A gate opened, and all fell silent

The Roadside Dogs bar, third floor.

Mastermind spoke with equal urgency. "Everyone says they're in, but expecting them to make the first move is unrealistic. The New Year's Watchers are already here, downstairs... the higher-ups are still in emergency talks, but everyone agrees Yan Duoduo is bluffing. If a major clash really breaks out tonight, never mind a Mystic Tier Star Officer like him-even the leadership at the New Year's Watchers headquarters in the ancient city couldn't shoulder that responsibility."

Leaning on his cane, Limp was deeply conflicted.

His friends in the same faction all said they would back him, but only if he first took a stand himself.

Should I go out on my own?

That's dangerous!

But if he didn't go out, things could spiral out of control once the Roadside Dogs players clashed with the New Year's Watchers. And if his allies started wavering, the Roadside Dogs Organization would be in serious trouble tonight...

Bringing utter ruin upon the organization would cost far more than standing trial before the Mystical Tribunal. After all, there were still people and things in this world he cared about. Limp understood that perfectly well.

Yan Duoduo, oh, Yan Duoduo... are you bluffing, or are you genuinely out of your mind?

What should I do?

He was torn...

Outside the bar.

More than thirty Roadside Dogs players had blocked the New Year's Watchers from Qingfu District. Their expressions were flippant and their stances relaxed, as though Ren Ye and the others meant nothing to them.

Tap!

Ignoring them, Ren Ye climbed the steps and headed straight for the main hall.

The long-haired Roadside Dogs member leading them blocked Ren Ye again, the Star Source Fluctuation from his body growing more intense.

"Are you obstructing the New Year's Watchers in the execution of their duties?" Ren Ye kept pressing forward.

"I'm just standing here. I haven't moved. How is that obstruction?"

"I suggest you don't touch me." Despite his words, Ren Ye deliberately leaned closer.

"I haven't touched you, and keep your sword farther away. Shanghai's arbitration regulations clearly state..."

Thud!

Before the man could finish, Ren Ye suddenly staggered three steps backward, collided with Huang Wei, and shouted, "He hit me!"

Huang Wei caught him, momentarily stunned.

Ren Ye abruptly turned and whispered, "Boss, you need to understand what Director Yan really wants. With stakes this high, whoever fucking hesitates loses-and loses so badly there won't be anything left of them!"

"Do I fucking need you to teach me?!" Huang Wei glared, and a murderous aura suddenly surged from his body.

"Performance Magic-Binding!"

At almost the same moment, Gu Nian raised her Magic Wand.

A gray-and-white homing pigeon flew over the crowd and burst above the long-haired man's head.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Four steel hoops dropped, fitting perfectly around his body before rapidly tightening to restrain him.

"Toxin-Paralysis!" Xu Peng suddenly drew out two emerald-green strands of light and wrapped them around the long-haired man's wrists.

A tingling numbness swept over him. He immediately lost all sensation in his body, and his eyes grew unfocused.

Slash!

Slash!

From either side, two heavy swords swung down without hesitation.

Huang Wei's scarlet greatsword and Ren Ye's Nation-Guarding Sword flashed past without the slightest resistance.

Blood sprayed straight up to the ceiling. Held by two restraining abilities, the long-haired man lost both arms and dropped to his knees with a thud.

It all happened with terrifying speed and decisiveness. Hidden in the hotel's fifth floor, the middle-aged big shot murmured, his pupils contracting, "Are they really going to war?"

Immediately afterward, four New Year's Watchers advanced, grabbed the long-haired man by his hair, and pinned him to the ground.

"This man violently resisted law enforcement and is now officially in custody!" Ren Ye pointed his sword at the kneeling man, blood pouring from the stumps of his arms, and roared.

At the same time, Huang Wei became Red Dog and bellowed in fury, "Anyone else want to try? Huh?!"

The shouts echoed across half of Tongren Road, putting all the surrounding spectators on edge.

Inside the bar, a Roadside Dogs player shouted excitedly, "If they're going to disregard Tongren Road, then let's fight!"

Boom, boom, boom...!

A series of Star Source Fluctuations erupted inside. The Roadside Dogs players blocking the entrance seemed ready to attack.

At another entrance to Tongren Road, Chen Hannian called urgently, "Director Yan! Director Yan, should we put some pressure on them? It looks like things are getting out of hand!"

Yan Duoduo watched with his hands in his pockets and offered no reply.

At the bar's entrance, Huang Wei's heart was equally taut as he stared at the players before him and roared, "Prepare for battle!"

He didn't want to lose control either. He didn't want unrest to sweep through Shanghai tonight, but the arrow was already on the string. There was no turning back.

At his command, all the nearby New Year's Watchers activated their supernatural abilities and prepared to engage.

"Everyone, stop!"

Just then, buckling under the pressure, Limp slowly emerged from the darkness and approached the main entrance.

His exquisite cane gave off a faint glow. With Mastermind and the others following behind, he advanced with steady steps.

Huang Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief at his appearance, but Ren Ye's eyes were filled with hatred and hostility. Because of this man, his father had nearly been abducted, and his younger sister had nearly been harmed.

Feigning a languid air, Limp walked calmly to the entrance and stood in the middle of Tongren Road, looking down his nose at Ren Ye. "...A kid shoved to the front like you thinks he can enforce the law? Can you bear the consequences?!"

"Give me the summons." Ren Ye glanced at him, then addressed Huang Wei in an even tone.

Without hesitation, Huang Wei handed over the summons issued by the Qingfu District New Year's Watchers.

Taking it, Ren Ye stood on the steps before countless watching eyes, his head high and chest straight. Solemnly unfolding the summons with both hands, he read aloud, "Qian Zheng, head of the Roadside Dogs Organization in Shanghai, has been accused by two arrested players of providing protection, shelter, and other assistance in three recent violent crimes. Qian Zheng is hereby formally summoned for questioning!"

His voice carried through the air, and the surroundings fell silent.

Limp glanced at the spectators out of the corner of his eye, a smile spreading across his face. "What credibility do criminals' accusations have? What wouldn't those people do?! If you're determined to frame someone, you can always find an excuse!"

After finishing, Ren Ye ignored him completely. He merely stepped forward and suddenly pointed at the ground. "Hands on your head. Squat down!"

What?!

Limp was stunned. He stood there blankly, unsure how to respond.

Was this kid treating me like some common street punk? Even if I really have to answer a summons, there's no way I can squat down with my hands on my head on Tongren Road, in front of everyone!

I'm a second-tier player!

The move stunned not only Limp but also Yan Duoduo, Chen Hannian, and the many big shots watching from the sidelines.

The situation was already a powder keg. Even if they were genuinely conducting an investigation, there was no need to make Limp squat down. Stripping him of his dignity in public was hardly a way to handle things quietly.

Watching the scene, Yan Duoduo's eyes shone.

"I told you to squat down!!!" Ren Ye stared stubbornly at Limp and pointed at the ground again.

In that instant, Limp suddenly realized something. Ren Ye didn't seem to have come to arrest him. He seemed to be deliberately provoking him-and once anger took hold, impulsiveness came easily...

Why is he provoking me? To make me resist. And once I resist... that becomes violent obstruction of law enforcement, a threat to the New Year's Watchers' lives.

I get it. He and Yan Duoduo want me dead. They don't want me to have a chance to stand before the Mystical Tribunal!

Limp's gaze shifted, and a chill swept over the back of his neck.

He had no choice. He had to call on outside support, or he wouldn't leave Tongren Road alive tonight.

"I'll say it one more time. Hands on your head. Squat down and submit to questioning!" Ren Ye kept his eyes fixed on Limp and actually raised a hand to press against his neck.

Yes, no one could remain calm after their father had nearly been abducted and their younger sister attacked-not unless they were an animal.

Ren Ye didn't know what would happen to this man once he reached the Mystical Tribunal, so he was eagerly hoping the man would get angry and fight back...

Isn't your dignity so important to you? Aren't you the head of a famous organization?!

"You want me to squat down?" Limp looked at him with a cold smile, his gaze suddenly turning stubborn and deranged.

"Can't you squat?" Ren Ye forced the question through clenched teeth.

"Hahaha!"

Limp laughed, swept his gaze across Tongren Road, then suddenly raised his cane and roared, stressing every word, "If you want me to squat, you'll have to ask whether my friends living on Tongren Road will allow it!"

At his shout, the spectators on both sides of the road turned toward various locations.

The head of the Predator Alliance considered briefly, then waved a hand.

At the same time, more than a dozen Chaos Faction big shots silently nodded to those below.

Rustle!

The spectators on both sides of the road began moving. Hundreds of them converged on the Roadside Dogs bar. They neither shouted nor made a commotion, simply advancing as silently as ghosts.

The dark clouds dispersed overhead, revealing bright moonlight.

Viewed from above, the twenty-odd New Year's Watchers surrounded at the bar entrance looked terribly isolated and helpless.

Tap, tap...!

The hurried footsteps drew ever closer. Sweat poured from Xu Peng's forehead. "...Ren Ye's a reckless bastard too... what now? We're stuck!"

Huang Wei ignored him. He simply stepped forward and pointed at the ground from the other side. "Squat down!"

Boom!

A fierce dark aura erupted from Limp's body, and his cane blazed with black light. "Squat down?! If the New Year's Watchers no longer abide by the supernatural regulations, then Shanghai no longer needs stability! My friends, remember this: those who live in the shadows rise together and fall together!"

Boom, boom, boom...!

In the street, the converging spectators collectively released Star Source Fluctuations.

Just then, Yan Duoduo, who had been watching from the perimeter, suddenly pulled his right hand from his pocket, raised his arm, and shouted, "New Year's Watchers, plant the steles!"

At his command, the New Year's Watchers hidden all around Tongren Road pulled the Wordless Steles from their waists in unison. Light surged from their chests, and inscriptions reappeared on the steles.

Across several kilometers, supernatural power sprang into being.

Thud, thud, thud...!

A series of muffled impacts came from every direction as more than three hundred Wordless Steles were driven into the ground.

Abruptly, the entirety of Tongren Road distorted and blurred.

The instant the space was isolated, Yan Duoduo slowly spread his arms. Like a deity, his feet left the ground, and he rose straight up more than ten meters.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

The sound of bodies cutting through the air rang out as densely as a downpour. Every New Year's Watcher in Shanghai appeared on rooftops, terraces, and buildings.

Everywhere one looked, there were yellow shirts.

Specks of starlight appeared behind Yan Duoduo, then slowly spread into a warped, irregular Startrace Gate.

Before Ren Ye had entered the gate, Huang Wei had told him that players with an Ordered Inheritance would gain a Star Gate's recognition, and such a player... would possess an exclusive Star Gate of their own.

As it happened, Yan Duoduo was such a player. He was one of the mere handful of high-status Star Gate owners in the entire country!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

On the ground, the Chaos Faction players looked up blankly. When they saw the Star Gate emerging behind Yan Duoduo, shock flashed through many of their eyes.

Their footsteps fell into disarray in an instant, and the violent, malevolent Star Source Fluctuations briefly stalled.

Beneath the moon.

Levitation in midair, Yan Duoduo remained perfectly composed. With one hand seeming to blot out heaven and earth, he commanded softly, "Tongren Road, silence!"

"Silence!"

"Silence!"

Suddenly, wave upon wave of shouts resounded throughout the distorted space...

Those were the yellow-shirted New Year's Watchers, pressing forward without hesitation once again, fearless and undaunted once again!