The hideous purple armor was covered in fine barbs, each tip condensing a droplet of dark red blood.
The blood droplets trickled down the winding grooves of the armor plates but never actually fell.
The one who had appeared here was, of course, Unceasing Purple, Wan Qianhong.
“How... is this possible?!” The sentry leader's eyes went wide, his mouth opening and closing in disbelief.
A wave of intense dizziness washed over his brain; he had clearly fallen into a trap.
He couldn't gauge the other party's strength at all, only feeling an exceptionally powerful pressure radiating from her.
Since when did Dawn City have an expert of this caliber?
“Who are you? How did she disappear?!”
Wan Qianhong stood in place, not a sound escaping from beneath her faceplate.
In truth, this was a testament to the sheer power of unique attributes.
Her abilities were entirely imperceptible, and people had almost no experience dealing with blood-based attributes.
The reason those hidden sentries had felt drowsy and reacted so sluggishly was entirely due to her control—she had simply regulated the speed at which their blood flowed to their brains.
Since they weren't in a state of combat, she had done this very discreetly; no one had even realized they were being attacked by a Word Soul.
Bai Feifei had literally just strolled right out the door earlier!
All Wan Qianhong had to do was make anyone who was supposed to see Bai Feifei close their eyes in drowsiness for just those few seconds.
Seeing that the other party remained silent, the leader's back became drenched in cold sweat.
He suddenly realized this was no time for questions; he had to run!
Without a moment's hesitation, his body began to turn to sand—the precursor to activating an Escape Art. He wanted to escape underground.
But it was too late.
The entire room was now completely ringed by fresh blood, sealing off the space airtight.
Even if she couldn't kill him, he certainly wasn't getting away.
But as she watched his movements, Wan Qianhong frowned slightly.
She recognized this man. He was an Inner City Rank 5 Scavenger.
He had neither talent nor ambition, just someone idling away his days in an Inner City post.
How had he suddenly reached the level of an Edgerunner?
And as far as Wan Qianhong could recall, this man's abilities and attributes had nothing to do with sand or stone!
What was with this Escape Art? It actually looked quite similar to the Li family's ability...
Wan Qianhong suddenly remembered what “Bai Feifei” had said to her a couple of days ago.
Everyone's attention had been diverted by Liang Shuguang's eloquence, causing them to forget the real issue...
How the hell did Liang Shuguang, a mere cripple, manage to make three Edgerunners drop dead on the spot that day?
This City Lord possessed a special ability, and no one knew where it came from or how it worked!
“How... did you become an Edgerunner?” Wan Qianhong asked, her voice sounding deep and raspy through her faceplate.
“And what's the deal with your Escape Art and your attributes?”
...
Everything that transpired in that remote room was sealed away by blood, hidden from the outside world.
Meanwhile, at the very top of the white building, on that pristine white high platform.
Liang Shuguang sat in his wheelchair, slowly wheeled out by his secretary.
Sunlight streamed down from above, enveloping his entire being in a soft, golden halo.
He wore his signature dark grey robe, the Dawn City emblem pinned to his collar, and carried that same warm, gentle smile that hadn't faded for thirty years.
Below the platform, there was a sea of people.
Cheers suddenly erupted from the plaza like a tsunami, sweeping across the entirety of Dawn City.
Some shouted his name, others clapped, bowing down in reverence toward the white building as if worshiping a living god.
This was their City Lord.
This was the man who had carried the entire city on his crippled shoulders for thirty years.
This was the best City Lord in the history of Dawn City.
Scorpio Kong Man frowned slightly. Watching the jubilant crowd around her, she felt a sense of unease and couldn't help but mutter to herself:
“Is this city some kind of religious cult...?”
“How did things get so crazed? Do these people not have brains?”
And on that white high platform under the gaze of thousands, Liang Shuguang finally spoke.
His voice, carrying an indescribable magic, cut through all the cheering and clamor, reaching the ears of everyone below the platform.
“Hello, everyone. Today, I just want to have a casual chat with you all. I won't give you any bureaucratic non-answers.”
“I am very glad to see you all so happy.”
“I believe this is the highest level of enthusiasm we've seen since the establishment of the Voting Assembly. I would also like to thank all of our guests for being here today.”
Liang Shuguang looked up, his smile remaining gentle as he gazed at the cheering crowd below. His eyes seemed to harbor a complex mixture of ruthlessness and pity all at once.
“Without further ado, let me first share some good news with you: the hidden threat in the North District has been resolved.”
“Those who might have destroyed us have been swept into the dustbin of history by Bai Feifei, Prophet Liu Yun, and the others.”
Another roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.
In the front row, sitting next to Ye Hanshan, Ye Yu's face turned slightly pale.
Looking at the ecstatic crowd around her and their emotion-driven faces, she felt an inexplicable dread.
She hadn't been present when Liang Shuguang gave his speech at the entrance of the North District, so she didn't know what shocking words the City Lord had uttered at the end.
But having personally experienced the events in the North District, she knew things were far from simple. There should still be many unresolved issues!
She had even been confined to her quarters over the past few days. While overwhelming celebratory news filled the air, no one actually knew what had happened in the North District. Something was clearly wrong!
Something must have gone wrong!
Where was Bai Feifei?
Beside her, Ye Hanshan looked at his daughter. Feeling a pang of sympathy, he patted her head.
Sometimes, reality wasn't so bright. One had to learn to adapt and blend in.
“However,” Liang Shuguang said, changing his tone while keeping his smile, “do you truly believe you can enjoy such a golden age?”
“What if all of this is merely an illusion?”
The crowd was still filled with cheers, and many didn't quite catch what Liang Shuguang was saying.
“Who are the ones who made sacrifices for you?”
“How did they sacrifice? How was it resolved? You don't know any of that either.”
The cheers in the plaza slowly began to quiet down.
“You either want to find a savior to worship, or you desperately want to find a sinner to blame for all your misfortunes.”
“But what if those two people are the exact same person?”
As he spoke these words, Liang Shuguang still maintained his cheerful demeanor, as if he were just joking with everyone.
Yet, the expressions of the higher-ups sitting in the front rows, as well as Xie Xuan and the others, began to gradually stiffen.
Wait, what are you saying?
This speech of yours seems a bit off. Why aren't you sticking to the script?!
Rate on N.U.
