163: Shadow

The wheels rolled over the ice, emitting a low, rumbling sound.

The wuling war chariot's taillights glowed in the dark night, leaving a trail of blue light as the vehicle sped forward.

The navigation system showed 608 kilometers remaining, with an estimated arrival time of 4 hours and 13 minutes.

Chen Wang kept his hands gripped on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

He didn't glance at the dashboard, staring only at the icy ground ahead.

A heartbeat sounded through the radio, matching the vibration of the watch on his wrist.

Usually, this sound brought him comfort, but now it felt unsettling.

Suddenly, a muffled groan came from behind.

Chen Wang immediately turned around.

Star Pupil's projection flickered; she held her head with her hands, her body trembling.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"What's wrong?" Chen Wang asked.

Lin Wei stood up from her seat and hurried to the data console.

She swiped across the panel, her brows knitting tighter.

"Brainwaves are chaotic; there's an external signal coming in! It's getting stronger."

Su Ling immediately raised her gun, looking toward the rear. "Is anyone there?"

"No," Lin Wei shook her head. "It's not a physical attack; it's mental interference."

Chen Wang looked at Star Pupil. Her face twisted, as if in great pain.

The next second, she opened her eyes, her voice faint but clear: "Someone... is watching us."

"Who?" Amy Chen asked, looking up.

"Southeast," Star Pupil panted. "A force, very strong. It's forcing things into my mind—pure malice."

Su Wan walked over with an instrument, the lines on the screen jumping erratically. "Brain pressure is too high; we need to disconnect."

"We can't," Chen Wang said. "If we disconnect, she might be taken."

Lin Wei worked rapidly, switching the neural connection to read-only and activating the firewall.

Star Pupil shuddered, her breathing slowly steadying, though her gaze remained fixed.

"It knows where we are," she said. "Not just our location... it knows where we're going, too."

No one spoke.

Chen Wang turned back and slammed on the accelerator. The vehicle surged forward.

He didn't drive in a straight line; he suddenly swerved right, the vehicle sliding diagonally across the ice, then veered left, zigzagging.

"What are you dodging?" Su Ling asked.

"Whoever is watching, we can't let them get a clear look," Chen Wang said. "Changing lanes to block the signal."

Lin Wei watched the panel, her hands moving constantly. "The kindling system hasn't triggered an alarm, which means this tracking isn't conventional. It could be a mental marker or resonance interference."

"Imperial technology?" Amy Chen asked softly.

"More complex than standard radar," Lin Wei nodded. "I see high-frequency fluctuations in the energy map—very faint, but very consistent."

"Is it an EMP?" Su Wan asked.

Lin Wei's expression changed. "Yes, it's the precursor to an electromagnetic pulse charge. If it detonates, all electronic equipment will be disabled for three minutes."

"Can the Shield block it?"

"It has to be activated beforehand," Lin Wei said, adjusting the energy. "I've already diverted energy to the Shield, standing by. But if they strike suddenly, we won't have time."

Chen Wang glanced at the rearview mirror. Outside, there was only wind, snow, and white fog. But the moment he blinked, three red lights appeared in the mirror.

They hovered over a distant ice hill, arranged in a triangle, all at the same height, moving at a steady speed.

"Three o'clock," Su Ling said, grabbing the sniper scope. "Three points, high altitude, speed sixty, no heat signature."

"Drones?" Amy Chen asked.

"Doesn't seem like it," Su Ling said, lowering the scope. "Too quiet, and their flight path is perfectly smooth. It's as if... they're being controlled by something."

"They are its eyes," Star Pupil whispered. "It's using them to watch us."

Chen Wang didn't speak, continuing to drive and weave. Every turn caused vibrations, making the vehicle sway.

He could feel Lin Wei working frantically behind him; the energy chart flickered incessantly, and the Shield status indicator shifted from gray to yellow.

"The ground is still shaking," Amy Chen said, checking the map. "There's an active ice fissure zone thirty kilometers ahead. If the EMP detonates while we're crossing it, it might collapse."

"Then we can't stop," Chen Wang said. "And we can't slow down."

Su Wan stood by the medical pod, the instrument in her hand beeping. "Star Pupil's brainwaves have deviated again—12% this time."

Everyone looked at Star Pupil. Her projection began to blur, cracks appearing at the edges. She bit her lip, her right hand gripping the data interface tightly.

"I'm trying to find its frequency," she said. "This frequency is strange... it's like a kind of code."

"Don't push yourself," Chen Wang said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she forced a smile. "My head just feels like it's about to split open."

Lin Wei suddenly raised her hand. "Wait! The EMP charging frequency has changed!"

The lines on the panel jumped wildly; the previously stable energy curve spiked suddenly.

"Is it about to strike?" Su Ling tightened her grip on her gun.

"It hasn't reached its peak yet," Lin Wei stared at the data. "But it's testing us. That last surge was just a probe."

"You mean... it knows every move we make?" Amy Chen's voice dropped.

"Yes," Lin Wei nodded. "It might be seeing all of our actions."

The silence inside the vehicle was sudden and heavy.

Chen Wang gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles cracking. He couldn't panic. Panic led to mistakes, and mistakes meant death.

"Keep zigzagging," he ordered. "Lin Wei, shut down all non-essential systems; keep only navigation and the Shield running at minimum power. Su Ling, keep your eyes on those three red dots; report any changes immediately. Amy, scan all channels for any abnormal signals. Su Wan, look after Star Pupil; if she can't hold on, administer a sedative."

Once the orders were given, everyone sprang into action.

Lin Wei worked quickly, shutting down the air conditioning, lights, and backup radar. The interior of the vehicle dimmed, leaving only the faint blue light from the engineering console and the driver's seat.

Su Ling remounted the sniper scope. The three red dots were still there; their positions hadn't changed, but they were brighter.

"They're closing in," she said.

Amy Chen put on her headset, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She scanned the frequency records from the last ten minutes. Suddenly, she found a repeating pulse signal on a silent channel.

"There's something here," she looked up. "A hidden channel. It sends a short code every fifteen seconds, and the content is encrypted."

"Where is it coming from?" Chen Wang asked.

"I don't know," Amy shook her head. "The signal is bouncing between several points; I can't trace the source."

Lin Wei glanced at the waveform graph, her expression shifting. "This frequency... it's the same as the base frequency of the EMP charge."

"It's synchronized," Chen Wang realized. "It's locking onto us with mental power on one side, while using signals to guide the weapon on the other—they're working in tandem."

"So the attack won't just be an EMP," Su Ling said. "There will be other methods, too."

No one spoke again.

The wind and snow outside intensified, and the cracks on the ice grew more numerous. The navigation system indicated that the first ice fissure zone was five kilometers ahead. Chen Wang didn't slow down; instead, he pressed harder on the accelerator.

Just then, Star Pupil groaned again.

Her projection flickered violently; she doubled over, clutching her head. Su Wan immediately steadied her as the instrument began to blare an alarm.

"Brainwaves are out of control!" Su Wan shouted. "The frequency is being forcibly spiked!"

"It's the marker!" Star Pupil's teeth chattered. "It's forcing images into my mind... so many images... a laboratory... girls... they're crying..."

Chen Wang slammed his hand against the door. "Lin Wei! Can you block her reception?"

"I'm already trying!" Lin Wei typed rapidly. "But this signal is linked to the resonance crystal; a standard firewall can't block it!"

"Then cut the data link!"

"No!" Star Pupil suddenly looked up, her gaze clearing for a moment. "I can catch it... its frequency has a loophole... give me a few more seconds..."

Her voice trembled, and a drop of blue fluid trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Su Ling lowered her gun and gripped her shoulder. "Hold on."

Amy Chen shouted, "EMP energy is at 87%! It could detonate at any second!"

Lin Wei pressed both hands onto the panel. "Shield is ready! Energy locked! Countdown is under three minutes!"

Chen Wang stared intently ahead. The ice fissure zone was right before them, with cracks wider than two meters. He couldn't stop, and he couldn't go around.

His left hand reached for the red switch beneath the steering wheel.

It was the emergency overload button for the kindling system.

Pressing it would provide an instant burst of speed, but it risked burning out the system.

Before he could decide whether to press it, the three red lights in the rearview mirror suddenly flashed in unison.

Then, Star Pupil raised her head, her voice cold: "It sees us."