Chapter Thirty-Nine: Electromagnetic Shielding

"I don't quite understand what you are talking about."

Shen Shenghua's expression remained calm, but Li Fengyin could perceive a genuine ripple of emotion stirring within her. A woman who bore a seven to eight-tenth resemblance to Shen Liangxin—if someone claimed she had no blood relation to Shen Liangxin at all, Li Fengyin simply would not believe it.

However, the most pressing matter at hand was ruling out the threat of the robotic dog explosion.

"By the way," Shen Shenghua asked, "how many robotic dogs are going to attack this banquet?"

"At least one."

That was Li Fengyin's reply.

"I see..."

Shen Shenghua lowered her head slightly in thought, then glanced over at Ains Connor. "If we can pinpoint which robotic dogs those are, we can probably eliminate the danger beforehand. Without a sufficiently convincing reason, Professor Connor and I will find it hard to leave the banquet early."

Li Fengyin fell into a brief contemplation as well, then said, "The attack is scheduled to take place right at 8:00. If the robotic dogs are to detonate, there are basically only two possibilities."

"Which two?"

Shen Shenghua's eyes lit up.

"One is automatic timed detonation, and the other is remote-controlled detonation."

That was Li Fengyin's answer.

"And which one do you think has a higher probability?"

Immediately following, Shen Shenghua posed this question, though Li Fengyin sensed that the other party was probing or perhaps testing him.

"Remote-controlled detonation has a much higher probability."

Shen Shenghua rather agreed with this answer.

If it were timed, it would be extremely difficult to assassinate the target with precision.

The pain in his mind had not yet completely faded. At some point, Li Fengyin's physical condition had deteriorated even further...

The woman beside him quietly walked over to the blonde, white-haired professor and with a few gentle words helped him excuse himself from the conversation. By now, Professor Connor had also approached Li Fengyin's side. "If I leave here, will I still be in danger?"

"Probably."

Li Fengyin nodded and said, "If I were the assassin, I would definitely anticipate this issue as well. In that case, simply placing hazardous items along the inevitable route outside this building would also accomplish the assassination."

"You mean that, relatively speaking, the dance floor inside this grand hall is actually the safer location?"

Ains Connor instantly grasped Li Fengyin's implication.

"Perhaps."

The visions in his mind were so vivid that he could almost feel the shockwave of the robotic dog explosion. Li Fengyin continued, "However, the number of tampered robotic dogs must be limited."

"Yes, that should be the case."

Shen Shenghua softly remarked, "Finding the tampered robotic dogs and taking precautions is probably a good approach."

As she spoke, the woman dressed in a blue-gray cheongsam wandered through the ballroom. Although several people invited her to dance, she gracefully declined them all.

At that moment, the time pointed to 7:51.

There were nine minutes left until the attack.

Soon, Shen Shenghua returned to Professor Connor's side. She murmured softly, "Two of the robotic dogs at the dance floor have been tampered with, but it should be fine now—provided they aren't set for timed detonation."

"Really?"

Professor Connor's expression brightened with relief.

"Yes. I am carrying two electromagnetic shielding devices, which should be able to prevent a remote detonation. Fortunately, I brought them just in time."

Saying this, Shen Shenghua looked at Li Fengyin. "Actually, I am indeed Shen Liangxin's mother, but that is only a past identity. Some matters are not so simple; I need to maintain a different status."

"Very well, I won't tell her."

Li Fengyin nodded. "Then all we need to do now is wait for the banquet to end."

Time ticked away. Pang Wei's steps on the dance floor were no longer erratic; he had synchronized his rhythm with Su Yuxian's, and the two of them slowly moved through the center of the dance floor, unknowingly becoming the focal point of attention.

After all, Su Yuxian was the host of this banquet and the daughter of Su Hai, the richest man in Asia.

Half an hour into the banquet, everyone had gradually settled into the atmosphere. Su Yuxian whispered pointers while adjusting Pang Wei's posture, making everything appear completely natural.

At that very moment, Li Fengyin approached Shen Liangxin's side. "The crisis has been averted."

"Really?"

Shen Liangxin found it somewhat hard to believe. "Professor Connor hasn't left this place, and the robotic dogs are still at the banquet. How was it resolved?"

"Electromagnetic shielding devices. Unless the robotic dogs are set for timed detonation, which is highly unlikely."

With that, Li Fengyin knelt on one knee, extending his hand to invite Shen Liangxin to dance. A slender, fair palm rested in Li Fengyin's hand. With exceptional coordination, as Li Fengyin stood up and took half a step back, they began to move together to the rhythm of the ballroom music.

Meanwhile, four people in the venue kept their eyes fixed on the time. Finally, the clock on the wall pointed to 8:00.

No explosion occurred. Everything remained as usual.

At this point, Li Fengyin, Shen Liangxin, Shen Shenghua, and Professor Connor finally let out a sigh of relief. Yet, it remained unknown whether there were any ambushes lurking outside.

I must admit, this was a worrisome concern.

After finishing their dance, Shen Shenghua and Professor Connor walked step by step toward the place where Su Hai was standing, wine glass in hand, admiring the ballroom.

Truth be told, for Su Hai, this was a rare opportunity to unwind.

"Boss Su, long time no see~"

Shen Shenghua spoke with elegance. Standing before Su Hai, she saw no need to conceal her identity.

"What? Is something the matter?"

Su Hai turned his gaze toward the beautiful woman, though his expression remained indifferent.

"There are two explosive robotic dogs at the banquet."

Shen Shenghua stated. Instantly, Su Hai's expression shifted. "Is there danger?"

"It has already been handled. However, I am concerned that there may still be attacks waiting outside. Could you have your men inspect the entire Anhu Manor?"

Saying this, Shen Shenghua walked away from Su Hai's side. Back then, he had been one of her suitors, but now almost no connection remained between them, especially after she had married the head of the Shen family.

Yet, things had changed, and people were no longer the same.

Su Hai set down his wine glass and walked out of the ballroom alone, presumably to deal with the threat of the attack. Inside the ballroom, the robotic dogs were quietly replaced.

"It should be fine now."

Shen Shenghua said to Ains Connor, "However, we may still face attacks in the future. We must mentally prepare ourselves."

The economist nodded silently, though his expression no longer held any trace of ease.

............

The scene shifted. Night had fallen, and the entire city of Shangbei remained brightly lit. However, a flaming trail streaked across the sky—in truth, it did not originate from the past or the present, but from the future.

At last, the flames vanished, and a machine resembling silver-gray metal landed in a mountain hollow in the southern part of Shangbei. Yet, no one noticed the event, and not even satellites captured it.

A figure emerged from the silver-gray machine. Her eyes were also silver-gray; although possessing a human appearance, she lacked emotion. Perhaps she was a Terminator sent from the future.

What exactly had happened in the future remained unknown to anyone, save for the fact that everything was nearing destruction. Traveling to the past to change everything was the fundamental underlying logic of this Terminator.