Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Solution

Shen Hao could tell that Wu Changhe’s expression was very unpleasant, and he also knew that his last words had been a bit presumptuous; but in the end, he still chose to say them. As for whether Wu Changhe would listen, that was out of his hands.

Afterwards, Shen Hao went to seek out the newly arrived Array Master. This person had arrived together with Wu Changhe, also transferred from the Governor’s Office, with a title even higher than Shen Hao’s—a Deputy Thousand Households of Junior Fifth Grade.

He asked Yang Ming about the other’s name, and after knowing, Shen Hao went looking for him.

This Array Master was not at the frontlines; he had retreated quite far, even half a li beyond the thirty-li blockade line of the Garrison.

When Shen Hao found him, he saw the man crouched on the ground, drawing lines with a tree branch, seemingly sketching out some kind of complicated pattern.

Shen Hao waited by the side for a while, saw the other deep in thought, and finally erase all the strange drawings on the ground. Judging from his expression, he must have come out of his reverie.

"I am Shen Hao, Hundred Households of the Black Banner Battalion in Fengri City, greeting you, sir." Shen Hao seized the opportunity to formally introduce himself.

This Array Master was called Luo Rencheng, and not only was he well-renowned as an Array Master in Jingxi, he was also famed across the entire Dynasty. Under special circumstances like these, otherwise the Governor’s Office wouldn’t have transferred him here.

"Oh? So you’re Shen Hao? I’ve seen your name in official bulletins before. What—has your Black Banner Battalion taken over this case?"

"No, no, the Black Banner Battalion is just here to fill in the gaps, there’s no conflict with Households Commander Wu’s operation. Have you found an approach?" Shen Hao, though unable to decipher what Luo Rencheng had just drawn, could still guess he was studying the restriction array up ahead.

Luo Rencheng looked at the ground, the smile vanishing quickly from his face, shaking his head: "I went to inspect up ahead when I arrived. The restriction array is hidden and camouflaged in a very unique way—it’s concealed using the surrounding real environment, making it hard to detect, but it can’t escape the eyes of an expert. And on first glance, it does not look that hard to break." freeweɓnøvel.com

Shen Hao listened attentively, and indeed, as Luo Rencheng said, before the chaos last night, that restriction array had already been seventy percent dismantled.

"But the ’simplicity’ of it is actually a trap left by the one who set it up. If you follow the most obvious pattern to unravel the restriction array, once a certain threshold is reached, a rebound mechanism will be triggered—the whole array will reset itself back to the original state, and all unsuspecting intruders will be caught inside.

I tried deconstructing it just now and found many dead loops in it. To disassemble it down to the crucial part and collapse the whole array is extremely difficult—at least with my ability, it’s impossible in a short time. It’s too complex; too many variables."

Luo Rencheng tried to make his explanation straightforward, and Shen Hao more or less understood him.

"So what’s your suggestion?"

"The fastest way is direct force—use outside power to drain the energy of the restriction array, and when its energy is exhausted, the restriction will collapse."

"External force?"

"Yes." Luo Rencheng tapped the ground with the branch in his hand and drew a circle, then continued, "This is the restriction array up ahead. It’s a sealed sphere with no dead angles in any direction. However, the surface of the sphere can’t possibly be constructed in perfect balance—there must be protrusions, or ’weak points,’ you could call it. Target these weak points with powerful mana strikes to maximize energy depletion of the array..."

To put it plainly: just blow it up by brute force.

"However, detecting each weak point will take some time. I estimate that by tomorrow morning, it should be done."

"Can’t it go any faster?" Shen Hao felt this still took too long.

Luo Rencheng laughed, "Oh, it can be faster—just get me a Cultivator at Profound Sea Realm, even First Layer would do. Have them bombard any weak point with full strength a few times, and the restriction would break open right away. Why don’t you go find one and try?"

Profound... Profound Sea Realm?!

Shen Hao’s mind raced: After Qi Refining Realm is Gathering Spirit Realm, then Primordial Pill Realm, and only then Profound Sea Realm...

"You must be joking. By the way, do you think those trapped in the array still have a good chance of survival?"

"That’s hard to say. According to intelligence sent to the Governor’s Office by previous Array Masters, the restriction holds both Illusion, Trapping, and Killing Arrays. If they were lucky to be swept into the Trapping Array, they might scrape by for now. If unlucky and fell into the Killing Array, it’s a slim chance of survival. There’s no point worrying right now—just wait until tomorrow when the array is broken."

Luo Rencheng waved his hand, saying what needed to be said and no more.

Shen Hao cupped his fists in farewell, feeling a bit heavy-hearted.

Back outside the blockade, Wang Yiming had already ordered camp to be set up three li further back. The encampment was right next to the Garrison barracks from Fengri City, who had arrived earlier.

"Haha, Shen, I didn’t expect to run into you here, what are the odds!"

Just as he reached the tent, he saw Zhang and Gan arriving together, faces full of smiles.

"Greetings, gentlemen." Shen Hao smiled and greeted them, entering the tent together.

Though it was the wilderness, there was still tea. Wang Yiming personally served them tea before withdrawing. As soon as he left, Zhang and Gan started probing Shen Hao.

"Shen, are you here to keep an eye on Wu Changhe?"

Shen Hao shook his head, "How could that be? I’m here to investigate. By the way, since you two arrived first, have you found anything?"

"Found my ass. We’re not here to solve the case—we’re making sure the garrison here doesn’t get ordered around by your Xuanqing Guard to play scapegoat. Wu Changhe’s a real bastard, but with us here, we won’t let him pull those tricks."

No wonder the Garrison soldiers were so stiff when entering the blockade before—it must be because these two had warned them in advance.

Still, Shen Hao didn’t believe Zhang Qian’s answer, so he laughed and asked, "Come now, Brother Zhang, don’t play dumb. You and Brother Gan are both military commanders—first time somewhere new, there’s no way you’d be blind to everything. You must have sent scouts out, right? Haven’t you got any news back yet?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Gan Lin curled his lip and exchanged glances with Zhang Qian, both silently admitting that Shen Hao was just as sharp as ever.

"Honestly, it’s nothing much. As per military routine, whenever we reach a new area, we’ll find some local guides—check out the roads, population, geography, get a basic understanding. If you want, I’ll have someone bring the guides to you." Gan Lin stated outright to avoid Shen Hao inquiring again.

"But Shen, I heard the array will be broken by tomorrow, so what’s the rush? Once the array is down, you can just go inside and see everything for yourself."

Shen Hao replied, "That may be, but I still feel this is no simple matter. How does a big restriction array just appear out of nowhere in the middle of a village? And I have to write a report later, so any investigation I can do in advance won’t be wasted effort."