Chapter 1

The Dragon City Rises

In the streets of Longkou District, Dragon City, a large SUV sped along.

You Yifan, dressed in a suit, sat in the back seat with his legs crossed, a weary expression on his face. He cursed, "Damn it, I was thinking of garrisoning troops, Chi troops, we had all the contacts ready. Once the heat died down, this deal could have taken off. Who would have thought Xiao Yucheng would suddenly pop up and mess up everyone's plans?"

Yu Mingyuan immediately asked, "Was this Xiao Yucheng bought off by Zhao Weihu?"

"Whether he was bought off or not, the Chi troops have to take the blame," You Yifan replied softly. "And since the Chi troops are part of Mo Fei's official army, we definitely can't do business with these people for a while, unless we're courting death."

Yu Mingyuan nodded slowly. "That's right."

"Brother Fan, what's the main political implication of the reception we're attending later?" Su Tianyu asked tentatively.

You Yifan replied softly, "It's definitely still aimed at Mo Fei's official army! It's said that some higher-ups have suggested secretly supporting the rebels in the Sinaloa and Casallo regions. This reception has a certain mobilizing nature. If the higher-ups decide, then the moneybags of Dragon City will probably have to secretly 'donate' to the rebels."

Hearing this, Su Tianyu replied sarcastically, "Supporting the official army one moment, then supporting the rebels the next, ha, aren't they just fighting themselves?"

"That's politics, it changes from time to time," You Yifan sighed. "Only when our neighbor, Old Mo, is constantly at war, fighting endlessly, can the First District Government get the most tangible benefits."

Su Tianyu smiled and didn't refute.

Inside the car, You Yifan and Yu Mingyuan continued their conversation, while Su Tianyu turned to look at the streets around them. He saw many patrol cars from the police department, even anti-terrorism troops and riot control vehicles stationed at major intersections.

Guo, the deputy mayor's, attack had directly raised the security level in Dragon City by several notches. Many private cars were stopped and questioned, and their documents checked when passing through major roads.

...

About half an hour later, the car arrived at Building B in the Dragon City Regulatory Authority's compound. You Yifan, Yu Mingyuan, Su Tianyu, and the others got out of the car and walked into the reception venue together.

Today, not only were several top white leaders from the Regulatory Authority present, but also some high-ranking officials from the Dragon City Council and the Municipal Government, as well as many owners of large trading companies in Dragon City who had been "forcibly" called in.

These trading company owners were the moneybags of the higher-ups, and tonight's reception was meant to warm them up, to mobilize them in advance, so these people shuttled around the various leaders, constantly probing for information, for the latest policy news.

After You Yifan and the others entered the venue, they slowly walked around, greeting many familiar faces one by one.

In the sofa area on the left side of the hall, You Yifan bent down and sat down, smiling and asking a friend, "Old Yang, any latest news?"

"What kind of news do you want to hear?" the other party replied with a smile.

"What do you think? Of course, it's news about Sinaloa."

"As far as I know, the higher-ups have different opinions on whether to support the rebels," Old Yang said in a low voice. "The hardcore party and government faction, led by Secretary-General Lu and the mayor, agrees to secretly support the rebels. Minister Carl, the head of the Material Control Department of the Regulatory Authority, also agrees with this plan. But... the Minzheng Dang faction, led by the Speaker of the City Council, holds opposing views. They believe that the rebels are not recognized by the Joint Government, and their methods are too extreme and cruel. In war zones, they even massacre defenseless old, weak, women, and children... This has too much of a negative impact, so if the higher-ups support them and are exposed by the Mo Fei government, it will affect the First District's positive image."

You Yifan looked at the other party in surprise. "Damn, your news is even better than mine! I didn't even know that the higher-ups had different opinions."

"It's normal that you don't know, because this difference of opinion was just raised in a closed-door meeting. I work in the municipal government, so I know more than you." The other party replied.

Su Tianyu, who was listening to their conversation, couldn't help but ask, "Then doesn't our attendance at this reception today indirectly indicate our position?"

Old Yang looked at him suspiciously, not knowing his identity for a moment, so he didn't reply.

"He's one of us," You Yifan pointed out.

Old Yang nodded with a smile. "It's not exactly an indirect indication of your position, because people from the Minzheng Dang are also attending this reception today. The meeting just ended, so everyone is still unsure."

"Oh, I see." Su Tianyu nodded.

"If the higher-ups have a disagreement, which faction are you going to stand with?" Old Yang asked You Yifan.

"Hehe." You Yifan smiled ambiguously, without directly answering the question.

On the second floor of the hall, while Jing Yan was talking to someone, Gu Baishun, who was sitting next to him, glanced at the first floor and his eyes swept over Yu Mingyuan and Su Tianyu without any emotion.

...

Longkou District, less than three kilometers from the Regulatory Authority, there was a church.

Today was Sunday, and many devout believers came here to worship and pray.

Inside the church, the kind priest, wearing a black robe, touched the forehead of a white believer who was kneeling piously, and said softly, "Child of God, please truthfully state your sins."

"Bang!"

Just as he finished speaking, the church door was suddenly kicked open, and four men with demon masks on their faces, wearing bulletproof vests and combat uniforms, rushed in with automatic rifles.

The quiet church was filled with people turning their heads to look at the door, all stunned.

"Kang!"

A gunshot rang out without warning, and the masked man in the lead shouted in Chinese, "Don't sit there, kneel down and worship!"

Just as he finished speaking, six more people carrying explosives and military weapon boxes rushed into the room.

The priest, after being stunned, immediately stepped forward. "This is a church, what do you want to do? You will go to hell!"

"Go to hell, your mom!" The other party knocked the sixty-year-old priest down with the butt of a gun, and then waved his hand. "Set up a defensive perimeter."

Five minutes later, more than a dozen white believers who had come to worship were tied up with explosives and chained to the front door of the church, all blindfolded.

Inside the church, five bandits pasted explosives sufficient to destroy a six-story building on multiple structural support points.

In front of the statue of God, the leading bandit squatted in front of the priest, who was tied up and lying down, and said to him on the phone, "Call your Lord and tell him you've been kidnapped."

"What?!" The priest's forehead was bleeding, and he looked bewildered.

The leading bandit punched him twice. "I only have an elementary school education, why are you speaking English to me?"

"What exactly do you want to do?!" the priest shouted.

"Can't get in touch with your Lord? Then call the police department and report it." The other party replied playfully, and placed the phone directly on the priest's face.

...

At 6:05 PM, the police department received a call, and a large number of nearby patrol officers and anti-terrorism troops drove to the scene.

At 6:10 PM, the bandits made a demand, requesting the Dragon City Council to raise two hundred million in funds and deliver it to the church within two hours to redeem the hostages.