17: Chapter 17 Qin Weiwei's "Concern"

Loaded with munitions and shock, the team successfully returned to the Underworld Fortress.

Zhang Hao's voice practically never stopped, embellishing the tale for the survivors who had stayed behind. He described how Lin Chen 'shook with kingly might' and how the terrifying Rust Demon Puppets 'bowed their heads in submission,' making the armory 'fall effortlessly into their hands.' The listeners were stunned, their gazes towards Lin Chen filled with an almost superstitious awe.

Morale within the Fortress soared to unprecedented heights.

But Qin Weiwei felt as if she had fallen into an icy cavern.

The scene of Lin Chen 'purchasing' the armory without shedding a drop of blood played on a loop in her mind like a nightmare. It completely shattered her understanding of 'power.' This was no longer mere strength; this was... toying with the rules! Was there really any chance opposing someone like this?

Panic, like a venomous snake, gnawed at her confidence.

But soon, her survival instincts and the paranoia instilled by the Thousand Faces Cult's long-term brainwashing overwhelmed the fear.

"No, no matter how strong he is, he must have a weakness! All humans have weaknesses!" Hiding in the small room assigned to her, Qin Weiwei dug her nails deep into her palms, using the pain to calm herself. "At the very least, he hasn't openly suspected my 'little sister' identity. That's my opportunity! I must find the Fortress's Energy Core as soon as possible! Once the cult's main force attacks, what can he do alone, no matter how powerful?"

She took several deep breaths, adjusted her expression in front of a blurred piece of metal in the room, and once again put on that pure smile tinged with a hint of dependence.

Over the next two days, Qin Weiwei's 'care' offensive escalated.

"Brother, you look a bit tired. Would you like some water? I brewed it with some clean leaves I found." She appeared before Lin Chen, who seemed to have just emerged from the core control room, holding a cup of warm water at just the right moment, her eyes filled with perfectly measured concern.

Lin Chen took the cup, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against hers.

Qin Weiwei trembled slightly like a startled fawn, two blushes flying to her cheeks. She quickly lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Brother... please, please get some rest."

The performance was worthy of an award for best actress. She portrayed the image of a little sister harboring vague feelings for her powerful older brother, yet too shy to express them, with flawless perfection.

Lin Chen looked at the cup in his hand, then at her flushed profile. The corner of his mouth seemed to lift in an almost imperceptible curve, his tone flat: "Hmm."

He didn't say much, but he didn't refuse her 'kindness' either.

This secretly delighted Qin Weiwei. It seemed this man wasn't completely heartless; at the very least, he didn't reject 'family's' care.

She then shifted her target to Su Qingyu.

"Sister Su, managing such a large Fortress must be so exhausting." She offered a clean towel she had secretly saved to Su Qingyu, who was checking inventory lists. "Wipe your sweat. I noticed you haven't rested much these past couple of days."

Su Qingyu looked up at her, took the towel, and said plainly, "Thank you."

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Weiwei sat down beside her, resting her chin in her hands, putting on an innocent and admiring expression. "Sister Su, how did Brother manage to become so amazing? Those Underworld Soldiers, the armory... it's almost god-like! The Fortress's Energy Core must be even more incredible, right? Is it like a huge, glowing reactor from a sci-fi movie?"

She asked seemingly casually, her eyes blinking, brimming with curiosity.

Su Qingyu's wiping motion paused slightly. She glanced at Qin Weiwei. The gaze was calm, but it made Qin Weiwei's heart skip a beat.

"Lin Chen handles the Fortress's operations. I'm not clear on the specifics of the Energy Core," Su Qingyu said without any change in tone, continuing to look down at her list. "Just focus on your own duties."

Hitting this soft wall didn't discourage Qin Weiwei. The more Su Qingyu evaded, the more it proved the Energy Core was key!

She tried to fish for information from Zhang Hao next.

"Brother Zhang Hao," she found Zhang Hao supervising the weapon storage, handed him a bottle of water with a sweet smile. "You're all so amazing, finding so many weapons! The Fortress will be much safer now! But, with so many weapons, the energy consumption must be huge, right? Can our Fortress's energy supply keep up? I'm a bit worried Brother will overwork himself."

This reckless fellow, Zhang Hao, held no wariness towards Qin Weiwei, this 'master's little sister.' He took the water, gulped down half the bottle, and waved his hand dismissively. "Hey! Don't you worry about that! The master is omnipotent, there's nothing he can't handle! Forget this batch of weapons, even if we had ten times more, our Fortress's energy could..."

Before he could finish, a sharper veteran team member moving ammunition boxes nearby coughed pointedly.

Only then did Zhang Hao realize his slip. He swallowed the rest of his words and let out an awkward laugh. "Anyway, don't you worry! With the master here, the sky won't fall! Go on, get back to your work!"

Although she didn't get specific information, Zhang Hao's half-spilled sentence and the others' reactions made Qin Weiwei even more certain: the Energy Core was the Fortress's key, and it might have some limit or vulnerability that needed protection!

She pieced together these fragmented clues—Lin Chen's apparent lack of aversion to her 'care,' Su Qingyu's evasive attitude—forming a judgment: Lin Chen wasn't completely emotionless and had some tolerance for his 'little sister'; the Energy Core was the Fortress's lifeline, possibly with a load limit or fragility; Su Qingyu and the others were tight-lipped, indicating it was highly classified.

The opportunity had arrived!

She needed to find a more natural, less suspicious way to obtain the Energy Core's specific location!

That night, Qin Weiwei used the shadow recording worm again to send out her latest analysis and judgment. In her message, she emphasized: the Fortress's Energy Core is the key breakthrough point; she recommended the cult focus its main assault on destroying the Energy Core first! She also requested instructions on whether more aggressive methods could be used (such as leveraging her 'little sister' identity to get closer to Lin Chen for information, or finding an opportunity to infiltrate) to pinpoint the core's location.

After sending the message, Qin Weiwei lay in bed, her heart pounding with tension and excitement.

She could already envision it: the Thousand Faces Cult's main force, guided by her intelligence, precisely destroying the Fortress's Energy Core. The entire Fortress's defenses would instantly collapse, the Underworld Soldiers would dissipate, and that perpetually calm expression on Lin Chen's face would finally twist into shock and fury...

And she, Qin Weiwei, would be the number one contributor to this victory!

When that time came, Lin Chen, Su Qingyu—they would all kneel at her feet, begging for their lives!

Thinking of this, a twisted smile, a mix of malice and glee, spread across her face.

...

Inside the core control room.

Looking at the light screen displaying Qin Weiwei's face, distorted by fantasy, and the encrypted message content she had transmitted a second time, fed back by the 'Tracking Ghost,' Lin Chen couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

"Can't wait to locate the Energy Core already?" He shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. "The client's needs are so clear. Wouldn't it seem like poor service if we didn't accommodate her?"

He turned and instructed Su Qingyu beside him, "Tomorrow, 'accidentally' let her catch a glimpse of the edge of that blueprint on my study desk—the one labeled 'Fortress Underground Level Three, Zone B7, Superconducting Energy Core Array (Top Secret).'"

Su Qingyu understood immediately and nodded. "Understood." She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "She seems... to also want to use a honey trap on you?"

Hearing this, Lin Chen's face showed a half-smile, but his eyes held no warmth whatsoever.

"Then let her try," he said flatly, his tone carrying absolute control and a trace of imperceptible coldness. "Let's see if she acts more devotedly, or if I watch more amusedly."

The fish had caught the scent of the bait and was starting to circle restlessly.

It was time to tighten the line a little.