Parade

The unrest among the Mutated Creatures soon passed.

But the chaos the Rebel Army brought to the people went far beyond that.

In just half a month, Xu Qing had heard of more than one incident of chaos caused by the Rebel Army.

As for how the Rebel Army could stir up so much trouble under the watch of an Alliance this powerful, Xu Qing believed it had much to do with the Alliance Government's usual laxness.

It was precisely because of the many conflicts and flaws that had accumulated over time

that they all erupted at once after the Rebel Army arrived, leading to the current chaos.

One week after the Silver Moon Wolf attack.

The time for the mission issued by Gongsun Jin had finally arrived.

Xu Qing had originally only intended to make money and build connections, but now he was far more proactive.

Early that morning, Xu Qing packed all his equipment and drove to 0125 County.

0125 County lay east of the 0122 County where Xu Qing lived. Close to the Ancient Qin Mountain Range, it was an old-fashioned mountain town.

Because it was near the mountain range, it had also been one of the cities most severely damaged during the Great Cataclysm.

Only many years after the catastrophe

did humanity begin rebuilding this mountain town, gathering Mutated Plants from the nearby mountain forests and raising Mutated Creatures to produce Gene Potions.

Therefore, 0125 County's related industries were extremely important to 0119 Base City.

And Xu Qing's mission target was one of the people in charge of the Alliance's related industries here.

By the time Xu Qing arrived in the county, it was already noon.

He first found a place to eat a simple lunch.

Only afterward did he wander around near the location described in the mission intelligence.

As it happened, the county's residents were holding a demonstration that day.

The demonstration had been organized by an environmental protection group.

They were protesting the Alliance Government's excessive development of the nearby mountain forests, excessive hunting of Mutated Creatures, and excessive harvesting of Mutated Plants.

In just over an hour, Xu Qing saw three groups of demonstrators converge toward the county center.

There were more than a thousand people in total.

However, the demonstrators were quite restrained. People merely shouted slogans, and no one vented their emotions recklessly.

Everything looked perfectly normal.

But

just as the demonstration was drawing to a close, some "leaders" and "organizers" suddenly emerged from many of the groups.

Standing among the residents, they began delivering impassioned speeches to the officers who had come to maintain order.

The core of their speeches was an accusation that the Alliance Government's excessive development was damaging Blue Star's ecological environment and disregarding the residents' future.

Yet strangely enough, these people never mentioned that this so-called "excessive development" was the sole source of livelihood for the residents of these mountain towns.

Their future depended on it as well.

Nor did they mention that these Mutated Creatures and plants had originally been artificially cultivated for "harvesting."

The demonstrators' expressions began to grow heated.

The officers maintaining order began to look tense as well.

The numbers were growing.

The atmosphere was fermenting.

From the words of those "chanters,"

Xu Qing heard neither logic nor reason.

They were not even speaking in accordance with the facts anymore.

There was only incitement.

These people were deliberately guiding the public's hostility toward the Alliance Government.

Sure enough.

When the emotions of the marching crowd reached a certain intensity, the appearance of an "official" brought everything to a climax.

A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes appeared across from the crowd, surrounded by several martial artists.

The moment he appeared before them, the marchers began to stir.

Then, this "official" spoke with utter contempt and disdain for the local residents, disdain for environmental protection, and praise and worship for the Alliance Government.

He spoke incredibly fast.

The colleagues beside him were all staring at him in shock, as if they had sensed something was wrong.

But before they could stop the middle-aged man from speaking, the martial artists beside them "escorted them away."

Xu Qing saw at a glance that this man had not come to solve the problem.

He had come to intensify the conflict and set this fire ablaze.

A jab and a boost.

The effect was immediate.

The more impassioned his speech became, the more enraged the people below grew.

In the end, he screamed himself hoarse as he declared that the Alliance would crush all lawbreakers and opponents into dust.

The sight made the several Alliance officials beside him turn pale as well.

Sure enough.

With public outrage boiling over, the riot began.

Watching the "official" leave under the cover of several martial artists, Xu Qing silently followed his convoy.

Not long after the vehicles left the county center, they suddenly turned into a large compound.

The compound looked utterly unremarkable from the outside, but its interior was luxuriously decorated. It was actually an underground club.

The moment the middle-aged man stepped out of the car, someone warmly came forward to greet him.

"Hahaha, Mr. Liu's acting is as masterful as ever. It's been a long time since I've seen those foolish commoners so worked up."

Kou Tianlang, a Rebel Army commander, extended his hand with an admiring expression.

"With your fanning of the flames, it's only a matter of time before 0125 County falls."

Deputy County Magistrate Lu Jieping smiled faintly. After shaking his hand, he asked, "When will you send people to seize the Weaponry Depot and the energy weapon array?"

Kou Tianlang's eyes narrowed. "Next month."

Lu Jieping nodded. "Good. Then I'll head to the next place first. There's still work for me to do in 0126 County."

"Someone, see Mr. Lu off."

Kou Tianlang immediately said.

Soon afterward, Lu Jieping left the compound under the convoy's protection and headed toward the county outskirts.

From beginning to end, Xu Qing remained hidden in the shadows, silently observing everything with the Night Concealment Movement Technique.

Once the cars left, he silently followed after them.

However, the moment the convoy left the county, it was attacked by a group of people.

Three fully armed martial artists directly flipped over the lead vehicle of the convoy.

They then charged toward Lu Jieping, who was heavily guarded in the middle of the convoy.

But upon seeing this, the entire convoy did not panic. Six martial artists swiftly got out of the vehicles in front and behind, intercepting the three attackers.

Lu Jieping merely sat inside the car, watching the three martial artists fall into a bitter struggle with an indifferent expression.

He had long expected that someone would try to assassinate him.

Many martial artists who supported the Rebel Army and opposed the Alliance Government wanted to kill him.

And aside from the four martial artists sent by the Alliance Government, the people protecting him included three martial artists from the Rebel Army.

The irony of it was stark.

Very quickly, the three martial artists were drawn into a hard battle.

Their first strike had failed, yet they did not leave.

Dragged into a quagmire, they found it difficult to break free.

Very soon.

Two of them were killed.

Only the last martial artist, wielding a sword in each hand, was still struggling madly.

At a certain moment.

Just as the martial artist had exhausted all his strength and was about to have his throat slit by a sword.

A bolt of black lightning suddenly shot over from afar.

No one present had time to react.

That black lightning slammed directly into the specially modified sedan Lu Jieping was in.

Everyone was startled by the sudden attack.

For a moment, the scene fell into an eerie silence.

A large black spear was embedded in Lu Jieping's specially modified vehicle, trembling slightly.

The vehicle's bulletproof glass and steel plating had been blasted into a deep dent by the spear.

I've been coughing so much I can't sleep all night. Any brothers or sisters going through the same thing? Please comfort me.