92: Chapter 93 Moving the City

The Old Military Court's Third Survey signal code had only been lit for nine breaths; at the tenth breath, that cluster of dark crimson fire suddenly curled inward, as if it were about to sink back into the core of the No. 7 Main Stele and dissipate completely.

"Steady it!" Instructor Han Tiecheng's roar exploded from the Vanguard Command, his tone filled with a gravity that brooked no failure—this was the only clue to the Third Survey route team from back then, and it absolutely could not be allowed to vanish like this.

Lu Jin did not rashly reach out to grab it; he only lifted his eyes to gaze at the floating point of fire.

This cluster of fire was too ancient; it neither recognized the current Military Court fire-tally nor heeded the Pei family's investigative seal-book. It only danced lightly between the West Anchor and the Main Stele, as if searching for a fitting old military fire point, a "Fire Hall" that could carry it.

Ning Yanqiu immediately raised the cold mirror fragment disk, locking the signal code firmly with cold white light, but it could only reflect a rhythm of three shorts and one long, unable to decipher its meaning at all.

An urgent voice quickly came from Instructor Han Tiecheng's side: "The fire isn't stable enough! The old Third Survey signal code isn't an ordinary transmission tally; it must land on a Frontline Fire Hall before it will spit out the complete message!"

Pei Chengxu's gaze darkened, and he spoke immediately: "If it cannot be read, then execute the investigative article: seal the signal code first, then conduct the verification."

"You sure know how to pick up ready-made results!" Qiao Ye immediately raised his shield, his tone sharp. "If the signal code disperses, will you take responsibility?"

Pei Chengxu ignored Qiao Ye and looked only at Lu Jin, his tone carrying pressure: "Lu Jin, once the signal code dissipates, no one will ever be able to investigate what happened back then again. Sealing it in the Pei family's Sun Gold box can at least ensure it isn't lost."

Lu Jin glanced at the box carried behind Pei Chengxu—the Sun Gold sealing material on the edge of the box was exactly the same as the gold shavings in the blade marks on the stone slab, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "I don't trust your box."

The atmosphere at the front field instantly tightened, and Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice came again, carrying a sense of decision: "Lu Jin, do you have a way?"

Lu Jin closed his eyes for a moment, and the scene within his Divine Domain appeared clearly: the main fire pillar of the Grey Stele Post was still bright, with seventeen old steles pressing down on the fire line; the Outer Fire Well rose and fell like a giant lung, transporting fire energy to the Blood Road; in the Second Branch Nest, Wu Fu guarded the wartime egg disk, and the Red-Eyed Rat swarm was already exhausted; Grey Pupil of the Priest Court was gripping his staff, staring at the signal code.

"What it wants is not an ordinary fire platform, but a Frontline Fire Hall that can record battle damage, receive signal codes, and suppress fire sequences." Grey Pupil's voice came through the Divine Domain, carrying a hint of irrepressible excitement: "You need to relocate the city and move the frontline stronghold to in front of the Main Stele."

Lu Jin opened his eyes, black fire in his palm condensing into a thin thread, and he looked at Instructor Han Tiecheng: "I want to connect the Grey Stele Post, the Outer Fire Well, and the Frontline Nest Hall into a city-relocation line, set up a temporary Fire Hall before the West Anchor, and receive the signal code. The stone slab will remain in its original place, all battle records will be viewed jointly by the three parties, and it can be completed in half a quarter of an hour."

"Can you hold it?" Instructor Han Tiecheng pressed.

"Even if I can't, I must." Lu Jin's tone held no hesitation. "This may be the only clue to finding Observer Lu Chenyuan."

Instructor Han Tiecheng said no more and immediately gave the order: "The Military Court will open a city-relocation battle line for you. Whoever dares to cut your line will be dealt with as if they were destroying a frontline node during wartime!"

Pei Chengxu immediately obstructed: "Instructor Han, the West Front Field of the Main Stele is still under an investigative seal; the city-relocation line must be registered before crossing the boundary!"

"Register it now!" Instructor Han Tiecheng's tone was forceful. "Recorder, write it clearly—in front of the West Anchor of the No. 7 Main Stele, Lu Jin's Vanguard Team is to temporarily construct a city-relocation Fire Hall to receive the Old Military Court's Third Survey signal code; the investigative party may only observe and must not interfere!"

Pei Chengxu's face was ugly, but he could only endure it: "The Pei family reserves the right to verify the sealed site."

"You just handle the verification; don't reach out and touch things indiscriminately," Instructor Han Tiecheng said coldly.

Lu Jin did not delay any longer and immediately issued instructions, his voice crisp and decisive: "Wu Fu, activate the Work Rat line; Grey Pupil, borrow the fire patterns of two old steles; Wen Zhao, spike three city-relocation marking lines, running from the West Anchor to the end of the Blood Road; Qiao Ye, take the Bone-Armor Furnace Guard to hold the middle section—anyone who dares to touch the Work Rats, ram them out directly; Ning Yanqiu, seal off the anti-wind above, Night-Wing Scout Hunter, scout the path for the Work Rats!"

As the orders landed, the Vanguard Team moved instantly. Wen Zhao slammed the fire-line box onto the ground, and six Line-Marking Nails popped out in response, precisely nailing three marking lines—one against the fire-mud edge of the Blood Road, one piercing the middle defense line, and one skirting the boundary of the Pei family's sealed site, forming the skeleton of the city-relocation line.

Wu Fu gritted her teeth and pushed open the innermost grey disk of the branch nest; at her command, a large swarm of grey-backed Work Rats swarmed out. They were small in size, with little black-grey boards buckled onto their backs, their mouths carrying fire troughs, bone nails, and grey mortar, rapidly laying the foundation along the marking lines: the front row buckled the fire troughs, the middle row replenished the grey mortar, and the back row dragged the bone rails, their movements uniform and orderly, without a hint of chaos.

These Work Rats were not combat troops, but they were the key to building the Fire Hall. Watching them drag over the storage rails she had treasured, Wu Fu frowned in heartache, but she still hardened her heart and ordered: "Speed up! If you break the storage rails, I'll record the debt and make you pay it back!"

High above, Ning Yanqiu's Cold Mirror Sovereign Crow flapped its wings and circled, its cold white light pressing down on the Main Stele's anti-wind to forcibly cut open a safe passage; the Night-Wing Scout Hunter skimmed along the city-relocation line, timely reporting the position of the Main Stele's fire veins to prevent the Work Rats from mistakenly entering dangerous areas. Qiao Ye, meanwhile, led the Bone-Armor Furnace Guard to hold the middle section; with a block of his shield, he forced back the probing of the Pei family's seal-field handlers.

"The second fire trough on the left is about to crack!" Ning Yanqiu suddenly spoke. The Night Wing immediately dove, its wingtip brushing the edge of the fire trough, and Wen Zhao followed closely behind, a Line-Marking Nail landing precisely to stabilize the fire trough. On Grey Pupil's side, the battle patterns of the two old steles were slowly drawn out, extending along the city-relocation line like long black-red ropes, injecting the power of old fire into the Fire Hall; the well fire of the Outer Fire Well was compressed into three strands, supplying the fire troughs, bone rails, and wind-protection barrier respectively, all in an orderly manner.

A moment later, the phantom of the Frontline Nest Hall emerged from the edge of the Divine Domain—it was half nest-disk, half grey-stone fire platform, with dense nest-tendrils tangled underneath, being pulled by the bone rails dragged by the Work Rats, moving inch by inch toward the front of the Main Stele along the city-relocation line. On the ground, black-grey stone foundations rose from the fire line, the patterns of the nest-disk spreading like living things, and a temporary stronghold was slowly taking shape in front of the Main Stele.

The Main Stele seemed to be enraged; black-red fire vines suddenly shot out from the depths of the West Anchor, curling toward the Work Rat line. One Work Rat couldn't dodge in time, and its paw was burned to a charred black. "It's burning my Work Rats again!" Wu Fu shouted angrily, and Lu Jin immediately ordered: "Grey Pupil, suppress the fire vines!"

Grey Pupil slammed his staff onto the ground, and the grey fire of the Priest Court condensed into old ritual patterns, forcibly suppressing the momentum of the fire vines' spread. The Work Rat swarm seized the opportunity to speed up, pressing the fire troughs deeper into the ground, while the nest-tendrils tangled onto the bone rails, connecting the scattered components into a whole.

Just as the city-relocation line was about to close and the prototype of the Fire Hall was beginning to appear, Pei Chengxu suddenly raised his hand: "Outer sealing field, verify the city-relocation line!" Four seal-field handlers simultaneously pressed down on their short rulers, and the dark gold border instantly narrowed, compressing the passage of the city-relocation line until only a single file of Work Rats could pass—he was waiting for Lu Jin to make a mistake; as long as one Work Rat crossed the boundary, he would have a reason to escalate the sealing field.

"They are forcing us to make a mistake!" Wen Zhao's expression darkened.

"What are you panicking about?" Ning Yanqiu raised her Cold Mirror, the cold white light sticking to the inside of the dark gold marker. "I'll illuminate the border line, the Night Wing will report the deviation, and the Work Rats will follow the black-and-white edge!"

The Night Wing immediately skimmed along the dark gold marker, its black shadow falling before the Work Rats, guiding them to adjust their direction; Ning Yanqiu's mirror line pressed tightly against the gold marker, not letting the Work Rats cross the boundary by even a fraction. Seeing this, Wu Fu immediately pressed the third batch of Work Rats forward: "Follow the black-and-white edge; anyone who crosses the boundary gets no food!"

Seeing this, Pei Chengxu moved his fingertips slightly, and the dark gold marker narrowed again, almost completely sealing off the city-relocation line. Lu Jin's eyes turned cold, and he said in a deep voice: "Earth-Rumble Battering Ram, prepare to deploy!"

Six larger grey-backed Work Rats crawled out from the phantom of the Nest Hall; on their backs were buckled semi-formed bone wheel frames, and they were biting onto heavy grey hollow bone axles. Under the reinforcement of the Outer Fire Well and the Priest Court's grey fire, they began to spin the bone axles frantically. "Thump—thump—thump—" A dull thumping sound rang out, the ground trembled slightly, and the grey soil at the edge of the dark gold marker was shaken loose, even cracking open a thin slit.

This wasn't a finished battering ram, but it could shake the earth and open a path! Lu Jin pressed his black fire down along the crack: "Work Rats, drop the roots!"

The Work Rat swarm swarmed up, buckled the fire troughs into the crack, compacted the bone rails, and sealed the edges with grey mortar, instantly fixing the loosened ground. Immediately after, the Frontline Nest Hall landed with a boom, the black-grey stone foundation closed completely, and a rough, half-person-high fire platform rose from the nest patterns—it fused the old stele patterns, well-fire troughs, and nest-tendrils; though crude, it exuded immense fire energy, and it was indeed a Frontline Fire Hall capable of receiving the signal code.

Lu Jin immediately pressed the Vanguard Command into the center of the fire platform, and all the power within his Divine Domain gathered along the city-relocation line. The Third Survey signal code hanging in mid-air finally had a response; the dark crimson fire point trembled gently, slowly descended, and landed precisely in the center of the fire platform.

The fire platform lit up instantly, the signal code rhythm of three shorts and one long was pressed into the fire patterns, and a string of intermittent Old Military Court characters slowly emerged: [Third Survey Team No. ... West Lower Layer ... Fire Hall ... Relocate into ... Lower Layer Old Nest ...]

Instructor Han Tiecheng's side fell into a dead silence, and the Black-Armored Recorder's pen froze in mid-air; Pei Chengxu took a step forward, but was blocked firmly by Qiao Ye's shield: "Joint viewing is fine, but don't cross the line."

Just at this moment, a huge hollow echo suddenly came from deep underground—"Thump—"

This sound was not the tremor of the Earth-Rumble Battering Ram; it was deeper, emptier, as if beneath the West Anchor of the Main Stele, there was still an entire layer of old nests buried for a thousand years, which, upon sensing the Fire Hall land, had sent out a response from across the thick grey soil.