The talk of engineering robots capable of drilling to the mantle was merely a smokescreen. What Zhong Yun was constructing were several pieces of weaponry, all components fabricated in the labs of the Hengguang Research Institute, awaiting only the final step of assembly.

Zhong Yun returned directly to his quarters. In the living room, Liu Ming was chatting with a very delicate-looking young woman. They were both startled when Zhong Yun came in carrying a massive case.

“What’s in that?” Liu Ming moved to help, but Zhong Yun declined with a smile. “Just some small things; I can manage.” As he passed, he glanced at the girl, who sat demurely, her eyes curious as she watched the huge crate Zhong Yun was hugging—a crate whose width and height both exceeded two meters.

Fortunately, the ceiling of the apartment was high enough; otherwise, maneuvering such a tall box inside would have been genuinely difficult.

After considerable effort, he got the case into his room. Zhong Yun shut the door with a solid thud and began assembling the components.

First, an automatic particle gun—a truly lethal instrument capable of firing over a thousand rounds per minute, each light-bullet possessing a penetration power of one unit of energy.

The second item was a small particle cannon, with a range exceeding ten kilometers and a maximum output reaching five thousand units of energy—astonishing destructive power.

The third was a compact cutting tool, capable of slicing effortlessly through ultra-hard metals registering thirteen on the Pharr hardness scale. For context, the hull of the 'Quasi-Satellite' warship registered only twenty-one on the Pharr scale. The fourth was a scrambler, which, when activated, could block any signal within a ten-kilometer radius.

The fifth was a miniature positioning system and detector; with this, getting lost anywhere would be impossible.

The sixth was a decoder, specifically designed to crack all manner of mechanisms, combination locks, and even access privileges on optical computers.

There were also several other small items packed with formidable capabilities.

Having assembled everything, Zhong Yun took a deep breath. These items, combined with the high-grade protective suit, the ionic oscillation blade, the micro-particle gun, and the three mechs he already possessed, gave him the confidence to try knocking on the door of the Keton family base. The doorbell suddenly rang. He checked the monitor and saw Odin, whose face currently held a look of anxiety, suggesting he had encountered something serious.

Zhong Yun opened the door and let him in. “What happened?” he asked.

Odin blurted out immediately, “Did you watch the news?”

Zhong Yun shook his head.

“The Mayor was publicly shot dead in the city center plaza,” Odin delivered the bombshell news.

Zhong Yun froze. “Was the killer caught?”

“No.” Seeing Zhong Yun seemed to calm Odin slightly. He spoke with a dry voice, “The assassin killed every police officer present at the scene and then escaped.”

Zhong Yun fell silent. Such reckless execution implied the power behind the killer was either completely insane or possessed an absolute certainty of safety—the latter seemed unlikely. The Mingus Kingdom government held significant authority; they would not tolerate such a terrifying organization controlling an administrative planet.

There was another possibility: the assassination of the Mayor was merely a private vendetta, with no higher power directing it. If that were the case, it would be much easier to handle. A terrorist or two, unless they were impossibly powerful, were mere dust motes against the machinery of the state.

Regardless, with the Mayor dead, chaos in the city was inevitable. However, it shouldn't spread too widely.

Just as he was contemplating this, Odin’s personal communicator rang. He answered, and his face twisted in shock.

“The Municipal Chief Security Bureau… was wiped out. Not a single survivor.”

A sharp gleam flashed in Zhong Yun’s eyes. Chaos had erupted.

The suddenness of the unrest caught the residents of Keton unprepared. At almost the same moment, the mayors of all major cities were assassinated, immediately followed by government departments being besieged by unidentified forces. Casualties mounted rapidly.

The administrative structure of Keton suffered a devastating blow in an extremely short time, becoming nearly paralyzed. Countless government officials were slaughtered before they could even grasp what was happening.

Within a single hour, Keton plunged into a state of anarchy. Fortunately, they still had the military.

The moment they received the intelligence, the General Garrison Command decisively ordered the military to enter the cities and maintain order. Halfway there, they ran into an ambush. A group of mechs of unknown origin suddenly appeared before them, inflicting heavy losses on the long-peaceful soldiers.

Meanwhile, the city had become a feast for rioters and terrorists. They seemed to emerge from the very earth, burning, killing, and looting everywhere. The entire city descended into the deepest pit of hell.

The most prosperous residential districts and commercial streets were the first targets, along with major corporations and schools.

When a group of thugs with weapons of all kinds, sporting shaved halves of their heads in a jarring yin-yang style, appeared at the entrance of Keton Academy, many confused students initially thought it was some form of performance art.

Only the more alert sensed trouble; these people exuded a palpable, hostile killing intent, prompting them to quickly leave.

But some people lingered, curious to watch the spectacle, remaining rooted in place.

These people were about to witness the most terrifying scene of their lives.

Anton was a retired soldier who had served as a security guard at Keton Academy for five years. When he saw the strangely dressed group approaching, a sense of profound wrongness settled upon him. The killing intent was so thick it felt almost congealed.

Without hesitation, he activated the alarm and drew his weapon: a baton capable of inducing vertigo.

Many people near the entrance had not registered the alarm blaring overhead before yellow beams of light shot toward them. About ten people dropped stiffly to the ground, their faces frozen in expressions of shock.

Silence. This silence lasted barely a tenth of a second before screams erupted. No matter how ignorant they were, they recognized those yellow beams as having been fired by particle guns. The bodies of those dozen people were instantly pierced by high-energy ion beams, resulting in instantaneous death.

“Hurry and get out of there!” Anton, sheltering behind cover, saw several girls standing paralyzed by fear and shouted in desperation.

A few more yellow beams flashed. Several girls who remained standing fell just like the previous dozen students, collapsing without making a sound.

Anton’s eyes turned bloodshot with rage. They were actually firing on defenseless civilians! They were nothing less than beasts.

A rioter finally charged into the academy grounds, howling with savage excitement, when a horizontally sweeping blow from a baton struck his body. He convulsed violently, staggered back two steps, and glared with murderous eyes at the person who dared attack him, then lunged forward.

Anton was alarmed. That stun baton was capable of incapacitating ten adult men. This man had only shuddered once; he hadn't even lost consciousness.

Those bloodshot, ravenous eyes, and that bizarre, half-bald, half-shaved head became Anton’s last sight.

P: It's too late; that’s all for the 31st. Please support with guaranteed monthly votes and recommendation tickets. (To be continued, for more chapters and further developments, please support.)