North of the mining district, a small bunker crouched atop a hill like a vulture. From its commanding position, it coldly surveyed the chaotic shantytown and the enormous mine below.
At that moment, a near-scream shattered the already tense atmosphere in the bunker's central monitoring room.
"Xiao Ran!!"
The one who cried out was Po Jin, one of the Changchun Association's four leaders.
Usually a formidable figure in his own right, he was now deathly pale, cold sweat beading at his temples. His finger pointed rigidly at the young man on the monitor, standing atop a cash box with a folding fan in hand—Jingqi Pavilion Master.
The room was dim, lit only by the ghostly glow of several enormous monitors. Their light fell on the faces of the people present, all of them looking grim. Aside from the operators manning the monitors, who sat in frightened silence, several figures with imposing auras occupied the room. Every one of them was a core member of the Changchun Association.
Po Jin, a leader of the association, did not even have the standing to take a seat. He could only stand behind and to the side of the main seat, looking especially ill at ease.
The old man in the main seat had just returned from the mining district. A chill still clung to him.
No one knew the old man's real name anymore. They only knew his nickname: Heavenly Machine Craftsman.
In the association, Po Jin and the others addressed him respectfully as Elder Mu.
"Xiao Ran... You mean the man who destroyed both Fifth Hospital and Third Middle School?"
A middle-aged man in brocade robes spoke, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.
The Changchun Association had investigated Xiao Ran more thoroughly than the company had.
They knew the young man had emerged