That night, just after midnight, the entire palace was completely enveloped in darkness, with only a few torches of patrolling imperial guards flickering like will-o'-the-wisps on the empty palace paths.
Inside the Kunning Palace, the last candle had been extinguished.
However, in the dark room of the bedchamber, two agile figures were quickly changing into neat black night clothes.
"Your Majesty, really... really do you have to go in person? This matter is too dangerous. Perhaps I should let you go..." Qin Zheng said, tying her long hair up with a black cloth as she looked at Lin Wanwan, who was dressed similarly, with concern.
“No need.” Lin Wanwan’s voice was calm and firm. She tucked a delicate dagger into her boot and then carefully concealed the black iron tiger talisman on her person. “This matter is of great importance. Only by seeing it with my own eyes can I make the most accurate judgment. You stay by my side and act according to the situation.”
Her tone left no room for argument, so Qin Zheng had no choice but to swallow the rest of her words, her eyes growing increasingly wary.
After checking their equipment, the two of them, like two wisps of smoke, silently climbed out of the back window of Kunning Palace and blended perfectly into the thick night.
With Lin Wanwan's absolute familiarity with the palace's terrain and the latest patrol route map provided by the female officials' intelligence network, they precisely avoided patrolling imperial guards and made their way as if on flat ground towards the abandoned warehouse area in the northwest corner of the palace, which had long been forgotten by everyone.
The closer you get to that area, the more desolate it becomes.
The crumbling palace walls and overgrown weeds rustled in the night wind, like the whispers of countless wronged souls. A musty, decaying atmosphere permeated the air.
This is the most despised corner of the palace, a place even the lowest-ranking palace servants are unwilling to set foot in.
However, Lin Wanwan's heart was raised higher and higher as they went deeper into the group.
It's too quiet.
It's unusually quiet here.
Normally, such a desolate place should at least have some sounds of insects chirping and rats scurrying about. But here, there was only deathly silence; even the sound of the wind seemed to have been swallowed up.
There is only one explanation—a master is stationed in this area, and their powerful aura has driven away all living beings within a hundred meters!
Sure enough, when they quietly crept up to a rockery and were about to conduct a close reconnaissance of the lonely warehouse standing under the moonlight, Lin Wanwan suddenly pressed down on Qin Zheng, who was about to get up, and made a shushing gesture to her.
Qin Zheng immediately held her breath and followed Lin Wanwan's gaze to look at the seemingly ordinary crooked old locust tree in front of her.
Under the moonlight, the shadows of the trees were dappled, and everything seemed normal.
But just as a night breeze blew by and the leaves rustled, Qin Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted!
She saw it!
Within the dense shade of the tree canopy, there seemed to be a very faint human figure, perfectly blending into the tree trunk! It was impossible to spot without careful observation!
This is a top-notch covert whistle!
Lin Wanwan's gaze turned incredibly solemn. She slowly scanned her surroundings again—the shadows on the artificial hilltop, the lookout points in the dilapidated palace walls, and even... a pile of weeds.
Her heart sank little by little.
She discovered at least five hidden sentries!
Every sentry post was perfectly concealed, yet they were interconnected, forming a comprehensive surveillance network with no blind spots. Those capable of such a feat were no ordinary imperial guards, but rather elite assassins who had undergone the most brutal training!
This is by no means an abandoned warehouse!
This is clearly a military fortress that is loose on the outside but tight on the inside, and heavily guarded!
Regent Xiao Yuan has truly gone to great lengths for this secret base!
A layer of cold sweat had seeped down Qin Zheng's back. She couldn't imagine that if they had rashly barged in just now, they would probably be two cold corpses by now.
Just as the two were preparing to find a safer observation point, an even stranger thing happened.
"Your Majesty, look!" Qin Zheng's voice was suppressed to the extreme, carrying a hint of disbelief and shock.
Lin Wanwan followed the direction of her finger and stared intently at the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, which should have been pitch black, a faint, flickering light shone through the cracks in the tightly closed windows!
The firelight flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, like will-o'-the-wisps drifting in a graveyard at night, exuding an indescribable eeriness.
Immediately afterwards, a series of extremely faint, rhythmic metallic knocking sounds, accompanied by the "ghost fire," emanated from the warehouse.
"Ding...ding...ding...ding..."
The sound was exceptionally clear, and exceptionally... eerie, in the deathly still night.
Lin Wanwan and Qin Zheng exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock in each other's eyes!
This is no warehouse at all!
This is clearly an underground arms factory that only starts operating at midnight!
The regent not only hid the weapons here, but he also worked day and night right under the emperor's nose to produce a weapon powerful enough to overthrow the entire dynasty!
His madness and audacity have far exceeded Lin Wanwan's expectations!
At this moment, all the clues connected into a complete line.
Smuggled heavy armor, bribed imperial guards, tung oil to fuel the fire... and this underground factory in front of us, which is producing weapons in an endless stream!
A complete and detailed rebellion plan aimed at massacring the palace has been revealed!
Lin Wanwan forcibly suppressed the turmoil surging within her. She knew now was not the time to act impulsively. Instead of rushing in, she pulled Qin Zheng to a more distant and safer location.
Her brain, like the most sophisticated instrument, began to work at lightning speed. She meticulously recorded the locations of all the visible and hidden sentries she had just discovered, as well as their rotation patterns deduced from the sounds and wind direction, on strips of cloth with the charcoal pencil she carried with her.
This map will be their life-or-death map for their next operation!
Just as they finished recording all the intelligence and were preparing to quietly leave, a dull creaking sound suddenly came from ahead!
The heavy door to the warehouse was slowly opened from the inside!
Lin Wanwan and Qin Zheng's hearts jumped into their throats instantly. They immediately pressed their bodies tightly against the shadow of the artificial hill, almost stopping their breathing.
Several guards dressed in black carried a heavy, long wooden box out of the storeroom.
The leader cursed under his breath, "Damn it, this batch of 'Wolf Fangs' is out again, and they're damn heavy! Let's get them to their destination quickly so we can go back and have some drinks!"
The moonlight shone coolly on them.
Lin Wanwan held her breath and pushed her vision to its limit.
Her gaze was fixed intently on the wooden box.
The wooden crate was crudely made and was clearly just a temporary transport tool, with considerable gaps between the planks.
It's that one crack!
By the bright moonlight, Lin Wanwan could clearly see a sliver of cold light shining through the crack!
It was a metal tip with a peculiar shape and three deep grooves.
The groove wasn't for aesthetics, but rather... to maximize the amount of blood drawn out after it pierces the body!
That cold, deathly glint...
It's an arrow with a health bar!
At that moment, Lin Wanwan's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints!
She understood instantly!
Hidden here are not just ordinary weapons, but military heavy crossbows capable of causing large-scale casualties in a short period of time!
It is a weapon powerful enough to start a war!
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