Chapter Fifteen: The Dragon of the Bathhouse

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After work, Hersia changed back into the ordinary student uniform she had worn when she arrived. She undid the braid Belfinger had woven for her, put her glasses on again, and stepped into the descending vertical elevator.

As she gazed at her reflection in the glass, a familiar sensation finally returned to her body.

She raised her head toward the top of the elevator, trying to see through the walls and barriers to the luxurious, heavenly “Glass Dream.” Everything that had happened today felt hazy and unreal.

“It really is like a dream,” Hersia murmured to herself. She was grateful for what had happened that day, yet she could not shake the worry that it was all too wonderful—that unless she worked hard enough, she might lose this happiness.

I have to keep striving, Hersia, she silently encouraged herself.

With all manner of thoughts running through her mind, the gray-haired girl began her journey home.

……

Yet while many people in Paean City were finishing work, certain other places were only just beginning their business for the night.

Paean City, forty-fourth-floor entertainment district—Sound of Prosperous Sea Bathhouse.

Vehicles filled the spacious plaza in front of the bathhouse. Many people who had worked hard all day stepped out of their cars and entered the enormous, clamorous bathhouse in groups of two and three.

After accumulating an entire day’s fatigue and sweat, a pleasant hot bath was an especially rare luxury. Paean City was, after all, a heavily industrialized city, and many companies required their workers to wear thick protective suits. After being stifled in them all day, people were even more eager to relax.

This was the largest bathhouse in the entire urban district. Inside, it was divided into several areas and floors according to the level of its customers’ spending. As long as one paid the required fee and purchased an annual pass, one could come here every day to enjoy the facilities. Many people even continued discussing unfinished business from the day while soaking in the pools. With hot water washing over their bodies, chilled beverages in hand, and delicious snacks at their side, everything seemed to become wonderful.

Although the average spending here was far below that of the “Glass Dream” atop Top Star Tower, it suited ordinary people far better and drew a far greater crowd than any other establishment. Every day, it brought in a tremendous amount of revenue.

Where there was profit, naturally there would be those who coveted it. Besides, this was hardly an industry with any technical barriers or unique business model.

“Brother Long, we’re here.”

A hovercar stopped in the plaza before the bathhouse. Three men opened the doors and stepped out.

Qiao Long wore a carbon-black short-sleeved shirt. Its highly resilient yet comfortable fabric outlined the contours of his muscles, giving him an impression of abundant strength.

“What did they say?” he asked, looking through his sunglasses at the wide-open establishment. Data continuously swept across the lenses, capturing the faces of passersby and displaying their identities and income information.

“These people really are rich.”

“The owner of Sound of Prosperous Sea refuses to submit. They’ve hired a large number of security guards and purchased quite a bit of equipment.”

“So he intends to resist to the end? Heh.”

“Looks that way. He doesn’t want to share such a massive profit.”

“That’s why eating alone never ends well—especially in Paean City.” Qiao Long removed his sunglasses and handed them to the thin subordinate beside him.

“Let’s get to work.”

“Yes, Brother Long.” The subordinate lowered his head and stood at attention, then turned around and signaled to those behind him.

Not far from the three men, someone opened the trunk of a vehicle. Inside was a strange-looking device. Its shell resembled an engine, complete with a rotating circular structure, but a closer look revealed that it was not an engine at all.

Once the rear compartment was opened, a subordinate wearing black sunglasses inserted an authorization card into the device to activate it. He released the safety lock and pulled down the handle.

A shrill roar rose from within the strange machine. Pale-blue particles gradually appeared in the surrounding air and were continuously drawn into the device. This continued for several seconds, until the energy seemed to have been compressed to its absolute limit—then exploded outward.

A pale-blue ripple, visible to the naked eye, spread from within the machine and surged outward. Wherever it passed, countless light tubes burst, hovercars shut down, and surveillance equipment failed. The surrounding area was instantly plunged into darkness, while screams and cries erupted both in the streets and throughout the bathhouse.

“Charge!”

“We’ve only got twenty minutes! Move, move, move!”

“Go!”

The well-prepared group threw open the vehicle doors and rushed toward the bathhouse entrance, various tools in their hands. Although the lighting was dim, they all wore night-vision glasses and were completely unhindered.

Only after watching his men pour inside did Qiao Long stroll leisurely toward the chaotic entrance.

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“When will the police arrive?” he asked the obese man beside him.

“When we got out of the car, I confirmed it. They said that, at first, four riot-control autonomous units from nearby would be dispatched. They can’t stop those, so we’ll have to deal with them ourselves.”

“Afterward, once they receive the emergency call and dispatch their vehicles, they’ll use the failed transit lines and surveillance systems as an excuse to delay for ten minutes. Add the travel time, and that leaves us only twenty minutes.”

“So we have to capture the owner of Sound of Prosperous Sea within twenty minutes, and destroy or remove the bathhouse’s main-control T3-level AI. Is that right?”

“That’s the plan, Brother Long.”

“They really think highly of me.” Qiao Long flexed his fingers. At that moment, the sky filled with the rapid whir of rotors.

Four large rotorcraft arrived, carrying armed riot-control autonomous units.

[Analyzing current situation…]

[A malicious high-energy electronic pulse generated by human intervention has damaged the area near Crystal Street 38.]

[Threat level raised by two grades. Authorization granted to activate the firing module at sixty percent power.]

[Searching for suspects…]

In the nearly dark and chaotic surroundings, four red warning lights came on. They began rotating continuously as an alert sounded.

[All Federation residents at the scene are requested to stop moving, remain where you are, and keep silent!]

[This is the riot-control autonomous unit assigned to District 44-H29 of Paean City. Weapon modules have now been activated. If you do not wish to be accidentally injured, please exercise restraint and refrain from making any movements that may be deemed dangerous.]

[Electronic pulse-emission device located. Conducting on-site analysis…]

The scanning cameras on the rotorcraft rotated and focused on the strange device in the vehicle that had emitted the shockwave.

[Source of destruction located. No personnel detected nearby; they may have already departed.]

[Launching immobilizing web. Continuing target search…]

One of the four rotorcraft flew toward the disabled hovercar lying on the ground. A robot approximately two meters tall was dropped from it.

The robot landed on both feet, bending its legs slightly to dissipate the force. The ground trembled faintly, sending up a cloud of dust. It then approached the now-inactive electronic pulse emitter, its roughly rectangular head beginning a highly detailed scan.

[Recording fingerprints. Collecting residual traces. Connecting to the Stellar Network for comparison…]

[Identity confirmed. Beginning investigation.]

“Damn it, Brother Long. It looks like the riot-control unit discovered something.”

“What about those men who activated it? Didn’t I tell them to drag the machine away as soon as they were finished?”

“That was the plan, but it seems those idiots forgot.”

“Damn!”

In the distance, the riot-control robot suddenly raised its head. The indicator light atop it abruptly changed from flashing yellow to red, causing a wave of screams to erupt across the plaza.

“It’s red! It turned red—the riot-control unit has been activated!” a man in a suit shouted in panic as he leaned against a car.

“No, please, no! Who knows whether I’ll be caught in the crossfire if they start shooting?”

[Targets located. Two inside the building; one fleeing on foot.]

[Commencing pursuit.]

Of the three rotorcraft circling overhead, one broke away and flew toward the street corner. The other two landed and unloaded their riot-control units before charging into the bathhouse.

At the edge of the street, rapidly spinning rotors propelled the riot-control autonomous unit ever closer to the fleeing man as it emitted a piercing warning.

[Stop! Stop! Stop immediately!]

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[You have been classified as a high-priority suspect. If you continue to flee, you will be arrested by force. This places your life in danger!]

“No! I don’t believe you. All I did was pull a handle. There’s no way that warrants the death penalty. Don’t try to scare me, you stupid robot!” The man ran as he plunged into narrow streets and alleys.

[The target is resisting apprehension and fleeing toward a complex area. Threat level raised by three grades. Weapons authorized.]

Whoosh—

A deep, shrill sound cut through the darkness. A brilliant green beam briefly illuminated the mouth of the alley before fading away.

A large trash container that had stood in the alley had been burned through, leaving a hole large enough for half a person to pass through. Dark-red metal slowly dripped from its edges, while a long trench had been scorched into the ground.

“No, no!” The man seemed to panic. He scrambled across the ground on hands and feet as the sound of the rotorcraft overhead drew closer and closer.

Whoosh—

Another piercing beam tore through the night.

“Ahhh!”

A scream of utter terror rang through the alley before gradually dying away some time later.

“Am I… am I not dead?”

The man cautiously opened his eyes and saw a powerful, imposing figure standing in front of him. The smell of something scorched still lingered in the air.

“Brother Long…” He recognized his leader.

“Idiot. I told you not to run. As long as you didn’t flee, that riot-control unit wouldn’t kill you. At worst, it would have taken you to the station.”

Qiao Long did not turn around. While scolding his subordinate, he kept his eyes fixed on the autonomous unit ahead.

“I’ll handle this. Get lost, and don’t hold me back.”

“Yes, I’m going.”

At last, the man regained some of his senses. Dragging his slightly lame leg, he ran off into the distance.

[Assisting a wanted fugitive in escaping. The individual is classified as an accomplice. Authorization for weapons discharge approved.]

Another laser beam fired.

The alley was illuminated for an instant before the light dimmed. A new patch of dark-red, charred flesh now marked Qiao Long’s chest.

It was difficult to imagine that a high-energy shot capable of piercing a twenty-millimeter steel structure had failed to penetrate this man’s body. Or perhaps that seemingly thin carbon-black shirt possessed extraordinary protective properties?

“Oh? Is that all? Looks like the Federation’s riot-control robots aren’t much to speak of. And I used to be so careful around them.” He shook his hand, and faint dragon scales appeared across his body.

The extraordinary professions of the Dragon Sequence were generally fierce and forceful in style. Upon reaching the higher ranks, one could even transform into a true dragon. Few opponents of the same rank could stand against them. Their weaknesses were rare, but because the sequence was so difficult to cultivate, relatively few people chose it.

Although Qiao Long’s head and body were covered in scorched marks, he had suffered no serious injury. Such minor wounds were insignificant to someone as physically robust as a practitioner of the Dragon Sequence.

“I don’t have time to waste here.”

With that, he stamped against the ground. His body shot upward like an arrow, and he kicked the rotorcraft in midair, shattering it outright.

The rotorcraft, struck without warning, had its propellers bent and destroyed, sending various components flying. The autonomous unit it carried detached itself in advance and charged toward Qiao Long.

Green laser beams flickered in and out, but the strong black-haired young man dodged most of them. He closed in on the riot-control autonomous unit and smashed a fist directly into its core armor, shattering it in a burst of electric sparks.

With a grating screech, he tore open the armor on its chest and ripped out the AI chip within. Then he kicked the remaining mechanical limbs away and rushed toward the bathhouse in the distance.

There are only twelve minutes left now, he calculated silently.

Not long afterward, more explosions and gunshots erupted inside the bathhouse. Glass shattered floor by floor, accompanied at intervals by cries and screams.

Time passed slowly. Ten minutes later, police vehicles fitted with heavy armor and vehicle-mounted weapons entered the plaza. Security personnel clad in white exoskeletal armor leapt from the cars, and only then did the scene finally settle.

Unfortunately, the people who had caused the chaos had already vanished without a trace.

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