"What was the outcome of the meeting?"

As they left the lights, Huai Shi couldn’t help but ask from the driver’s seat.

"No outcome."

After a long time, Tobio in the back seat finally opened his eyes and said slowly, "The General doesn’t plan to protect the Tanbo Inner Circle, but hasn’t completely refused either, just said measures would be taken when necessary."

"Is there still a need to continue talks?" Huai Shi asked.

"At best, it’s just politician rhetoric, there’s no need to continue discussions."

Tobio murmured softly, "It was just a slim hope anyway. At this point, relying on others is too naive of me... Being born a hybrid means I can’t dream of redemption anymore."

He said, "Prepare for battle with all your might."

In the long silence, Huai Shi’s phone suddenly vibrated.

A new email popup appeared on the navigation page, from an unknown address, but a glance told him it was a message from Amber, that pesky sister.

[The tax reform bill is undecided, the results of the tug-of-war between the two parties are unclear, the Former Emperor has lost patience. Prepare yourself, in five days, Order of Nothingness]

When it rains, it pours...

Huai Shi couldn’t help but want to sigh. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Can’t God send some good news?

As if hearing his prayer, out in the distant woods, firelight suddenly burst forth. Steel soared into the sky with a blazing tail flame, aimed at their location, and descended from the sky!

60mm caliber ’great news’ came rushing at them.

RPG!

Huai Shi only had time to curse, flooring the gas pedal, and turning the steering wheel sharply, the car spun wildly, skidding past the weapon that should never exist in Yingzhou’s Current Circumstances, followed by an explosion’s flash behind them, air waves swept, making the car tremble like a falling leaf, almost overturning.

Once Huai Shi finally stabilized, he saw the approaching headlights of motorcycles speeding through the dark night.

Engines roared, lights rapidly enlarged.

Amid ear-piercing screams and excited cries, the rider suddenly jumped off, and in the next moment, the motorcycle collided with the car.

Violent rolling, the sky spun.

Huai Shi was thrown out of the car window, landed on the ground, hearing the sound of motorcycle engines roaring again as several riders excitedly chased around the corner.

Someone jumped off a bike, straight toward the smoke-wrapped car, pulling Tobio out from it. Tobio’s bald head had a cut, bleeding, gasping for air and coughing violently as he was dragged out.

Then, that person raised his hand, drew a gleaming blade, and lifted it.

Bang!

With a light sound, the person rushing over stopped, stiffened in place, slowly knelt down, revealing the smoking muzzle in Tobio’s hand.

The old man reached out, snatched the blade from the opponent’s hand, raised it, and hacked it onto his skull, plasma splattered, raised his face, and roared angrily.

"You bastards, don’t you know the name of Tobio!"

He bellowed hoarsely, "Do you think just you lot, these unformed motorcycle gangs, want my head so easily?"

His old, bloodstained face was fierce, turning into a beast-like savagery once he dropped the feeble and humble smile.

Bloodshot eyes burned like flames.

"Come on!" He challenged the attackers on motorcycles, "Fight me!"

Not just the opponents, even Huai Shi who wanted to assist was shocked by his fierce posture, but now was not the time to be stunned.

Huai Shi crawled up from the roadside, grabbed a car door from the shattered vehicle frame, aimed at the person blocking him, and slammed it into his forehead, a loud crunching noise mixed with breaking sounds echoed.

Not giving these bastards the chance to start their motorcycles, Huai Shi rushed into the darkness behind the headlights, smashing both man and machine with furious blows to these scoundrels.

In the distant dark woods, a person holding a launcher froze for a moment, then tossed aside the cumbersome rocket launcher, pulling a large-caliber sniper rifle from a nearby box, aimed at the brutal fight in the distance, frantically trying to target Tobio’s head.

But before he could do anything, a chilling scream came from the sky.

In the depths of night, countless Steel Flying Birds swooped in, sharp wings obscured the last starlight, pure darkness swallowed everything.

Only high-pitched screams sounded, then quickly extinguished.

Vanished without a trace.

Huai Shi never dreamed that he would face an RPG attack on the outskirts of Kyoto’s Current Circumstances city, almost getting overturned, letting Tobio die at the hands of these bastards.

These gangs have upgraded their weapons, stepping into a new era, yet frustratingly, as an undercover Astronomical Society agent, he can’t even get a missile!

What’s the deep-seated malice of this world towards a tool like me?

Ready for a bloody fight, surprisingly, there were no Sublimators, just plain ignorant bikers, totally clueless.

Despite their age, the oldest being merely over twenty, they acted viciously, seemingly accustomed to such acts, each more ruthless than the last.

Too bad, utterly useless.

If bragging sufficed, why Sublimer at all?

The lopsided conflict quickly shattered their morale, and at the back, the commander’s anticipatory smile crumbled.

He promptly turned the car around, flooring the gas pedal, preparing to bolt away, abandoning his henchmen.

There in place, Huai Shi bent down, picked up a bar torn from the motorcycle frame, deeply inhaled, aimed at the retreating back, and the bar flew amid explosive noise.

A straight scar cut through the air.

Then, an explosive roar sounded, following the motorcycle’s fall ahead, an explosion echoed.

Huai Shi stepped forward gradually, looked down at the barely alive commander, casually grabbed his collar, and turned towards Tobio.

"They’re Fool Team’s little bastards; as long as there’s drugs, they’ll do anything."

Tobio didn’t even bother to glance at them, "Just cannon fodder, no need to interrogate them."

The commander with multicolored dyed hair suddenly turned pale, screaming, "It’s K Party, K Party paid us, they made us..."

Bang!

Tobio raised his hand and blew off his head, not wanting to hear any more.

Huai Shi was stunned, "Hmm? Not planning to find out who’s causing trouble?"

"Is it necessary? Iron King Party, K-word Party, Earth Sky Fool Team, Light Illumination Sect, Angry Ji Group, Xia Yi Dao..."

He indifferently withdrew his gaze, "Ever since the General refused to protect us, all illegal syndicates in Kyoto have been our enemies."

This is just the beginning.

Behind him, the wreckage of the sedan exploded with a loud bang, flames rising into the night, smoke billowing, hiding the starlight.

As the soft sounds spread, a light rain drizzled down from the Sky Dome.

This was the precursor to a storm.

.

An hour later, in the headquarters of the Alliance, the silent meeting room was filled with smoke.

"Two hours ago, Representative Takanashi jumped off a building, leaving a suicide note at the scene," Lawrence said bleakly, "No matter what, it means our forty million has gone down the drain, and Yingzhou has rejected further communication with Green Day."

Arakawa raised his eyes and asked, "Has the Great Commander made any further plans?"

Lawrence was silent for a long time, shrugged.

"This is Current Circumstances."

Away from the three major blockades, far away at the border, Green Day cannot exert influence.

Lawrence held up his sleeve, showing the intricate Alchemy Matrix and the enormous power sealed within: "Ten Disasters have already granted the Engraved of the Hail of Frost entirely to me, when necessary, I will not hesitate to use this power."

As for more...

His expression was helpless, smoking in silence.

What else could there be?

If we really want to protect Tanbo Inner Circle, Green Day as an anti-Current Circumstances riot organization should stay far away if they have any sense.

Even if the Alliance and Green Day have some private dealings, both sides have always maintained boundaries with tacit understanding.

Private transactions aside, if it becomes an official Green Day branch in Current Circumstances, no need for the Astronomical Society, the Duke and Wu Family could join hands and make Tanbo Inner Circle an achievement by taking it down.

In silence, everyone’s faces were somber.

Wanting to laugh, but unable to do so.

Resistance leads to death, non-resistance also leads to death—such a ridiculous situation, who wouldn’t want to laugh?

"After so many years supporting each other, Green Day certainly won’t abandon us," Lawrence sighed, extinguishing his cigarette, "Though it’s inappropriate to say, the gates of Canaan are always open for you."

——Lower Lockdown Border·Canaan.

The stronghold of Green Day, the nest for all anti-Current Circumstances, anti-Astronomical Society forces, a chronic threat to the Astronomical Society.

If there’s really nowhere to retreat, fleeing to Canaan for a temporary safety is indeed a possibility.

This is destined to be the final choice. Even if unable to survive, one can go to Liangshan. But making such a choice would be the same as becoming Green Day.

By then, even if Tanbo Inner Circle could be preserved, as remnants of the Alliance, others would surely face a brutal cleansing.

The situation faced by the Hybrids will only worsen.

So many years of struggle, when the tide comes, it crumbles like a castle on the sand, disappearing without a trace.

In the heavy atmosphere, Tobio sat expressionlessly in his chair, looking at Huai Shi who he brought along to listen.

Huai Shi sighed, raised his hand, "I know that technically speaking, I shouldn’t speak at the meeting between Alliance bigwigs, but I have news—Order of Nothingness is imminent."

After conveying the intelligence from Amber, the atmosphere in the meeting room became heavy again.

"In five days?"

Chiba Ryouni frowned, "Can you be sure? If it’s just rumors, it would be too alarmist... How do you know?"

Under everyone’s suspicious gaze, Huai Shi couldn’t help but shake his head, sighing wearily, "Consider it news I obtained with my blood, sweat, and tears."

"I’ve verified it through my own channels," Tobio added, "Huai Zhisu’s information is correct."

"..."

In silence, everyone paused for a moment, looking at Huai Shi with eyes that became both sympathetic and awe-filled. Remembering the rumors about his dealings with the female envoy at Deer’s Sing Hall, they seemingly understood something—

Their minds conjured images of steel wool, gas canisters, nails, whips, and various grim scenes.

Chiba Ryouni hesitated before eventually patting his shoulder, encouragingly praising, "Huai Zhisu, you’re a good man, you’ve worked hard!"

He actually sold his body for Tanbo Inner Circle.

Huai Zhisu People, remarkable!

And the female General of the Ochiai Family looked at Huai Shi with more appreciation, as if viewing a rare talent, surprised that this young man had other talents besides murder and arson.

"I..."

Realizing he suddenly solidified his position as Tanbo Inner Circle’s top White-named face, Huai Shi rolled his eyes powerlessly, not knowing how to explain anymore.