North City Gate Control Hub "Do you hear something?" asked the soldier, wearing a military cap, as he looked up at the tall soldier nearby. Then he raised his head and glanced at the ceiling. "Seems like it’s coming from upstairs?" The tall soldier frowned slightly as he looked up at the ceiling, then teasingly said to the cap-wearing soldier, "Did you overexert yourself during the two days off with your wife, to the point of having auditory hallucinations?" Despite his joking, he still pulled out the communicator from his chest and quickly asked, "B05 do you copy, respond please, this is D01. Are there any abnormalities in your area?" The communicator’s connection light remained on, but there was no sound of any reply. The smile that had been on the tall soldier’s face froze, and his finger pressed firmly on the communication button, asking again, "Repeat, this is D01 to B05, are there any abnormalities in your area?" Still, there was no reply from the communicator. The smile that had once been on his face totally vanished at that moment, replaced by deeply furrowed brows. Then he swiftly switched channels, "B03... B02... B01... C05..." With each call for a response, his communicator remained silent, receiving no answer. The empty hallway was eerily quiet, and no trace of composure could be seen on the face of the tall soldier as he tirelessly switched channels and kept repeating his inquiry, his frown growing deeper and deeper. Until he switched to channel C03, this time there was a faint noise from behind the communicator, but before he could speak, a harsh shout erupted from the device, "Enem—" The voice cut off abruptly. But he understood the one word that was spoken. He immediately pressed the broadcast button, retreating towards the control platform behind him, and without hesitation, he yelled, "Sector C is under enemy attack!!! Sector C is under attack!!!" Then, pressing a button on the platform, with the sound of mechanical motion, multiple heavy gates began to close rapidly. And with the words he had just broadcast, the gunshots from above suddenly intensified. It was clear that upon being discovered, the attackers had decided to drop the pretense and forcibly break through the defenses. The soldier with the cap quickly shouldered his rifle and stepped in front of the tall soldier. At this moment, the tall soldier clenched the communicator and switched it to the emergency external communication channel, "Headquarters, the gate control center is under attack! Repeat, the gate control center is under attack! Request backup!" But all that responded to him was static noise. He switched through several channels, but only the same static noise came through. "Damn it, signal jammer," The tall soldier looked up at the cap-wearing soldier beside him. "Our communication with headquarters has been blocked." "How do they know our communication channels?" The cap-wearing soldier was puzzled. "It’s probably a traitor. We need to find cover," The tall soldier took a deep breath, retreated further, and switched the communicator to the internal channel for the defense forces of the control center, "Sector D..." But as he began to speak, the channel’s sound turned into static as well. At the same time, a violent explosion shook the gates he had just closed, making them tremble. "These damn bastards." The tall soldier slammed the communicator to the ground, lifted the firearm on his chest, quickly cocked the gun, and looked at the cap-wearing soldier, "Call all the brothers from behind to come over, get the emergency sandbags out. We make our defense line right here. The control room is right behind us; we can’t let these bastards move any further forward!" North City Command Center Building · Top Floor With the silver elevator doors sliding open to the sides, a rapid barrage of bullets rained down into the elevator like droplets of water. He Ao leaned on his cane, looking forward. What he saw was a somewhat spacious hall, furnished with a variety of metal desks. It appeared to be some kind of strategic command center. At this moment, the metal desks were strewn about, and Mechanical Armored Soldiers stood among them. Their armor was about two meters tall and two meters wide, each arm equipped with massive autocannons, and at this moment, they aimed their muzzles at the elevator, crazily pouring bullets into it. Meanwhile, surrounding these Mechanical Armored Soldiers were ordinary soldiers wearing Exoskeleton Armor and carrying Gauss Rifles. Many times, the stance of an officer cannot represent that of the soldiers. For example, the real rank-and-file soldiers guarding the door below were actually leaning towards neutrality, and in the absence of orders, they might not even lift their guns against He Ao, the ’Mayor.’ Therefore, all He Ao needed to do was to display his identity, which could deter these soldiers and keep them neutral. Even though He Ao had just scared the officers below who threatened him to death, the soldiers were only a bit tense, and without powerful external provocation, they wouldn’t attack He Ao. But not all soldiers were the same. Unlike the largely neutral soldiers below, these soldiers here clearly held higher positions and were closer to the center of power; they were staunch supporters of the Scott Faction. Therefore, they couldn’t care less about He Ao’s identity or whether their actions were legal. Upon seeing He Ao arrive, they simply opened fire. Like a torrential downpour, the bullets shredded the entire elevator doors in an instant, tearing apart the elevator car as well, and the elevator’s control screen flickered and went dead after glitching. A massive roar erupted in the elevator, likely the sound of the elevator’s connection point breaking and collapsing. As he watched the bullet storm in front of him, He Ao raised his cane, brushing aside the bullets, and stepped forward. Almost the instant he stepped out of the elevator, the elevator car behind him collapsed and crashed downward along the elevator shaft. And at that moment, He Ao also looked up at the dense soldiers before him and planted his cane on the ground, "I, as the Mayor of Yilan City, order you to suppress the insurrection." A glimmer of light passed over the brilliant Ruby, and an invisible strength quickly spread out across the spacious hall. In that instant, the clamorous gunfire in the hall fell silent. At that time, new soldiers poured out from a corridor leading to the hall. They looked at the silent soldiers in the hall with some confusion and then, without hesitation, raised their guns toward He Ao. When the first gunshot rang out, all the soldiers in the hall snapped out of their stupor, then simultaneously turned their barrels and aimed at the newcomers pouring out from the corridor. They surrounded He Ao, and fiery blasts of gunfire once again rained down, only this time, they were directed at the ’rebel soldiers’ in the corridor. He Ao hadn’t used the Ruby’s power; instead, he had used the ’Judge’s’ ability. According to Yilan City’s Anti-Insurrection Law, Article 252: When the Mayor believes that an illegal assembly, or insurrection with the purpose of opposing the Yilan City Government, has made the execution of Yilan City and Federation laws through ordinary judicial processes impractical, he can summon any person to join the City Defense Army and mobilize and employ, including police and City Defense Forces, whatever armed forces he deems necessary to execute these laws or suppress the insurrection. Under this law, the City Defense Army was obligated to comply with the Mayor’s commands to suppress any insurrection. Theoretically, to execute this order, He Ao should have first issued a declaration demanding that the insurgent organization disband, but according to Yilan City law, in emergency situations where the Mayor’s life is in danger, he can directly invoke this statute. Naturally, this statute couldn’t truly make the insurgents switch sides instantly, but with the ’Judge’s’ ability, He Ao could compel those around him who should abide by these statutes to execute this law. The rebellious City Defense Army who still identified as part of the City Defense Army had a duty to suppress insurrection under the influence of the statute because of their identity. However, He Ao was not in good shape right now, so he didn’t extensively use his powers. He had initially intended to just turn half of the rebels, but the ’Authority’ cane embedded with the Ruby seemed to naturally amplify his ability, putting all the rebels present under his influence. The thunderous gunfire erupted around He Ao, and those rebel soldiers who emerged from the corridor and fired at He Ao hadn’t even reacted before they were torn apart by the defection of their own comrades. He Ao, leaning on his cane, followed the paths formed by the metal desks, step by step, towards the depths of the corridor. The soldiers around him followed his steps, rushing in front of him, down the narrow corridor, continuously firing at all who counterattacked. The lights hanging above the corridor were shattered, plunging the narrow passageway into darkness, but soon, flames and gunshots lit up the darkness once again. Wearing a silver-gray suit, an elderly man with white hair, surrounded by fully armed soldiers, took step by step toward the deepest end of the corridor. Bullet casings embedded into metal walls, blood covered the floor, and amidst the rolling flames, the crimson carpet extended toward the deepest part of the corridor. The elderly man’s figure passed through the mixed gunfire and reached the corner at the end of the corridor. Here, a young soldier was shivering as he watched everything around him. He held a gun in his hands but couldn’t steady it. As he watched He Ao approaching, he kept retreating until he leaned against the wall. He Ao lowered his head to look at the soldier in front of him. "I, I’m just up here to deliver red wine. The officer ran out of wine and asked me to bring another bottle." The soldier swallowed, trembling as he looked at He Ao. "Red wine, for whom?" He Ao gazed at the soldier in front of him and asked calmly. The elderly man’s slow and serene voice cut through the fierce gunfire and artillery, clearly reaching the soldier’s ears. "For Deputy Commander General Sleer," The soldier’s nervous demeanor calmed slightly, pausing before speaking softly. He Ao continued to ask. "In, inside the corridor," Blood had flowed to the soldier’s feet. He looked down, glanced at the floor, his teeth chattering slightly, and pointed toward the area beyond the corner of the corridor, "War Council Room." "Soldier, steady your gun, then find a place to hide. This is not your war." He Ao looked up toward the War Council Room deep in the corridor, then glanced at the soldier and walked right past him. The young soldier watched the elderly man’s figure move away. Countless bullets whizzed by the old man’s side, but it seemed that none of the bullets struck him. It was as if he had dodged those bullets, or as if the bullets had dodged him. Accompanied by a crisp sound, a bullet hit the wall next to the young soldier. Startled, the soldier hugged his gun and slammed open a door next to him, hiding inside. The fluctuating gunfire continued to sound; people fell, and others kept appearing. In the darkness, a Transcendent groped to He Ao’s side and thrust a dagger toward He Ao’s heart, only to be impaled through the chest by a golden cane that came head-on. Soon, He Ao’s figure reached the door of the War Council Room. The room’s door wasn’t closed but was left ajar. He Ao reached out and pushed the door open. A roaring explosion erupted right beneath He Ao, blasting a large hole in the sturdy corridor floor, and a shower of dust and debris flew out. It sounded like the explosion from some triggered landmine. A gaunt officer standing at the door of the council room watched the billowing dust, frowning slightly, and gripped the Gauss Pistol, aiming at the center of the dust. "Are you looking for me?" A gentle voice suddenly sounded behind him. The gaunt officer’s body trembled, spinning around quickly, raising his Gauss Pistol, looking behind him. The elderly man sitting behind the table picked up one of the two bottles of red wine that hadn’t been finished, looking at the old label on the wine, "Natural red wine produced by Reynold Vineyard of Twilight City in the year 749. That year was dry, the wilderness grape yield was low, but the wine produced was exceptionally fragrant. Does this bottle sell for about twenty thousand federal coins?" "Mayor Lin En of Linen City is indeed a descendant of the Federation’s founder," The gaunt officer smiled at He Ao, glanced at the cane He Ao had placed against the table, and held a Gauss Pistol in his hand, "Well-informed." "It seems that Scott isn’t here?" He Ao swept his gaze across the entire war council room and put down the red wine in his hand with a smile. "I don’t think General Scott expected you to come here," The gaunt officer smiled as he slowly backed towards the door, "Mayor Linen, I’m not that loyal to General Scott either. How about this, you let me go, and I can help you integrate Scott’s subordinates to solve this trouble for you." "But you seem not so eager to help me?" He Ao smiled as he looked at the gaunt officer, "And why should I trust a Consortium hound?" The moment he heard these words, the gaunt officer’s face changed, and he pulled the trigger directly at He Ao, then leaped backward, blending into the surrounding shadows. He Ao watched the bullet flying towards him, sidestepped, avoiding the bullet, and at the same time reached out his hand toward his side. With a crisp sound, a thin figure holding a dagger emerged from the shade of the desk beside He Ao; his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared ahead, his head drooping, his neck already twisted. He Ao tossed the gaunt officer’s body aside, looked up at the projection in front of him, and walked towards it at a measured pace. He had marked the gaunt officer the moment he entered the door; the simple conversation was just to draw out his thoughts. He Ao asked about Scott, and the guy’s mind had raced through where Scott had gone, the current distribution of the North City Defense Forces’ factions, and his cooperation with the Consortium. Then his mind hatched a plan to pretend to help He Ao delay, then strike back with Scott’s power, a big gamble. You could say his mind worked fast, it was just sometimes too clever. Actually, the Nightwalker’s ability wasn’t that easy to counter; if He Ao hadn’t been prepared when he first came in, and he had used the Nightwalker ability to launch a surprise attack, he really could have caused some trouble for He Ao, even possibly escaped. But he just had to see if there was a chance for a big gamble, letting He Ao have the opportunity to mark him, to locate him through his thoughts. By this point, his end was already sealed. However, He Ao was still a bit surprised; he had previously anticipated that amongst Scott’s subordinates there would definitely be a Consortium traitor, but he didn’t expect the traitor to be Scott’s very own deputy. It seemed, North City was much more chaotic than South City. While he contemplated this, He Ao had already reached the projection, raised his wrist, and connected the band to the computer below. If he remembered correctly, the war council room’s computer was directly linked to the mainframe of the North City Command Center. "Accessing the main computer," a mechanical female voice sounded from the projection screen, followed by a window lighting up, "Please verify your life signs." He Ao raised his hand, inserting it into the window. As bands of light swept across his palm, a new window popped up, "Verification complete, welcome to North City, Commander in Chief." Under Yilan City law, the Mayor is the highest commander of the South and North Cities, and in the main computers of South and North Cities, the Mayor was granted access fit for their status. The premise being the Mayor could reach the main computer. "Eve, take over local intelligence with mayoral authority," He Ao withdrew his hand, speaking slowly, "Open the entire broadcast of North City." "Understood, local intelligence taken over," Eve’s gentle response rang in He Ao’s ear, and a pitch-black microphone floated out from the computer in front of him, "Broadcast is now open." He Ao looked at the microphone, his tone calm, "I am Mayor Lin En; the temporary North City commander, General Sleer, has conspired with the Consortium to incite a riot, planning to open the city gates to allow Consortium Mercenary Corps entry into the city, plotting to overthrow Yilan City and has been executed. "Under Yilan City’s Anti-Insurrection Law, I now take command of the entire military of North City as the Commander in Chief of the Yilan City South and North City Defense Forces. "Officers near the gate control hub are to immediately mobilize troops to the control hub to quell the insurrection; remaining officers of battalion level and above are to come to the war council room for a meeting immediately."