133: Feint to the east while attacking in the west, tactical breakout

The Wuling stopped in front of the metal door. Pale blue gas seeped from the cracks, spreading along the ground. Chen Wang watched the slowly opening door, tapping his fingers twice on the steering wheel.

"Lin Wei, the last EMP mine." His voice was steady. "Connect the remote detonator and bury it three meters deep under the snow outside the tunnel entrance."

Lin Wei immediately took the mine from the tool bay and quickly connected the wires. "Understood." She lowered her head to check the interface. After confirming the signal was normal, she opened the chassis hatch and dropped the mine.

Su Ling leaned into the sniper position, her eyes never leaving the targeting system. "No movement outside," she said. "Derek hasn't come out yet."

Chen Wang nodded. "He's waiting." He looked at the map on the kindling interface. "The door is open, and the machines have come out, but he hasn't moved. It means he doesn't want to come in, but he won't let us leave either."

Amy Chen pulled up the thermal imaging. "The armored vehicle is still in place, but there's a slight fluctuation in the engine. Backup power might have started."

"He knows we're stuck in the middle," Chen Wang said. "Blue mist on one side, him on the other. He wants to wear us down."

Su Wan was measuring the air composition. "This blue mist isn't poison gas; it's a coolant, the kind common in old equipment. It doesn't harm people, but it frosts metal, affecting weapons and circuits."

"Then it's a trap." Lin Wei packed away her tools. "He'll wait for our gear to fail before making a move."

Chen Wang checked the thruster status: cooling complete. The countdown for the track lock was at 1 minute and 14 seconds.

"Time's up," he said. "Prepare to move."

He pressed the stealth button. The vehicle flickered and vanished into the snowy mist. Three seconds later, the system automatically shut down—not enough energy to sustain it.

The Wuling reappeared, just in time to be spotted by the observation point behind the distant ice pile.

Chen Wang immediately turned the wheel, swinging the front of the car around as if to flee, and floored the accelerator. The tracks crushed the accumulated snow, the vehicle shaking violently as it kicked up a cloud of white mist.

"They're leaving?" Su Ling asked.

"He's watching." Chen Wang stared at the rearview mirror. "As soon as he thinks we're scared, he'll move."

Over by the armored vehicle, the turret turned slightly. Static suddenly crackled over the communication channel, followed by Derek's voice: "Target spotted! Full pursuit, don't let them enter the tunnel!"

With a boom, the armored vehicle charged out, its tracks crushing ice pillars as it lunged straight for the Wuling.

"Here they come." Su Ling gripped the remote, her eyes fixed on the tracking frame.

The armored vehicle entered the preset range.

She pressed the button.

An electromagnetic pulse erupted. The armored vehicle's lights went out, the engine died, and the turret jammed. An alarm blared inside the vehicle: "Power system rebooting... 15 seconds remaining."

"Got them!" Lin Wei looked at the screen. "Biological signals lost! Their sensors are paralyzed!"

"Now!" Chen Wang slammed on the gas.

The Wuling charged into the tunnel entrance at a sharp angle. The body scraped against the ice wall with a piercing screech, and the left rearview mirror was sheared off instantly. The Shield dropped to 6%, but it didn't break.

The tires rolled over the threshold, and the entire vehicle entered the passage.

"Halfway in!" Amy Chen shouted. "Keep up the speed, don't get stuck!"

Chen Wang gripped the steering wheel with both hands, leaning forward. The tracks slipped for a moment, but he immediately adjusted the differential lock. The vehicle regained traction and continued forward.

The last section of the vehicle entered the tunnel.

The sound of metal clashing came from behind. Derek was pounding on the cockpit door.

"They're awake." Su Ling reloaded, aiming her muzzle at the exit.

"Is fifteen seconds enough?" Lin Wei asked.

"It's not enough," Chen Wang said. "But it's too late for him to aim."

It was dark inside the tunnel, with only the Wuling's lights illuminating the way ahead. The ground was uneven, and the car shook constantly as the wheels rolled over rubble.

Su Wan activated the filtration system and released two monitoring spheres. The small spheres rolled toward the upcoming bend, transmitting data back.

"Fork in the road thirty meters ahead," she said. "The left side is steep; there's a shimmer of water on the right, possibly a leak."

Amy Chen pulled up the topographical map. "The tunnel is Z-shaped, each section about fifty meters. You can't see far around the bends. It's good for hiding, but also easy for an ambush."

"Drive slow." Chen Wang switched to automated driving assist and unbuckled his seatbelt to stand up. "Use the bends for cover to prevent drone locks."

He walked toward the engineering station.

"Lin Wei, how much longer until the track unlock?"

"Forty-seven seconds." She looked at the countdown. "We'll have to manually restart it afterward, or the drive will cut out."

"Prepare the emergency tools." Chen Wang opened the maintenance cabinet and took out a hydraulic wrench and gloves. "If it jams, deal with it immediately."

Lin Wei nodded, already holding her gear.

Su Ling stood at the sniper position, her gun mount fixed to the right window. She constantly switched aiming modes, scanning the passage behind them.

"No one is chasing us in," she said. "But there's a heat source moving at the exit. Looks like an infantry squad is approaching."

"They want to block our retreat," Amy Chen sneered. "Too bad they don't know how long this tunnel is."

"Not necessarily to block us," Chen Wang said, looking at the map. "They might be planting sensors or trying to collapse the tunnel."

Su Wan suddenly looked up. "The monitoring spheres found an anomaly—there's an electric current in the standing water ahead to the right. The frequency matches early Empire-era mines."

"It's a trap." Lin Wei immediately adjusted the signal. "I'll go disarm it."

"No." Chen Wang stopped her. "You need to watch the tracks. Su Ling, stay on alert. Amy, mark a new route to bypass the water."

Amy Chen drew a line on the navigation. "Veer two meters to the left and take the edge of the high platform. It's narrow, but we can avoid the water."

Chen Wang sat back in the driver's seat and took control.

The Wuling slowly turned, its two left wheels almost brushing the edge of the drop-off. The vehicle tilted, and an alarm sounded: unstable center of gravity.

"We're through," Amy Chen sighed in relief.

The wheels touched level ground.

Lin Wei looked at the countdown. "Ten seconds."

"Prepare to restart," Chen Wang said.

The numbers hit zero.

A system prompt appeared: "Track lock released, drive restored to normal."

Lin Wei entered the commands to test the left and right tracks. The green lights came on.

"It's normal now," she said.

"Accelerate." Chen Wang stepped on the gas.

The Wuling sped up, passing through the second bend. An alloy beam appeared ahead, spanning the ceiling, with an Ω symbol on it.

"That symbol again," Su Wan whispered.

"The mark of Operation Black Iron." Amy Chen recorded the location. "This tunnel was indeed built by the Empire seven years ago."

Chen Wang slowed down, looking closely at the beam. "It's not decorative. There are slots inside; it might be a monitoring center."

"Should we dismantle it?" Lin Wei asked.

"Leave it," Chen Wang shook his head. "Touching it now would only expose us. We'll deal with it after we lose the pursuers."

Su Ling suddenly raised her hand. "Wait."

She pointed to the rearview mirror. "There was a flash of light from the direction of the exit, like the reflection of a flashlight."

"Infantry have entered." Chen Wang immediately slowed down. "Turn off the external lights, keep only the necessary internal light sources."

The interior lights went out, leaving only the dim glow of the kindling system.

The Wuling advanced quietly.

Rounding the third bend, they reached a fork. The left path sloped downward, while the right was blocked by steel frames.

"Go left," Amy Chen said. "The scan shows it leads to the main mine shaft. The right is a dead end."

Just as Chen Wang was about to turn, Lin Wei suddenly said, "Wait! There's a vibration in the ground."

Everyone went quiet.

The vibration came from below, rhythmic, like machinery in operation.

"It's not a natural vibration," Su Wan said. "The frequency is like a mechanical pump."

"There's space underneath." Amy Chen magnified the map. "There's at least a ten-meter hollow layer under the tunnel. Could be an equipment room or a power station."

"Ignore it for now," Chen Wang decided. "Keep moving, stay quiet."

The Wuling slowly drove into the left path.

The slope steepened. The headlights revealed a half-open metal door a hundred meters ahead. A corpse in old work clothes lay by the door, a piece of broken rebar impaling its chest.

No one spoke.

The wheels rolled over a puddle of frozen liquid with a crunching sound.

Suddenly, the kindling system popped up a warning: "Wireless signal access attempt detected—Source: thirty meters behind."

"They've caught up!" Lin Wei operated quickly. "I'm shielding the signal, but they're switching frequencies. It looks like they're trying to triangulate us."

"How long can we hold out?" Chen Wang asked.

"Two minutes at most." Lin Wei was sweating. "They're using military protocols; it takes time to crack them."

Chen Wang looked at Su Ling. "Can you take out another sensor lens?"

Su Ling already had her gun ready. "I can. But I only get one shot; they've definitely spread out."

"Target the signal source," Chen Wang said. "Find the one leading them."

Su Ling adjusted her scope, locking onto the bend behind them.

A dark figure peeked out, a red light flashing on its shoulder.

She pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed through the tunnel.

The red light went out.

"Signal's cut." Lin Wei breathed a sigh of relief. "Safe for now."

Chen Wang continued driving, the Wuling entering a deeper part of the passage.

The light ahead was weak, and the road was covered in a thin frost. More and more Ω symbols appeared on the walls, lined up in a row.

Amy Chen stared at the navigation. "Six hundred meters further, the tunnel splits into three branches. We don't know which one leads to the exit."

"We'll try them one by one," Chen Wang said. "But first, we have to lose our tail."

He looked in the rearview mirror.

At the distant bend, several blurry figures were rapidly approaching.