25: Lin Wei's predicament

The tracks of the vehicle name rolled over a rusted manhole cover, the blue light from its undercarriage dragging a broken trail across the snow. Chen Wang did not increase speed; his fingers hovered over the power-off button for the kindling system for three seconds before he let go, choosing instead to cut off all active signal transmission modules. The vehicle radar went dark, and the navigation map froze on the blurry outline of the industrial zone's edge.

Su Ling crawled back into the passenger seat from the rear maintenance hatch, her tactical gloves stained with frozen earth and metal shavings. "Three hundred meters behind us, there's a low-altitude heat source moving twice a minute. It's not a natural wind disturbance." She handed a dismantled signal receiver to Chen Wang. "It's a micro-drone, following the Imperial standard patrol logic."

Lin Wei was using her engineering module to scan the building complex ahead, the structural diagram on her screen constantly refreshing. The load-bearing beams of the half-collapsed factory were arranged in a ring, and the gear reliefs on the outer wall were not merely decorative—there were complete drive shafts remaining inside. "This place isn't a warehouse," she said. "It's an old-era automated manufacturing center. The power system might still be running."

Chen Wang glanced at the hand-drawn topographic map. Old Zhou had circled this area in red ink, labeling it "Machine Factory, Magnetic Storm Source." He stepped on the brake, and the tracks sank into the snow to a halt. "We can't force our way in. The Marauders are eyeing this place, which means there's something inside they don't want anyone to touch."

"Then don't touch it." Su Ling tightened her cold-weather mask. "Go around."

"But it can provide cover." Lin Wei pointed to the ventilation tower in the center of the main building. "If there are tunnels underground, we can pass through from the bottom and avoid aerial detection."

Chen Wang was silent for a moment before starting the backup power to flash the vehicle lights three times—this was the confirmation signal before entering a high-risk zone. Su Ling nodded and gripped the sniper rifle fixed beside her seat. Lin Wei pulled up the emergency blueprint for the engineering module, ready to construct a temporary barrier at any moment.

The vehicle name moved forward at minimum power. When the tracks crushed the wreckage of a frozen conveyor belt, the vehicle body shook violently. The kindling system did not trigger an alarm, but the navigation coordinates suddenly shifted by seventeen meters. Chen Wang immediately cut the engine and leaned out to observe the front: regular cracks had appeared on the ground, resembling some kind of sensor array.

"The magnetic interference is too strong; the system positioning has failed," he said. "Lin Wei, you stay in the vehicle and monitor the data stream. Su Ling, come with me to scout the path."

"No need." Lin Wei had already unbuckled her seatbelt. "I can see it more clearly." She grabbed the detector, but her foot slipped as she jumped off the vehicle; she steadied herself by grabbing a slanted steel pillar.

The three of them advanced along the wall, passing through the collapsed loading platform. The door to the main control room was half-open, and a faint electrical hum still emanated from the internal console. Lin Wei was the first to step over the threshold, and the detector screen instantly displayed abnormal readings.

"There's an independent power circuit here!" She walked quickly toward the central holographic design table, where a rotating mechanical structure diagram appeared on the surface. "This isn't an ordinary production line... it's simulating some kind of complex power output!"

"Don't touch it!" Chen Wang barked, but it was already too late.

The moment Lin Wei's fingers touched the operation interface, the entire building emitted a dull sound of metal locking into place. Above the ceiling, six alloy railings descended rapidly along preset tracks. The floor plates flipped over, revealing interlocking drive shafts beneath. Lin Wei was isolated on the central platform, and a transparent protective shield rose around her, leaving only a ventilation opening at the top.

"Defense protocol activated." The kindling system popped up a notification: "Target device is a non-networked mechanical intelligent control system; remote intervention is impossible."

Chen Wang rushed to the protective shield and slapped the surface hard. The material was neither glass nor resin; the tapping sound was dull and heavy. "Lin Wei! Are you still able to move?"

"I'm fine!" Her voice came through the barrier. "I'm just trapped! This system requires physical decoding to release the lock!"

Su Ling quickly retreated to the entrance, braced her crossbow, and scanned both sides of the corridor. "There's a sound of metal friction in the distance, once every twelve seconds, and it's getting closer."

Chen Wang looked up and discovered six sets of rotatable gears embedded at the top of the protective shield, each engraved with different symbols: cam profiles, crankshaft cross-sections, piston stroke markings... A damaged mechanical topology map hung on the wall, with the breaks in the lines corresponding exactly to the gear sequence.

"It's valve timing logic," he whispered. "Like the timing calibration of an old-fashioned diesel engine."

"Right!" Lin Wei shouted from behind the barrier. "The first set is the intake cam; the angular deviation cannot exceed seven degrees! But I can't see the state of the locking pin on the back!"

Chen Wang moved closer to observe and found that one set of gears was jammed, with the metal locking pin rusted and blocked. He turned back: "Su Ling, use your crossbow to break the locking pin on the right side of the third set."

Su Ling nocked an arrow, aimed, and fired. The arrow hit with precision, and the jammed gear instantly loosened, while the other five sets began to rotate slowly on their own.

"Now they'll reset automatically!" Lin Wei shouted. "We must complete the angle matching within thirty seconds! Otherwise, the secondary trap will trigger!"

Chen Wang stared at the topology map, quickly reconstructing the original settings in his mind. Intake advance angle, exhaust retard angle, ignition sequence—these parameters were already deeply ingrained in him from the repair shop. He reached out and nudged the first set of gears, adjusting them to the standard position.

"The second set is a dual eccentric shaft!" Lin Wei reminded him. "Turn it counterclockwise nineteen degrees!"

He did as she said. The third set was a timing pulley, which needed to form a 3:1 gear ratio with the main shaft. The fourth set was a variable pump adjustment ring, the angle of which determined the hydraulic output pressure.

The sound of metal friction grew closer; the automatic patrol units from deep within the building were now within two hundred meters.

The fifth set of gears had just been adjusted into place, but the sixth set showed no response. Chen Wang checked and found that the drive connecting rod was broken; he had to apply torque manually.

"No tools!" Su Ling whispered.

Chen Wang pulled out the multi-tool wrench from his waist, inserted it into the side hole of the gear, braced his feet against the wall, and exerted force. The metal emitted a harsh grinding sound as the gear slowly turned.

"Two more degrees!" Lin Wei's voice was trembling.

He gritted his teeth and continued to apply pressure. The handle of the wrench began to bend.

"Click!"

The instant the gears were in place, the protective shield lock popped open, and the alloy railings rose back into their slots. The platform returned to stability.

Lin Wei stumbled out. The cuff of her left sleeve had been torn by the falling metal frame, and blood dripped onto the floor along her work clothes. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

Chen Wang immediately tore open a first-aid kit and wrapped the wound with a hemostatic bandage. "Is it deep?"

"Just a surface wound," she said, panting. "But that machine... it wasn't meant for production."

Su Ling was still guarding the door, her crossbow still nocked. "Did you get the stuff?"

Lin Wei shook her head. "I only managed to take a screenshot of a section of core parameters. But the power structure it was simulating... I've seen a similar design before the apocalypse. It belonged to a classified project."

Chen Wang put away the wrench and looked toward the depths of the main control room. The holographic table was still running, and the projection had not disappeared.

"Let's retreat first," he said. "It's not safe here."

The three of them retreated to the vehicle name. Chen Wang started the engine, preparing to reverse and evacuate. Lin Wei leaned back in the rear seat, gripping the detector tightly in her left hand.

Su Ling climbed up to the observation position on the roof, her gaze piercing through the snow curtain. "The drone signal has disappeared."

"That doesn't mean no one is coming." Chen Wang shifted gears and moved forward, the tracks crushing the broken sensor plates.

Lin Wei suddenly spoke up. "That puzzle... why were you able to understand it so quickly?"

"Parts don't lie." Chen Wang looked straight ahead. "You design machines, I fix them. It's the same language."

She looked down at her blood-stained sleeve, her voice very soft. "But I almost got everyone killed."

"You found the clues." Su Ling jumped down from the roof. "That's what matters."

The vehicle name drove out of the factory's iron gate, and Chen Wang stepped on the brake. He got out and walked to the front of the vehicle, picking up a fallen piece of metal—it had half a gear mark on it, and its edge was stained with dark red blood.

He gripped the fragment tightly and turned to look at the silent factory building. At the top of the ventilation tower, a faint green indicator light was still blinking.