Mainland Martial Arts

Chapter 385: Alarming the Snake

However, the scene before them made their hearts sink. The cold palace, once deserted and seldom visited, was now illuminated by countless bright torches, blazing like daylight. Rows of tall, stern-looking soldiers, clad in heavy armor, their scales gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the flames. They stood in neat rows, their spears tightly gripped, their tips gleaming coldly in the firelight, like rows of sharp fangs, completely encircling the cold palace. Every entrance and strategic point was heavily fortified. The soldiers stood erect, like statues, their gazes warily scanning the surroundings, not missing a single movement.

Lin Rongxian frowned, his eyes full of confusion and vigilance. He leaned close to Mu Yuhan and said in a low voice, "What's going on in this cold palace? Why are there suddenly so many soldiers guarding it? Have our actions been discovered?" There was a hint of nervousness in his voice, and his eyes revealed uneasiness.

Mu Yuhan also had a solemn expression on his face. He shook his head slowly, observing the surrounding situation with sharp eyes, and answered softly: "I don't know, but there must be something fishy. Such a tight defense must be hiding some important secret." His expression was serious and his eyes were focused, trying to find a breakthrough in this seemingly impeccable defense.

The two men didn't dare act rashly, quietly hiding behind a thicket of bushes. Lin Rongxuan quickly pulled out his communicator from his waist, and with trembling fingers, he pressed the call button and reported to Li Hanhai in a low voice, "Captain, we've arrived at the cold palace. It's heavily guarded, impossible to get close to. It seems they're guarding something extremely important. Please give us your instructions." His eyes were fixed on the communicator, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. He felt uneasy, unsure how the captain would respond to this sudden change.

In the command room of the battleship, Li Hanhai had a calm expression and deep eyes. After thinking for a moment, he decisively ordered: "Don't act rashly. Zi Lan, release the reconnaissance mosquitoes to see if you can find out some information." His voice was steady and powerful, without any panic. His eyes revealed the calmness and confidence of a veteran in the battlefield, which made people feel at ease involuntarily.

Ping Zilan received the command and immediately turned to the control panel. Standing before the large and complex control panel, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Her slender fingers danced lightly across the keyboard, as if playing a silent melody. As she operated, several small and delicate mechanical mosquitoes slowly flew out of the warship's hidden hatch. These mechanical mosquitoes were exquisitely crafted and lifelike in appearance, almost indistinguishable from real mosquitoes. Their wings vibrated at high speed, emitting a slight buzzing sound. Under the cover of night, they quickly flew towards the cold palace. They lined up in the air, their flight path straight and stable, and their speed was extremely fast, like a string of black meteors streaking across the night sky.

Soon, the mechanical mosquitoes reached the roof of the cold palace. They circled above, seemingly searching for the best vantage point. Suddenly, a flash of cold light flashed across the night sky like lightning. Its speed was so fast that it was almost impossible to discern its origin. Then, the signal light representing the mechanical mosquitoes on the communication screen suddenly went out. Without any warning, the mechanical mosquitoes had lost contact.

Ping Zilan's face instantly turned pale, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief. She stood blankly before the control console, staring at the extinguished signal beacon, muttering to herself, "How is this possible? Even a mosquito can't get in! What kind of defense is this?" A strong sense of frustration welled up in her heart. She had originally thought that with the help of advanced reconnaissance equipment, she would be able to easily obtain intelligence, but she had not expected to encounter such strong resistance in this cold palace.

Ping Zilan tried hard to calm herself down and turned to report to Li Hanhai: "Captain, the reconnaissance mosquito has lost contact. It must have been destroyed instantly by a powerful master. Our actions may have been exposed. It would be very dangerous to continue the investigation now." There was a hint of helplessness in her voice, but there was still a hint of stubbornness in her eyes. She was unwilling to give up.

Li Hanhai frowned slightly, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said slowly: "Forget it, since we have already alerted the enemy, there is no point in investigating further. Lin Rongxian, Mu Yuhan, come back. We will think of other ways." Although his tone was flat, it was full of unquestionable majesty, which made people understand that this was a well-considered decision.

After receiving the order, Lin Rongxuan and Mu Yuhan looked at each other and sighed helplessly. They carefully turned around and evacuated, quietly returning along the way they came.

The night, like a giant piece of black silk, gently enveloped the entire palace. The lights within the palace twinkled in the night like a galaxy of stars. However, in this seemingly peaceful night, different thoughts and waitings quietly unfolded.

Near the somewhat empty martial arts arena, Chen Xin'er quietly stood by Lin Feng's side. Her posture was delicate yet resolute, her eyes filled with worry and concern. She never once looked away from Lin Feng, who lay in the transparent treatment chamber. The chamber emanated a gentle light, illuminating Lin Feng's pale yet resolute face. Chen Xin'er's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Not far away, Xu Tian and Chen Yu sat on the ground, their figures slightly exhausted in the night. Chen Yu stood up from time to time to stretch his muscles, then turned and walked towards the nearby side hall of the palace. Soon, he returned with some simple food, handed a portion to Xu Tian, ​​and said softly, "Eat something! We can't stay here like this without food. We need to maintain our strength. Lin Feng might need our help at any time."

Xu Tian took the food but did not eat it immediately. Instead, he looked at his hands with a somewhat empty look in his eyes and muttered to himself: "If I could control my strength better, maybe I could help Lin Feng share some of the pressure on the martial arts stage, and he wouldn't be injured like this." His face was full of self-blame and regret, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes revealed a deep unwillingness.

Chen Yu patted Xu Tian's shoulder gently and said soothingly, "Don't blame yourself. This battle was extremely dangerous. It was probably those immortals who helped save Lin Feng's life. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to change the situation."

Xu Tian raised his head slightly, looked at Chen Yu, and said with a wry smile, "But I just can't get over this. I wish I could be stronger, even if it means I can only block one of his attacks."