I'm Trapped in the Block

Old Xu’s reasoning was irrefutable.

On one hand were the Shell People, aberrant creatures that had been harassing Oasis City. On the other was the Wishing Spring, which could potentially create a massive crisis for the city. No matter what happened, humanity would benefit.

"Don’t worry. If anything unexpected happens, I’ll terminate the operation immediately," Old Xu said confidently.

Then, he walked forward until he was at the head of the Shell People, having clearly become their leader.

"Brothers, follow me!"

After passing through the winding waterways, the troop of Shell People quickly found a fissure leading to Oasis City’s artificial water channels. Old Xu led them as they surged inside.

"This way!"

Old Xu quickly got his bearings. He navigated the twists and turns of the sewer and arrived before an opening sealed by a large iron gate.

"Oasis City Park is just through this opening."

One of the Shell People stepped forward and grabbed the rusted lock. Shells spread from its hand, covering and instantly crushing the lock.

Li Luo asked in a low voice, "Why are the sewers in Oasis City built so wide? And why is there a dedicated exit?"

"These were originally air-raid facilities. In the past, Oasis City had to deal with many dangerous airborne creatures that attacked frequently. They only started to dwindle after Oasis City developed further."

Old Xu caressed the wall, saying with a hint of nostalgia, "This place was originally designed as an air-raid shelter. It was only converted into an artificial waterway later due to urban development."

’So there was a history like that.’

Just as he spoke, the Shell People pushed the great gate open. It was nighttime outside. Old Xu glanced at the sky and said to the Shell People behind him, "Wait a little longer."

No one had passed by the park entrance for a long time. It seemed that because of the recent earthquake, no one was in the mood for a leisurely stroll in the park.

After waiting for a while, Old Xu issued a command to the Shell People: "Time to attack. Don’t scatter once you’re outside. Follow me!"

He led the Shell People as they snuck out of the opening.

As expected of an old-timer in Oasis City, the path Old Xu chose was exceptionally covert.

First, they circled from the opening into the park’s thickets. From the thickets, they reached the garbage station near the core district, passed through the small alley behind it, and finally stopped at the mouth of an alley beside the plaza.

Along the way, they could still see traces of destruction left by the recent earthquake. Many facilities were damaged and had not yet been repaired.

"There are no surveillance cameras on this route," Old Xu suddenly said to the two of them.

"How do you know?" Li Luo asked, a little surprised.

Old Xu was silent for a moment before saying, without any attempt to hide it, "I planned to blow up the fountain and then use a route without cameras to sneak back home. But I never got around to trying it."

’So that’s how it was. This was definitely something he would do.’

Old Xu stood at the mouth of the alley and observed for a long time before saying to the Shell People behind him, "The plaza is just ahead. Spread out and seal the entire plaza with a shell dome!"

Hearing the command, the Shell People obediently surged toward the plaza.

"Are there no Guards in the plaza?" Li Xiangyi asked, confused, as she looked at the empty square. "Isn’t anyone guarding the fountain?"

Old Xu nodded. "It’s just an ordinary plaza, why would there be any Guards? The fountain isn’t erupting right now; it’s just a regular pool of water."

He pointed at the facilities in the plaza that had been damaged by the earthquake and said, "We just had an earthquake. The Guards have probably all been dispatched to man the outer high walls."

"Squad Three should be in charge of the inner city. They’re responsible for maintaining the city’s facilities during natural disasters in Oasis City, so they don’t have time to be here now."

"The ones who guard the fountain during the wishing event are the officials’ direct soldiers. They don’t normally handle guard duty, they aren’t numerous, and they wouldn’t be loitering around outside right now."

"And don’t even get me started on the other squads..."

Old Xu seemed to be extremely knowledgeable about the deployment of Guards within Oasis City.

"Did you learn all this so you could blow up the fountain?" Li Luo asked.

"Don’t say ’blow up the fountain.’ It’s called ’destruction.’ The destruction of a relic that could cause unknown consequences is one of the duties of the investigation team." Old Xu once again corrected Li Luo’s choice of words.

So Li Luo changed his wording and pressed, "So you learned so much about the Guards’ movements for the sake of ’destroying’ the fountain?"

"That’s right," Old Xu admitted directly, without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

He looked at the scattering Shell People and said to the two of them, "Hurry up and get inside before they seal up the plaza."

With that, he started walking toward the fountain, and the two hurried to follow.

The Shell People were highly efficient. A shell wall quickly rose around the plaza, and it was constantly growing thicker and harder.

"Don’t leave any weak points!"

Old Xu walked a full circle around the perimeter, checking for any defects in the shell wall.

The man who once tried every method to break the dome had now become the commander of its construction.

Back then, the dome was meant to trap the humans in the plaza. Now, it was meant to keep the humans outside the plaza out.

"Seal the top as soon as the perimeter is built! The anomaly here will attract the attention of outsiders soon!" Old Xu urged them on relentlessly, and the Shell People worked hard to produce shells.

They gave it their all, using both their hands and feet, pressing themselves against the shell wall and continuously causing the shells to spread.

Old Xu knocked on the wall, which was steadily growing thicker and harder, and muttered, "This is much harder than the wall that trapped us back then."

Once the foundation at the bottom of the shell wall was established, the base of the wall began to sink roots into the ground, and the top began to curve and extend toward the center of the plaza.

Urged on by Old Xu, the Shell People sped up, and the dome closed rapidly.

"Put your backs into it! Don’t cut corners on the top! The top needs to be just as thick to prevent outsiders from breaking through any weak points."

In that instant, Old Xu was like a true leader of the Shell People, filled with righteous indignation toward outsiders.

’If she didn’t know the inside story, Mo Ling would really think Old Xu was a Shell People "hero," leading his compatriots in some earth-shattering endeavor.’

But alas, it was all just a deception.

Soon, the dome was completely sealed, but Old Xu didn’t let the Shell People stop. Instead, he had them continue to reinforce it.

"It’s not enough! Make it harder! The underground needs to be completely sealed too. Outsiders have ways of getting in from below!"

He even circled it carefully, seeming to use some ability to sense weak points in the wall.

"Excellent! A few of you stay here and continue reinforcing it. The rest of you, follow me to destroy the fountain."

Old Xu shouted again and led the Shell People in a charge toward the fountain.

"Let’s immobilize this spring together! Block up all the rock fissures with shells!"

Old Xu understood this spring perfectly. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

It was a geyser.

Geysers form because high-temperature groundwater vapor rises to the surface through rock fissures. As the temperature drops, it begins to condense into water.

After accumulating for a certain period, the geyser erupts, which is why it’s regular.

Sealing the fissures was equivalent to cutting off the spring at its source.

Old Xu wanted to uproot the problem entirely.