Chapter 50: Change Begins Tonight

Silence!

The Vigil Keepers’ unified and resolute command swept over every inch of Tongren Road.

Beneath the soft glow of the moonlight, Yan Duoduo floated midair, his expression calm. There was no hint of unease about the imminent chaos nor a trace of desperation before a life-and-death struggle.

Behind him, a Star Gate emerged, radiating a galaxy-like brilliance, deep and unfathomable.

It was like a firefly in the darkness, igniting its kind in an instant. Nearby, other Vigil Keepers with Ordered Legacy began summoning their own Star Gates, responding to Yan Duoduo’s call.

Though such Vigil Keepers were rare, when they collectively unfurled their Star Gates, the dazzling light joined into a unified radiance, banishing every shadow along Tongren Road.

One Star Gate after another opened, leaving the area in complete silence.

At the bar’s entrance, the Chaos Faction players, who had been gathering moments before, halted their steps. Following their leaders’ directives, they dared not act rashly.

Previously, none of the factions on Tongren Road believed Yan Duoduo would actually make a move. A battle involving nearly a thousand players—what kind of outcome would that bring?

Would Shanghai be enough? Absolutely not!

It was like a wealthy household manipulating smaller families into war—shouting about nuclear retaliation when aggrieved. But when the moment came, who would truly dare to launch the first strike?

At the bar entrance, Ren Ye stared blankly at the sky, at Yan Duoduo and his Star Gate, his eyes filled with indescribable shock.

This was his first time witnessing a player publicly reveal their Star Gate. It truly resembled the descent of a deity and took the act of showing off to the ultimate level.

Unbidden, Ren Ye recalled something Huang Wei had once told him—a life so dazzling it defied imagination.

This is how life should be!

In that instant, he felt a surge of determination: I must conquer the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate!

A cold wind swept past. Yan Duoduo ignored the Chaos Faction players on the street. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the Cripple Boss standing at the bar entrance and asked in a short, calm tone:

“Are you unwilling to comply?”

Sweat beaded on the Cripple Boss’s forehead. He glanced at his comrades out of the corner of his eye, only to see that none of them were moving toward him anymore.

Silence. No response.

Yan Duoduo remained in place, his tone as indifferent as ever:

“Alright, let me offer you a suggestion. You can choose to resist arrest. I swear on my honor as a Vigil Keeper, no one will intervene until one of us is dead.”

“…!”

The Cripple Boss’s forehead veins bulged at these words.

The crowd erupted in murmurs. Everyone understood what Yan Duoduo was implying—he was inviting the Cripple Boss to a one-on-one death match.

As Shanghai’s Star Officer and a regional leader of the Vigil Keepers, Yan Duoduo couldn’t directly propose a duel, as that would be a personal vendetta and a clear violation of protocol. Thus, he “suggested” that the Cripple Boss resist arrest.

On the signal tower, the shadow leaped to her feet, waving her fists in excitement as she shouted, “Don’t chicken out, Cripple! Fight him!”

Nearby, Eggy clung to a support pillar, pouting as he replied, “Yan Duoduo clearly isn’t trying to capture him—he wants him dead. Now it’s just a matter of how much patience the Cripple has left.”

At the bar entrance, the Cripple Boss’s expression was one of extreme conflict. Several times, he raised his cane, and the Stellar Energy surging around him fluctuated erratically.

After a while, Yan Duoduo let out a cold laugh and said, “Alright. If you choose to resist arrest, I’ll only use second-tier supernatural techniques. That’s fair, isn’t it?”

His words echoed, and every Chaos Faction player present turned to look at the Cripple Boss, their faces a mix of anger and humiliation.

This kind of provocation wasn’t directed solely at the Cripple Boss but at every Chaos Faction player present…

“Cripple Boss, we’re all at the second level, what’s there to be afraid of? Let’s take him down!”

“Resist arrest!”

“Resist arrest!”

“…!”

One person sparked the fire, and countless others added fuel to it.

In just a moment, the streets echoed with synchronized shouts. Most of the Chaos Faction players were hoping that the Cripple would rise and fight for his dignity.

The shouts filled the air, and the Cripple stood in stunned silence, looking at his like-minded companions around him. A surge of humiliating anger rose in his heart.

Where’s the promised unity?

Where’s the promise of fighting together?

Why am I the only one going up now?!

When a Vigil Keeper sets a stone, are you all so scared that you don’t even dare to take a step?

The Cripple clenched his fists tightly and looked up towards the sky once more.

He knew better than anyone that every action of Yan Duoduo conveyed one message: he wasn’t here to arrest anyone today. He was here to kill him in public and to find an excuse to open fire on the Stray Dogs organization…

If I really resist arrest, he’ll definitely wash Tongren Road in blood tonight, and those bystanders around us most likely won’t help.

They had misjudged the Vigil Keepers’ determination. The other side was ready to fight, but the people here weren’t prepared.

Conflicted, struggling, the Cripple suddenly lost his will, looking up at Yan Duoduo and shouting, “…You win. I accept whatever the outcome is.”

“Swish!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark aura surrounding him vanished without a trace.

“Have you accepted it?” Yan Duoduo’s face didn’t show the joy of victory, he merely asked softly, “Just now, what did my colleague tell you to do?”

On the steps, Ren Ye heard this and immediately called out, tailing in a submissive tone, “Cover your head and get on your knees!”

“Cover your head and get on your knees!”

The Vigil Keepers from the Qingfu District also shouted in unison, causing other colleagues to immediately respond.

The oppressive shout came, and the Cripple trembled as he glanced around. Slowly, he bent his knees, hunched over, and covered his head, kneeling on the ground.

At this sight, the surrounding Chaos Faction players all sighed in defeat. It was like being slapped in the face with no way to fight back.

Inside a hotel on the fifth floor, the leader of the Predator Alliance stood up, saying casually, “This new Star Officer is crazy. He wants to divide the forces on Tongren Road.”

“We can help the Cripple,” said a young man beside him, frowning. “What the Vigil Keepers are doing…”

“We can help,” the leader turned to him and softly asked, “But can you guarantee that those watching from the shadows will help him? Can you guarantee that the chaotic players who don’t belong to any organization will step in?”

There was silence in the room.

“I can tell you clearly, Yan Duoduo is trying to take over Tongren Road tonight. He’s well-prepared, and he alone can determine the actions of the Vigil Keepers. And as for us… we haven’t even had one detailed conversation.” The leader shrugged. “…I don’t know why, but I just feel like the Vigil Keepers’ attitude towards us has undergone a huge shift tonight.”

On the other side, several bigwigs who had been observing from the shadows also left the moment the Cripple kneeled down.

On the streets, Chaos Faction players scattered with a loud roar.

The sight of the Cripple kneeling on the ground, covering his head, was as pathetic as it could get.

High above, the Star Gate glimmered. Yan Duoduo looked at the departing spectators and suddenly shouted, “I don’t know when I will break the rules, nor do I know when I will be dismissed for making a mistake. But while I’m in Shanghai, I want Tongren Road to stay quiet!”

His shout was amplified by the Stellar Energy, carrying across the entire Tongren Road, clearly reaching everyone’s ears.

On the street, the Chaos Faction players froze collectively. Their gazes, whether filled with indignation, resentment, or hatred, all turned towards Yan Duoduo, but in the end, they silently dispersed.

“Swish!”

Yan Duoduo withdrew the Star Gate behind him, gracefully landing on the ground. He walked straight toward the exit of Tongren Road while giving orders to Chen Hannan through his earpiece:

“Take all members of the Stray Dogs back for investigation.”

“Yes, sir!” Chen Hannan responded with excitement. “So satisfying! Tongren Road hasn’t been this quiet in years.”

Yan Duoduo didn’t reply. He simply stepped out of the isolation zone created by the Wordless Stele, clasped his hands behind his back, and stood on the bustling street.

In the past, Chaos Faction players were like erratic and obsessive time bombs. Push them too hard, and you wouldn’t know when or where they’d explode. The casualties could be Vigil Keepers or ordinary citizens.

But tonight, the roles of those time bombs had been reversed. Yan Duoduo had become one.

He didn’t play by the rules. He barely respected the regulations of the Supernatural Arbitration Court. On the surface, he seemed like a gentleman, but inside, he was an aggressive madman.

He forcibly shifted the “instability” risk onto Tongren Road.

If you cause trouble outside, harm civilians, or kill Vigil Keepers, I will investigate you to the end. If you band together to resist me, I will wipe this street clean.

Resistance and defiance were battles for survival. But as long as survival wasn’t completely threatened and their power couldn’t utterly overthrow the rules, no one would truly choose to die.

A car pulled up beside Yan Duoduo with a screech. Old Zhou rolled down the window, his gaze complicated as he stared at him, speaking with visible confusion.

“I don’t get it. Shanghai is such a critical area. Why would the Vigil Keeper headquarters assign someone like you as the Star Officer?”

Yan Duoduo looked at him with his hands still behind his back. “Maybe… you don’t truly understand the Vigil Keepers.”

At those words, both fell silent.

Yan Duoduo broke it by asking, “Want to grab a drink?”

“I don’t want to befriend a madman,” Old Zhou replied with a helpless shake of his head. “But my heart’s taken quite the beating tonight. I probably should have a drink to relax.”

“My treat.” Yan Duoduo opened the car door and got in.

…

At the bar entrance.

A group of Stray Dogs players was escorted out, humiliated, and made to kneel along the roadside like prisoners.

Xu Peng, clearly in high spirits, approached one of the Stray Dogs and slapped him across the face.

“I heard from those two Bell Society criminals… your organization offers some top-notch services if we throw in a couple of extra Stellar Essences?”

“…!” The Stray Dog gritted his teeth in fury. “Then go ahead! Add them!”

“Hey, no kidding,” Xu Peng squatted beside him with a serious look and whispered, “If I give you two Stellar Essences, would you test a new drug for me?”

The slightly dim-witted Stray Dog’s eyes lit up at the offer. “You’ll really give me two Stellar Essences?”

Before long, nearly fifty Stray Dogs players were escorted out and loaded into vehicles one by one.

Truthfully, most of them hadn’t been involved in harboring the Bell Society members, yet Yan Duoduo had them all taken away anyway.

It was a deliberate statement—an attitude reflecting the aftermath of his victory in this power struggle.

Not far away.

Huang Wei took a sip of water and nudged Ren Ye with his shoulder. “So, what do you think? Any thoughts on tonight?”

Ren Ye lay back, staring at the starry sky. “Mr. Yan is so damn cool! I have less than two days until I enter the Star Gate again. I’ll win this time… and one day, I’ll shine brilliantly too, right?”

Atop the signal tower.

A shadow stretched lazily and said in a bored tone, “This pet-loving Star Officer is way cooler than those overly cautious types. By my calculations, my next-stage Star Gate… is coming up soon too.”