Inside the Abandoned Boiler Room
Inside the abandoned boiler room, the usually quiet workers were now bustling about in full swing. The air hummed with a tense, electric excitement, like steam about to erupt, heavy on everyone's chest.
Jin Wanchao's gaze was sharp as he swept over every busy figure. The "flame" inside him flickered brighter and brighter, as if answering the long-suppressed longing deep in every worker's heart. He could *see* it: those once dim energy sparks within them now glowed with a faint but unshakable light, like embers waiting to set the plains ablaze.
"Ahuo, how's the contact in the North District?" Jin Wanchao asked in a low, firm voice.
Ahuo wiped the grease off his face, his eyes shining with excitement. "All done, Brother Wanchao! Those old-timers were dragging their feet at first, saying the risk was too high. But I showed them exactly what they've been complaining about nonstop — the stuck valve in Furnace Three, the deafening conveyor belt in Zone Six — I let them *see* it all!"
His voice swelled with pride. "You should've seen their faces! They looked like they'd seen a ghost! Now everyone's begging to join. We're just waiting for three days from now to watch those Black Steel Council bastards make fools of themselves!"
Jin Wanchao nodded. Ahuo's "flame" was now leaping high like a small fire. He knew this was more than just a boost in mechanical power — it was the forging of trust and hope.
"Lao Zhong, how are the supplies coming along?"
Lao Zhong was crouched in the corner, carefully polishing several rusted crowbars with coarse burlap. He looked up, his muddy eyes glowing with an unprecedented sharpness. "Rest easy, Brother Wanchao. Rations, water, tools to pry open those sealed doors — I've got everything. To avoid drawing attention, I hid them in the maintenance tunnels, split across over a dozen spots. Even if one is found, we won't lose everything."
Jin Wanchao approved of his old, cautious wisdom. In this team, there were fiery young spirits and steady, experienced hands — everyone in their best position, giving their all.
Beside them, the other "awakened" workers worked on. Some sketched escape routes on scrap steel plates, some silently polished tools, others double-checked every pipe node on hand-drawn maps. Every quiet exchange, every glance, held a wordless understanding and unwavering loyalty.
"How's the setup at the main steam pipeline coming along?" Jin Wanchao turned to a few workers assigned to infiltrate the core area.
One of them bowed. "Under your orders, Brother Wanchao, we've located the abandoned backup pressure relief vent beneath the main line. It's blocked by scrap metal, and the overseers never bother checking it during their rounds."
In Jin Wanchao's "vision," the vent appeared clear in his mind. It was like a blood vessel buried under a giant beast — silent on ordinary days, but capable of unleashing chaos if struck precisely.
"Remember: we're not here to blow it up," Jin Wanchao stressed again. "We just need it to 'sneeze' at the right moment, create enough chaos to draw the Council's attention. Precise, controlled — no innocent workers get hurt. That is our line."
The workers answered in unison, their eyes resolute.
Yet, as everything proceeded smoothly, danger crept closer.
At midnight, Jin Wanchao slipped alone into the main steam pipeline area for one final inspection. The massive pipes coiled like steel pythons, billowing scorching steam. He could *hear* the torrent of energy surging violently deep inside. He touched the cold outer shell, sensing the faint vibrations within, confirming the weak point and the exact timing of the trigger.
Just as he finished his check and prepared to withdraw, a sharp, ominous sense of danger shot through him.
The "flame" inside him shrank abruptly, as if doused by ice water. He *saw* several shadowy black energy lines closing in fast on his position.
Jin Wanchao dropped low at once, melting into the shadows of the pipes and the rising steam, concealing himself completely. He slowed his breath, even lowering his heartbeat to a near standstill.
The scrape of metal boots on concrete drew nearer, mixed with the heavy panting of Butcher, the overseer.
"Search every inch!" Butcher's roar echoed through the pipe maze, wild with rage. "That bastard's around here somewhere! Machinery breakdowns dropping lately? Bullshit! They're up to something! Jin Wanchao's been too quiet lately — quiet as a corpse!"
Jin Wanchao's pupils narrowed.
Butcher was more alert than he'd expected. The "Inferior Product Surveillance Protocol" had clearly not only tightened monitoring but also fed this fat overseer's growing paranoia.
"Sir, no sign of him!" a mechanical guard droned, cold and precise.
"Useless fools!" Butcher cursed, his footsteps fading.
Jin Wanchao did not move immediately. He waited patiently until the black energy lines in his "vision" vanished entirely and all sound faded, then slipped silently out of the shadows.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, shaken. It had been a close call, but Butcher's vigilance had cast a shadow over their operation.
Back at the boiler room, he briefly briefed Lao Zhong and Ahuo.
Lao Zhong frowned deeply, then relaxed. "Butcher's always been a mad dog. But the more paranoid he gets, the more he'll miss the truly dangerous corners."
Ahuo sounded worried. "Brother Wanchao, should we move somewhere else?"
Jin Wanchao shook his head. "Too late. The Council's inspection is in three days — this is our only chance." He paused, his voice hardening. "Besides, I already have a plan to keep them so busy they won't have time for us."
He pointed to another section of the steel-plate map, toward the core steam hub. "Behind the main steam line, there's an abandoned signal transmission tower. It's connected to the entire furnace district's internal communications network."
Lao Zhong and Ahuo exchanged confused glances.
"We're not here to jam the signal," Jin Wanchao sneered. "We're here to give the Black Steel Council a little… surprise."
Three days slipped by in a blink.
On the eve of the storm, every nerve was stretched tight.
The night was pitch-black, thick black smoke smothering the moon completely. Only the never-dying fire of the furnace district painted a sickly glow along the horizon.
Jin Wanchao led Ahuo, Lao Zhong, and a handful of core members quietly into the main steam pipeline area. The giant pipes loomed like dormant beasts — but in his eyes, they were transparent energy veins, perfectly clear.
They quickly reached the prearranged relief vent, where workers carefully cleared away the blocking scrap.
Jin Wanchao took Ahuo and Lao Zhong and moved toward the abandoned signal tower.
They moved like ghosts through the steel jungle, stepping carefully, avoiding patrol routes and the scans of mechanical guards.
Just meters from the tower base, rapid footsteps suddenly echoed from the end of the corridor ahead.
Three figures were heading straight for them.
In the dim light, Jin Wanchao's "vision" caught those familiar black energy lines — it was Butcher! He was leading the hunt personally, flanked by two mechanical guards wielding electric batons!
"Dammit, Jin Wanchao wasn't at his post again tonight!" Butcher's savage, enraged roar bounced off the pipes, growing louder. "He's up to something!"
Jin Wanchao's face darkened.
They were trapped.
Less than a hundred meters from the transmission tower — the only path to their target.