Chapter 15: The Mystery of the Lost City

Mo Li's voice echoed in the airtight metal cage. Thousands of red assault rifles were pointed at Chu Yun and Li Ge in the center of the cage, exuding the aura of death. Chu Yun protected Li Ge behind him, his inner strength already pushed to its limit. He knew this was his last stand. He looked at the girl before him, mad with hatred, and said in a deep voice, "There's a hidden story behind the case thirteen years ago. We're here to find out the truth." "The truth?" Mo Li said as if she had heard the funniest joke. "The truth is that you, the Evil Suppression Division, destroyed my Mo family with your own hands! Today, I will use your blood to commemorate my people! This is my truth!" She raised her hand, about to give the order to attack. "Wait!" Li Ge suddenly spoke, her voice still icy, yet filled with undeniable calmness. "Do you think this city is too quiet?" Mo Li paused, frowning as he looked at Li Ge. "What do you mean?" "It's been an incense stick of time since the alarm went off," Li Ge said slowly. "With such a commotion, the other city guards should have arrived long ago, but listen..." She paused. Inside the metal cage, besides the three of them breathing and the humming of the machine guns charging, there was no other sound, a deathly silence. Mo Li's expression changed slightly, sensing something was amiss. Just then, "BOOM!" A roar, far deeper and louder than any before, erupted from deep underground. The entire maze of machines shook violently, like a giant beast suddenly awakening after a thousand years of slumber. Mo Li's expression changed instantly. "What's going on?" The frantic delight on her face was replaced by surprise and suspicion. This loud noise was definitely not her fault. "Buzz-buzz-buzz-" Outside the cage, the streets and houses that had been dark suddenly lit up, and crisscrossing red light networks, more complex and dense than before, appeared out of thin air in every corner of the city. The entire maze city seemed to come alive at this moment, turning into a huge, madly operating killing machine. "Not good!" Mo Li screamed. She turned around abruptly, waving her hands in the air quickly, as if trying to control something, but soon found that she had lost control. The muzzles of the attack guns aimed at Chu Yun and Li Ge suddenly turned around and began to indiscriminately target everyone in the cage, including herself. "How could this happen? The core control... was taken away?" Mo Li's eyes showed panic for the first time. "Boom boom boom-" again...

Mo Li's voice echoed in the airtight metal cage. Thousands of red attack gun muzzles were pointed at Chu Yun and Li Ge in the center of the cage, emitting the breath of death.

Chu Yun protected Li Ge behind him, his inner strength already pushed to its limit. He knew this was his last stand. He looked at the girl before him, mad with hatred, and said in a deep voice, "There's a hidden story behind the case thirteen years ago. We're here to investigate."

"The truth?" Mo Li said as if he had just heard the funniest joke. "The truth is that it was you, the Evil Suppression Division, who destroyed my Mo Clan! Today I will use your blood to sacrifice to my people! This is my truth!"

She raised her hand and was about to give the order to attack.

"Wait!" Li Ge suddenly spoke, her voice still cold, yet filled with unquestionable calmness, "Do you feel that this city is too quiet?"

Mo Li paused for a moment, frowned and looked at Li Ge: "What do you mean?"

"It's been an incense stick of time since the alarm sounded." Li Ge said slowly, "Ordinarily, with such a big commotion, the other guards in the city should have rushed over long ago, but listen..."

She paused. The entire metal cage was completely silent, except for the three of them breathing and the humming of the machine guns charging.

Mo Li's expression changed slightly, and he realized something was wrong.

At that moment, a roar, far deeper and louder than any before, erupted from deep underground. The entire Maze City trembled violently, like a giant beast that had been sleeping for a thousand years suddenly turning over.

Mo Li's face changed instantly: "What happened?" The crazy pleasure on her face was instantly replaced by surprise and suspicion. This loud noise was definitely not controlled by her.

"Buzz—buzz—buzz—"

Outside the cage, the previously dark streets and houses suddenly lit up. A crisscrossing web of red light, more complex and dense than before, appeared out of thin air in every corner of the city. The entire maze of machines seemed to come alive at this moment, transformed into a massive, frantically operating killing machine.

"Not good!" Mo Li cried out. She spun around abruptly, her hands waving rapidly in the air, as if trying to control something, but soon realized she had lost control. The guns aimed at Chu Yun and Li Ge suddenly turned, indiscriminately targeting everyone in the cage, including herself.

"How could this happen? The core control... was taken away?" Mo Li's eyes showed panic for the first time.

"Boom boom boom—" Another, even more violent tremor echoed. In the city's four corners, four massive gates, several feet thick and made of pure black metal, slowly rose from the ground. With a teeth-grinding grinding sound, they completely sealed off all exits. They were trapped.

"What the hell is going on?!" Chu Yun's mind was in chaos as he looked at this sudden scene.

"Someone has forcibly activated the highest defense system of the Lost City." Li Ge's voice was extremely solemn, "And it's an indiscriminate attack mode."

"Who did it?"

"have no idea."

The atmosphere in the cage changed from tense to panic of being trapped in an instant.

"Impossible... This is impossible..." Mo Li muttered to himself, unable to accept that the Mechanical City was out of control. "The core hub has a triple password set by me, unless someone has obtained my father's 'Heavenly Craftsmanship Order'!"

"Stop talking so much!" Chu Yun looked at the gun barrels that had already started charging and were about to fire, and yelled at Mo Li, "Hurry up and find a way to stop them! Otherwise, all three of us will die here!"

Mo Li seemed to wake up after being yelled at. She looked at the chaotic scene before her, then at Chu Yun and Li Ge. She gritted her teeth, a look of extreme reluctance flashing across her face. But she knew Chu Yun was right; they were now in the same boat.

"Follow me!" Mo Li shouted, stamping her feet. The metal floor beneath her feet suddenly opened up, revealing a passage leading downwards. She jumped down without hesitation.

"Let's go!" Chu Yun pulled Li Ge and followed immediately. The moment they jumped down, thousands of energy beams in the cage were activated at the same time, blasting the place where they had just stood into nothingness.

The three of them landed in a narrow metal tunnel. The entrance above them had automatically closed. The tunnel was completely dark, and all they could hear was their rapid breathing.

"Where is this place?" Chu Yun asked vigilantly.

"It's the maintenance passage of the Mechanical City." Mo Li's voice came from the darkness, filled with resentment and anger, "It's also the only place not directly covered by the attack system."

"What should we do now?" Li Ge asked.

"What else can we do?" Mo Li said in an irritated tone, "Let's go get the core control back! I want to see who dares to run wild in my territory!" As she spoke, she pulled out a palm-sized compass-shaped object from her waist and injected a trace of energy into it. A faint light lit up in the center of the compass, illuminating her furious face. "Follow me."

Mo Li led the way, compass in hand. Chu Yun and Li Ge exchanged a glance, then followed. This maintenance tunnel stretched in all directions, like a giant anthill, its walls crisscrossed with incomprehensible pipes and wiring. From time to time, dull explosions echoed overhead, and the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly, indicating that the out-of-control defense system was still operating frantically.

"Where is the 'core hub' you mentioned?" Chu Yun asked as he walked.

"In the Tianshu Tower in the center of the city." Mo Li said without turning his head.

"It's heavily guarded there, how do we get in?"

"The whole city is in chaos now, and there's no longer any strict security." Mo Li snorted coldly, "The trouble is, there are three 'checkpoints' from here to Tianshu Tower. They were originally used by me to defend against foreign enemies, but now they're out of control."

"What does losing control mean?" Li Ge asked.

"That means they'll attack any living creature that enters their range." Mo Li paused. Before them stood a heavy metal gate, carved with a large, ferocious beast head. "The first checkpoint is the 'Gate of Ferocious Beasts.' Behind the gate is a hundred-meter-long corridor, flanked by one hundred and eight 'Fire Dragon Cannons.' Normally, they only attack the 'enemies' I've marked."

"What about now?" Chu Yun asked.

"Now..." A trace of fear flashed across Mo Li's face, "They will attack anything with a heartbeat."

Chu Yun and Li Ge's hearts sank.

"Is there no other way?"

"No, this is the only way to get to Tianshu Tower."

"Can you stop them?"

"I told you, we've lost control of the core," Mo Li said impatiently. "I can only use my familiarity with this place to find the gaps in their attack." She held up the compass, the needle spinning rapidly. "The Fire Dragon Cannon's attacks follow a pattern. After every twelve volleys, there's a three-breath cooldown to recharge."

"Three breaths?" Chu Yun frowned. "A hundred-meter corridor is impossible to pass in three breaths."

"So we need to cooperate." Mo Li turned his head and looked at them with equal and negotiating eyes for the first time.

"How do we cooperate?"

"After I open the door, you," Mo Li pointed at Chu Yun, "use your golden shield to hold the front and hold on as long as you can." She then pointed at Li Ge and said, "You will be responsible for sensing the energy fluctuations of the Fire Dragon Cannons. They will briefly accumulate energy before firing. You must tell me in advance."

"What about you?" Chu Yun asked.

"Me?" Mo Li's lips curled up with the confidence of a talented craftsman. "I'll be responsible for the calculations, figuring out the only route that will allow us to survive the barrage." She looked at the two of them and spoke word by word, "We only have one chance. If any one of us makes a mistake, all three of us will be burned to ashes in an instant."

Chu Yun and Li Ge exchanged a glance, each seeing solemnity and helplessness in the other's eyes. They knew that from this moment on, the lives of the three of them were temporarily tied together.

"Okay." Chu Yun nodded.

"Okay." Li Ge replied.

Mo Li took a deep breath, walked to the door of the beast head, reached out and knocked on the forehead of the beast head nine times in an extremely complicated sequence.

"Click, click, click..."

The heavy metal door slowly rose, and a wave of hot air rushed in from behind the door.