Xi Yan had never expected anyone brave enough to break through his blockade and escape the factories.
To squeeze every last drop out of this low-quality convict labor force, Xi Yan had gone to great lengths to upgrade the factories' security systems to the highest standards.
But apparently, conventional guards still left loopholes. Replacing them with rigid, rule-bound robots might work better.
-the moment the guards inside a factory fell, the entire production line descended into chaos.
Fortunately, the backup security forces stepped in and shot all the rioters dead outside the factories.
Rake and Song Zhong, however, had found a different way out. If Beta had not upgraded the spacecraft's security software, those two resourceful fellows really might have slipped away.
Once people like them got loose in society, catching them again would be a real headache.
Looking at the two men, Xi Yan suddenly had an idea.
He had originally announced the incident to the world in a fit of anger, but now he wondered if he could use it to set something in motion.
He had known for some time that, although the Empire's society appeared peaceful, unrest simmered beneath the surface. There were plenty of people who opposed him, openly or secretly. Most were members of the middle class whose property had been forcibly confiscated, or people who opposed him on ideological grounds.
Xi Yan had always wanted to find a way to purge them, preventing them from passing their misguided ideas on to the Empire's next generation.
They would probably be delighted to hear about the riots.
Looking at Rake and Song Zhong, those two freedom-loving fellows, Xi Yan could not help wanting to put them to use.
He would recruit them, then send them undercover into society to gather supporters under the guise of