John instantly understood.

The leverage Sora used in negotiations with Internet Surveillance were the Plato satellites docked in low earth orbit, a cluster of Starlink public service nodes.

They were on a collision course with the roads of Eden City.

"Are you fucking insane! Are you planning to bury the whole city with you?"

John couldn't help but exclaim, yet there was no response in his mind.

His heart started pounding, thoughts racing back to the night they went to the Source Formula, remembering the hovercar that crashed down on Sakura Cross Street.

The Serum said that accident had nothing to do with it.

Yet its attitude towards the discussion was exactly like Sora's now.

AIs and humans were completely different creatures.

Order, law, social morality, human emotions – in their equations to achieve goals, they are all just cold numbers.

[Negotiations are complete, prepare to evacuate... to the basement, John.]

John didn't move, letting out a bitter smile.

"Are you threatening the head of the Internet Surveillance office?"

[No, I do not trust their promises, I'm merely providing a simple choice—either continue the highest-level manhunt for you, or divert personnel to reclaim the hacked Starlink.]

The state police chief was a ruthless individual.

But he had to consider the sentiments of the municipal government and the council. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The edge of John's vision cleared as the dense red data vanished.

All those tiny strings flickering several times a second were countless engagements of Magic Puppets in cyberspace.

In places John couldn't see, Kenichi Sora blocked the most elite online operatives of Internet Surveillance.

As a mature AI that had operated independently for a long time across the Black Wall, its potential for destruction was beyond imagination.

[To the basement.]

Sora repeated the command.

The signal source focused on John disconnected in an instant as Internet Surveillance's automatic turrets and infrared signals simultaneously lost their target.

Internet Surveillance gave up reinforcing their personnel.

This was the result of the negotiation, or rather, the police's concession to the council.

But he did not withdraw everyone. Even if there was little hope, he still wished John could die from a stray bullet due to bad luck.

Bang, rumble...

Dozens of smoking incendiary bombs were thrown in simultaneously.

This was the state police's final attack order.

This bomb was a borderline-grade weapon in the city's safety regulations, with a burn level of four, releasing toxic smoke, and the next model could even melt through building structures, categorized as military siege equipment.

Today, Internet Surveillance had used more than one type of weapon that required approval.

Dan Street Apartment No. 013 had housed many legendary figures.

The municipal government, Black Gold Gang, and Jingke Heavy Industry would not allow it to collapse easily.

Flames and thick smoke engulfed the entire building.

The rolling waves of smoke, reaching several meters high, forced the security perimeter back by dozens of meters.

Buzz—

Silver Rider 577 pierced through the thick smoke, flying out from the underground parking lot.

Amid the gunfire from the ECPD and Internet Surveillance personnel, it soared up and crashed onto a police car that had swerved in its path.

It crushed over the roof, landed on the asphalt road, tires fiercely screeching, fishtailing to break through the last bit of sparse obstacles, and rocketed away!

The bullets grazed against the modified coating but didn't stop it.

John glanced at the electronic rearview mirror.

The camera view was filled with sirens, gunfire, rising flames, and the visibly descending satellites in the sky.

[If today were the end of the world, would you have regrets?]

John's eyelid twitched.

The Silver Rider 577's system was managed by Black Light, and now, Sora could use the device without his consent.

He didn't speak, fingers flexing around the steering wheel.

It was a feeling of intrusion into a zone of safety.

This was the first time John genuinely felt dislike towards Kenichi Sora.