As the silver battleship hovering over Jincheng slowly moved through the stratosphere, its shadow had already passed through the morning mist, completely covering this small basin city in the Eurasian interior of Earth.
Any one of its secondary cannons could turn the little city into a sea of molten lava.
Yet at that moment, the residents of Fu Street still had to begin their day.
The vegetable shop had just set out the lettuce shoots and pea sprouts picked that morning, with refreshing beads of moisture still clinging to them. An auntie in velvet pajamas tilted her head back and spat out a melon seed shell. "Buy them quick! Buy them quick! They're all the freshest! The invaders are coming to collect the vegetables at ten. Don't leave any for them! Once I've sold them all, I still have to take my grandson to school."
A skateboard-like little robot glided leisurely across the ground, announcing over the broadcast system, "Ground temperature: 28 degrees Celsius. Air humidity: 73%. Suitable for going out, suitable for an excursion, suitable for carrying firearms, suitable for resistance. Please choose carefully, citizens."
The robot's voice was immediately drowned out by the noisy sound of boiling oil. The breakfast-stall owner, wearing an apron, had begun frying dough sticks.
The broadcast was suddenly interrupted by the sizzling of hot oil—the apron-clad breakfast-stall owner was sliding dough into the wok. Two Imperial soldiers in powered armor blocked the shop entrance like steel giants. The sound of their military boots striking the ground roared like a road roller, yet the owner remained focused on stirring with his long chopsticks.
All his attention was immersed in his wok. The blooming splashes of oil were his entire world.
Soldier A said, "According to the <Blue Star Commonwealth Temporary Municipal Administration Regulations>, he