The Mech Riot Unit personnel at the river-crossing bridge all wore grim expressions, raising their guns to aim as they reported to headquarters.
Lu Chao and the other man exchanged a glance amid the shoving crowd, both sensing that something was wrong.
"Something's about to happen."
Bzz!
More than ten minutes later.
The dying rays of the setting sun fell weakly over the area. The streets, once fairly tidy and peaceful, had descended into chaos and ruin.
The storefront windows had been smashed, seemingly by people taking advantage of the turmoil to vandalize the shops and loot their goods.
Many of the roadside walls had been smeared with grime, while bottles and cans littered the ground, leaving behind shards and debris.
A riot had suddenly erupted, only to retreat in panic in the end.
Under the Patrol Bureau's forceful intervention, the crowd scattered in all directions like startled birds beneath clouds of tear gas, leaving only a mess across the ground and a few people groaning from trampling injuries.
More than a dozen black drones swept across the sky, diving into every corner of the streets in search of traces.
Visible white shockwaves descended from above as several hovercars from the Mech Riot Unit arrived from the Inner City to provide support. Elite soldiers in full gear leaped out and took over the scene.
Witnessing this, Shen Tianchen and the others in Fortune House's private room all changed expressions, their drunken haze quietly fading away.
The antique-style building was warm and luxurious, utterly different from the chaos and clamor beyond the windows.
"That was close."
Fang Jingyi's gaze was complicated. She had never expected to witness such a scene today.
She could practically guess tomorrow's headlines already.
"Come to think of it, these people really are something."
The