Chapter 102: Chapter 85: Overt Scheme
Riots erupted throughout Lingshui City. In addition to this street corner, all sorts of robots had suddenly appeared in other areas, attacking people and various facilities.
For a moment, the city plunged into chaos.
In the ground-level parking lot of an old residential community about five kilometers away, an SUV parked in its space suddenly began to move.
The SUV moved without any warning, and there was no one inside.
But just because there was no one in the car didn’t mean there was no one in the community.
Inside the community, a middle-aged couple was present. The husband witnessed the scene and a look of astonishment crossed his face.
"H-Hey... Honey, take a look. Am I seeing things, or did that car just move?" the husband asked, rubbing his eyes and turning to his wife beside him.
Hearing this, his wife shot him a dismissive glance. "A car moved. What’s the big deal?"
"But... it looked like there was no one inside..." the husband added, his tone still laced with amazement.
His wife remained unconcerned, even waving her hand impatiently. "It’s not strange for there to be no one in the car. Cars are so automated these days. The owner can just press a button on the remote before they even get here, and the car will pull out of the space by itself."
"Remember when we were buying a car for our precious daughter? That young saleswoman showed us a model that had that exact feature, and you even said..."
As his wife rambled on, just about to say more, the husband suddenly raised his voice, cutting her off. "Wait..."
The husband stared, his eyes fixed on the parking lot, his voice tinged with horror. "Something’s wrong... The car, I think it’s standing up."
"Honey, are you really seeing things? How can a car stand..." The wife, thinking her husband was hallucinating, was about to tease him when her gaze swept over to the lot. She caught the SUV’s Transformation into a robot, and her voice abruptly died in her throat.
"Aaaah! Run!" she shrieked. Reacting in an instant, she grabbed her husband and they bolted.
They had just fled when the Car Robot’s arm morphed into the dark maw of a cannon barrel and fired a shot in the direction they were running.
SHOOOM!
The shell shot toward them at incredible speed. The couple already had some distance from the parking lot and had just reached a corner, their escape masked by a residential building.
BOOM!
The shell pursued the couple, ultimately slamming into the side of the residential building and blasting a gaping hole in it.
Many residents lived in the building. The moment it was hit, they all felt a violent tremor.
Many of them reacted instantly. Thinking it was an Earthquake, they ran for their lives, scrambling to get outside. Some even summoned Flying Pet Beasts and flew straight out of their windows.
A few others, clad only in their boxers, scrambled frantically out of the neighboring apartment—the one where the husband was away on a business trip.
Once outside the building, they saw the Car Robot on its destructive rampage.
Those with little confidence in their own strength quietly backed away, putting more distance between them and the machine.
Those confident in their abilities summoned their Pet Beasts, preparing to fight the Car Robot to the bitter end.
And that’s exactly what they did. The community quickly devolved into a chaotic free-for-all, the air punctuated by the intermittent sounds of battle and explosions.
More than a dozen similar attacks occurred simultaneously throughout Lingshui City, with devastating consequences.
In a short span of time, emergency services, public security, and the fire department were inundated with calls.
Hospitals and the Public Security Bureau were immediately thrown into a flurry of activity. Numerous ambulances and Bureau vehicles sped out, heading in all directions to provide support.
In one of the Public Security Bureau vehicles, the driver, Zhou Weiping, slammed his hand on the steering wheel. "Damn it! Have those bastards from the Mechanical Desecration Association lost their minds?"
His eyes were sharp, but also filled with confusion. "What are they trying to do? Destroy all of Lingshui City?"
"They’re digging their own graves!" a Security Officer in the passenger seat chimed in, his tone equally indignant.
From the back seat, Public Security Bureau Chief Peng Zhongyan, who had been frowning in thought, finally joined the conversation. "Never mind whether they’re digging their own graves. We need to consider whether *we’ll* survive if this chaos is allowed to continue..."
With the situation so chaotic, he, the bureau chief, could hardly remain on the sidelines.
Besides, he was a formidable combatant in his own right. At a time like this, he had to be on the front lines.
"Boss Peng, what you’re saying is..." Zhou Weiping asked in a low voice, sensing the hidden meaning in his chief’s words.
The Security Officer in the passenger seat also caught Peng Zhongyan’s implication and sounded aggrieved. "With such a massive attack from the Mechanical Desecration Association, and with Lingshui City having so few security forces... even if we deploy everyone, it’s just a drop in the bucket. We can’t be blamed for that, can we?"
Zhou Weiping unconsciously pressed harder on the accelerator, speeding toward the location of one of the disturbances. According to his Energy Watch, the Energy Intensity there was the highest, peaking at Tier Nine Commander.
As he relayed incoming intelligence reports to Peng Zhongyan, he frowned in thought. ’The most crucial thing is, we have no idea what they’re actually trying to accomplish.’
Hearing Zhou Weiping, Peng Zhongyan gave a faint smile. "What are they trying to accomplish? Don’t we already have a lead?"
Prompted by his chief, Zhou Weiping thought for a moment before it clicked. "A lead? What lead? The Unstable Rift managed by the Chu, Niu, and Zhu Families?"
But in the next instant, he dismissed the idea. ’No, even if they were targeting the Unstable Rift, they wouldn’t...’
He trailed off as a realization dawned on him, his train of thought shifting abruptly. ’Wait, no... could this be a diversion to tie up our forces?’
Peng Zhongyan let out a chuckle, one clearly laced with bitterness and resignation. "Perhaps it’s not just *our* forces."
"What do you mean?" The Security Officer in the passenger seat scratched his head, confused.
Peng Zhongyan considered for a moment, then decided not to hide his speculation. "You don’t seriously think that with the Mechanical Desecration Association making a move this big, the higher-ups haven’t made their own arrangements, do you?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the Howling of a Fire Mastiff erupted from nearby.
According to the reading on the Energy Watch, this Fire Mastiff was a Tier Eight Commander—definitely not one of the Bureau’s Pet Beasts.
Pointing in the direction of the Fire Mastiff’s Howling, Peng Zhongyan pursed his lips. "See? The arrangements have arrived."
Zhou Weiping was exasperated. "But doesn’t this mean we’re falling right into their trap of luring the tiger from its mountain?"
Peng Zhongyan shook his head. "This is an open and undisguised gambit. Unless we’re willing to ignore the lives of ordinary citizens, we have no way to stop them."
The Security Officer’s expression turned ugly. "Then doesn’t that mean it’s all up to the Guard forces of the three great families?"
Zhou Weiping suddenly wrenched the steering wheel, chiming in, "Let’s just hope they can hold out for a while longer!"
