First City of the Scandinavian Peninsula—
Tonight, sleep was a luxury no one would have.
Across the massive command screen, five identical hover vehicles tore through the night sky, each accelerating toward a completely different direction.
Signal decoys flared to life.
False trajectories carved intersecting light trails between skyscrapers.Electromagnetic interference rippled through the air.Occasional bursts of anti-air fire split the clouds, illuminating the city in cold flashes.
At the very least, it proved one thing—
Eve had been prepared for tonight's attack long before it began.
Which only made the situation more unsettling.
If she had planned for this…
Why step onto the board herself?
What was she truly aiming for?
Inside one of the speeding hover vehicles—
The woman lowered her head slightly.
City lights slid across the window in broken waves, reflecting in her eyes. A few strands of hair slipped down her brow, swaying with each sharp turn.
Her expression was calm.
Too calm.
Like a figure carved from ancient stone—one who had already accepted the cost of rewriting history.
No hesitation.
No retreat.
Her fingers brushed the small pendant at her collar.
Just for a moment, they tightened.
"When he stood in the clouds, he never abandoned anyone.""Now… I won't abandon him either."
The thought cut cleanly through her chest.
And because of that—
This seemingly fragile woman would show no mercy to anyone who stood in her way.
Chen Xiangdong had completely abandoned Wang Chenxing.
There was no one left to rely on.
Now, he had to command the operation himself.
And he had no idea what he was doing.
All he had left were barely a dozen aerial units.
Ground forces?Heavy weapons?
Useless.
In the tangled web of elevated traffic lanes, chasing high-speed hover vehicles with limited air assets was almost laughable.
Unless—
They concentrated all units on two targets and ignored the remaining three.
Try to pursue all five at once—
And they'd catch nothing.
But which one carried Eve?
Chen Xiangdong stared at the screen, frozen.
Right now, time was worth more than money.
That brief exchange earlier had already shown them what Eve was capable of.
No one believed she was fleeing just to escape.
Cold sweat slid down his temple.
Choose wrong—
And the situation would collapse even faster.
"Report! The News Center is under attack by unidentified armed forces!"
A comm window burst open.
The News Center?
Of course.
A citywide broadcast.
"Check trajectories! Any vehicles heading toward the television hub?"
"Two confirmed—approaching from separate routes!"
Chen Xiangdong's breath hitched.
"Good. Pursue those two. Kill on sight!"
"Ground forces, move immediately to reinforce the Network Administration!"
The orders came out sharp, almost desperate.
Beside him, Huang Jingfeng watched in silence.
Detached.
Cold.
"Elder Huang… what should we do?" another elder whispered, stepping closer.
Huang Jingfeng didn't even glance at him.
"We don't yet know how deep Eve's calculations go."
A pause.
"But we must prepare for the worst."
His eyes flicked briefly toward Chen Xiangdong.
"Never place all your chips on someone already on the brink of hysteria."
From the moment the first shots were fired—
From the moment artillery thundered across First City—
There was no clean ending left.
Public complaints flooded the Elders Council's inbox.
Their only unified response:
The incident is under investigation.
Inside Eve's vehicle—
She sat beside Feng Mi.
A translucent comm window hovered between them.
Kane's image appeared.
"Enemy light aircraft are pursuing our two decoy vehicles. Both have enhanced evasion systems. They should hold for now."
"Enemy ground units are moving toward the News Center. We've also detected their hidden Fourth Squad."
Eve's gaze didn't waver.
"External response?"
"The Council has cut First City off from the outside—especially expeditionary forces."
Kane gave a strained smile.
"Still, fragments of information leaked out. Several commanders have entered combat readiness despite repeated stand-down orders."
He exhaled.
"Your Majesty… you were right. Aside from the News Center and Network Administration—protected by press freedom statutes—no public network can transmit externally."
"The Young Faction?" Eve asked.
"To strike outward, methods are plentiful. Authority is the key."
Kane nodded.
"Red Hall is surrounded. Heavy firefights ongoing. Stalemate."
"The Council is deploying a heavy-armed unit."
"The Young Faction has reinforcements returning."
"We've detected dense encrypted transmissions—likely external coordination."
Eve closed her eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
"Understood. Report any changes immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The window vanished.
"Sis, we're almost at Network Administration," Feng Mi said softly.
"Circle twice more," Eve replied.
"…What?"
"Slow down. Wait until the Council's reinforcements reach Red Hall."
Her voice was even.
Measured.
"Then we move."
She intended to uproot the Young Faction's leadership as well.
Her expression remained unchanged—
Still the same gentle face.
Yet the order itself was cold enough to freeze blood.
Feng Mi sighed and obeyed.
She didn't understand Eve's plan.
She trusted her.
But for the first time—
She missed the sister who had no hidden depths.
Red Hall stood north of the city center—
A massive metal structure wrapped in towering banners.
Officially, the Young Faction was known as the Dawn Party.
But few used the name.
Their radical policies attracted the young—
And alienated those already in power.
As an opposition force, they were entangled with the Council in every sphere:
Education.Civil affairs.Research.Military.
Always struggling.
Always suppressed.
Inside the headquarters—
Bai Shaojun stood in his office, face pale.
Days ago, Queen Eve's secret directive had reached him.
Assist her against the Council.
He hadn't hesitated.
With or without that order, he would've fought them to the end.
She had warned him—
The Council might attempt to assassinate her.
Shocking.
But manageable.
All she asked was that his party guards be secretly deployed on standby.
In return—
A citywide address.
Control of public opinion.
Command over surrounding forces.
It was everything he had ever wanted.
So why—
Before the real battle even began—
Was he the one being encircled?
And why did the Council seem intent on killing him outright?
His guards were still deployed outside.
Lightly armed, yes.
But enough to break a siege.
Now, he could only rely on terrain.
Gunfire never stopped.
His head pounded.
He was only thirty-five.
Half the age of most Council elders.
He could inspire crowds.
Ignite passion.
But political warfare?
Experience?
He had none.
He had survived this long on numbers alone.
And this time—
The Council had dropped all pretense.
No negotiations.
Just force.
The door burst open.
An aide rushed in.
"Report! External intel—heavy armed units approaching our position!"
Bai Shaojun's heart sank.
"Which unit?"
"Unknown. Identification codes unrecognized."
The aide swallowed.
"Our reinforcements are thirty minutes out… they may arrive too late."
Bai Shaojun covered his face, forcing himself to breathe.
Unidentified heavy troops.
If they were Council loyalists—
Even Eve's speech might not stop what came next.
Would the Council entrust an assassination like this…
To ordinary forces?
His thoughts plunged into darkness.