Chapter 184: Eight Hours
Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Eight Hours
The young woman’s eyes welled with tears when she heard this.
In the past, she had always faced danger alone while disarming bombs, so she was used to it.
Besides, if a bomb went off, she would be the only one to die.
She never expected Captain Lin and the others to choose to stay this time.
"Thank you..." the young woman replied in a low voice.
Everyone else had evacuated far away, leaving only the six of them in the vast orphanage.
The bomb was huge and its structure was complex. The young woman, carrying a satchel over her shoulder, put on a silver suit.
The suit was anti-static and blast-resistant, but since she was standing in the bomb’s core area, it was impossible to escape completely unscathed if it exploded.
Losing an arm or a leg would be a normal outcome.
Lin Jingjing and the others put on their suits as well, watching as the young woman opened the bomb’s access panel and squeezed inside.
Their hearts were in their throats.
They hadn’t realized disarming a bomb meant climbing inside the massive metal drum. No wonder bomb disposal was classified as a high-risk profession.
"Can this kid really handle it?" Shi Feng asked worriedly.
The moment he finished speaking, the others each smacked him, making him grimace in pain.
Their hands came at him from all sides, each strike landing with force.
"Hey—what are you guys doing!" Shi Feng growled, but even in his anger, he didn’t dare raise his voice for fear of disturbing the young woman busy at work inside.
"Shut your mouth," Lin Jingjing snapped at him. "You’re a jinx. Don’t say another word until she’s completely disarmed the bomb."
The others were afraid Shi Feng’s jinx-like nature would affect them all; after all, his luck was just that bad.
"Haha..." Shi Feng finally remembered his reputation and stood there, laughing awkwardly while praying inwardly for everything to go smoothly.
The young woman who had climbed inside was named Luo Xiaoying. She was incredibly cute; no one would ever guess her profession was bomb disposal.
Once inside, Luo Xiaoying focused her attention, scanning her surroundings. After locating the core area, she looked up at a spot about three meters high.
She sighed softly. ’How am I supposed to climb up there?’
She would have to go in from the top. Luo Xiaoying climbed back out, and the others immediately rushed over, surprised expressions on their faces.
"Is it done?"
"That was fast!"
"See? I told you she could do it."
"Heh, that’s amazing."
Luo Xiaoying’s cheeks flushed red as she listened to their praise.
Her voice became quiet. "No."
"The core is up high. I can’t climb to it from below," Luo Xiaoying explained.
Ah, so that was the problem. The others nodded quickly.
"We’ll get you up there," Lin Jingjing said, directly using her spiritual power to construct a staircase.
"Let’s go."
Luo Xiaoying stared at the staircase made of spiritual power, her small face, hidden inside her suit, filled with excitement.
She had only ever seen a staircase made of spiritual power on a livestream before.
"Can you really walk on it?" Luo Xiaoying asked, her voice trembling with excitement.
"Yes."
Lin Jingjing then took her hand and led her up. Luo Xiaoying was practically buzzing with excitement.
Once they reached the top, Lin Jingjing used her spiritual power to create a platform for her to stand on.
Luo Xiaoying lay prone on the platform condensed from spiritual power, then took out a small electric saw and cut through the sheet metal on top.
She carefully removed the metal plate, exposing the core within. Luo Xiaoying immediately began to study it.
She pressed her ear against it to listen, then used her hands to prod the components.
After her inspection, Luo Xiaoying had a general idea of what she was dealing with.
She took out her tools and got to work.
The five of them watched Luo Xiaoying with curiosity, wanting to see how she did it.
They held their breath and focused, watching Luo Xiaoying’s nimble hands tinker with various tools.
Mo Xuan, for his part, had never seen any of these tools before, and his eyes were filled with curiosity.
Perhaps due to the intense pressure, a thin layer of sweat beaded on Luo Xiaoying’s forehead.
No one spoke. Meanwhile, their nerve-wracking bomb disposal was being broadcast live online.
Everyone watching online held their breath, though they weren’t even there, as if afraid to disturb the team.
The scrolling comment feed was completely silent; no one was posting anything.
Time ticked by, second by second. Luo Xiaoying was drenched in sweat, looking utterly disheveled.
Yet, she had made no progress in disarming the bomb.
Mo Xuan, watching from the side, frowned and asked softly, "Is it very complex?"
"Yes. After all, if this thing goes off, it could destroy the entire planet. I have to be careful, then more careful, then even more careful," Luo Xiaoying replied. The stray hairs on her forehead were plastered to her skin with sweat, and she looked rather frazzled.
"Plus, the bomb’s construction is incredibly intricate. I need to analyze it for a while before I know where to even begin."
Lin Jingjing glanced at the time. There was still half a day left. "You have eight hours. You should be able to disable it by then, right?" she asked.
Luo Xiaoying shook her head, uncertain. "I don’t know. I-It’s my first time encountering a bomb like this."
"Then you have five hours to disarm it. If you can’t do it by then, our only option is to transport the bomb away."
"It can’t be transported." Luo Xiaoying’s words immediately shot down Lin Jingjing’s plan B. "This bomb can’t be moved."
"Any disturbance will only accelerate its detonation."
’It can’t even be moved!’
That meant disarming it was the only option. But this was Luo Xiaoying’s first time facing such a device, and dismantling it would take time.
’Eight hours... I wonder if that’s enough.’
"Forget it, let’s just get it done!" Shi Feng shouted. "Life and death are up to fate. If the King of hell wants us dead at midnight, we’re not gonna make it to dawn, right?"
"You just keep at it, kid."
Hearing Shi Feng’s crude attempt at reassurance, Luo Xiaoying cracked a smile, and the tension she felt eased considerably.
"Okay." After replying, Luo Xiaoying looked at Lin Jingjing. "Captain Lin, can your spiritual power last that long?"
Lin Jingjing waved her hand. "I’m fine. You just focus on your work."
’A mere eight hours is no problem at all for my spiritual power.’
Luo Xiaoying nodded and threw herself back into her work.
As Luo Xiaoying concentrated, her own spiritual power began to emanate from her, enveloping her in faint wisps of green light.
And as she looked at the bomb’s structure, her eyes seemed to render it in transparent, three-dimensional detail.
The five of them watched this scene unfold, finding it magical. She was radiating a green glow.
It looked almost sacred.
Spurred on by the group’s recent banter and encouragement, people in the comment section gradually started posting again.
[She’s so amazing! She’s glowing green all over. Is that spiritual power?]
[This girl looks so small and frail, but she’s so capable. Awesome!]
[You can do it!]
[Everyone on S12 Star, hang in there!]
[If King Yan wants us dead by dawn, then let’s kick his ass!]