Lu Zhaoming stood at the dimly lit factory entrance, a cold smile on his face, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's.
Qinglian followed closely behind, her expression grave as she warned, "She's very fast and knows the terrain well; we might fall into an ambush." Lu Zhaoming sneered, "That's precisely why she won't stop easily."
He activated the time-delay function, and the surrounding scenery instantly slowed down, as if time had been paused.
Lu Zhaoming quickly located Qin Wan'er's whereabouts and discovered that she was heading towards an abandoned factory.
The factory's exterior walls are dilapidated, but one can still sense the danger lurking within.
Upon arriving at the factory's perimeter, Lu Zhaoming stopped, looked down at the system interface, and frowned.
Qinglian asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?" Lu Zhaoming replied softly, "The factory is full of tracking signal sources in white robes." Qinglian's expression became even more serious, and she warned, "She might be trying to lure us into a trap."
Lu Zhaoming nodded, his eyes resolute: "But the data she has is more important." He ordered Qinglian and the blacksmith to keep watch on the perimeter, while he sneaked into the factory alone.
Qinglian and the blacksmith exchanged a glance, nodded, and quickly dispersed to prepare for a possible surprise attack.
Lu Zhaoming entered the factory silently. The surroundings were dimly lit, and the air was filled with a musty smell and the low rumble of machines.
He moved forward cautiously, using his Judgment Eye to scan his surroundings, ensuring that each step landed in the safest place.
The factory was in disarray, with abandoned machines scattered all over the floor, seemingly having been abandoned for many years.
Suddenly, Lu Zhaoming stopped in front of a dilapidated control room. He felt a slight jolt in his chest as a system notification popped up: "Life energy extraction device detected." Qin Wan'er was inside, nervously operating a complex machine, attempting to upload data.
"Qin Wan'er, the game is over." Lu Zhaoming's voice echoed in the empty room, full of intimidation.
Hearing the voice, Qin Wan'er turned around abruptly and sneered, "You think I'm afraid of you?"
Before she finished speaking, Qin Wan'er activated the life energy extraction device.
Instantly, a strong wave of mental interference surged from the device, and Lu Zhaoming felt a splitting headache as the trial system rapidly approached its limit.
He gritted his teeth, made a firm decision, and activated Judgment Storm III. Powerful energy erupted from his body, instantly suppressing the interference wave and destroying the core of the device.
The device emitted a piercing explosion, sparks flew everywhere, and Qin Wan'er took advantage of the chaos to escape. Her figure flashed through the darkness and disappeared into another passage.
She left behind a threat: "Your judicial system will eventually destroy you." Her voice echoed in the empty factory like a chilling aftertaste.
Lu Zhaoming didn't have time to pursue them; he quickly collected the remaining data fragments.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his body, and thought to himself, "Qin Wan'er, you may escape today, but you can't escape tomorrow." He picked up the last piece of data, and Lu Zhaoming, dragging his slightly tired but still upright figure, kicked open the creaking iron door of the temporary stronghold.
The moment he sat down, a sharp "ding" rang in his mind. The emotionless electronic voice of the Judgment System popped up like a debt collector: "Warning! Warning! The mental interference module load has reached 98.7% and is about to exceed the threshold! It is recommended that the host immediately stop using all system functions related to mental power, otherwise don't blame this system for not warning you if your brain explodes!"
"Tch, cowardly system." Lu Zhaoming curled his lip in disdain, rubbing his throbbing temples. The feeling was like being hungover, with a tangled mess of cotton stuffed in his head.
He couldn't be bothered with the system's clamor and directly pulled up the data fragments he had casually obtained from Qin Wan'er, his eyes focused as if he were admiring a peerless beauty.
The data stream flashed past his eyes like the brightest star in the night sky, guiding him.
"Holy crap! So that's what it is!" Suddenly, Lu Zhaoming slapped his thigh, a roguish smile curving his lips, as if he had discovered a new continent. "The core principle of that little wench Qin Wan'er's life energy extraction device is actually somewhat inexplicably and inextricably linked to the side effects of my Judgment System operating at overload!" A glint flashed in his eyes. Hey, this is like a pillow delivered to someone who's sleepy!
If we could figure out the secrets of this device, wouldn't we be able to "reduce the burden" on the system? Then, when we activate "Judgment Storm," we wouldn't have to worry about turning into "Idiot Storm" first!
Just as he was happily plotting how to "learn from the barbarians to subdue them" and turn Qin Wan'er's advanced technology into his own, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the stronghold, along with the ear-piercing sound of metal scraping.
Qinglian's usually aloof and pretty face was now filled with anxiety. She rushed in, her voice trembling slightly: "Brother Zhaoming, something terrible has happened! The radar shows that those bastards in the 'White Robes' have sent another large wave of reinforcements, and they're closing in on us like a dark mass. It looks like they're trying to trap us!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoming showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, he slowly stood up, stretched, and his joints cracked in a series of crisp sounds.
His cynical smile deepened, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a hunter spotting his prey: "Oh? An experience pack and experimental subjects delivered right to my doorstep? That's great, I was just looking for a place to try out new ideas."
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