Riot

Pu Xueli's residence was not far from the Administrative Building, only a few minutes' walk away.

Lu Bai glanced back at the crowd gathered in the square, and had a vague feeling that this gathering was not so simple.

However, since he had never witnessed such a protest before, he couldn't be sure if his guess was correct, so he didn't say anything more.

He then led his younger siblings and followed Pu Xueli to a two-story detached house.

It wasn't the kind of villa with a lawn and garden that I had imagined; overall, it was quite understated.

Sensing Lu Bai's confusion, Pu Xueli explained as he entered the code to open the door, "After all, it's just my wife and me living here, so this kind of house is enough for us."

Hearing the noise coming from the entrance, Pu Xueli's wife came out of the kitchen.

She was a woman around forty years old, but the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes couldn't hide the exquisite beauty of her features, revealing that she was a beauty in her youth.

She wiped her hands on her apron and said warmly, "You must be Lu Bai? No wonder Lao Pu has been mentioning you to me all this time. You are indeed a handsome man."

"Your younger siblings are so cute! Come in and sit down, make yourselves at home. Dinner will be served soon."

Pu Xueli's wife was so friendly that the initial tension between the siblings, Lu Ziyi and Lu Qingyan, quickly dissipated, leaving only a little bit of awkwardness from just arriving at someone else's home.

Lu Bai, on the other hand, didn't feel uncomfortable at all. He followed Pu Xueli to the sofa in the living room and sat down, naturally looking around at the furnishings.

"Principal Pu, how much would it cost to buy a house like this?"

Pu Xueli poured a few cups of tea and placed them on the coffee table. Hearing the question, he couldn't help but smile, "In a location like this, it's not a matter of money."

He paused, then added, "However, given your current momentum, if you apply, the city council might offer you the right to use a house."

Lu Bai showed no dissatisfaction, but seemed lost in thought.

"Even Formal Deathmatch Participant like me only has the right to use it."

It's no wonder that this Can Society was able to incite so many people to protest against the authorities.

It was 6:30 p. m., and the holographic canopy at the top of the shelter had gone dark, replaced by twinkling starlight.

The protesters around the Clock Tower Square did not disperse; instead, their numbers grew larger over time.

Aside from the core members and ambitious individuals Can Society, the vast majority of people genuinely believe that this is a way to express their determination.

Most of the people at the rally hoped to attract more attention, draw the city's attention to the protest, and get a commitment to change.

However, the reality is that when the crowds gather to this extent, the city council will only deploy armed forces to prevent major chaos.

That's not surprising.

From a psychological and sociological perspective, the herd effect stems from human conformity, the need for belonging, and social identity; the phenomenon that people tend to gather in larger and larger groups is indeed understandable.

However, the problem is that group behavior under the herd effect can uncontrollably exhibit emotional characteristics such as impulsivity and volatileness.

If not handled carefully, a legal assembly can easily turn into a riot.

Inside the Administrative Building, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who appeared refined and easygoing, stood by the window, gazing at the scene in the square below with some concern.

He felt it was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

Today is New Birth Festival, and most of the city council's directly subordinate armed forces are on holiday. As for the field operations department of the Deathmatch Campus, it's even harder to find anyone.

If the local Security Department's Security Personnel were to handle the situation alone, they wouldn't be able to guarantee that they could quell any unrest.

The middle-aged man turned around and pressed the call button on his desk.

"Please connect me with the Shelter City Management Committee and inquire whether this protest rally can be cancelled early."

After waiting a moment, he pressed the call button again.

"Have City Direct Military confirm the list of personnel on leave and try to recall them to prevent any riots."

As it turns out, the middle-aged man's worries were not unfounded.

Seeing that the crowd had not yet been fully ignited, the core members of the Can Society, who were mixed in with the crowd, immediately began to stir up trouble, actively pushing to the outer perimeter and shouting and shoving the Security Department officers.

The Security Personnel from the Security Department naturally couldn't just stand by and do nothing, so they unconsciously increased the force of their blows, which in turn affected the other protesters.

The crowd's emotions visibly flared up, with some people directly venting their discontent by treating the Security Personnel as the ruling class.

Some of the Can Society deliberately stirred up trouble; this is exactly the situation the Can Society wanted to see.

The pushing and shoving and verbal abuse from the outside side intensified.

When the anger reached its peak, some Security Department Security Personnel were horrified to see someone in the crowd pull out a homemade short-barreled shotgun.

At this point, there's no need to investigate whether the person who pulled out the gun was a key member of the Can Society or just an idea generator among ordinary citizens.

In short, the moment the other side pulls the trigger and the gun barrel spews fire, the only remaining question is the size of the riot.

A loud gunshot rang out, and many people instinctively crouched down.

After a brief silence, fueled by the blood, the crowd began to surge about wildly, creating a cacophony of noise.

The number of the Security Department officers is undoubtedly vastly different from the number of people participating in the protests.

Moreover, they hadn't initially anticipated needing to suppress riots, so they didn't bring many riot shields or similar equipment.

The crowd surged like a roaring wave, instantly breaching the Security Department's defenses. The flimsy human wall offered little resistance.

It is worth mentioning that the hundreds of people sitting in front of the Administrative Building remained silent and unresponsive, as if they hadn't felt anything at all.

For this group, who have been thoroughly brainwashed by the fallacies and heresies of the "Can Society," there is basically no point in arresting them for re-education.

The frenzied crowd was grabbing weapons and smashing everything in front of them.

Led by some key members of the Can Society, the crowd rushed toward the Administrative Building in a frenzy.

At the same time.

The armed forces base, located northeast of the shelter, naturally received news of the attack on the Administrative Building immediately.

A bald, burly man sat at a desk, a lit cigarette between his fingers.

"Recall all personnel on leave and proceed to the central area to quell the riots."

"The advance team has already set off, but..."

One staff officer added hesitantly, "Sending out the city's directly subordinate armed forces, wouldn't the casualties be uncontrollable?"