Chapter 146: A New Plan

"Heh heh heh heh, you asked for it." The laughter from behind the mask sent a chill down their spines.

"You idiot! No!" Mo Shu roared at a volume that seemed capable of shattering the office glass, but it was completely drowned out by a deafening roar.

In an instant, the world seemed to collapse, accompanied by endless wailing. Roaring flames reflected blood-red in people's pupils, and severed limbs tumbled amidst the billowing black smoke.

Because of a single provocation, nearly a hundred lives were snuffed out in a split second. Such a heinous and merciless act left everyone too terrified to utter another word.

"Hmph, you never give up until you see the Yellow River," Crown Annihilator sneered, continuing, "From now until tomorrow, no one is allowed to leave this venue, or you will share their fate! Don't even harbor any delusions of trying to escape; the entire racing grounds have been completely sealed off by my subordinates! However, please believe me, I am only doing this out of necessity so that you can all feast your eyes. Tomorrow, you will witness how I deal with those so-called champion drivers one by one. At the same time, I assure you all, the world of professional racing is about to turn a brand new page!"

Accompanied by a fit of heart-wrenching, wild laughter, the face of everyone present turned ashen and grim.

Children buried their heads in their mothers' chests, and men trembled, their lips moving with rage they dared not voice.

This was perhaps the largest scale of unlawful detention in the history of Nanshan. Nearly ten thousand people were trapped atop the summit of Cloud Peak, where their cries to heaven and earth went unanswered.

Telephones, internet, and other signals were completely cut off, presumably due to large-scale jamming equipment installed nearby.

Fortunately, the electricity and water facilities were operating normally, otherwise the torment of this night would have been doubled.

Crown Annihilator did not resort to even harsher measures, likely because his manpower was insufficient to manage a crowd of ten thousand.

Seeing that the chaos at the scene had somewhat subsided, Mo Shu and Wang Yu dispatched all available personnel to comfort and look after the audience.

The elderly, children, women, and infants were given priority to enter the freely opened private suites to rest first. Meanwhile, some of the able-bodied men were summoned in front of the organizing committee's office building.

"I am terribly sorry. Due to our negligence, we let a bad guy into the venue." Mo Shu distributed the meager rations and drinks, apologizing repeatedly to the people.

"God Mo, don't blame yourself. Blame our terrible luck."

"Weren't you trapped here too? We are all in the same boat, so there's no need to apologize."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, God Mo. We all came here voluntarily to watch the race, you didn't force us. It's just that Crown Annihilator is a downright psychotic monster."

Although most of the men were terrified, they tried their best to show understanding toward Mo Shu.

Mo Shu bowed deeply to the crowd, his eyes moistening as he whispered, "Brothers, thank you so much. But your humble servant has one more favor to ask, and I hope you can trust me, Mo Shu, just this once."

"No problem, God Mo, do you have a good plan?"

"Rest assured, just tell us what to do and we'll follow."

Seeing the men nod one after another, Mo Shu felt a surge of comfort.

"Here is the thing. We are going to head up to the roof in a moment, and I need everyone's help to adjust the orientation of that antenna." Mo Shu raised a hand and pointed upward, where a large satellite receiving dish came into everyone's view.

"No problem, piece of cake."

"There is a problem. That antenna looks extremely heavy, can a few of us handle it?"

"Who knows? We can only try. But isn't that thing supposed to be electrically adjustable?"

"It originally was, but Crown Annihilator must have tampered with it; the electronic function is already dead." Mo Shu had tested it himself just a moment ago, otherwise he wouldn't have summoned so many strong men.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Lead the way, God Mo!"

A large group of people marched imposingly toward the roof, while Wang Yu followed closely behind, utterly baffled.

"Mo Shu, can you share your plan with me?" Wang Yu asked, full of doubt.

"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing." Mo Shu seemed reluctant to reveal the details.

"Please, my God Mo, at such a critical moment, you cannot afford to act on your own authority again," Wang Yu said anxiously.

Mo Shu was silent for a moment, let out a deep breath, and said in a resolute tone, "Old Wang, do you remember my 'Insight Mechanics' skill? I checked just now, every single car brought by Crown Annihilator is rigged with explosives and remote detonation devices. Furthermore, Crown Annihilator has also planted remote-controlled explosives of various sizes in the foundation interlayers of the entire racing ground."

"Damn it! No wonder he was able to selectively detonate a specific area of the spectator stands just now," Wang Yu said, a wave of dread washing over him.

"Fortunately, all the explosives rely on remote activation, so I’ve made a decision: to fight fire with fire. Since Crown Annihilator can jam our communication equipment, I will also make all of his remote-controlled explosives fail," Mo Shu said, growing increasingly excited.

"That's a fantastic idea, but do you have a way to pull it off?"

"Of course I do. That's why I need that satellite antenna. That thing can be used as a signal amplifier. As long as the position is adjusted properly and aimed at the center of the racing ground, I have a way to make all electronic equipment completely malfunction," Mo Shu said with certainty.

"Oh, I see! You want to amplify your Spirit Ring's EMP skill?" Wang Yu exclaimed in sudden realization. "But is your skill level high enough?"

"Not yet, but I should be able to figure something out. Trust me this once!" Confidence was written all over Mo Shu's face.

"Alright, then you must be careful," Wang Yu said, looking at Mo Shu with concern.

"Don't worry." Mo Shu gently patted Wang Yu's shoulder and smiled calmly.

Yet for some reason, Wang Yu always felt that something was amiss. Why did Mo Shu's smile just now seem to carry a deeper meaning?

Pondering for a long time without any answers, Wang Yu could only hope he was just overthinking things.

...

On the roof of the organizing committee building, Mo Shu was guiding the crowd in adjusting the satellite antenna.

From a distance, the antenna didn't look very large, but upon walking right up to it, people realized that this "giant wok" was a full twenty square meters in size.

To avoid alerting Crown Annihilator, the strong men exerted every ounce of their strength, yet dared not make a single sound of exertion, leaving their faces red and veins bulging.

Fortunately, many hands make light work. With a combination of prying and wrenching, the group finally adjusted the antenna to the position Mo Shu desired.

Mo Shu pressed his palms together to express his gratitude once more, and as they were about to part ways, he called everyone back.

"Please pass this message to as many people as possible. If you see three red signal flares ascending into the sky tomorrow, it means the time to retreat has come. When that moment arrives, be fast! By whatever means necessary, use your utmost speed to evacuate this place!" Mo Shu instructed earnestly.

"Got it, understood!"

"We'll wait for your signal!"

"Don't worry, God Mo. As soon as we go downstairs, we'll pass this message along to everyone one by one."

"Great! Let's work hard together! Wish us luck!" Mo Shu nodded firmly, clenched his fists, and fist-bumped the men in solidarity.