Chapter 534: Frenzy in Satellite City Three

“Three million Alliance Coins, huh…”

“What kind of person could suddenly be worth three million?”

“The police officers have all headed to that hotel. Could it be that the three million are inside?”

At the very moment Han Bing made his decision, the entire Satellite City Three outside the hotel grew increasingly frenzied.

Originally, it was just a wanted bounty airing on TV, hardly enough to stir this much commotion. But in a city where no one can sleep and a fire burns within every heart, everyone needs something to latch onto.

When one person follows the bounty, it’s nothing special.

When two people take notice, it doesn’t seem particularly interesting either.

But when more and more people latch onto it and start talking about it, its allure suddenly magnifies with the crowd—becoming more intriguing and fun, as if it were the most important matter of all.

Often, people are not chasing the object itself, but the thrill of belonging.

“Snatch that three million…”

Someone bellowed as he dashed out of his home, screaming vehemently down the street.

“Ha ha ha, that three million is mine…”

More people joined in, their eyes bloodshot and smiles wild, gathering in groups of three or five.

When everyone gets interested in something, even a rock in a latrine turns into a hot commodity worth fighting over—tens of thousands would rush to prove that this rock is indeed valuable. And now, it’s not a latrine rock but a full three million that attracts them.

If it were merely aimless revelry, the chaos would soon fade after a bout of shouting.

But just as everyone tuned into the bounty on TV, police cars blared their sirens and arrived at the hotel; officers crouched behind car doors and began shouting into the building.

At least on this street, the crazed crowd had finally found a way to vent.

Countless eyes gleamed with excitement as people pressed in front of the hotel and peered inside.

More and more people gathered, and the number of bloodshot, glistening eyes only grew.

The combined frenzy of the crowd itself seemed to form an immensely powerful force.

Without a word, it surged like an unstoppable tide before the hotel.

……

……

“I must admit…”

Peering down from an upstairs window with a corner of the curtain lifted, Mr. Gecko’s face turned a shade pale as he whispered, “We all know these are just ordinary people. Even armed with guns, they likely pose little threat to us. But when their numbers swell and their emotions run this wild, it becomes… a little frightening!”

“That’s normal,”

Han Bing explained softly, “Even with basic math, you can see that an ordinary person’s psychic power is about ten units—when riled up, it might hit a dozen or even twenty. And ten such individuals can reach one or two hundred, which is already the psychic level of a Stage One Ability User. Imagine a hundred or two hundred?”

“That kind of frenzied psychic buildup is terrifying in scale.”

“If you rely solely on individual psychic power to clash with a city, hardly any Ability User could match them…”

“……”

She paused, then suddenly turned to look at Lu Xin and added, “No normal Ability User can stand against that.”

Mr. Gecko, ever perceptive, immediately caught Han Bing’s glance and laughed, “Yeah, ordinary people just aren’t cut out for this.”

Lu Xin glanced at them, half-understanding and half-confused, and smiled sheepishly.

“So, what we need to do now is harness that power for our own use…”

Han Bing quickly interjected, “Miss Red Serpent will ensure the core part of the plan remains unaffected. But igniting the fury of so many people with just her might isn’t enough—so Mr. Gecko, we need your help…”

Mr. Gecko: “?”

How did the conversation suddenly turn to him?

Casually looking away, he thought, after all, he is a vice-captain, not someone to be bossed around at will.

While he was pondering, he felt a hand on his back.

Mr. Gecko shuddered and instinctively turned to see Lu Xin staring at him.

“Having you on board puts my mind at ease,”

Lu Xin met Mr. Gecko’s gaze with a sincere, innocent smile, “Right?”

“……”

“Make sure the mission gets done!”

With a swift ‘whoosh,’ Mr. Gecko snapped to attention, shouted, and dashed out through the window.

“Mr. Gecko’s enthusiasm is off the charts. Look at him—so fired up he didn’t even wait for the door!”

Lu Xin looked at Han Bing’s surprised expression and laughed.

“I suppose so…”

Han Bing reluctantly agreed, then turned away, silently thinking, “Mr. Lone Soldier seems different somehow…”

“Different how…?”

“……”

“……”

“Who the hell is yelling like that?”

Just as the chaos outside reached its peak—seemingly on the brink of the frenzied mob storming the hotel—a booming shout came from within.

“Rumble…”

Seven or eight scruffy thugs burst out of the hotel, bellowing at everyone around.

Some wielded knives, others clutched staffs; they staggered as they walked and arrogantly lifted their chins when looking at others.

Even if someone was shorter than them, they refused to lower their gaze—instead, they leaned back aggressively until they appeared even shorter before scrutinizing their target. The more they leaned, the tougher they looked.

At the forefront, two figures—one clutching a submachine gun, the other a shotgun—glowered ferociously. These were Yongzi and Qiangzi.

Behind them, Group Leader Red Serpent, his arm draped casually over his companion’s, exuded a cold, heroic aura as he glared outward.

“This…”

Seeing Group Leader Red Serpent and the fierce thugs emerge from the hotel, the onlookers’ excitement visibly faltered.

“Huh? Group Leader Red Serpent is out?”

“Quick, get over here…”

Nearby, those who had been lingering around the hotel quickly gathered to watch the spectacle. The moment they saw Group Leader Red Serpent, they rushed over, instantly tripling his numbers.

Their formidable presence startled both the officers in front of the hotel and the raucous mob behind the police cars.

……

……

“All this commotion—what exactly are you doing?”

Group Leader Red Serpent, exuding authority, swept his narrowed, eagle-like eyes over the crowd and bellowed.

At the sight of him emerging from the hotel, the formation of officers brandishing their guns was struck dumb.

They had been briefed, yet none expected Group Leader Red Serpent—a captain—to step out. One officer shouted, “Group Leader, we’ve been ordered to capture the wanted criminal. Please don’t make things difficult for us…”

“Wanted criminal?”

The frenzied mob behind the police cars erupted into further commotion.

Wasn’t that just the confirmation of what they’d suspected—that the man worth three million was inside the hotel?

“Bullshit!”

Before the crowd could swell further, Group Leader Red Serpent roared, “What the hell is this wanted criminal nonsense? Do you think I make your lives easy by always pampering you bastards? How many times have you captured criminals, and yet you act as if we’re not your neighborhood guardians? Cut the formalities!”

“Uh, well…”

The frenzied mob, as if doused with cold water, fell silent instantly.

Even in the midst of frenzy, some inner restraint always manages to surface.

Originally, when the wanted notice was issued and the officers arrived, had they ridden that wave of excitement, capturing the criminal would have become the sole focus—everything else cast aside.

Simply put, they would have slipped into a bizarre obsessive state.

But the image of Group Leader Red Serpent was too deeply imprinted in their minds—a mere mention of his name carried enough authority to make anyone think twice. So even before full-blown chaos erupted, his shout made them pause and regain some composure.

Even the officers were taken aback—no one expected Group Leader Red Serpent to appear and cause such a stir.

“Group Leader, you don’t understand the gravity of the situation. Please clear the way…”

The officer in charge, visibly agitated, shouted, “This doesn’t concern you. I’ll explain later.”

At that, Group Leader Red Serpent glared fiercely and retorted, “You’ve got some nerve, daring to tell me to step aside?”

The officer was momentarily tongue-tied, “I didn’t mean it that way—it’s just that… we weren’t after you…”

“It doesn’t matter who we’re chasing!”

Group Leader Red Serpent immediately slammed his cane on the ground, pointed ahead, and bellowed, “On this street, in this Satellite City Three, everyone is either one of my own or a neighbor. If you claim you aren’t after me and expect me to stand down, then if you arrest one of my men, or my neighbors next, and eventually target me—do you think I’ll just let you off?”

His harsh words, combined with his commanding presence and reference to his ‘neighbors,’ visibly energized the crowd.

His subordinates, witnessing him berate the officers so authoritatively, trembled with an inexplicable excitement.

Somehow, his lackeys particularly relished watching their boss exhibit such authority.

Even the onlookers, hearing him refer to themselves as neighbors, felt an unspoken pride and gradually erupted with enthusiasm.

The initial lure of the three million had silently transformed.

“Three million? What’s that compared to the thrill of the spectacle?”

“What’s going on?”

The officer in charge, both furious and anxious, craned his head out of the police car and shouted,

“Group Leader, you say those are your men?”

“……”

“On this street, who isn’t on my side?”

Group Leader Red Serpent slammed his cane onto the ground and roared, “Try capturing one then!”

The thugs around cheered thunderously, wielding their staffs and pounding on everything in sight.

They shouted at the officers, “Come on, try it!”

……

“Things have changed…”

The lead officer was in a bind, realizing too many unforeseen twists had occurred. Had he known these were Group Leader Red Serpent’s men, he would have thought twice about coming. Now, with orders crackling in his earpiece from superiors and Group Leader Red Serpent seeming even more formidable than them, he was caught in the middle.

Desperate, the surrounding officers looked to the captain as if pleading for help.

“Looks like we need to ratchet up the pressure even more…”

Watching from upstairs, Han Bing whispered, “The louder the commotion, the better the effect. Otherwise, it won’t work.”

“Group Leader Red Serpent’s reputation seems to have gotten a bit out of hand—these officers don’t dare square off with him directly and end up just arguing.”

“……”

With that, she lifted the curtain and subtly signaled downward.

Suddenly, amid the increasingly excited crowd watching Group Leader Red Serpent berate the officers, someone began yelling, “You got so worked up during the shampoo parlor raid—I’ve had enough of you all! Now come on, everyone…”

While shouting, he forcefully shoved forward.

Immediately, the crowd surged ahead.

At the same instant, a shoe—its owner unknown—whistled out from the throng with a sharp ‘slap’ and struck Yongzi in the face.

“Bastard, throwing hidden weapons…”

Furious, Yongzi grabbed his gun and charged at the officers ahead.

Maintaining a shred of restraint, he didn’t fire immediately—instead, he rushed forward, swinging his gun like a club.

Seeing this, the thugs were further stirred up and began howling as they trailed after him.

“Retreat, retreat…”

The officers were startled; one raised his gun high and fired a warning shot into the air.

Even though not firing was preferable, once a shot rang out, it only fueled the mob’s frenzy even more.

“Bastard—you still dare to shoot?”

From behind the crowd, Group Leader Red Serpent bellowed, “Disarm them and show them who rules Satellite City Three!”

With a resounding crash,

thunderous shouts erupted from the mob like rolling thunder.

The thugs, shirtless and in slippers, leapt several tens of centimeters high and kicked at the police cars.

Meanwhile, the raucous crowd—now fully roused—began surging after the officers, desperate not to be left behind.

……

……

“It’s a piece of cake…”

Upstairs, Han Bing shook her head slightly and remarked, “This High-wall City isn’t even as good as a settlement.”