The snow was stained red, but the loot was clean.
Jiang Chen sat in the captain's chair of the crashed Spirit Boat, turning a small, rectangular piece of green jade over in his fingers. It was warm to the touch and pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light.
"A Sound Transmission Token," Old Wu said, eyeing the object warily. "They say an Elder can speak across a thousand miles with one. If the White Cloud Sect realizes their disciples are dead..."
"They won't," Jiang Chen said. "Not yet."
He tossed the token into the air and caught it.
"System. Analyze signal frequency."
[Scanning Jade Interface...][Detection: Low-Frequency Psionic Wave emission (Spirit Qi Modulation).][Encryption: Basic Spiritual Imprint.][Status: Incoming Transmission Pending.]
The jade suddenly vibrated violently. A harsh, demanding voice projected from it—not as sound, but as a mental pressure that Old Wu flinched away from.
"Zhao Feng! Report! The Life Tablet of Junior Sister Lin just shattered in the Ancestral Hall! What is happening? Did you encounter the beast?"
Old Wu turned pale. "They know! They know she's dead!"
Jiang Chen held up a hand to silence him. "Life Tablets... quantum entanglement of the soul? Interesting."
He held the token up to his eye, the blue light of the System scanning the microscopic rune structures etched into the surface.
'System. Can we spoof the signal?'
[Affirmative. The device operates on audio-visual conversion principles. I can intercept the input and synthesize a response using the victim's vocal patterns recorded during the combat encounter.]
'Good. Generate a Deepfake Model: Zhao Feng. Tone: Arrogant, slightly winded, greedy.'
[Model Generated. Processing...]
Jiang Chen pressed his thumb against the rune on the token. He didn't speak. The System transmitted the data directly from his neural link into the jade.
From the token, "Zhao Feng's" voice echoed out—a perfect replica, capturing his sneering, superior tone.
"Elder Mo! Calm your anger. We... we were careless. The Earth Beast was stronger than anticipated. It ambushed us. Junior Sister Lin... she was too slow."
There was a pause on the other end. The Elder's voice returned, suspicious but less frantic. "And the beast? Is it dead?"
Jiang Chen signaled the System to inject a background sound effect: Heavy breathing, the sound of wind, and the faint hum of a spirit barrier.
"Dead," the fake Zhao Feng replied. "But Elder... you won't believe what it was guarding. It wasn't just a vein. It's a... Pre-Dynasty Ruin. The energy fluctuation is massive. It interferes with our tokens. I'm afraid the signal might cut o—"
"A Ruin?!" The Elder's voice spiked with greed. "Are you certain?"
"Positive. We are going inside to secure the perimeter before the other Sects notice the commotion. I am sealing the entrance. Do not send reinforcements yet—they will attract attention. Give me three days to disable the traps."
"Three days..." The Elder hesitated, then grunted. "Fine. If you secure a Pre-Dynasty legacy, the Sect will reward you with a Core Formation Pill. Do not fail me, Zhao Feng."
"Understood."
The connection cut. The jade went dark.
Old Wu stared at Jiang Chen, his mouth agape. "You... you stole his voice. You lied to an Elder."
"I bought us three days," Jiang Chen corrected. He pocketed the token. "And I convinced them not to send an army immediately. Greed is predictable."
He stood up and jumped off the boat.
"Now, let's see what our 'guests' brought us."
He picked up the three Storage Bags clipped to the disciples' belts. To a normal mortal, these were impossible to open without Qi. To the G.E.F., they were just spatial locks.
'System. Bypass spatial encryption.'
[Cracking... 100%. Contents dumped to Inventory.]
A pile of items materialized in the snow.
300 Spirit Stones (Low Grade).
12 Healing Pills.
3 Flying Swords (Low Grade - Refined Steel/Silver).
1 Manual: "Cloud Treading Steps" (Movement Technique).
Miscellaneous: Fresh clothes, dried spirit fruit, a Sect map.
Jiang Chen ignored the manual and the fruit. He grabbed the Spirit Stones.
"Absorb."
[+30,000 EU.][Current EU: ~85,000.]
He was swimming in energy. The mining drones were still churning out crystals, and now he had a massive injection of cash.
He looked at the three flying swords. They were beautiful craftsmanship, etched with wind runes.
"System. Can we use these?"
[Material Analysis: High-Conductivity Mythril Alloy.][Usage: Incompatible with current ballistics. Recommendation: Recycle for "Tier 1 Electronics" or "Railgun Projectiles".]
"Recycle them," Jiang Chen ordered. "We need the mythril."
He turned to the seventeen bandits, who were now looting the robes off the dead bodies (on Old Wu's orders, nothing went to waste).
"Listen up!" Jiang Chen shouted. "We have three days. In three days, the White Cloud Sect will come to claim their 'Ruin'. When they find out there is no ruin, they will be angry."
He pointed to the cave entrance.
"We are going to turn this mountain into a meat grinder."
He opened the System Interface. With 85,000 EU, he didn't have to scrimp and save anymore. He could finally unlock the heavy hitters.
'System. Unlock Tier 1 Defense: Automated Sentry Turret (50. Caliber).'
[Blueprint Unlocked.]
'Unlock Tier 1 Defense: Reinforced Concrete/Steel Walls.'
[Blueprint Unlocked.]
'Unlock Tier 1 Utility: Floodlights & Motion Sensors.'
[Blueprint Unlocked.]
Jiang Chen smiled. He waved his hand, and the holographic blueprint of a massive blast door appeared over the cave mouth.
"Start mixing the concrete," he ordered. "Civilization is moving in."