The New Eridu Public Security quickly sealed off the scene, and cleanup efforts continued for quite some time before they were finally declared complete.
During that time, many injured were declared dead after unsuccessful emergency treatment. Across the streets, the anguished cries of grieving families echoed—piercing and heart-wrenching.
"How did this happen? Hasn't the Red Fang Gang been laying low for a while? Why did they cause such chaos today?" Belle's voice reached Zhong Yan's ears. He turned and saw Wise supporting Belle, who was still weak in the knees, walking toward him.
As someone who narrowly escaped the disaster, Belle felt deep sympathy for the injured. Beside her, Wise wore a furrowed brow the entire time, clearly disturbed and angry at what had transpired.
Zhong Yan fell into a brief silence. He knew the New Eridu Public Security must've extracted intel from the few people he had handed over, which led to the operation against the Red Fang Gang members.
In a way, he had indirectly caused the deaths of those innocent people. But that wasn't the root of the tragedy, so he didn't feel much guilt over it.
If blame was to be laid, then it should fall squarely on the Red Fang Gang—for how utterly deranged they had become.
Meanwhile, not far away, Zhu Yuan and Qing Yi were speaking with a passerby who had witnessed everything firsthand. Upon hearing that it was Zhong Yan who had stopped the runaway vehicle, both of them immediately turned and walked briskly toward him.
As soon as they reached him, Zhu Yuan stood at attention and bowed deeply. "Thank you so much. If you hadn't intervened and stopped that car, the casualties could've been far worse."
It had to be said—Zhu Yuan, as an officer of the New Eridu Public Security, possessed an impressive mix of poise and capability. Her tone was warm and respectful—perhaps part of the reason why she had climbed the ranks so quickly to Squad Captain.
In contrast, Qing Yi, upon getting a clearer look at Zhong Yan's face, couldn't help but stare more closely. Then, with a slightly surprised tone, she said, "Wait, aren't you that Zhong Shuren?"
The moment the name Zhong Shuren was uttered, everyone present—including Wise and Belle—froze for a second.
Zhu Yuan also suddenly remembered. The two of them had visited a certain teenager's home during an earlier investigation.
That inquiry had yielded no results, and with everything happening around the Red Fang Gang lately, the matter had quietly slipped from her mind.
Only Wise and Belle took a moment to connect the dots. Zhong Shuren—they knew the name. It had recently surfaced online as that of a rising web novelist.
His work had blown up across the internet, and both siblings had read and thoroughly enjoyed it.
"So, you're Zhong Shuren, huh..." Wise said with a somewhat bitter smile. If that was the case, then it made perfect sense how Zhong Yan had access to a million denny as compensation.
And someone with that kind of financial clout likely had no interest in risking his life as a Hollow Raider or as a Proxy. In hindsight, their attempts to recruit Zhong Yan now seemed rather laughable.
"Anyway, thanks again for everything today. We've got a lot of cleanup work ahead, so we won't keep you."
With that, Zhu Yuan and Qing Yi returned to their duties but not without waving goodbye, signaling them to leave quickly.
Later, the three of them arrived at the subway station. Since they were all heading in the same direction, they boarded the same train.
On the train, the trio discussed the events that had just occurred.
"The Red Fang Gang… they're this bold now?" Belle asked, her strength gradually returning to her legs, though her voice was filled with outrage. "If that's the case, then tonight's mission might not be just about recovering the safe."
Wise understood her implication and nodded. "We can leak their location to the New Eridu Public Security—but only after we've escaped. Otherwise, we might get caught ourselves."
Zhong Yan didn't chime in, but he agreed with their plan.
"A waste of air when alive, and a waste of land when dead." That about summed up the Red Fang Gang in his mind.
...
Both sides returned to their homes to await the appointed time for the operation.
Meanwhile, the incident at Lumina Square had quickly become the top headline on the New Eridu Net.
As the casualty count climbed, outraged citizens began to flood the web with condemnation for the Red Fang Gang. At the same time, many didn't hesitate to slam the New Eridu Public Security for their incompetence.
Within the Public Security itself, the situation caused an uproar. Zhu Yuan, who had led the operation, was suspended for negligence.
However, since the failure stemmed from inexperienced subordinates, the suspension was limited to one week. In the meantime, Qing Yi temporarily stepped in as the acting captain.
Simultaneously, the highest-ranking commander of New Eridu Public Security issued a direct order: the Red Fang Gang was to be eradicated from the city at any cost.
On the other side, things weren't going well for the Red Fang Gang either. Miguel Silver was on the receiving end of a furious call from a certain high-ranking official.
"You useless idiot! How many times have I told you?! Be careful—extra careful! And look what your people did! Not only were they captured, they made a huge damn scene!"
"Do you have any idea?! Even the Mayor of New Eridu was alerted! Now everyone knows there are collaborators inside the city's leadership. The Mayor's called for a full investigation, and now I might be the next to fall under suspicion!"
Silver didn't dare breathe a word as he listened to the other end of the call roaring with fury. He could only offer repeated apologies.
He hadn't expected things to spiral like this. Up until now, his people had been behaving—keeping quiet and under the radar. The New Eridu Public Security hadn't been able to find anything concrete on them.
So, what changed?
Silver immediately suspected outside interference—likely someone not affiliated with Public Security. Otherwise, based on what he knew, they would've already taken down the entire Red Fang Gang by now.
Still, that was just a hunch. He'd need his subordinates to investigate further.
But starting today, they'd have to keep their heads down. If not, the next ones to get hauled in might not stop at just a few.
...
As night deepened, on a dimly lit street bathed in the amber hues of dusk, a Cat Thiren girl stood holding a newspaper she had just bought from a kiosk.
The front page covered the Red Fang Gang's terrorist attack at Lumina Square earlier that day.
Her hands involuntarily clenched as she stared at the horrifying death toll printed in the upper-right corner.
"Silver... are you really not going to turn back?"