126: Canyon Shock

A metallic glint flashed in the fog ahead.

Chen Wang immediately stepped on the brakes, and the wuling hongguang S came to a halt on the ice.

He said nothing, his right hand swiftly pressing three keys on the console.

The interior lights went out completely, leaving only the blue glow of the kindling system illuminated.

"Turn off the exterior lights," Chen Wang said. "Activate passive scanning."

Lin Wei swiped across the screen, changing the map to thermal mode.

The seven red dots had vanished, but a large heat source appeared ahead, rapidly approaching from within the fog.

"It's not a mechanical spider," Lin Wei said, lowering her voice. "It's too big and too fast."

Su Ling lay prone at the sniping position, her muzzle pointed forward.

She magnified the scope, watching a silhouette slowly become clear—thick armor, wide tracks, and a rotating radar on top.

"It's a modified T-9 heavy tank," she said. "Standard equipment from Northern Empire military industry."

Amy Chen was scanning signal frequencies when an encrypted message suddenly came through her headset.

She quickly decoded it, her brows furrowing.

"The signal is coming from the ice cliff above," she said. "It's the same location as the flare from Chapter 121. They've been lying in ambush for a long time."

Chen Wang stared ahead.

The fog was torn open by the headlights, and the armored vehicle had already closed to within one hundred meters.

The hull was painted with a black eagle emblem, and the number "7-04" was written on the turret.

"They're coming for us," Su Wan whispered, her hand resting on the emergency button of the medical pod.

The armored vehicle stopped fifty meters away.

The tracks crushed the ice, making a harsh, grating sound.

The roof hatch opened, and a man stood up.

He wore an Imperial officer's uniform with two gold bars on his shoulder straps.

He held a megaphone in his left hand, his right hand resting on his holster.

A cold-weather mask revealed only his eyes, which were looking coldly toward the wuling vehicle.

"I am Major Derek," a dry, powerful voice came through the megaphone. "You are currently in a Northern Empire restricted zone. Hand over the coordinates of the detected ice crystal vein, along with the kindling system core module on your vehicle. Otherwise, you will be treated as enemies and eliminated immediately."

No one in the vehicle responded.

Amy Chen analyzed his tone.

She noticed that every word was stuck in the same rhythm, as if he were reciting from memory rather than speaking spontaneously.

"This isn't a negotiation," she whispered. "It's executing an order."

Chen Wang glanced at the energy bar.

The Shield was at 38%, and the stealth module was functional, but it could only last for ten minutes.

He slowly reached his hand toward the hidden switch under the driver's seat.

"Lin Wei, check his unit designation," he said.

Lin Wei opened the database and entered the parameters for the modified T-9.

A few seconds later, a line of text popped up on the screen: [Northern Empire Border Defense Suppression Detachment · Codename "Anvil"].

"This unit specializes in killing wandering survivors," Lin Wei said. "They massacred a shelter on the Eastern Front three years ago."

Chen Wang nodded.

He picked up the vehicle's broadcast microphone, intentionally letting static interfere with his voice.

"The system is broken... the mine hasn't been fully excavated yet... the kindling system module is unstable..." he said intermittently. "If you shoot again, it's going to explode."

There was a silence of a few seconds on the other end.

Then Derek laughed. The laughter was short, like glass being scraped.

"Three days ago, you used frozen pork chops to blow up three of my sentry drones," he said. "Yesterday, you took out my suppression spider. Now you're telling me it's going to explode?"

He raised his right hand, pointing at the front of the wuling vehicle.

"I know who you are, Chen Wang. A mechanic by trade, surviving until now on a beat-up vehicle. I don't care how you survived. What I want is simple—the vein data, the kindling core. Hand them over, and I can let you go."

Chen Wang didn't move.

Su Ling kept staring at Derek's face. When he took off his mask, her fingers tightened abruptly, her nails digging into her palms.

She knew this man.

Back in the SWAT team, he was a tactical instructor. During one operation, he ordered a raid on a drug den, which triggered explosives and buried the entire squad. Afterward, the military pushed the responsibility onto the front-line members, and he was transferred away without consequence.

Later, it was rumored that he opposed the high-level purge plan and was demoted to the border to carry out "purification missions."

"He won't negotiate," Su Ling whispered, letting only Chen Wang hear. "He'll fire directly."

Chen Wang nodded slightly. He didn't ask why, just moved his hand to the emergency button beside his seat.

"Prepare the EMP trap," he said to Lin Wei. "Initiate Program Three, wait for my command."

Lin Wei's finger hovered above the button. The program was loaded; as long as she pressed it, it would release an electromagnetic pulse to paralyze the opponent's electronic equipment. But if they used this, the wuling vehicle's position would also be exposed.

Amy Chen was calculating the odds of winning. She compared the weapons, terrain, and energy of both sides, finally arriving at a set of numbers.

"In a direct fight, there's less than a 30% chance of survival," she said. "I suggest pretending to surrender to buy time."

"Pretend to surrender?" Su Wan looked up. "They'll search the vehicle."

"Then let them search," Chen Wang said. "But they cannot touch the kindling system."

He looked at Lin Wei. Lin Wei understood and quietly removed the main control chip, tucking it into the inner lining of her work pants.

Derek was still waiting for a response.

He stood on the armored vehicle, the wind blowing his coat. Two more combat vehicles emerged from the fog behind him, forming a triangular formation and blocking the canyon exit.

"Last warning," he said. "Firing in ten seconds."

Chen Wang took a deep breath. He placed the copper pocket watch on the steering wheel and opened the watch cover. The hands were stopped at 3:17.

"Everyone, sit tight," he said. "Lin Wei, prepare to deploy the EMP. Su Ling, when they lock onto us, hit the communication array. Amy, cut off all external signals. Su Wan, keep a close watch on everyone's vital signs."

The five of them acted simultaneously.

Lin Wei's hand rested on the button. Su Ling's muzzle shifted slightly, aiming at the radar on the opponent's vehicle roof. Amy pulled out the data cable and shut down the remote interface. Su Wan put on the monitoring gloves and saw Su Ling's heart rate increase.

Derek began the countdown.

"Ten."

Chen Wang stared into his eyes.

"Nine."

Su Ling held her breath.

"Eight."

Lin Wei's palms were sweating.

"Seven."

Amy bit her lip.

"Six."

Su Wan saw Su Ling's adrenaline spiking and silently pushed a hot water bag to her hand.

"Five."

Chen Wang did not look away.

"Four."

Derek's hand pressed against his holster.

"Three."

Lin Wei prepared to press the button.

"Two."

Suddenly, Derek raised his hand and shouted, "Stop!"

Everyone was stunned.

He looked down at the terminal on his wrist, his brows furrowing. A few seconds later, he looked up.

"You are more interesting than I imagined," he said. "But the game is over."

He turned and walked into the hatch. The turret on top of the armored vehicle began to rotate, its muzzle pointing at the cockpit of the wuling hongguang S.

The red light lock-on alert sounded.

The alarms inside the vehicle vibrated.

Chen Wang gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Lin Wei's hand stopped on the EMP button.

Su Ling's muzzle aimed at the communication array.

Amy whispered: "Twelve seconds until lock-on is complete."

Su Wan watched the physiological data, not saying a word.

Derek's voice came over the megaphone one last time.

"Hand it over, or die."