Beyond that, a large crack ran vertically throughout the entire piece, which had been forced apart by the collateral damage of the ball bearings. A spherical chunk six feet in diameter was now missing at the center of the rubble.
It was a smashing success. Literally. Tian Zhi sighed in relief, and the others patted Cha Ming on the back. They were about two months away from their official deadline but only two days away from the prince’s. Less than half a day remained until the Taotie arrived.
“You did well,” Tian Zhi said. “We’re within striking distance.”
“All that’s missing is the power distribution grid,” Cha Ming said. “I have some ideas, but I’ll likely need to combine everyone’s efforts to make it work. I think we’ll be able to finish something workable by the end of tomorrow.”
“We have time, we have time,” Tian Zhi said, waving his hand.
“Let’s celebrate!” Pan Su said, clearly cheerful at having broken another record.
Cha Ming shook his head. “I’ll keep working all night if I have to, but I’ll finish this as soon as I can. You guys go on ahead without me.”
He Yin, who’d been looking forward to going out, frowned. “Aren’t you the one who’s always saying you need to mix rest with relaxation?”
“It’s hard to relax when you’re so close to the end,” Cha Ming said. “Don’t worry, I won’t stop you from going.”
“I’ll stay here,” Tian Zhi said. “I have work to catch up on.” He rarely ever participated in such gatherings.
The three other researchers dispersed. Cha Ming heard them discussing many places they could go since he, the picky one, wasn’t coming. He smiled lightly, though inside, he was crying. It was likely the last time he’d see any of them.
“You don’t look too happy,” Tian Zhi said, making his way toward the door with him.
“I’m just anxious,” Cha Ming said. “We’re almost there, but I can’t help but wonder what’s next.”
“Something will come up,” Tian Zhi said, shrugging. “Worst case, you can take a break.”
“Fair enough,” Cha Ming said. They walked back to the central R&D room where the Breaker’s diagram was displayed. Tian Zhi backed up some data on a jade slip while Cha Ming fidgeted around with the power conversion matrix’s diagram. The three prototype Breakers were also in the same room.
Time dragged on, and eventually, Tian Zhi excused himself and headed back to the main office. The laboratory was empty, so Cha Ming could do as he pleased. First, he wandered to a corner of the room where he liked to work. It happened to be outside the surveillance area of the room. There, he took out the Space-Time Camera and poured a large amount of spirit stones into it. Click. The image of the room was frozen inside the camera.
Security nullified, Cha Ming walked up to one of the prototype Breakers and summoned a pile of golden bars. He’d cast them before in secret. He lifted a portion of the Breaker, then another, then used his strength as a body cultivator to pull apart the upper shell, revealing an array of copper-colored bars. They formed runic lines that ran across the entire device. He pulled them out, one by one, using qi to break them out as required.
For the next three hours, Cha Ming immersed himself in his work. These bars would allow the Breaker to conduct sufficient amounts of energy to operate at maximum capacity. As he inserted them, he soldered them together. They contained runic lines that would help direct the flow of power. He also connected the bars with smaller pieces of golden metal. These additional pieces were his masterpiece, the thing that would cause the device to perform a different function than originally intended.
Thus far, the prototypes were irreplaceable. He doubted anyone but him could recreate the main components. Aside from that, assembling the device as per the latest design would cause it to short-circuit and self-destruct. That was the second trap. Of course, it was all moot if everything went as planned. He had a very different goal for the device he’d just modified.
Soon enough, he locked the last golden bar into place. He closed the device, then placed the entire prototype, base and all, into the Clear Sky World.
“It’s time to end this,” he muttered, sighing. He walked up to the next prototype and took it into his Clear Sky World. He did the same for the next one. Then he walked up to the main diagram and activated the Space-Time Camera once more, freezing a bubble in space. He filled that bubble with destructive qi that ravaged the entire diagram and the information within it, and sheared it off where the bubble ended. The spatial lock prevented any alarms from going off.
Nodding to himself, Cha Ming walked out of the room with purpose. He left the laboratory, traveled to the main research and development lift, and exited the underground complex. On his way, he painted some runic lines that burned up, sending a message to the Life-Leaching Monarch north of the wall.
Within a few hours, it said. If all went according to plan, he’d use the Clear Sky Staff to shear a giant gash in the wall and open the city up to the horror of spidery demons. He’d do this just as Southern forces were fighting the Taotie, which would be arriving shortly.
Cha Ming was greeted with nods and bows of respect as he left the basement below the workshop. He returned those nods and proceeded to his next destination: the vault.
“Greetings, Grandmaster Pai,” the attendant said.
“Hello there,” Cha Ming said, nodding. “Mind if I head into the vault and take a peek?”
“Not at all,” the attendant said. “Make sure you stop by the quartermaster’s office to check
