For many people, that week in East 824 District felt long.
The effects of the Extraordinary Solar Cycle were immediate. With the Silver White Sword Tower toppled and rebuilding proving difficult, the Abyss Zone Monitoring System had reportedly developed a major gap over East 824 District. Intense radiation that would once have been absorbed in advance now poured down unchecked.
Disrupted communications were the least of it. Cybernetic devices installed in people's bodies malfunctioned, leaving tens of thousands across the city struggling to walk. Work and daily life suffered badly. That was the official account, and the formal document sent to Tang Li said much the same thing. Its purpose was obvious.
But Tang Li stood firm. He refused to let go of the Giantwood Consortium's illegal collaboration with the Lost Kingdom and demanded a clear explanation.
The case had already been opened. What did procedure and permits have to do with him?
Anyone could see that the huge contract to build, launch, and maintain this round of Temporary Abyss Zone Monitoring Equipment had slipped through the Giantwood Consortium's fingers.
Tang Li had made a deadly enemy in the Twelve Great Districts. He seemed not to care. He had been due to return on Sunday, but his modified body had not responded as expected, so he kept postponing the trip.
What could anyone do to him?
If they wanted to question him, they could try having half their body blown apart first.
The affair had also made Tang Li something of a name among the Twelve Great Districts' upper ranks, including the top business circles competing with the Giantwood Consortium. More than a few business magnates had heard about the reckless Sub-District Director at the Twelve Great Districts High-Energy Center who had stuck out one mantis leg and sent the