Chapter 49: As One Gate Opens, Silence Reigns Absolute

On the third floor of the Stray Dog Bar, the Adviser said with equal anxiety, "Everyone expresses willingness to make a move, but expecting them to strike first is entirely unrealistic. The Keepers have already entered, right downstairs... The higher-ups are still in urgent communication, but the consensus is that Yan Duoduo is merely bluffing. If a major conflict truly breaks out tonight, let alone him being merely a Mysterious-Tier Star Official, even the headquarters of the Keepers and those senior figures in the Ancient City cannot bear this responsibility."

The cripple leaned on his cane, his heart torn by intense internal conflict.

Friends from the same faction all claimed they would back him, but the prerequisite for their backing was that he must first show his own stance.

Should he go out and face them proactively?

That carried a fair bit of danger!

Yet, if he failed to go out proactively, once a conflict erupted between the players of the Stray Dog and the Keepers, the situation might spiral out of control. And should these teammates' stances turn ambiguous, the Stray Dog organization would be doomed tonight...

The cost of bringing a catastrophic disaster upon the organization was far more severe than facing judgment before the Divine-Strange Arbitration Tribunal. After all, he still had people and matters he cared about in this world. Of this, the cripple was well aware.

Yan Duoduo, oh Yan Duoduo, are you merely bluffing, or is there truly something wrong with your mind?

What should he do?

He was deeply tormented...

...

At the entrance of the bar.

Over thirty players of the Stray Dog had already blocked the path of the Qingfu District Keepers. With flippant expressions and relaxed postures, they seemed not to take Ren Ye and the others seriously at all.

"Thud!"

Ignoring the crowd, Ren Ye stepped onto the stairs and headed straight for the main hall.

The long-haired Stray Dog member who was leading the group blocked Ren Ye once more, the astral source fluctuations around his body intensifying.

"Are you obstructing the Keepers in the line of duty?" Ren Ye continued pressing forward.

"I'm just standing right here without moving. How am I obstructing official duties?"

"I advise you not to touch me." Though Ren Ye said this, his body actively leaned closer to the other man.

"I didn't touch you, and you need to keep your sword further away. The arbitration regulations of Shanghai explicitly state..."

"Bang!"

Before the man could finish his sentence, Ren Ye suddenly took three steps back, bumped into Lao Huang, and shouted, "He hit me!"

Huang Wei supported him and froze for a split second.

Ren Ye abruptly turned his head and whispered to him, "Chief, you need to understand what Director Yan is truly thinking. In a situation this massive, whoever hesitates, dammit, is the one who suffers a crushing defeat—a total defeat that smashes them to smithy-and-bones!"

"Do I fucking need you to teach me?!" Huang Wei glared, a wave of ferocious murderous intent suddenly erupting from within his body.

"Magic Performance—Binding!"

Almost simultaneously, Gu Nian directly raised her magic wand.

A gray-white carrier pigeon flew over the heads of the crowd and exploded right above that long-haired man's head.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Four steel rings descended, fitting precisely over the man's body and rapidly contracting to immobilize him.

"Toxin—Paralysis!" Xu Peng suddenly drew out two emerald-green beams of light, wrapping them directly around the long-haired man's wrists.

A wave of numbness washed over him, and the long-haired man instantly felt his entire body lose sensation, his eyes turning somewhat glazed.

"Plop!"

"Plop!"

On both the left and right sides, two heavy swords swung down without a moment's hesitation.

Huang Wei's massive crimson greatsword and Ren Ye's Nation-Protecting Sword flashed past without encountering the slightest resistance.

Blood spurted straight up toward the ceiling. The long-haired man, caught under dual crowd control, had both arms severed clean off, and he collapsed onto his knees on the spot with a dull thud.

All of this happened with extreme speed and decisiveness. The middle-aged magnate hiding on the fifth floor of the building had his pupils contract as he murmured, "Are they really going to start a war?"

Immediately following this, four Keepers stepped forward, grabbed the long-haired man by the hair, and pinned him to the ground.

"This individual violently resisted law enforcement and is now officially detained!" Ren Ye pointed his sword at the long-haired man, who was kneeling on the ground with blood gushing frantically from his severed arms, and shouted.

At the same time, transforming into a red hound, Huang Wei also shouted with extreme fury, "Are there any others who want to try?! Huh?!"

The echoing shouts reverberated through half of Tongren Road, causing the onlookers crowding around to tense up.

Inside the bar, a Stray Dog player shouted excitedly, "Since they disregard the existence of Tongren Road, then let's fight!"

"Bang, bang, bang...!"

A series of astral source fluctuations erupted indoors. The Stray Dog players blocking the entrance seemed ready to take action.

At the other entrance of Tongren Road, Chen Hannian shouted anxiously, "Director Yan, Director Yan, shouldn't we apply some pressure? I feel like things are about to get out of control!"

Yan Duoduo stood with his arms crossed, gazing into the distance without a single word of reply.

At the bar entrance, Huang Wei also stared at the players before him with a tight chest and roared, "Prepare for battle!"

He had no desire for things to get out of control, nor did he wish to see Shanghai plunged into turmoil tonight. But now, the arrow was nocked on the bow, and it had to be fired.

At his command, the surrounding Keepers all activated their divine-strange abilities, preparing to engage.

"Stop this instant, all of you!"

Just at that moment, bowed under immense pressure, the cripple slowly walked out from the darkness toward the front entrance.

His exquisite cane emitted a faint, deep glow, followed closely by the Adviser and others. He walked forward with steady strides.

Seeing him appear, Huang Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but beside him, Ren Ye's gaze was filled with hatred and hostility. Because of this very man, his father had almost been kidnapped, and his own younger sister had nearly suffered harm.

Feigning an air of lazy nonchalance, the cripple walked indifferently to the entrance, planting himself squarely in the middle of Tongren Road, and looked down at Ren Ye with a condescending gaze. "... You little brat who got pushed to the front, do you have the ability to enforce the law? Can you bear the consequences?!"

"Hand me the summons notice." Ren Ye glanced at him, then spoke in a flat tone to Huang Wei.

Huang Wei did not hesitate; he reached out and handed over the official summons notice of the Qingfu District Keepers.

Taking it, Ren Ye stood upon the steps, facing countless pairs of eyes. He puffed out his chest, solemnly unfolded the summons paper with both hands, and read aloud in a resounding voice: "Qian Zheng, the person in charge of the Shanghai Stray Dog organization, is now accused by two captured players of having provided shelter, harboring, and other forms of assistance in three recent violent cases. Qian Zheng is hereby officially summoned to present himself for investigation!"

His voice drifted away, and the surrounding area fell silent.

The cripple cast a sidelong glance at the onlookers gathered around, a smile curling across his lips. "What persuasiveness and credibility do accusations from criminals hold? Is there anything that bunch wouldn't do?! When one wants to condemn someone, pretexts are never lacking!"

After finishing his reading, Ren Ye completely ignored him, stepping forward instead and suddenly pointing a finger at the ground: "Hands behind your head, squat down!"

"???! "

The cripple was dumbfounded, standing there blankly, somewhat at a loss for how to respond.

Was this guy treating him like some petty street punk?! Even if he were genuinely to be summoned, it was impossible for him to squat down with his hands behind his head right here on Tongren Road under the public gaze!

He was a Tier 2 player, for crying out loud!

This move left not only the cripple dumbfounded, but also Yan Duoduo, Chen Hannian, and the numerous high-ranking magnates observing from the periphery in profound shock.

Given that the current scene was primed like a powder keg ready to ignite at a spark, even if they were genuinely executing an arrest, there was no need to force the cripple to squat. Such a public stripping of dignity bore no resemblance whatsoever to a desire for handling the matter in a low-key manner.

Watching this scene, Yan Duoduo's eyes shone brightly.

"I told you to squat down!!!" Ren Ye stared at the cripple with stubborn, unyielding eyes, pointing at the ground again and shouting.

At that exact fraction of a second, the cripple suddenly realized something. Ren Ye didn't seem to be here to arrest him at all; the opponent appeared to be intentionally provoking his anger, and once anger took root, it was easy to act rashly...

What was his purpose in provoking him? It was to make him fight back. And once he resisted... that would constitute violently resisting law enforcement and threaten the lives of the Keepers.

He understood now. He and Yan Duoduo wanted him dead, depriving him of any chance to ever reach the Divine-Strange Arbitration Tribunal!

The cripple's expression shifted, and a chilling breeze swept instantly across the back of his neck.

There was no other way; he had to leverage outside forces, otherwise, he wouldn't be walking out of Tongren Road tonight.

"I'll say it one last time: hands behind your head, squat down, and submit to investigation!" Ren Ye fixed his gaze dead on the cripple, going so far as to raise his hand and press it down firmly onto the man's neck.

Indeed, no one who had experienced their own father being kidnapped and their younger sister assaulted could remain calm—unless they were beasts.

Ren Ye had no idea what kind of outcome this person would face once brought before the Divine-Strange Arbitration Tribunal; therefore, he desperately hoped the man would fly into a rage and strike back...

Weren't you acting so proud? Weren't you the head of a renowned organization?!

"You want me to squat down?" The cripple sneered as he looked at him, his eyes suddenly turning stubborn and fanatical.

"Can't you bring yourself to squat?" Ren Ye spat out the question through clenched teeth.

"Hahahaha!"

The cripple burst into loud laughter, sweeping his gaze across Tongren Road. Suddenly raising his cane, he roared word by word, "If you want me to squat down, you'd better ask these friends living along Tongren Road whether they agree!"

As the shout rang out, the onlookers on both sides of the street turned their gazes toward various spots.

The leader of the Predator Alliance merely pondered for a brief moment before waving a hand.

Simultaneously, a dozen or so chaotic-faction magnates also nodded silently down below.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

The onlookers on both sides of the street began to move. Full hundreds of people converged toward the Stray Dog Bar. They uttered no shouts, made no commotion, moving forward as silently as ghosts.

The dark clouds in the sky parted, revealing a bright moon.

Viewed from above, the twenty-odd Keepers trapped at the bar entrance appeared exceedingly thin and helpless.

"Tap, tap...!"

The sound of hurried footsteps drew closer and closer. Sweat poured from Xu Peng's forehead. "... Little Ren Ye is such a reckless brute... What do we do now? We're completely deadlocked here!"

Ignoring him, Huang Wei suddenly stepped forward, pointing at the ground from the other side: "Squat down!"

"Boom!"

A fierce, dark aura burst from the cripple's entire body, and the cane in his hand radiated a dazzling black light: "Squat down?! Since the Keepers no longer abide by the constraints of the Divine-Strange Regulations, then the stability of Shanghai need not exist either. My friends, please remember: those who live in the dark corners rise together and fall together!"

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

On the street, those onlookers who had gathered collectively erupted with astral source fluctuations.

At that very moment, Yan Duoduo, who had been observing the situation from the periphery, suddenly withdrew his right hand from his trouser pocket, raised his arm, and shouted: "Keepers, plant the steles!"

As his words fell, the Keepers concealed around Tongren Road collectively pulled the wordless steles from their waists. Brilliant light surged across their chests, and the stele inscriptions manifested.

For several kilometers on end, divine-strange phenomena instantly manifested.

"Bang, bang, bang...!"

A series of muffled thuds echoed from all directions as over three hundred wordless steles were driven straight into the ground.

Abruptly, the scenery of the entire Tongren Road twisted and blurred.

The moment space was isolated, Yan Duoduo slowly spread his arms. Like a deity, his feet left the ground, lifting him straight up more than ten meters into the air.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!"

The sound of air being torn apart rang out dense as a torrential downpour, and every single Keeper in the whole of Shanghai appeared atop rooftops, observational decks, and across the architectural complexes.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but yellow tunics.

Specks of starlight emerged from behind Yan Duoduo, then slowly unfolded, transforming into a twisted, irregular gate of star-traces.

Before Ren Ye entered his profession, Huang Wei had once mentioned that players with orderly inheritances would be recognized by the stamber door, and such a player... would possess an exclusive stamber door.

As it happened, Yan Duoduo was precisely that player; Yan Duoduo was currently one of the very few possessors of a high-tier stamber door across the entire nation!

"Swish, swish, swish...!"

On the ground, players of the chaotic faction blankly raised their heads to look up. Upon catching sight of the stamber door manifesting behind Yan Duoduo, many of them wore expressions of shock in their eyes.

Footsteps instantly grew chaotic, and the violent, evil astral source fluctuations suffered a brief, stagnant pause.

Under the moonlight.

Suspended mid-air, Yan Duoduo maintained a steady emotional state, and with a light shout that seemed to cover the heavens with a single hand, he commanded: "Tongren Road, quiet down!"

"Quiet down!"

"Quiet down!"

Abruptly, wave-like shouts resounded completely within the distorted space...

These were Keepers clad in yellow tunics, pressing forward once again without looking back, fearless and undaunted once more!