Biao hung up the communication.

He turned to look at the comprador sailors and drew the high-frequency hydraulic shears from his thigh.

"Brothers, get to work. The Boss says to tear this piece-of-junk ship apart." Da Biao roared.

"Yes." Fifty heavily armored security guards roared in unison.

The fifty security guards wearing Exoskeletons fanned out. The massive high-frequency hydraulic shears effortlessly cut through radar cables as thick as a thigh. The fire control computers were ripped out by the roots. Crates of shells were lifted by them with one hand and tossed into the sea with splashes. The comprador sailors knelt on the ground, trembling, watching helplessly as this violent demolition crew treated equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars like trash.

In the control room, Lao Zhou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, the enamel mug in his hand still shaking. "Boss, are we just going to let them go back like this?"

"What's the use of killing a few dogs?" Lu Chen picked up the glass on the table and took a sip. "Keeping them alive to go back and report is the only way to make those old men lose sleep."

Wu Dong took off his glasses and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. "Boss, the cargo is safe, but after what happened just now, all the reconnaissance satellites in the world will definitely be locked onto Malacca. Those three 'black fish' of ours won't be able to stay hidden anymore."

"When did I ever say I wanted to hide them?" Lu Chen put down the glass.

Lao Zhou and Wu Dong exchanged glances, neither understanding the Boss's meaning.

Lu Chen stood up and walked to the big screen. "Anderson is dead; New York is definitely going to be desperate. They thought that by choking off the materials, they could choke off my progress. Now that the materials have arrived, it's time to put some eye drops in for them."

Lu Chen turned to look at Wu Dong. "Where have those thirty-some armored special trains within the country reached?"

"The fastest ones have already crossed the Yellow River. The military has given the green light all the way; they will all arrive in Jiangcheng to unload by tomorrow night." Wu Dong typed on the keyboard and pulled up the transportation route map.

"Very good." Lu Chen nodded. "Have Wei Jianguo clear out the miscellaneous items on Underground Level 3. By tomorrow night, I want the Quantum Gravity Smelting Center running at full capacity."

"Boss, are you really going to melt all those 100,000 tons of special titanium alloy all at once?" Lao Zhou widened his eyes. "That's the entire national military industry's stockpile, gathered only after they halted production."

Lu Chen walked to the window and pushed it open. The 8,000-acre restricted area in the northern suburbs was filled with an oppressive silence under the night sky.

"100,000 tons is far from enough." Lu Chen's voice was low. "Go call Director Zhao. That condition he owes me, I want to cash it in now."

Lao Zhou paused. "What condition?"

Lu Chen turned around, his gaze icy. "Tell him that before sunset tomorrow, he must cut off all civil power grids within 200 kilometers of Jiangcheng. All power must be unconditionally connected to the main underground line of Chenguang Electronics."

Wu Dong was so shocked he stood up straight. "Boss, cutting power for 200 kilometers affects nearly ten million people. This will definitely cause huge trouble."

Lu Chen walked back to the sofa and sat down, then pulled out another cigarette and lit it.

"Lack of electricity won't kill anyone. But if tomorrow's assembly progress doesn't keep up, everyone will die." Lu Chen exhaled a cloud of thick smoke, the firelight reflecting on his expressionless face. "Do as I say. If the sky falls, I'll hold it up."

Wu Dong's scalp tingled. He knew Lu Chen never joked. If he really forcefully drained the power grid for 200 kilometers, this had completely deviated from normal commercial behavior. This was gambling with the lifeblood of the entire East China region.

"Boss, what if the people from the Red Flag Department come to stop us?" Lao Zhou gripped the walkie-talkie tightly. "That middle-aged high official only just left today. If we do this, they'll definitely get anxious."

"Let them get anxious." Lu Chen flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Call the Houhai courtyard directly. Tell that old man: if he wants to keep those 2,000 sets of Exoskeletons, he better suppress everyone at the local level for me. If anyone dares to say half a word more, I'll burn the technical blueprints right in front of them."

Lao Zhou gritted his teeth. "Alright, I'll go do it right now."

Lao Zhou turned and rushed out of the control room. In the hallway, his voice could immediately be heard loudly calling the security department to assemble.

Wu Dong sat back down at the computer, his hands resting on the keyboard, and took a deep breath. "Boss, should I continue sweeping the stock market? Those overseas shell companies still have tens of billions of idle US dollars in their accounts."

"Keep buying." Lu Chen didn't even look at the screen. "Buy out all the available spot heavy metals. It doesn't matter if the price doubles. As long as the stuff can be shipped to Jiangcheng, I'll pay whatever it costs."

"Understood." Wu Dong began frantically issuing acquisition orders.

Lu Chen leaned back on the sofa, watching the dim light tube overhead. The system panel flashed with a red glow in the corner of his vision.

[Notification: Hidden building components ready. Requires massive-scale energy for forced shaping. Countdown: 36 hours.]

Lu Chen closed his eyes.

Anderson's death was just the beginning. The foundation that Freemasons had occupied for hundreds of years could not be crushed so easily. The real life-and-death battle would be tomorrow night.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Colonel Gu Lang strode into the control room. He didn't even knock. His military uniform was covered in mud and water.

"Factory Director Lu." Gu Lang's tone was urgent. "The radar station just captured an abnormal signal. The people from Freemasons haven't given up."

"Speak slowly." Lu Chen didn't even lift his eyelids.

Gu Lang walked to the coffee table and braced his hands on the glass tabletop. "They cut three main optical cables on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Just now, the Sky Eye satellite captured twelve large, unnumbered stealth transport planes taking off from the Okinawa base, heading straight for the East China Sea."

Lu Chen opened his eyes.

"Transport planes." Lu Chen asked. "What are they carrying?"

"Not clear. This batch of aircraft uses the latest plasma stealth coating, completely avoiding conventional radar reflection surfaces. If the Sky Eye satellite hadn't happened to sweep past, we wouldn't have discovered them at all." Gu Lang's brows were tightly furrowed. "This completely defies conventional tactical logic. They know we have air defense systems here, yet they still dare to send transport planes to force their way in."

Lu Chen tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"What's so hard to understand?" Lu Chen stood up and walked over to Gu Lang. "Conventional weapons can't get in, so they've started sending monsters."

Gu Lang paused. "Monsters?"

Lu Chen patted Gu Lang on the shoulder. "Go tell Chen Dingbang, not a single air defense missile is allowed to be fired. Let them in."

Gu Lang widened his eyes. "Let them in? Factory Director Lu, this is a violation of airspace."

"If we shoot them down, they fall into the sea; who's going to salvage that scrap metal?" Lu Chen looked coldly out the window. "Let them reach the airspace over Jiangcheng; I want to make sure they can't return. And while we're at it, save the air freight costs."

Gu Lang swallowed hard. He couldn't keep up with Lu Chen's line of thinking at all.

"I will request instructions from above immediately." Gu Lang turned to leave.

"No need to request instructions." Lu Chen's voice turned cold. "My territory, I make the rules."