Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

When it came time to decide who would go to which district, several players gathered again, and within a few sentences, they had determined their respective operational areas.

Now, each of them was strong enough to stand on their own and no longer needed to stick closely together in order to be effective in such chaotic conditions.

The players' participation instantly made the already chaotic situation even more disorderly and incomprehensible.

"Report! An abnormal situation has occurred in BA03 district, a small group of unidentified forces are engaging in a firefight with those disruptive gangs before our guards could arrive. It is because of their firefight that the range of the incident has expanded, with more casualties… We request instructions on how to handle both parties on the scene."

"Report! An abnormal situation has occurred in BF07 district, a bunch of unknown assailants suddenly ambushed our support guards, but they scattered and fled just as we began to counterattack. We ask for instructions on whether to pursue the new target or continue with the original plan to provide support?"

"Report! …"

Listening to the intelligence reports from his subordinates, Caesar pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling his head buzzing.

At such a critical juncture, where on earth were these assorted troublemakers coming from?

The gangs in The Lower City were not fools. The news that the noble-backed gangs were planning to stir up trouble was no absolute secret; the gangs that could get wind of this did not dare to take action rashly.

Even if they wanted to sneakily reap benefits from others' chaos, they wouldn't dare to jump out at the very beginning, before the situation was clear. Those gangs were more cunning than ghosts.

As for those who wanted to help quell the disturbances… emmmmm

Could such gangs even survive in this city?

Not adding to the chaos was already Caesar's greatest expectation of the other unrelated gangs; he did not count on those guys to be of any help.

So, who exactly were these anomalous people mentioned in the intelligence reports?

Ordinary residents of the Central City District with an overflowing sense of justice?

Independent Rangers acting out of personal grudges?

Only such existences could possibly create the increasingly chaotic situation at hand.

What to do?

"Arrest them all! There's no need to chase the ones who got away for now; our primary objective is to suppress the turmoil."

It would not be difficult to investigate those who had acted tonight afterward.

Rather, the immediate priority was to put down this uprising and prevent even bigger problems.

Caesar, who had personally rushed to the scene of action, had already roughly discerned that this riot was merely an appetizer from the opposition.

The riot itself wasn't the goal but a signal released—if you don't compromise, next time things will get serious.

Force wasn't the means by which the opposition would achieve their ends, but just a tactic in the process. The real victory, they would secure at the negotiating table.

But that would be a matter for later. Right now, the only thing to do was to press down on these gang members who had become dispensable and utterly deranged.

"Also, tell the front line forces that those who surrender may be spared and conscripted."

"Yes, Commander in Chief!"

"Report! An abnormal situation has occurred in BC district; our nearby detachments moved out immediately after the incident, but instead of finding large-scale disturbances in their assigned areas, they only saw a convoy of a hundred people heading towards the Upper City. We ask for instructions on whether to make arrests or to dissuade them on the spot."

The opposing force is large and powerful; attempting arrests at this juncture would merely be a waste of manpower.

If turning back the intruders on the spot was possible, it would be the most appropriate choice under such circumstances.

Caesar instantly judged the merit of the choices and could only wave his hand in resignation, "Regardless of their intent, try to turn them back first."

He could invite people for a chat over tea on another day, but at this moment, he really didn't have the time to get entangled with targets harboring various odd intentions.

…

"Sorry, we... have no road to turn back on," the old man leading the way and in charge of negotiations gently raised his head, his aged but firm square face flickering in the dim light of the players.

As he spoke, the sturdy men behind him surged forward.

By now, most of them no longer concealed the traces of their cybernetic augmentations.

Forearms, palms, thighs, calves, eyes, bodies... nearly every one of them bore clear signs of external cybernetic modifications.

What is a "doctor"?

A group of people who had been saved gathered together, collectively recalling the entity that initially redeemed each one of them.

That was the former "doctor" who had once saved them...

The old companions at his side surged forward, brandishing their Blast Shields. They confronted the roaring firepower unleashed by the guards, forcefully advancing forward.

Bullets whistled past their ears, and personal weapons unleashed their fiercest roars at such moments.

Yet the veteran leading the gang seemed as if he was in a realm of tranquility, approaching the woman who, dressed in a qipao, had been following him all along.

"Wolf-Scorpion, now... you can still take him and leave," he said.

The old man's gaze flicked to the fleet of vehicles behind him, where that young man was still fiddling with something.

He was merely clinging on to a final hope by letting this "miracle boy" give it a try, never expecting that the "ultimate weapon," which had shown no progress before, would seem reborn in this boy's hands.

With such a powerful tool at their disposal, they sought to enter the Upper City, to penetrate the most central area of the city, to let those people see... to let them all see! To see these retired artificial veteran soldiers, forced out of service, still harbored what kind of loyal heart for the city... for humanity.

Did they really think the money from those old soldiers on Black Street was coveted by many? The manufacture and linking technology that allowed fully-integrated cybernetic limbs to be controlled by will was considered a high-end technique in the city.

The ones providing services to those old soldiers did so out of respect for a shared identity as retired vets.

Batch after batch of artificial soldiers, 2000 at a time, over twenty to thirty rounds—though the majority perished on the battlefield, not a few survived and retired due to injuries.

Where did those people go? There weren't that many old veterans in Black Street.

Many more veterans, under the guise of seeking opportunities in the city or elsewhere, were absorbed by the "doctor" gang within the city.

He was the earliest of them.

A rare tender smile spread across Wolf-Scorpion's face, "Father, this is the first time I have addressed you this way. I won't leave, and he... doesn't want to leave either."

For that young man, the allure of seeing his creation dazzle under everyone's gaze was too tempting to refuse.

A... little madman.

"..." The old man pursed his lips, then after a moment shook his head and chuckled, "Fine! Then let's go to the Upper City together! Let those old geezers in the Upper City see! See what we have brought them!"