Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

"Take another route."

Chu Mengyao's voice rang out in the deathly silent waterway.

She forced down her unease and pointed to another dark side road.

"Go this way, it's a bit roundabout, but it should connect to the main waterway in the East District."

But this time, luck didn't seem to be on their side.

The newly chosen path became narrower and narrower, and the water underfoot grew deeper and deeper.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the group at the front stopped again.

As the torchlight reached out, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

Another wall.

A brand-new wall, built with thick blue bricks and fitting together perfectly, completely blocked their way.

A suppressed commotion began to rise within the ranks.

They had been walking for several hours in this dark and confined environment.

The sweltering, sticky air clung to our faces, mixed with the black smoke from the incompletely burning torches, making our eyes sting and our chests feel tight.

Everyone's nerves were stretched taut like a string about to snap.

……

On the other side, at Chengnan Square.

The night breeze was slightly cool, but it couldn't dispel the sweltering heat of tens of thousands of people gathered here.

Above the dark canopy of the banyan tree, Bai Zhi, dressed in a fiery red dance dress, bit her lip tightly, her palms marked with deep indentations from her fingernails.

She did not follow Lin Moxin's instructions and rested in the courtyard.

Instead, she put on that torturous, stiff leather corset again and, escorted by shadow guards, quietly hid here.

The thing she feared most still happened.

It is now the hour of Xu (7-9 PM).

According to the plan, the series of explosions in the east of the city should have already resounded through the sky by now.

But now, there's nothing.

A deathly silence.

In the square, the initial fervent anticipation was being replaced by impatience at a visible pace.

On the empty blessing platform, only a few lonely lanterns swayed in the wind.

The commotion, like ripples on the water, spread outwards in concentric circles.

"What's going on? Where's the fairy?"

"Yeah, usually they'd be throwing money around by now! Why isn't anything happening today?"

A burly man roared at the top of his lungs:

"I knew it was a lie! They said they'd bestow blessings for seven consecutive days, and they're not coming after only five days? Are they playing us for fools!"

"You bet! I've been feeding mosquitoes here half the night! If they hadn't come soon, I'd have gone home and gone to sleep with my wife!"

A chorus of doubts arose, and some people began to grumble and push their way out, causing the edge of the crowd to loosen.

Bai Zhi's heart sank little by little.

She knew that the crowd's patience was being rapidly exhausted.

Once they realize it's a scam, the crowd that has been painstakingly gathered will immediately disperse.

By then, all of Lin Mo's and the others' hard work will have been in vain!

She glanced at the shadow guards waiting beside her, then at the crowd below that was beginning to descend into chaos.

Can't wait any longer!

Lin Mo, I can't let you fail!

Bai Zhi gritted her teeth and made a decision in her heart.

She made a gesture with all her might toward the shadow guard beside her.

Play the music! Tighten the wire!

She wants to pull people's hearts back from the brink of collapse!

……

Inside the underground water channel.

"Damn it! Another wall!"

Meng Hu could no longer hold back and kicked the solid wall in front of him hard, the sound echoing in the narrow passage.

The torchlight, in despair, illuminated yet another brand-new blue brick wall before them.

This was already the seventh dead end they had encountered.

"What time is it?!"

Meng Hu turned around and roared at the veteran behind him who was in charge of keeping time.

"It's past 7 PM..."

The old soldier's miniature water clock had long since run out of sand, and he answered in a dry voice.

"It's...it's already past 7 PM..."

It’s over.

If we can't find the right exit, tonight's operation will be a complete failure.

"It's all my fault..."

A faint sob came from the corner.

Chu Mengyao leaned against the damp, cold wall, her whole body trembling, her voice broken.

"I... I should have sent someone to investigate beforehand..."

"If I had discovered earlier that the canal had been repaired, things wouldn't be like this now..."

"It's my fault... I messed everything up..."

Chu Mengyao buried her face in her knees, her shoulders heaving violently.

This is not out of fear, nor out of resentment.

Rather, it was a strategist who, upon making a fatal mistake, completely negated himself.

Lin Mo did not speak.

He walked up to Chu Mengyao, squatted down, and silently handed her a water pouch.

But Chu Mengyao seemed not to hear, still immersed in her own world, repeatedly muttering, "It's all my fault."

"Alright."

Lin Mo's voice interrupted his rambling.

"What's the use of crying? Will it make you cry your way through this wall?"

"This isn't your fault; we didn't have enough time to prepare. Who could have imagined they'd renovate the entire sewer system?"

"You're not a god; how can you update the city's blueprints in real time?"

Chu Mengyao raised her head and looked at Lin Mo with teary eyes.

She knew Lin Mo was trying to comfort her, but what good was comforting her?

"Then... what do we do now?"

She looked at Lin Mo helplessly, like a lost child.

"What should we do?"

Lin Mo stood up, walked to the new wall, and tapped it with his knuckles.

A muffled sound came from inside; the walls remained so thick it was almost despairing.

He didn't turn around, but calmly asked:

"Are you sure that if we walk down this road, we'll reach the East Market area?"

Chu Mengyao was stunned for a moment, then vigorously wiped her face.

Force your chaotic brain to start working again, and rapidly rebuild the map in your mind.

"Sure."

Her voice regained some composure.

"According to the old map, there is an upward passage after passing through here, which leads to the entire East City area."

Lin Mo then asked, "How far is it from here to that passage?"

"It's not far off."

Chu Mengyao made an estimate.

"The straight-line distance is at most one kilometer."

Lin Mo nodded, feeling reassured.

He turned around and beckoned to Meng Hu, who was not far away.

"Master Meng, bring us our precious treasure."

Meng Hu was taken aback. "What precious gem?"

"Those are the cylindrical balls we made together this morning. Don't tell me you didn't bring them."

"I brought it, I brought it..."

Meng Hu answered subconsciously, but then, as if he suddenly understood something, his eyes widened instantly.

"You're going to... blow this wall up!?"

Lin Mo snapped his fingers. "Congratulations, you've even managed to answer first now."

"No way!" Meng Hu immediately objected.

"This is right beneath Zhenbei City! If it explodes, it will definitely alert the garrison inside!"

"If they block the entrance to the canal, all three thousand of us will be trapped like turtles in a barrel, and none of us will survive!"

Lin Mo acted as if he hadn't heard him, and simply turned his head to glance at the three thousand soldiers behind him, whose expressions were tense but who remained absolutely silent.

He turned back, looked at the wall in front of him that represented despair, and grinned in an almost insane way.

"I can't think about that anymore. Let's take a gamble, and maybe a bicycle will turn into a motorcycle!"

"If we wait any longer, our painstakingly planned scheme will be ruined!"

As he spoke, Lin Mo spread his hands again and gestured towards Meng Hu.

"Master Meng, don't just stand there."

"Bring me your Italian cannon... no, bring me our detonators!"