How could a stone thrown by a child who looked none too bright really hit an East District inspector? Yet, over that stone, which hadn't even struck the ponytail man, someone in the frozen crowd moved. Three nimble people rushed forward to intercept it, keeping their distance from the ponytail man and his group. At the same time, while their companions acted, the Black Syndicate members at the front quietly used their bodies to push the child farther back. From the front, no one could see what was happening within the crowd, but through the gaps, they could see sleeves shifting—the child had been passed to the back of the group, where the person at the very end scooped him up and hurriedly carried him away from the street.
Whether throwing a stone or openly saving someone, both were provocations against the East District inspectors. But the ponytail man didn't fly into a rage. Instead, he turned to Xu Huo and the others and said, "See? Once you become an East District person, even those who hate you will be more afraid than you are of someone hurting you. You don't have to lift a finger. They'll do everything they can to eliminate any instability."
Aside from the East District players, no one present would have found those words comfortable to hear. He wasn't just showing off the East District's strength; he was mocking the West District people for being cowards—so cowardly that they lacked the courage to challenge the East District openly and even went out of their way to stop their own people, lest they incur the East District's wrath and bring disaster upon themselves.
They didn't need anyone else to keep them in line. They could do it themselves.
"Spineless," another inspector said coldly.
Miraculously, the two