Chapter 1219: 386. A sitting duck

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Noland Lee chose the direction of the train’s head, and Nolin advanced towards the tail.

After ten minutes, it was Nolin who relayed the first piece of news.

“Sir, this place seems to be the Death Steel Legion’s barracks.”

Noland Lee cast “Mind View” towards Nolin, using magic to see through her perspective.

Within view was the basement level of a large shopping mall, where the display cases of the shops had all been dismantled, and row upon row of Death Steel Soldiers stood still as statues.

...

The entire basement floor was densely packed with Death Steel Soldiers, far too many to count at a glance.

“Do not disturb them, keep moving forward,” Noland Lee said.

Nolin operated the Mechanos to return to the subway and head for the next station.

After a while, Noland Lee realized there was no railway ahead; the station where the train had stopped was actually the terminal station.

He retraced his steps, passing the train again to rendezvous with the Mechanos controlled by Nolin.

Just then, Nolin had already reached the third station.

“Sir, this place resembles a factory.”

“A factory?”

“Yes, that’s right.” There was a hint of surprise in Nolin’s tone:

“Aren’t you looking for anti-demon materials? I see many Death Steel Soldiers placing a kind of black metal material on the conveyor belt, this might just be the anti-demon material.”

Noland Lee hastened his pace, while observing through “Mind View” the scene Nolin was describing.

Just as Nolin had said, the place was definitely a military factory.

Emerging from the subway platform, an expansive underground space greeted him, filled with conveyor belts, mechanical arms, metal pipes, and orderly Death Steel Soldiers.

Noland Lee targeted the black metal material on the conveyor belt with Deconstruction and then broke into a grin.

Heh, what a coincidence.

It indeed was anti-demon material, and of excellent quality at that.

Noland Lee looked at the Death Steel Soldiers handling the anti-demon material, his gaze following them as they entered a doorway at the edge of the underground space.

That must be where the anti-demon materials were stored.

In a short span of time, several plans to steal the anti-demon materials converged in Noland Lee’s mind.

Before he could weigh the pros and cons of each plan, several figures that didn’t fit with the Death Steel Soldiers appeared in his magic vision.

They were a group of people dressed in wizard robes, with hoods and masks as their standard equipment.

Unobstructed, the group entered the factory and brazenly performed spells in front of the Death Steel Soldiers, fluttering above the conveyor belts in light flight patterns.

They scattered and placed hidden spell marks in corners throughout the factory; the purpose of these marks was unclear, possibly for monitoring the work of the Death Steel Soldiers.

After placing the spells marks, they swarmed into the warehouse where the anti-demon materials were stored, up to something unknown.

By the time Noland Lee arrived, the group of wizards had exited the warehouse, left the factory, entered the platform, and took flight along the railway toward the next station. noveldrama

Throughout the entire process, all the wizards remained silent, cooperating tacitly.

Nolin speculated that this group might possess a means of communication similar to “Mind Induction,” which accounted for their silence.

Noland Lee used Deconstruction to scan the strangely behaving wizards, confirming Nolin’s guess with his Deconstruction Results.

“Hmm, you’re right, a wizard team with such a modus operandi would certainly use a secretive way to communicate.”

Noland Lee nodded calmly, saying:

“They must be Metal System Wizards, either from the Horale Gathering or members of the Glowing Gold Society… hold on, let me think about what to do next.”

Nolin quietly waited on the side with the controlled Mechanos.

Noland Lee carefully read through the Deconstruction Results in his mind.

The group of wizards he had seen were indeed Metal System Wizards, a total of ten people, all from the Glowing Gold Society, with the least of them being Seven-Ring and all Combat Wizards.

They were completely unaffected by the Annihilation Field and could use spells normally.

First, they placed spell marks within the factory, then entered the warehouse and tampered with several dozen anti-demon metal ingots. Their goal was to catch the thief who had stolen the Soul Gem.

The Metal Ancestral Dragon Talsale had surmised that the thief who had stolen the Soul Gem would definitely come to steal the anti-demon materials, and it was all machinations of the White Ancestral Dragon.

“`

And in the mind of Talsale, the imagined thief…

After Noland Lee read the Deconstruction Results, a smile broke out upon his face—the Assassin Angel had actually managed to mislead Talsale.

Talsale had always thought it was the Shadow Executioner who stole the Soul Gem, not the Assassin Angel.

All those Spell Marks set up inside the Factory, as well as the Anti-Demon Metal Ingots used in the Magic Traps, were all targeted against shadow energy.

Noland Lee could now stride into it with ease, relying on the “Veil of Different Worlds (Imitation)” to steal the anti-demon materials without triggering any Spell Marks and Magic Traps.

Furthermore, with the Deconstruction Results already in hand, he could completely avoid problematic Anti-Demon Metal Ingots.

Wouldn’t that mean the goal of this journey was achieved?

“Isn’t this a bit too easy…”

Noland Lee scratched his head, always suspecting that there was a catch, and a malicious one at that.

“No, no, I need to be more cautious, there’s surely some danger I haven’t spotted yet.”

Noland Lee instructed Nolin to remain alert, while he himself fully immersed in observing the Factory.

Conveyer belts, Mechanical Arms, Death Steel Soldiers, and the like—everything appearing in the Factory was checked by Noland Lee with the Deconstruction Technique.

Everything was fine.

But the worry in Noland Lee’s heart did not diminish in the slightest.

He kept scrutinizing everything inside the Factory, over and over, until a Train arrived on the Platform and he stopped.

The group that went off to check the Root Server came back and now joined the production work in the Factory.

When Noland Lee looked at them, a sudden inspiration led him to cast Deconstruction on the Subway Train’s Carriage!

“Hiss, could Talsale be this cunning?!”

Noland Lee couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

In the 20 Carriages of the Train, 3 were controlled by Talsale, containing a very small fraction of the Metallic Ancestor Dragon’s willpower.

Noland Lee shifted his gaze, deconstructing the Factory’s walls, Floor, Ceiling, and even the Door Frames one by one.

Ordinarily, such things would definitely not be objects of Noland Lee’s Deconstruction, because they were too ordinary.

But now, Noland Lee found with a grave expression that the entire Factory had seemingly turned into the “belly” of the Metallic Ancestor Dragon!

All the walls were controlled by Talsale, forming a surrounding trap inviting the guest into the jar.

Should there be the slightest anomaly with the Anti-Demon Material in the Warehouse, the entire Factory would instantly become a Cage trapping the thief.

Inside the Cage, the Death Steel Soldiers would burst out like a deluge of ferocious beasts, combining forces with Talsale to tear the thief to shreds.

Noland Lee had no confidence in facing so many enemies head-on, especially with at least ten Seven-Ring Combat Wizards of the Metal System in this Underground Space.

Without further thought, Noland Lee knew this was a deathtrap specifically designed for the thief.

No matter if the thief was indeed the Shadow Executioner or not, escape was impossible.

“Retreat, Nolin. Let’s leave this place for now,” Noland Lee said.

Seeing Noland Lee’s seriousness, Nolin did not question but maneuvered the Mechanos to protect and slowly retreat with Noland Lee.

Under Noland Lee’s lead, the two avoided the Train, passed through the Platform, and made their way back along the tracks to the Urban Area where the Root Server was located.

Once Noland Lee was back on Ground Level, he deconstructed every object big and small, from skyscrapers to lamp posts and street signs.

Fine, fine, fine, a real fine job by the Metallic Ancestor Dragon, playing it like this.

Talsale really doesn’t shy away from hard work.

Within the Urban Area, everything related to metal had abnormalities, all becoming objects under the control of the Metallic Ancestor Dragon.

All of this happened after Noland Lee entered the Subway, clearly indicating that the Metallic Ancestor Dragon and the group of Metal Series Wizards had just arrived here as well.

Good thing Noland Lee had always been cautious, ah no, meticulous, always using the “Veil of Different Worlds (Imitation)” to protect himself and the Mechanos, or else he would have been discovered by Talsale long ago.

“No, I can’t steal the Anti-Demon Material in this situation; wouldn’t that be like walking into a trap?”

Noland Lee withdrew the Mechanos around him and flew toward the Transparent Barrier encircling the Urban Area, slipping through a small hole in the Barrier to the outside.

Gazing at the lifeless Urban Area, he felt the malice and cunning hidden within.

“I need to find a way to stir the waters, then I might find the opportunity to steal the Anti-Demon Material…”