Before the shockwave struck, the entire workshop had been operating in perfect order. Like a wound-up clock, every department had worked together with smooth, methodical precision, but the instant the alarm sounded, all those tightly coordinated parts seemed to come loose. They spun out of control, worked independently, or simply ground to a halt. 

The crowd scattered in every direction. People collided and trampled over one another as they rushed toward the doors, quickly clogging every entrance and exit. It wasn’t only the apprentices who were panicking. Even the craftsmen had been thrown into disarray. 

The Security Bureau is attacking?

Damn it. This soon?

What are we supposed to do?

Where’s Master Craftsman Jian Yuan?

Where did the Master Craftsman go?

For a time, while the apprentices desperately rushed for the exits, quite a few craftsmen forced their way toward the upper levels instead. 

After the initial shock passed, the chaos spread through the workshop like wildfire, made worse by the explosions erupting one after another throughout the building. An elevator plunged down its shaft amid terrified screams. Fuel tanks exploded, and the electrical systems failed. The power went out, and the lights died. Beneath the dim glow of the emergency lighting, every face was stunned and filled with unease. 

A craftsman in a black robe burst through the doorway, his face twisted with fury as he took in the chaos in the corridor. “Quiet! Quiet! All of you, be quiet! It’s nothing more than a minor tremor! Everyone return to your...