Parade

That afternoon.

Chen Feng walked out of the martial arts hall and bid Lin Hao farewell.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination.

But he could sense a subtle shift in Lin Hao's attitude toward him.

Unlike the deliberate concealment of before, there was now a quiet closeness that didn't need to be voiced.

"Want me to see you off?"

Lin Hao asked with a smile, gesturing toward the car parked in the lot below the martial arts hall.

Blue, a Flying Speed brand—clearly more expensive than Aunt He's car at the supermarket.

"No need, I'll take the bus."

Chen Feng shook his head. He knew they weren't heading the same way, so there was no point in making a fuss.

"Alright then, take care."

"Sure."

Chen Feng waved, and the two parted ways.

Then, stepping forward, he walked to the bus stop.

At the same time, he saw Wu Tian and Pei Yue driving past in a black Jeep.

Their eyes met briefly through the car windows, but Chen Feng didn't pay it much mind.

He'd never liked wasting too much thought on fools.

"As for the Tian Heng Society people, though."

His gaze flickered as he scanned his surroundings, but he detected no hostility.

The black car that had been tailing him was nowhere to be seen either—it had clearly left long ago.

After a moment of quiet thought, he saw the bus approaching.

Chen Feng didn't delay any further. He quickly boarded, scanned his fare, and found an empty seat by the window.

This was the central district of Nanjiang City.

Tall buildings surrounded him, their glass windows reflecting the dying rays of the sunset, making it look like an ocean of architecture.

Between the intersecting skyscrapers, shopping malls and department stores lined up in neat rows, one after another.

Looking outward, he could see holographic projections floating outside the buildings of certain major brands, like virtual scenes intersecting with reality.

"Technology really is far more advanced than Earth."

Chen Feng glanced around, recalling the discussions he'd overheard at the martial arts hall today.

He'd heard that products like Muscle Enhancement Fluid and Life Elixirs were already on the market, capable of strengthening an ordinary person's physique.

But due to differing policies among the regional Joint Councils, they hadn't officially circulated in Nanjiang City yet.

Only through a few small channels could one get a chance to buy them.

"Still, it seems the martial arts hall itself has items with similar effects."

"They call them secret medicines, usable only for martial arts cultivation."

A trace of curiosity flickered in his eyes as Chen Feng thought of Xu Dongtai, who had lost to him back then.

According to what Lin Hao had privately hinted, the guy had taken secret medicines before—but they were incomplete, with mediocre potency.

As the thought arose, Chen Feng began to form some ideas.

But soon, the bus's sudden stop interrupted his train of thought.

"Beep beep beep!"

"Why are we stuck in traffic again!"

"Whoa, look!"

Horns blared outside, and many passengers inside the bus craned their necks to see.

Chen Feng looked along the flow and soon saw a surprising sight.

At the intersection ahead on the asphalt road, beneath the pedestrian crossing of the traffic lights.

A crowd of dozens had gathered, holding up long banners, blocking the road, and shouting all kinds of slogans.

"Protest! Protest!"

"Protest the Joint Council's regulations! Demand strict gun control!"

"Protest!!!"

The words on the banners caught his eye, and the crowd's shouts reached his ears.

Somewhat surprised—unlike the original body's memories—this was his first time witnessing a so-called mass demonstration.

Most of those holding banners and shouting were young people, along with a few in tattered clothes, clearly middle-aged men who hadn't been dealt a good hand by life.

Suddenly, the road was completely jammed and paralyzed, the surrounding crowd's murmurs growing even more chaotic.

"Rumor has it this is about the recent Gold Store Robbery Case, several people got caught in the crossfire from guns."

"I heard that too, seems like two people didn't make it, one of them a little girl."

"Looks like gun control really needs to be tightened."

Amid the murmurs, most voiced support for the protest.

But clearly, few dared to get out of their cars and join them.

Because within just a few minutes, several Flying Cars could be seen approaching from midair between the high-rises.

Red and blue lights flashing, the Flying Cars a uniform gray-white—it was obvious the Security Bureau had arrived.

Vroom!

A wave of air surged, and under the blast of high-powered wind, the gathered crowd staggered and fell.

Soon, tear gas canisters were thrown from above, instantly suppressing the so-called protest crowd.

"A one-sided rout."

Squinting slightly, Chen Feng silently watched it all.

In less than ten minutes from start to finish, the gathered protesters were fully subdued by the Peacekeepers, some fleeing in disarray, leaving behind a mess of banners and debris.

Finally, the road returned to normal.

Chen Feng sat on the bus, watching a middle-aged man being handcuffed and forced to his knees on the ground.

And coincidentally, the Peacekeeper who subdued him looked somewhat familiar.

"Stay still, don't resist!"

"Hm?"

Cuffing the protesting middle-aged man, Xiang Jianjun suddenly felt A Trace of familiar gaze on him.

Turning his head, the bus slowly pulled away, as if A Figure had withdrawn their stare from him.

"What's wrong, Team Leader Xiang?" the young Peacekeeper beside him asked.

"Nothing."

Shaking his head, Xiang Jianjun didn't dwell on it.

Instead, he looked around at the overturned road barriers and the trampled, dirty banners strewn across the ground.

"It's getting more chaotic by the day."

With a sigh, Xiang Jianjun's tone was melancholy, his face weary.

The young Peacekeeper beside him fell silent, feeling the same.

The Gold Store Robbery Case hadn't been solved, and another one had just erupted.

Protest marches were starting to trend upward again, and the cases of bodies with missing organs were increasing.

The pressure on their Security Bureau was mounting.

"Ah..."

"Ah."

Inside the supermarket, seeing Chen Feng arrive, Aunt He sighed.

"This machine at the door has been acting up all afternoon, didn't make a sound."

Hearing this, Chen Feng paused mid-step.

Only then did he notice the mechanical greeting sound hadn't gone off.

"It's probably broken," Chen Feng said, then walked to the checkout counter and slipped on a red employee vest.

"Does Sister Liu know?"

"She does, but the repairman said he's too busy today and can only come tomorrow."

"Oh." Chen Feng nodded, his expression flat.

Seeing this, Aunt He didn't keep chatting with him; she quickly smiled, waved goodbye, and drove off.

Similarly, Li Hongxia, who had finished cleaning and was ready to hand over her shift, had already changed into her delivery driver's uniform and walked over to the checkout counter.

Beside her stood Xu Yao, carrying a backpack, her shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail.

She wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a cartoon cat pattern on it.

"Xiao Feng, Sister Zhang said she'll be here soon. I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'll head out first."

"Okay, Sister Hongxia, take care."

"Goodbye, Brother Chen Feng."

Xu Yao said softly, still not quite daring to meet Chen Feng's eyes.

At that, Chen Feng gave a slight smile and reached out to gently ruffle her hair.

In a moment, he watched as her ears turned red while she got on the electric scooter, then hurried off with the frantic Li Hongxia.