Early the next morning, Marsel City's Energy Tower was already surrounded by the garrison.
At dawn's first light, the soldiers were already lined up in the cold wind, their breath forming frosty mist in the morning light.
They wore heavy winter uniforms, fur-trimd military hats, and the steam rifles in their hands glead with a cold tallic sheen in the morning light.
Everything was prepared according to the highest security standards.
Barriers were set up on every street radiating from the Energy Tower, guarded by fully ard soldiers.
Temporary checkpoints were established at every intersection, with soldiers patrolling every ten steps, with sentries every five steps, not even a mouse could sneak past.
The garrison commander personally inspected each post, his hawk-like eyes missing no details.
When he spotted a young soldier shivering slightly in the cold wind, he imdiately shouted with a hoarse voice, "Everyone stay alert! If the slightest mistake happens today, we'll all be presenting our heads to the Regent!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers straightened their backs, gripping their weapons tightly, knuckles turning white from the pressure.
The gigantic Energy Tower was operating at full power, emitting a low rumble.
The tal pipes on the tower's surface glowed slightly red due to the high temperature, channeling precious heat to the surrounding areas.
The white steam spewing from the top of the tower condensed into fog in the cold air, enveloping the entire area in a veil of haze.
Although this mist added a dreamlike quality to the city, it also posed a significant challenge to security work—the reduced visibility forced the guards to focus even more intently on their respective areas of responsibility.
Around the base of the tower, a dozen engineers were conducting routine inspections.
They wore thick work uniforms, with wrenches and asuring instrunts in their hands gleaming in the morning light.
The chief engineer continually wiped sweat off his forehead, and despite the cold, the high temperature near the core area of the Energy Tower left him drenched in sweat.
From ti to ti, he looked up towards the top of the tower, today's most crucial inspection point.
anwhile, Perfikot was leaving the hotel.
Before she boarded the busy carriage, a garrison officer hurried over, his boots clicking sharply on the ground.
"Regent," he reported, standing upright, "all posts are in place, and a comprehensive survey within the Energy Tower is complete."
Perfikot, draped in a heavy black fur cloak, had heterochromatic eyes that appeared exceptionally sharp in the morning light. "Are the outer periter posts arranged?"
Her voice was as calm as it was cold.
"As per your instructions," Grove quickly replied, "we have stationed guards at twelve strategic high points around the area, each outfitted with the latest communication devices and signal flares."
He paused, then added, "Additionally, your Steam Knight Order is fully geared in the standby area, ready to support at any mont."
Perfikot nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping past the distant Energy Tower.
Although everything was proceeding according to plan, there was no joy in her heart.
If this trap succeeded, many lives would be lost; if it failed, the consequences would be equally unimaginable.
This dilemma tightened her lips into a stiff line.
In an abandoned warehouse two blocks from the Energy Tower, Jiang Bo'Er was observing the outside defenses through the shattered windowpane.
The cold air wafted in through the hole, forcing him to wrap his thin coat around himself tightly.
Beside him, the old Pharmacist Hans was mixing the last vial of potion, the purple liquid shimring eerily in the glass bottle, occasionally emitting a few bubbles.
"They're even more cautious than we imagined," Jiang Bo'Er said in a low, tense voice, slightly hoarse: "There's a checkpoint at every junction, guards on the rooftops, getting through would be like reaching for the sky."
The old Pharmacist, without lifting his head, continued focusing on the potion in his hand.
"The stricter the defense, the easier it is to have blind spots. It's called 'under the lamp, darkness.'" He carefully poured the potion into a special tal container, which imdiately ford a thin frost on its surface.
"Rember, the sewer on the west side of the Energy Tower, that's where the guards are most lax. Just crawl in there, pour this into the Energy Tower's water supply..." the old man's wrinkled hand suddenly clenched, "and you can blow it to the sky."
Jiang Bo'Er took the tal container, instantly feeling an icy chill piercing through his gloves.
The container vibrated slightly in his hand, as if a wild beast was trapped inside.
"Can this really destroy the core of the Energy Tower?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Not destroy," a gleam of madness flashed in the old Pharmacist's eyes, "but overload it! When that Empire Regent reaches the Energy Tower, the whole of Marsel City will witness a splendid fireworks display."
As he spoke, his cracked lips twisted into a terrifying smile.
anwhile, Perfikot's carriage had arrived at the checkpoint near the Energy Tower.
She didn't get off imdiately, instead, she observed the surrounding defenses through the window.
When her gaze swept past a nearby sewer manhole cover, she suddenly asked the officer beside her, "Did you check everywhere? Including the sewers?"
"We've confird that every place has been checked, absolutely no oversight!" the officer answered confidently, but as he noticed Perfikot's gaze still lingering on the manhole cover, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead: "I'll send soone to recheck imdiately!"
At his command, several squads of soldiers began a thorough inspection of the sewers around the Energy Tower.
They lifted each manhole cover, using long probe lights to examine the dark passages.
This commotion stirred quite an uproar, yet it also provided Jiang Bo'Er an opportunity.
Taking advantage of his small stature, he slipped into the sewer system through a hidden inspection port while the guards' attention was diverted.
Inside the drainage pipe, it was dark and damp, forcing Jiang Bo'Er to crawl through the narrow space.
The tal container was tightly bound to his chest with cloth strips, the icy touch seeping through his clothes.
Sewage soaked his pants and boots, the piercing chill making his teeth chatter uncontrollably.
Above, the heavy footsteps and shouts of soldiers could be heard occasionally, each sound risked making his heart leap out of his chest.
A few tis, the beam of the probe light penetrated through the gaps in the drainage cover, illuminating his mud-covered face.
But there was no choice now but to keep crawling forward.
"Hold on a little longer," he silently murmured to himself, images of Renault and other comrades flashing through his mind, "For Renault, for all who have died..."
His fingers grew stiff from the cold, yet he continued to clutch the container at his chest as if it were the last aning in his life.
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