On the first night of November, the Central Urban Area of East 824 District seemed no different from any other day, apart from the excessively frequent rumbling explosions in the northern mountain region.
But in times like these, bloody conflicts broke out every few days—between the military and bandits, between one military force and another, and among all kinds of socially active elements. Those who chose to live in or near the Central Urban Area had more or less expected this and had grown accustomed to it.
No matter what, the frequency and intensity of such conflicts were still better than in those lawless places far from the city.
So even when a massive convoy passed through, with security forces deployed at full strength and roads blocked or restricted everywhere, causing enormous traffic jams during the evening rush hour, people merely cursed a few times in their cars or homes... Being able to work and earn money to support their families was good enough. So long as the explosions were not falling on their own heads, who cared who lived or died?
And so, the convoy traveled unimpeded all the way across the Cross-River Bridge.
Executive Officer Wu Xiude sat in the car, expressionless as he watched the Silver White Sword Tower draw closer, as though it had torn open the night sky, along with the dark, square, solemn-looking clusters of buildings. He said nothing. The convoy passed his official residence without stopping and arrived beneath the Silver White Sword Tower, where the headquarters of the Great District High-Energy Center and the Intelligence Management Center were located.
The two directly administered departments symbolizing the absolute authority of the "Reclamation Corps" stood close together, yet a high wall and fence separated them. A small gate had been opened in between, revealing