Bewildering Miasma Canopy

After the mechanical mice dispersed, they scattered like grains of sand into the darkness.

They burrowed into the shadows and cracks in the brickwork, taking refuge.

The mining area gradually quieted down.

The lower classes in Taya have no concept of nightlife. Especially for these exhausted miners, once the sun sets and dinner is finished, all that's left is to curl up and wait for the next break from work.

Therefore, it wasn't long before the vast majority of orcs fell into a deep sleep.

Only some managers, such as squad leaders, or those in easy positions like guards, can have more variety in their roles.

But not by much.

The "nighttime" vendors, including the middle-aged woman who runs a small business, quickly packed up and left.

The Clock Hand had just struck 8:30 PM when Su Ming gave the order.

"Let's begin!"

The rear support hall and the entire exterior of the Blackstone Mine are displayed on the main screen.

Centered around a dozen main mine tunnels, numerous piles of rocks, transport tracks, work sheds, and ventilation shafts partially buried in the rock strata are distributed over a considerable area. "Divine Eagle Drone UAV in position, relay signal connected!" the operator reported.

The previously intermittent image became clear instantly, with over a hundred green markers jumping around on the satellite image.

That's when the adorable little mice were awakened.

"Group the mechanical rats into groups of one to twenty, and deploy them according to the designated areas!" the Chihuo commanded.

A large number of operators began to work, controlling the mice to explore in a semi-autonomous manner, with the cursor dragging out a dense network of routes.

Su Ming emphasized the rules to everyone.

"If you are discovered by the orcs, don't hesitate, run!"

"Just run fast, don't worry about arousing suspicion or anything like that."

"We absolutely cannot let them get caught."

"Learn!"

Su Ming turned his gaze to the center of the Blackstone Mining Area.

Unlike the surrounding tranquility, there was a team of over a hundred people working tirelessly. The Chihuo told Su Ming:

"This group came from Cloud Fang City during the day; judging from their movements, they are drawing a magic array."

Su Ming observed the group's movements and trajectory and agreed with this conclusion.

"They may be reinforcing the defenses of the mining area."

"Many of these people are spellcasters; mechanical rats, get around them!"

"Clear!"

****

The first targets for inspection were buildings.

After removing some residential areas and canteens, there are more than 200 suspicious buildings in the Blackstone Mining Area.

The sounds of keyboard clicks and commands mingled together as operators checked the purpose of each building one by one, based on the detection results transmitted back by the mechanical mice.

The surface model on the screen is constantly being updated with new detection information.

Then comes the work of the evaluators. They analyze the footage and sniffing results to identify and rate the targets, using colors ranging from red and yellow to green to represent different levels.

Points that lack tactical value are removed from the sequence.

In the darkness, these mechanical mice scurry about, making them extremely difficult to notice.

"Have you found the explosives depot?" Su Ming asked.

This is what he cares about most.

The allure of instant gratification is irresistible.

"No explosives were found," the Chihuo replied. "But there are five warehouses we can't enter."

These buildings are highly protected, with their exterior walls reinforced with black iron plates, the seams engraved with prohibitions, and guards stationed around them.

The mechanical rat cannot enter.

"Then let's scatter all five of them!" Su Ming said.

So what if they won't let us see?

In any case, what's inside is definitely not ordinary stuff. The assessors quickly marked all five warehouses as Category 1 red targets.

After that, more mechanical rats crawled into the mine tunnels along the Crushed Stone.

They blend into the dimly lit mine, crawling deeper into the corners. At each turn or fork in the road, they release relay beacons to relay signals and ensure uninterrupted communication.

Or perhaps a mechanical mouse could simply take on the role.

The detection network extends in this relay manner, and when necessary, the mechanical mouse can briefly detach from the control and navigate intelligently.

Through this search, dead ends were identified and eliminated one by one. The main tunnels winding deep underground were marked one by one.

Along with the main equipment, key facilities such as the long ventilation system and the vertical shaft hoisting system were also identified and added to the attack list.

****

Time passed.

The planned exploration of most areas has been completed, and the temporary beacons have begun to be retrieved.

Limited by the mechanical rat's capabilities, it could not penetrate areas deeper than 100 meters underground.

But it's okay. (This appears to be a fragment of a website's URL, possibly a typo or incomplete text. A more accurate translation would require the full context.)

The entire entrance tunnel was destroyed, all ventilation equipment was destroyed, and all hoisting shafts and equipment were destroyed, rendering the entire mining area abandoned.

Everyone began to review the selected targets.

At the end of the No. 3 main mine tunnel, there is a stable heat source, presumably a large elevator shaft; at the end of the north slope transport track, there is a large accumulation of black stone dust, and a large piece of equipment is connected to it.

And so on.

Su Ming didn't recognize the equipment, but he recognized the materials that made them up.

"This set, this set, and this set—these are all the most expensive; smash them!" he told the appraiser.

"OK!"

All tasks proceeded smoothly and efficiently.

"Where is the Pansy?" Su Ming asked.

"Arrived at launch position, missile ready, awaiting target data entry," Magelaili reported.

Everything was almost ready. "Phew." The Chihuo exhaled.

"If this continues, half of the Blackstone Mine will be destroyed."

However, in the center of the mining area, the group of array masters continued their work with great enthusiasm.

Su Ming checked the time; it was already 9:30 PM.

"Do orcs curl their hair like this too?" he asked, frowning.

Even if it's 996 (9am-9pm, 6 days a week), it's time to go home!

Su Ming thought to himself, "This is what I'm complaining about."

****

The bell-ringing priest held a magic chain to measure the distance and drove in the core array nails one by one.

The array masters following behind immediately completed the array patterns and adjusted the flow of Magic Power.

The orcs were responsible for the heaviest and most arduous work.

The laborers at the bottom of the line dragged in bundles of wooden stakes and animal bone pillars. Apprentices used carving knives to remove the excess bark and carved talisman grooves into the stakes. At the end of the assembly line was the shaman.

They mixed crushed mist crystals, moss powder, and animal blood into a viscous ink, which they then filled into the patterns to create totems.

Finally, these totem poles were placed around the outer edge of the magic circle, serving as auxiliary and diffusion functions.

As night deepened, the base of the array was completed.

Black nails like stars, totems like a forest.

An elderly elf slowly emerged from the mine tunnel and arrived here.

****

The alarm sounded immediately.

"Important official Abidaqi has appeared!"

"Silence all mechanical mice!" the Chihuo commanded immediately.

But Su Ming was faster.

His data transmission was seamless, allowing him to see the change before anyone else. Almost the instant he realized something was wrong, he switched to the system command prompt, entered the command line, and clicked confirm twice.

The radio waves carrying the instructions spread out, and the mechanical rats distributed throughout the mining area were simultaneously triggered into emergency silence.

Climbing the mine wall, its four claws gripping the cracks in the rock, it forms a patch of shadow; hidden under the tracks, it retracts its tentacles and cameras, pretending to be an innocent part of the sleepers.

The mechanical mice shut down all their active modules, leaving only the core circuitry in minimal standby mode.

Su Ming watched as the green dots on the screen gradually turned gray, and breathed a sigh of relief.

His rapid burst of high-speed maneuvers made him momentarily think he had returned to a game competition before he time-traveled.

"I really miss those times," he thought to himself.

****

Here, Abidaqi was bathed in moonlight.

The surrounding area is a Tranquility mining area.

The Blackstone Mining Area actually operates on a two-shift system, mining day and night. The only ones who get rest are the workers changing shifts, and the system doesn't need to run 26 hours a day.

He looked around; it was pitch black. Something was wrong.

Abidaqi raised his eyelids, and a ring of pale gold lines appeared deep within his cloudy pupils, slowly rotating.

He tapped his staff on the ground.

The sense ripples spread outwards from the tip of the staff, sweeping over the spikes and bone pillars beneath my feet, then across the slag heaps, tracks, sheds, and shafts, seeping outwards in all directions.

Wherever it passed, the flames of the torches shrank slightly, thin lines lit up on the restrictions on the black iron plate, and even the sleeping orcs frowned in their dreams.

It was like an old hand gently stroking across the surface of the entire mining area.

The mechanical mice were all in a minimal standby state, without any movement or fluctuation.

In Abidaqi's perception, they were just cold iron, fragments, and the like, part of the mine as well as the ubiquitous metal components here.

Abidaqi stopped his detection, and the bell-ringing priest immediately stepped forward.

"Sir, is there anything unusual?"

"Perhaps we should awaken the mine's security forces—"

Abidaqi shook his head. "Never mind, I'm probably being too sensitive."

He was very confident in his detection abilities.

****

Abidaqi picked up his staff.

"Start up!"

The array patterns beneath his feet lit up, their lines meandering like living things, slowly wriggling across the ground.

"What style is this?" Su Ming frowned.

This is completely different from the style of magic arrays he has learned and been exposed to since entering Taya.

Even more bizarrely, bells suddenly rang out from the surrounding totems, instantly merging into one.

Su Ming, who was far away in Cloud Fang City, heard the voice directly.

But the ordinary orcs in the mining area seemed oblivious.

The chimes rang out in unison, shaking the night sky. The magic array grew brighter and brighter, and a bluish-gray mist rose from the gaps in its patterns, growing thicker and thicker until it shot into the sky.

Su Ming immediately grabbed the tablet and rushed out of the room.

"What happens?"

Yise sensed the commotion and ran out.

Jinxiu followed behind her.

Su Ming didn't answer. He went up to the third-floor terrace and looked towards the north side where the Blackstone Mine was located.

The two humans and the fairy were all stunned.

Under the pale moonlight, a large plume of mist rose from the horizon, spreading upwards to form a giant column of fog.

These fogs rose to an altitude of about two thousand meters and began to spread horizontally.

It resembles a giant, flat mushroom cap.

The "mushroom cap" first resembled a thin veil, then surged layer upon layer until it covered the sky and the moon.

The bells rang out loudly, the canopy of the sky unfolded, and slowly began to rotate. The entire Blackstone Mine was now hidden beneath it.

Not only Su Ming, but also throughout Cloud Fang City, large numbers of orcs flocked to the windows and even onto the streets, looking at the dramatic changes on the horizon with some panic.

Do not be alarmed!

A high-ranking official from the Plundering Clock cast a megaphone spell in the city to announce something.

"This is a miracle bestowed by our God, Jörmungandr, the ' Bewildering Miasma Canopy '!"

"May you be protected from evil spirits!"

Large groups of orcs knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the "Bewildering Miasma Canopy." Fear was quickly transformed into fervor by the tolling of the bells, and prayers filled the streets.

Su Ming and Yise took a step back, retreating from the terrace back into the attic's shelter.

****

On the screen in the support lobby.

When the "Bewildering Miasma Canopy" unfolded, the entire Blackstone Mining Area turned black.

But it didn't actually "turn black." What they saw was actually a composite image generated by radar scans across multiple bands.

Since no probe echoes are being received, the screen naturally goes black.

The technicians quickly switched frequencies and changed work modes repeatedly, but ultimately shook their heads.

"Signals from extremely high frequencies to mid-frequency bands have all been blocked."

The drone's camera was also obscured by the fog, making it impossible to see the ground clearly.

The support team's ability to gather battlefield information was cut off.

When the Su Ming occurred, the tablet's communication signal was lost.

However, the skies above Cloud Fang City were not obscured.

Su Ming immediately adjusted the dish-shaped antenna in the yard, pointing it towards another satellite to the south.

The signal was restored immediately.

Su Ming glanced at the "Bewildering Miasma Canopy" above the Blackstone Mine. It had only partially obscured the view, and he could still switch channels to avoid it.

But what if this thing completely enveloped the sky above Cloud Fang City?

After communication with Su Ming was restored, everyone worked hard to restore the remaining links and continued to test the characteristics of the "Bewildering Miasma Canopy".

"It's like a black hole of radio waves," Fengshou sighed.

"Looks like this is a surprise Eden has prepared for us," Su Ming said.

"Such a powerful magical civilization, targeting Earth from the shadows for so long, couldn't have been doing nothing," Jin Rongjia said. "This is the situation we feared most."

He left something unsaid: Fortunately, these were discovered in Taya.

After all, we are currently in a joint operations situation.

The current situation is clearly due to the fact that, after the conflict with the Taya Allied Forces intensified, Eden began to devote all the technology and resources it had prepared for invading Earth to Taya.

Some of these were originally enemies that Earth had to confront.

The Chihuo came to the same conclusion and remained silent.

It's naturally better to have war raging in someone else's home than in your own.

This idea can be considered, but not spoken aloud. "The level of aid to Taya and the priority of this matter need to be further increased!" he said to Jin Rongjia.

The latter nodded.

Eden developed the "Zero Point" spell, a technology to suppress nuclear weapons, and magical technology to suppress radio waves; clearly, they didn't come with flowers and love.

This is an enemy sharpening its knives at Earth, greedily drooling over it!

****

A new situation has arisen.

"Abidaqi has left the mining area!" the monitoring personnel reported.

Abidaqi led a group of array masters, flying in a grand procession towards the Cloud Fang Royal Palace.

As they left the "Bewildering Miasma Canopy" cover area, their figures were simultaneously captured by satellites and temple drones.

A string of bright targets appeared at the edge of the screen, like a school of fish swimming out of the darkness.

"These guys are finally off work!"

Su Ming gritted his teeth and said, "Because the Blackstone Mine is on the other side of the city, Abidaqi and his group's route will not pass by the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater."

Su Ming and Yise were not worried about being exposed.

"Immediately calculate the accuracy of the satellite-guided missile attack!"

Su Ming gave orders to the support team.

The technicians quickly began the simulation.

Using satellite positioning information, the missile navigated to the airspace above the Blackstone Mine. After passing through the "Bewildering Miasma Canopy," it switched to terrain recognition and headed towards its predetermined target.

The results came back quickly; the CEP was approximately 5 meters.

"Half of the missiles are capable of hitting targets within a 5-meter radius," the fire control technicians reported.

Su Ming shook his head solemnly; this wouldn't meet his needs.

Many of the buildings they were to demolish required precise drilling into their weak points.

Even more deadly was the attack on the tunnels.

The missile must fly to a certain depth inside the tunnel before detonating. Without navigation accuracy within one meter, executing this tactic is out of the question. "According to the original plan, the terminal guidance was provided by the mechanical rat's beacon?" Su Ming asked.

The original plan was for the mechanical rat to provide positioning signals for the missile.

On one hand, this is the most precise guidance method, with extremely high attack accuracy. On the other hand, it also destroys the rats along with it, erasing all traces of this intrusion and reconnaissance.

Fengshou shook his head.

"The missile's terminal velocity is five times the speed of sound."

"After passing under the ' Bewildering Miasma Canopy,' you'll land in less than a second."

"At this time, there is no guarantee that the missile's system will be able to detect the guidance signal and complete the impact correction."

Su Ming's expression grew even more serious.

Those mechanical rats are now hiding in the mining area.

I'm not without worry tonight, but once the orcs start their shift change at dawn and the entire surface production line in the mining area is fully operational, their exposure risks will increase dramatically.

Moreover, the unmanned robotic mice are powered by batteries, and some mice with heavy workloads have already run out of power.

Now, not only can these rats not be withdrawn, but they might not even last until tomorrow night. The die is cast; they have no choice but to be cast!

Su Ming made up his mind.

"Pansy, immediately replace it with cruise missiles!"

"Initiate the attack!"

"Yes!" Magelaili replied.