Chapter 138: All-Out Warfare

Administrative Headquarters.

As the entire Third City was plunged into chaos by the enemy’s assault, the administrative hall—the city’s nerve center—was abuzz with activity.

A steady stream of clerks had been gathered in the command hall, receiving intelligence from every district of Third City, collating the information to issue new directives.

Chief Administrator Li Taixing had arrived early to take command. As the backbone of Third City, his presence steadied the spirits of the military forces.

Yet, aside from him, only the sole female administrator, Director Li, had made it to the headquarters.

Old Commander Guan, responsible for the city’s guard forces, was understandably absent, burdened with the heavy task of city defense.

However, Bald Administrator Chen Zhaowen and Second Administrator Qin Quan had gone silent, their whereabouts unknown, and they did not appear at the administrative hall.

To any keen observer, the cause was glaringly obvious.

The traitors within Third City had finally surfaced.

Had it not been for Li Taixing personally holding the command post, the revelation of these insider betrayers would have dealt a devastating blow to the morale of every echelon in Third City.

“These two bastards actually conspired with external forces to stage a rebellion!” In Li Taixing’s office, Zhihuan and Yan Yan—still on duty protecting the headquarters—were present as Zhihuan vented his outrage. Though relatively young, he burned with the righteous fire of youth.

Zhihuan despised those who had repeatedly thrown Third City into turmoil and wished he could flay them alive.

“Calm down. Our duty is to protect Elder Li’s safety,” Yan Yan said, eyes closed in quiet meditation. Yet a closer look revealed he was far from relaxed, ever ready to spring into action.

“Old Guan is already leading the city guard to root out the rebels inside. It won’t be long before this is settled.”

Despite those words, Zhihuan’s face remained clouded with indignation.

The mutiny led by Qin Quan and Chen Zhaowen had been long in the making, tracing back to the last major outbreak of the strange phenomenon. Apart from the forces they personally groomed, many of the armed rebels came from within the city guard itself.

The sudden defection caught the rest of the city guard and special forces entirely off guard, and the scale of the rebellion was substantial. Moreover, the armed forces stationed at Minsheng Mall had tied down a large portion of the special forces and many city guard personnel.

At this moment, pacifying Third City was far from the easy task Yan Yan portrayed.

“Elder Li... perhaps we should transfer the forces from Minsheng Mall here,” Zhihuan suggested, his expression conflicted as he looked toward Li Taixing, who stood at the eye of the storm. “Compared to that stationary, rule-based anomaly, we need to deal with the rebels first!

“If your safety is compromised, none of us can bear that responsibility!”

Zhihuan had voiced this before—when the first sparks of rebellion ignited, he had urged Li Taixing to relocate to a safer place instead of remaining at the vulnerable administrative headquarters.

Everyone knew that Li Taixing would be the primary target of Qin Quan and Chen Zhaowen’s coup.

Those two sought power and would naturally eliminate the greatest obstacle in their path. As long as Li Taixing lived, they would never ascend to rule Third City.

Li Taixing sighed softly, his weathered eyes flickering with an inscrutable light.

His feelings were complex. Having held the position of Chief Administrator for decades, he had faced similar crises before—the last being ten years prior.

Those ten years had been fulfilling ones. Through his tireless efforts and the collective striving of all in Third City, the city was steadily approaching his ideal vision.

But fate was cruel. This latest rebellion—the largest and most vicious in history—threatened to deal a severe blow to a city on the rise.

“Qin Quan...” he whispered the name of the man he had entrusted with boundless hope and personally elevated to his current status. His expression grew resolute.

“I will not abandon the headquarters. If they want my head, let them come. But more precious than my life are the hundreds of thousands of citizens of Third City.

“The armed forces at Minsheng Mall must not be moved an inch! We still do not know whether this rule-based anomaly has the capacity to expand. If left unchecked, its outbreak will cause even greater casualties!”

Li Taixing saw clearly that if this were merely a power struggle within Third City, the casualties might not be too severe, but if the anomalies spiraled out of control—especially such dreaded rule-based anomalies—it would threaten the entire city and possibly the entire alliance.

To keep the administrative hall functioning steadily, he had to remain here and direct operations.

“Beep! Beep!” Zhihuan’s earpiece suddenly blared an alarm, his expression shifting instantly.

“An anomaly walker is leading an armed squad to attack the administrative headquarters! They are currently engaged with the special forces guarding here. I’m heading out to reinforce!”

Without waiting, Zhihuan dashed out of the office, leaving only Yan Yan and Li Taixing inside.

“Elder Li...” Yan Yan, habitually taciturn but always embodying the soldier’s spirit, spoke slowly, “I believe in you—and in Third City.”

...

...

“Captain Fu! Urgent intelligence! Increasing armed forces have appeared within the city, confirmed by the Intelligence Analysis Department as rebel units from the city guard! Commander Guan is leading troops to suppress them.”

Inside the command vehicle, Fu Ying barely lifted her eyelids at the news. Her attention had long been fixed on Minsheng Mall.

Several hours had passed since the investigative team led by Qi Chen and the warm-hearted man entered Minsheng Mall, yet no abnormalities had surfaced. Later, Fu Ying could not resist sending in an anomaly walker squad and a special forces team—but neither had responded.

Meanwhile, the situation inside Third City grew progressively chaotic. All anomaly walkers within the city had been mobilized, and signs of battle were everywhere.

Fu Ying had not expected the bad news to be worse than what she had just heard.

“Currently, headquarters reports that an anomaly walker is leading an armed group to assault the administrative headquarters!”

Her expression darkened sharply. She finally lifted her gaze, listening intently to the informant. She knew that Yan Yan and Zhihuan were guarding Elder Li.

Both were elite anomaly walkers, especially Yan Yan, a veteran with extensive experience and formidable powers within the anomaly handling division.

Still, she could not help but worry for Elder Li.

However, the next urgent report made Fu Ying instantly dismiss all her concerns.

“Captain Fu... enemy forces have also been spotted at the High Tower!”

...