187: The Night Before Thunder

The stark white lights illuminated the Hanhai Trade underground base's assembly workshop with a morgue-like chill. The low, monotonous sound of the conveyor belt's treads was like the dying gasp of a colossal beast.

"Is this the first batch?" Chen Feng's voice echoed in the vast workshop, devoid of any warmth.

Lao Mo's large hands, stained with oil and scars, trembled slightly as he lifted a pitch-black energy block from the assembly line. It wasn't an ordinary industrial black, but a dead silence that seemed capable of absorbing light, with only the occasional flash of a heart-stopping, ghostly blue at its edges.

"Yes, boss," Lao Mo's voice was hoarse, as if filled with gravel. "Twelve thousand blocks in total. The 'bio-etching' inside each one... it's been done according to Miss Eve's specifications. It's alive, boss. I can feel them inside... breathing."

Chen Feng took the heavy "trojan," his fingertips tracing its cold surface.

"They're not breathing, Lao Mo." Chen Feng raised the energy block towards the stark white light overhead, his gaze colder than the black crystal in his hand. "They're hungry. They're waiting to feed."

Eve, standing to the side, shrank back, clutching the data pad tightly to her chest. The oversized work uniform she wore made her seem even smaller and thinner.

"The parameters... the parameters have all been calibrated," Eve whispered, head bowed, staring at her own toes. "As soon as that specific high-dimensional frequency sounds... fifty minutes. No, ten minutes. They'll... they'll..."

"They'll become fireworks," Chen Feng interrupted her, casually tossing the energy block back into the blast-proof case in Lao Mo's arms with a dull thud. "This is the funeral bouquet we're sending to Hoffman. Don't mess it up."

"Yes... yes, sir!" Lao Mo frantically hugged the case as if it were a bomb about to explode.

"To the studio," Chen Feng turned, the hem of his clothes stirring a cold breeze. "Hoffman's stage is set. It's time we recorded our 'congratulatory remarks.'"

...In the studio, only a single spotlight shone, lonely.

Chen Feng sat in a dark high-backed chair, facing Su Li. She wasn't holding a camera, but was staring at the holographic screen displaying the freshly edited "classified moment" belonging to Hoffman.

On the screen, the well-dressed, portly man was roaring, issuing orders to implant the virus with an ugly, frantic demeanor.

"Ready?" Su Li's voice was somewhat dry; the knuckles of her fingers on the control console were white. "Once this video goes out, there's absolutely no turning back. In the Omni-Dimensional Trade Alliance's rules, corporate espionage is a gray area, but tearing the mask off publicly... that's a fight to the death."

"When have we ever had a way back?" Chen Feng adjusted his collar, an action as elegant as arranging his own burial shroud. "Su Li, are you still afraid?"

"I'm not afraid," Su Li jerked her head up, the cold light reflecting off her glasses lenses hiding the bloodshot veins in her eyes. "I'm just thinking... if we lose, should I kill you first, or commit suicide first."

"Good question," Chen Feng's lips curled into a mocking arc. "If we lose, Hoffman will save us the trouble. Begin."

Su Li took a deep breath and pressed the record button.

"Three, two, one."

The red light illuminated.

Facing the dark lens, Chen Feng's originally cold expression instantly switched to one of pity—a lofty, condescending pity, as if looking at ants.

"Good evening, Ashen Earth Star. Or perhaps... farewell, Giant Star Mining."

His voice was eerily calm.

"I am Chen Feng. Many say I'm a madman, a liar, a dead man walking. Today, I don't wish to defend myself. I only want to invite everyone to watch a play. A play about greed, stupidity, and... destruction."

"Cut." The expression vanished from Chen Feng's face in an instant, reverting to his corpse-like coldness. "Eve, insert the chain of evidence. I want this to be the QR code on Hoffman's epitaph."

"U-understood." In the corner, Eve frantically tapped on the keyboard. The light from the screen reflected on her pale face, making her look like a ghost... In the rest area, the air was so thick it was almost unbreathable.

A massive holographic screen hung on the wall, broadcasting the star sector's public channel. On screen, the Giant Star Mining headquarters were brilliantly lit, a red carpet rolled out. Hoffman, beaming with pride, was surrounded by over a dozen media outlets. His smug, self-satisfied face reeked of a nauseating stench of greed even through the screen.

"The bastard looks so happy," Reno sat in the shadows of the corner, his heavy blaster rifle disassembled into a pile of parts. He was reassembling it piece by piece. The *click, clack* of metal was the only rhythm in the room.

"Let him smile," Chen Feng leaned back on the sofa, holding a cup of long-cold synthetic water, his gaze fixed intently on the screen. "The brighter the smile, the more spectacular the tears will be."

Su Li sat opposite Chen Feng, clutching the chip that recorded her family's blood feud so tightly her nails almost dug into her flesh.

"This current silence makes me sick," Su Li suddenly spoke, her voice trembling slightly. "It's like... like that night, hiding in the closet, listening to the gunfire outside stop, waiting for that so-called 'verdict.'"

"This isn't a verdict, Su Li," Chen Feng turned his head to look at her. "This is the prayer before the execution."

"Are you really sure about this?" Su Li suddenly looked at Chen Feng, her eyes filled with a madness on the verge of collapse. "What if the trojan horse fails? What if Hoffman has a backup plan? What if..."

"No what-ifs," Reno suddenly interjected, sharply pulling back the rifle bolt with a crisp *click*. "If it fails, I'll take the brothers and charge into the venue, shoving explosives down that fat man's throat."

"Crude," Chen Feng commented mildly, but a flicker of barely perceptible approval flashed in his eyes.

"Boss." Old Knife's voice suddenly came through the communicator, carrying a hint of barely suppressed tension. "Iron Hook's ships are all in position. My brothers have all written their wills. When do we move? If we don't move soon, someone's going to wet their pants."

Chen Feng glanced at the screen.

On screen, Hoffman had already ascended the opulent, gilded main stage. The spotlight shone on his bald head, glaringly bright.

"Everyone! Welcome to the future!" Hoffman roared, arms spread wide, addressing the entire star sector. "Today, Giant Star Mining will redefine what 'standard' means! As for those fireflies who dare challenge the sun..."

He paused, revealing a cruel smile.

"...we will crush them underfoot, grind them to dust."

In the command center, a deathly silence fell.

All eyes were fixed on Chen Feng's hand resting on the control console. That hand was slender, pale, yet held the power of life and death.

"Do you hear that?" Chen Feng said softly. "He's inviting us."

Su Li held her breath. Eve stopped typing. Reno tightened his grip on the gun.

Chen Feng's finger hovered over the red "Live Broadcast" button, like hovering over the detonator of a world.

"Then, let's oblige him."

His finger descended.

*Click.*

That soft sound, in the silent room, was like a thunderclap.