112: Chapter 112 The Night Infiltrator: The Silent Attack of the Men in Black

Abnormal Qi Energy at the Midnight Camp

The temporary camp at the entrance of the underground palace fell into silence at midnight, with only the 'buzzing' sound of wind passing through the Qi Energy warning grid.

Chen Wu leaned against the bluestone outside the tent, the 'Elementary Perception Talisman' on his brow glowing with a faint golden light, making the trajectories of Qi Energy within 800 meters clearly visible in his field of vision—Su Chen's Mystic Water Energy flowing slowly within the warning grid, Zhao Lie's Baji Energy rising and falling rhythmically inside the tent, and even the Qi Energy of insects moving 5 meters underground appeared as tiny dancing points of light.

The global live stream camera focused on him, and the barrage of 46 billion viewers slowly changed from 'staying up late to wait for exploration' to 'Chen Wu, get some rest,' though only the ID of that migrant worker brother continued to send messages like 'there is abnormal wind sensation on the west side of the camp,' only to be drowned out by the massive amount of interaction.

"The perception talisman hasn't detected anything, and the Qi Energy warning grid is stable," Lin Mo's tactical tablet hovered nearby, the 'Qi Energy fluctuation chart' on the virtual screen showing a steady green curve. "The Technical Department says the Hydra leader 'Hydra' has already been detained, and the remaining forces are leaderless, so there shouldn't be any raids." The young man yawned, his fingertips sliding lightly on the keyboard to switch the camp's surveillance screen to the entrance of the underground palace—the 'Nine Palace Chain Array' trap there had been marked, and the Mystic Water Energy freezing layer glowed with a faint blue light in the moonlight, looking foolproof.

Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pouch tapped out a muffled sound against the bluestone. The old man flipped out the 'Night Defense Minutes' left by his grandfather, with a note from 1957 tucked into the yellowed pages—the 'Night Raid Warning' written by Chen Wus Great-grandfather while guarding the mausoleum: "The most dangerous raid is the 'silent' Qi Energy shielding; it's not that there is no Qi Energy, but that the Qi Energy has been dissipated by special means." The pipe bowl pointed to the key point on the note, "Your Great-grandfather was attacked back then, and the enemies wrapped themselves in 'Energy-Dissipating Cloth,' so even the hounds didn't notice. We have to guard against this hand today!" A bronze plate engraved with the words 'Listening Wind' suddenly flew out of the camphor wood box, and faint golden Qi Energy spread along the copper plate, forming a miniature 'soundprint detector' by Chen Wu's ear, capable of capturing subtle sounds within 100 meters.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the eight-colored petals of the inheritance grass suddenly trembled slightly. Dewdrops rolled on the leaf surface, reflecting a patch of dwarf shrubs on the west side of the camp—the airflow there was abnormal; although it was an east wind, the shrubs were leaning towards the west, as if something was blocking the airflow. The little girl rubbed her eyes and dripped 'talisman power dew' onto the petals. The colorful light resonated with the perception talisman, and in Chen Wu's field of vision, a very faint 'Qi Energy blank zone' suddenly appeared 50 meters to the west—it wasn't that there was no Qi Energy, but that the Qi Energy had been completely devoured by some kind of power, forming an 'invisible barrier'.

"Something's wrong!" Chen Wu suddenly stood up, the brightness of the perception talisman on his brow instantly increasing, and faint golden Qi Energy spread towards the west. "There is a 'Qi Energy blank zone' there, and it wasn't formed naturally!" His voice had barely faded when the 'soundprint detector' on the bronze plate suddenly emitted a sharp buzzing sound—from the shadow of a tent 10 meters away came a sound as subtle as a needle hitting the ground, which would have been impossible to detect if not for the copper plate's amplification.

The global live stream barrage exploded instantly, and the message from that migrant worker brother was pushed to the top: "I told you there was an abnormal wind sensation on the west side! Take a look quickly!" In Chen Wu's field of vision, the 'Qi Energy blank zone' suddenly split into three, moving towards three directions of the camp: one rushed towards Zhang Hao's armored vehicle, one approached Li Xuantong's tent, and the last one headed straight for the 'Nine Palace Chain Array' trap at the entrance of the underground palace!

Silent Killers Under the Energy-Dissipating Cloth

The three 'Qi Energy blank zones' moved rapidly through the camp, three times faster than ordinary Martial Artists, and completely avoided the detection of the Qi Energy warning grid—when approaching Zhang Hao's armored vehicle, the blank zone suddenly materialized, revealing a figure in a black tight-fitting suit, wrapped in a layer of fabric with dark patterns, which was exactly the 'Energy-Dissipating Cloth' Grandpa Wang had mentioned! The man held a half-foot-long 'Silent Qi Energy Blade' in his hand; the blade had no Qi Energy fluctuations, but it could easily cut through the Mystic Water Energy defensive plate of the armored vehicle, leaving a subtle scratch.

"Zhang Hao! Watch out!" Chen Wu's Xingji Fist suddenly erupted, light brown Xingyi Sect energy and light black Baji Energy intertwined on his fist, blasting towards the man in black. The person reacted extremely quickly, sliding close to the ground, and the Energy-Dissipating Cloth was activated again, re-forming the Qi Energy blank zone to dodge the fist energy—slow-motion footage showed that the dark patterns of the Energy-Dissipating Cloth could absorb 90% of the surrounding Qi Energy, and even the perception talisman's detection could only capture a 0.1-second trace. If not for the amplification of the inheritance grass's 'talisman power dew,' it would have been impossible to lock onto the position.

Zhang Hao was awakened, the Mystic Water Energy on his iron arm instantly activated, and he swept towards the man in black. The man parried with the Silent Qi Energy Blade; the moment the blade collided with the iron arm, it made no sound, but instead absorbed part of Zhang Hao's Mystic Water Energy— "This blade can absorb energy!" Zhang Hao's voice carried surprise, and he immediately adjusted his Qi Energy output, coating his iron arm with 'Energy-Breaking Dew,' "Chen Wu, his blade is afraid of Energy-Breaking Dew!"

Meanwhile, the other two men in black also launched a raid. The man in black rushing towards Li Xuantong's tent attempted to use a 'Qi Energy hook' to snatch the Five Elements Energy-modified sword inside the tent; the man in black rushing towards the entrance of the underground palace took out a 'Qi Energy decoder,' preparing to crack the 'Nine Palace Chain Array' trap—Su Chen's Mystic Water Energy suddenly erupted from the warning grid, the light blue Qi Energy surging towards the two like a tide, but the moment it touched the Energy-Dissipating Cloth, it was absorbed without a trace.

"It's the 'Qijue Sect's Energy-Dissipation Secret Technique'!" Li Xuantong's voice came from the tent. The old man's Five Elements Energy suddenly turned into five chains, entangling towards the men in black. "This kind of Energy-Dissipating Cloth is woven from 'Qijue Poison Silk,' which can absorb all Qi Energy except for Five Elements Energy. Quickly use Five Elements Energy to trap them!" Chen Wu immediately adjusted the ratio of his Xingji Fist's Qi Energy, raising the Five Elements Energy to 70%, and a rotating Five Elements wheel formed in his palm, blasting towards the nearest man in black—this time, the Energy-Dissipating Cloth could not completely absorb the Qi Energy, and the Five Elements wheel exploded in front of the man in black, leaving a subtle crack on the Energy-Dissipating Cloth.

In the global live stream barrage, a sea of "Five Elements Energy is awesome" suddenly flooded the screen. The Technical Department's real-time analysis popped up on the screen: "The absorption rate of the Energy-Dissipating Cloth for Five Elements Energy is only 30%, and for Yijin Energy it is 50%. It is recommended to use 'Five Elements + Yijin' mixed energy to attack!" Lin Mo immediately synchronized the analysis to everyone, and Zhao Lie's Baji Energy instantly merged into the Five Elements Energy, light black and light brown Qi Energy intertwined, blasting towards the man in black rushing to the entrance of the underground palace. The Qi Energy decoder in that person's hand was instantly blasted away, landing at Chen Wu's feet.

Key Clues to Counter the Raid

Chen Wu bent down and picked up the Qi Energy decoder, injecting light golden Yijin Energy into it—a string of complex Qi Energy passwords suddenly popped up on the screen: "Earth 3, Wood 5, Water 7, Fire 2, Metal 1," which was exactly the same as the node password format of the underground palace's "Earth Form Array." "This is the Qi Energy password for the underground palace!" Chen Wu's voice carried excitement, and he synchronized the password to Lin Mo's tablet, "Technical Department, decode it quickly, this might be the key to cracking the Earth Form Array!"

At this time, the three men in black had been forced into the center of the camp. Their Energy-Dissipating Cloths had more and more cracks under the attack of the Five Elements Energy, and the energy-absorbing effect of the Silent Qi Energy Blades had also weakened due to the 'Energy-Breaking Dew.' Zhang Hao's iron arm suddenly swept across, tearing a large hole in the Energy-Dissipating Cloth of one of the men in black, revealing the black uniform inside—besides the Hydra totem, there was a 'Snake-Headed Hydra' logo that had never been seen before, completely different from the previous Hydra members.

"You are not ordinary Hydra!" Zhao Lie's Baji Energy pressed against the chest of the man in black, the light black rigid energy making the opponent unable to move, "Speak! What kind of organization is 'Snake-Headed Hydra'? Why do you have the Qi Energy password for the underground palace?" The man in black suddenly revealed a strange smile, black blood spilling from the corners of his mouth—it was the Qijue Sect's "Quick-Death Poison." Before everyone could stop him, he had already lost his breath.

Seeing their companion commit suicide, the other two black-clad men suddenly rushed toward the entrance of the underground palace, attempting to trigger the traps there and perish together with the group.

Chen Wu's Perception Talisman suddenly issued an urgent warning. In his field of vision, black Qi Energy suddenly surged around the waists of the two men—it was "Spirit-Devouring Self-Destruct Bombs"!

"Su Chen! Freeze their Qi Energy!" Chen Wu's Xingji Fist suddenly erupted. Pale golden Yijin Energy intertwined with pale brown Five Elements Energy, forming a rotating circle of Qi Energy in front of the two men. At the same time, Su Chen's Mystic Water Energy descended like a waterfall, freezing the two of them within a pale blue ice shield.

"The detonator of the self-destruct bomb has been frozen by the Mystic Water Energy!" Lin Mo's cheers were filled with excitement. The Qi Energy analysis on the tablet showed that the Spirit-Devouring Energy inside the ice shield had lost its activity. "The Technical Department says as long as we maintain the low temperature, we can safely dismantle it!"

Zhang Hao immediately stepped forward, carefully using his iron arm to remove the self-destruct bomb from the black-clad men's waists and handed it to the bomb disposal expert from the Special Incident Response Department—the slow-motion footage of the global live stream showed the words "For Underground Palace Core Area" engraved on the bomb casing, proving that these black-clad men not only wanted to destroy the camp but also planned to detonate the bombs in the core area of the underground palace.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the eight-colored petals of the inheritance grass suddenly unfolded toward the dead black-clad men.

Dewdrops rolled on the leaves, reflecting a micro-tattoo on the other's wrist—it was a simplified diagram of the "Earth Form Array," completely identical to the diagram in Chen Wus Great-grandfather's "Mausoleum Guarding Records."

"Elder Zhou says this is the 'Array Eye Marker of the Qijue Sect'!" The little girl's fingertips lightly tapped the tattoo. "Those who have this mark are core members of the Qijue Sect responsible for the 'Earth Form Array,' which means they are still hiding more secrets of the underground palace!"

Grandpa Wang's long-stemmed pipe knocked out a muffled sound beside the black-clad men's corpses. The old man flipped to the "Enemy Corpse Investigation" chapter of the "Night Defense Records." The yellowed pages recorded the "hiding habits of Qijue Sect members": "They will hide important information in their teeth or fingernails, which can only be revealed using a special medicinal liquid."

The pipe bowl touched the black-clad man's teeth, and Chen Wu immediately sprinkled "talisman power dew" on them—amidst the pale golden light, a micro-engraving suddenly appeared on the inside of the teeth, which was a string of "Qi Energy coordinates": "Underground Palace Earth Form Array, Node No. 3, holds the 'Spirit-Devouring Core'."

In the global live stream's bullet comments, strings of "Clue get" suddenly flooded the screen.

That migrant worker brother sent a message: "I have seen people with this 'Snake-Headed Hydra' logo near the abandoned mine, they seem to be looking for something!"

Nurse Emily in London contacted local ancient martial arts experts and confirmed that the "Snake-Headed Hydra" is a "hybrid organization" of the Qijue Sect and the Hydra, specializing in plundering ancient martial arts relics; even the United Nations' "Anti-Hydra Alliance" sent a notice saying they had discovered the organization's strongholds in 10 countries around the world and had launched a siege—a bullet comment from Egypt received 300 million likes: "Our pyramid ruins also discovered this Qi-Absorbing Cloth, so they are operating globally!"

Security Upgrade After the Late-Night Raid

When the sky turned slightly bright, the camp cleanup work was basically completed.

The bodies of the three black-clad men were taken away by the Special Incident Response Department to extract more intelligence; the Qi Energy decoder and self-destruct bombs were sent to the Technical Department for in-depth analysis; the camp's Qi Energy early warning network was reinforced. Su Chen added a "Mystic Water Sensing Layer" around it; as long as any Qi-Absorbing Cloth approached, it would trigger a blue light explosion; Zhang Hao set up "Energy-Breaking Dew Mines" around the armored vehicle, specifically targeting energy-absorbing weapons.

"The Technical Department has deciphered the use of the 'Qi Energy password'!" Lin Mo's voice was filled with excitement. The tablet displayed a 3D model of the Earth Form Array of the underground palace. " 'Earth 3, Wood 5, Water 7, Fire 2, Metal 1' corresponds to the five energy nodes of the Earth Form Array. Entering the password can temporarily close the node's defenses and enter the core area directly!"

He suddenly zoomed in on Node No. 3 of the model. "And according to the coordinates in the teeth, the 'Spirit-Devouring Core' is hidden here. It is a device used by the Hydra to pollute the Qi Energy of the underground palace. We must destroy it first, otherwise, it will be dangerous to enter the Yijin Pavilion!"

Li Xuantong led the Xingyi Sect Disciples to re-test the camp's defenses using Five Elements Energy: "Although the Qi-Absorbing Cloth is troublesome, it also allowed us to find a cracking method." The old man's Five Elements Energy flowed over the wreckage of the Qi-Absorbing Cloth. "In the future, as long as we add Five Elements Energy to the early warning network, we can detect this kind of silent surprise attack in advance."

Zhao Lie was practicing "Baji Listening Energy," capturing the movement trajectory of the Qi-Absorbing Cloth by sensing the vibrations of the ground: "Even if the Qi Energy is shielded, footsteps cannot deceive people. In the future, night defense must be 'listening to sound + distinguishing Qi' simultaneously!"

In the Flower Girl's basket, the eight-colored fruits of the inheritance grass suddenly split open, and countless tiny seeds carrying the Qi Energy of "talisman power dew" flew to all parts of the camp.

The seeds that fell on the Perception Talisman expanded Chen Wu's perception range to 1000 meters and could directly penetrate the "Qi Energy Blank Zone" to capture the weak material Qi Energy of the Qi-Absorbing Cloth.

"Elder Zhou says this is the 'Stealth-Breaking Seed'." The little girl's fingertips lightly tapped Chen Wu's forehead. "In the future, when we encounter the Qi-Absorbing Cloth again, the Perception Talisman will automatically issue a red warning and will not be caught off guard by a sneak attack again!"

The Section Chief of the Special Incident Response Department walked over holding a holographic report. The tablet displayed the latest intelligence on the "Snake-Headed Hydra" organization: The organization was formed by the remnants of the Qijue Sect and the remnants of the Hydra. The leader is the "Snake Queen," a subordinate of the "Nine-Headed" leader, who specializes in mixed attacks of "Poison Energy + Qi Energy Modification" and is currently hiding in the "Old Qijue Nest" 20 kilometers away from the underground palace—an abandoned ancient martial arts underground palace.

"The Enforcement Division has dispatched a commando unit, preparing to encircle and annihilate the Snake Queen," the Section Chief's voice was firm. "But according to the clues from the Qi Energy decoder, the Snake Queen still has the 'Ultimate Password of the Earth Form Array' in her hands and may be waiting for us in the core area of the underground palace. You must be prepared!"

When the morning sun illuminated the camp, Chen Wu's team stood in front of the underground palace entrance again.

The Perception Talisman on his forehead glowed with pale golden light. The "Stealth-Breaking Seeds" added a red "Anti-Absorption Energy" line to the Qi Energy trajectory; on Zhang Hao's iron arm, the "Energy-Breaking Dew" coating was more uniform; in Su Chen's Mystic Water Energy warning network, "Sensing Nodes" of Five Elements Energy were integrated; on Zhao Lie's ears, he wore the "Bronze Sound-Listening Piece" made by Grandpa Wang—the global live stream camera focused on them. The bullet comments of 46 billion viewers changed from "Stay safe" to "Looking forward to breaking the array."

That migrant worker brother's ID popped up a message: "Teacher Chen, I am near the Old Qijue Nest and discovered that the Snake Queen's people are transferring weapons. I have notified the commando unit!"

Chen Wu took a deep breath and injected Qi Energy into the Perception Talisman. The "Nine-Palace Linked Array" traps at the entrance of the underground palace were clearly visible in his field of vision. Beside the detonation device of each trap, there was a faint residue of "Snake-Headed Hydra" Qi Energy.

"Let's go," his voice was firm. "First destroy the Spirit-Devouring Core, then break the Earth Form Array. No matter where the Snake Queen is hiding, we must get the full volume of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic" and protect the inheritance of traditional martial arts!"

The team's figures gradually entered the underground palace entrance. The pale golden light of the Perception Talisman drew a safe route in the darkness. In the camp behind them, the Disciples of the eight major schools and the special police of the Special Incident Response Department were still holding their posts.

The eyes of 46 billion viewers around the world followed their footsteps closely through the live broadcast camera—this late-night raid not only failed to stop the pace of the underground palace exploration but instead allowed the team to obtain key clues, getting one step closer to the full volume of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic."

In the bullet comments of the global live stream, a row of neat text was finally posted: "Break the stealth and counter-kill, clues in hand; Earth Form Array broken, inheritance is worry-free!" This message was lit up by 46 billion viewers at the same time, like a river of light passing through the darkness, illuminating the way forward in the underground palace and illuminating the determination of the traditional martial arts practitioners to protect the inheritance.