The torch flickered inside the underground relay station, where the air hung heavy and tense. Everyone held their breath, their eyes locked firmly on Skinny Monkey. The data core clutched in his arms had become the only glimmer of hope in this desperate underground world.
"Jin… Jin Wanchao!" Skinny Monkey's voice trembled. His face, streaked with dirt and sweat, twisted with excitement and exhaustion. Staggering toward Jin Wanchao, he held out the data core as if it were a priceless treasure. "We… we did it! The file we stole from the data center… we finally cracked it!"
The news split the oppressive darkness of the relay station like a bolt of lightning.
"Cracked?!" Blaze surged forward, snatching the data core, his eyes wide as saucers. He connected it to a makeshift terminal, a clunky device that Old Clock had modified to project holographic images.
"Hurry! Let's see what's inside!" Old Clock leaned in, his cloudy eyes flaring with renewed vigor.
Jin Wanchao said nothing, only stared silently at the bulky terminal. A quiet, unyielding flame burned within him, sharpening his senses as if something momentous was about to be revealed.
*Buzz—*
The terminal let out a low hum, accompanied by the faint crackle of connecting circuits. A soft blue light then shot from the top of the machine, forming a massive holographic projection in mid-air.
It was an incredibly intricate three-dimensional structural diagram.
Everyone gasped.
"The Nursery Factory…" Old Clock's voice shook as he pointed to a heavily marked area on the hologram. "This is it… this is the Nursery Factory! God, its defense systems, its internal layout… it's all here!"
The hologram was vivid, laying bare every detail of the Nursery Factory: automatic defense turrets lining the perimeter, crisscrossing internal patrol routes, functional zones on every level, even the shift schedules for key positions.
"It's the full defensive layout!" Blaze's breathing grew heavy. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms. "And these… this is the energy pipeline, this is the ventilation shaft, this is… damn it, this is the waste chute!"
Once cold and mysterious lines and numbers now stood out as clear threats and opportunities. He could see exactly where to infiltrate, which paths were dead ends, and where deadly traps lay hidden.
Jin Wanchao's flame resonated with the hologram. The Nursery Factory was no longer a vague legend to him, but a steel fortress that could be dissected, understood, and ultimately breached. He could almost hear the faint cries and prayers of countless children behind those lines and data, wrapping around his heart like invisible chains.
"My little sister…" Jin Wanchao murmured. He reached out as if he could touch the imprisoned souls within the hologram.
But that was not the only secret the data core held.
"Wait… there's another file!" Skinny Monkey's voice cut through the air, sharp with deeper shock. He manipulated the terminal, switching the hologram to a new interface.
This time, a completely different map appeared on the screen.
It showed a vast, abandoned industrial zone. Along its edge, several blood-chilling words were marked in scarlet: **Zone Zero**.
"Zone Zero?" Wrench narrowed his sharp eyes. "That place was completely sealed off by the Council, wasn't it? Toxic, contaminated… even the Black Iron Guards won't set foot there."
Jin Wanchao's flame flared again. He could sense the energy flow on this map—more chaotic than the Nursery Factory's blueprints, yet far more overwhelming.
With trembling fingers, Skinny Monkey zoomed in on a heavily marked area deep within the zone.
"This file… it's Valerius's personal log!" he whispered hoarsely. "It says he's been running secret mineral mining operations in Zone Zero! And… it clearly mentions **Resonance Crystals**!"
"Resonance Crystals?!" Blaze's head shot up, disbelief blazing in his eyes.
Jin Wanchao's heart skipped a beat. Valerius—the man who had toyed with them on the train! He had been secretly mining Resonance Crystals in Zone Zero? This was no coincidence!
"This… this is Valerius's private domain!" Old Clock's face turned ashen. He stared at the contaminated zone on the screen. "Zone Zero was declared a death trap long ago. The Council won't station main forces there. It's guarded by automated mechanical puppets, shielded by a hostile environment!"
Jin Wanchao's gaze darted across the lines and text on the screen. He could clearly see the deeper scheme hidden behind the documents. The mining of Resonance Crystals, the operations of the Nursery Factory—everything fit into the elaborate calculations of that arrogant Council official.
Rage blazed like wildfire in Jin Wanchao's chest.
He finally understood. Valerius had not suffered any losses from the train incident. Instead, he had used it to size them up completely, even luring them into a trap on purpose. The man who fancied himself a chess master sat high above, toying with their fates.
But this was also a perfect opportunity.
Zone Zero! Its harsh environment and mechanical puppets were a nightmare for ordinary Black Iron Guards, but not for the Fire Cult, wielders of the Divine Revelation. Especially now that they held the complete data for the Nursery Factory and critical intelligence on Valerius's private mine.
Jin Wanchao's gaze swept over the exhausted yet hopeful faces before him.
The secret of the Nursery Factory, the location of the Resonance Crystals, Valerius's true goal… all of it lay within this data core, a light cutting through their path.
The shadow of despair lifted for a moment, replaced by the fire of vengeance and the hope of rebirth.
Jin Wanchao clenched his fist. He knew the real war for them was only just beginning.