Chapter 136: Public Opinion in Hebin City

Amidst the piercing wail of sirens, numerous hovercars, each carrying fully armed special police officers, sped towards the city exits. First, the officers were deployed to establish checkpoints, immediately initiating their interception mission. Only then did the hovercars ascend, patrolling and monitoring the entire city from above.

After the special police secured the city exits, other officers, in ordinary police cars and with sirens blaring, surged onto the streets, setting up checkpoints at major intersections. Even the usually lethargic Patrol Camp soldiers, rarely seen, were fully armed and transported by troop carriers to assist the police in their search.

In addition to these highly visible law enforcement personnel, countless plainclothes officers and thugs scoured the city’s shadowy alleys, gathering intelligence. Many even ventured into the labyrinthine sewers to investigate.

The citizens of Hebin City remained remarkably calm in the face of this search, even more stringent than the one that followed the news of the Governor’s Mansion being occupied by rebels. The reason was simple: they had already received the official wanted posters through their wristwatches and phones.

Compared to the audacity of the assassin who dared to infiltrate the city government and attempt to assassinate the Patrol Inspector, the citizens were more interested in the Inspector himself, reportedly only 17 years old. Of course, this discussion remained private; no one dared to post it on public channels.

Aside from this gossip, the citizens showed little interest in the actual capture of the assassin. After all, they lacked the capability, and attempting to assist might mean meeting their own demise.

As for the search? Let them search. The time of ordinary citizens was worthless. They readily allowed the police and military personnel to conduct checks, even seeing it as an opportunity to witness military equipment firsthand.

Because the wanted posters were distributed to all citizens’ communicators, everyone in Hebin City knew the purpose of the police and military presence on the streets, and understood the reason for the thugs’ frenzied activity—seeking favor and currying connections. Since it didn’t affect them, everyone remained calm.

Therefore, even though roads usually bustling with traffic were completely blocked, everyone remained calm, free from road rage. Drivers and passengers chatted or watched videos, patiently waiting for the traffic to resume.

However, some vehicles, confident in their special status, ignored the congestion, brazenly honking their horns and flashing their hazard lights as they sped down the emergency lane, eliciting envy or curses from the citizens.

This was understandable; everyone was stuck in traffic, yet these vehicles dared to use the emergency lane. Naturally, this caused resentment.

If these drivers were truly powerful, they would have flown overhead in their hovercars. However, operating on the ground while flaunting their privilege was simply irritating.

Soon, though, the citizens witnessed a satisfying spectacle. The hovercars, the kind that had drawn only envy, were immediately targeted by patrol hovercars from above, swooping down to ground them like hawks seizing chickens.

Vehicles using the emergency lane were also quickly stopped by oncoming police cars. Then, as if fueled by some explosive substance, the officers acted extremely roughly, forcibly opening car doors, dragging people out, and cuffing them without a word. The pleas of those arrested, desperately claiming their connections, were completely ignored as they were dragged away.

Vehicles, no matter how luxurious, were lifted and carried away by hovercars.

After several such incidents, the vehicles previously confident in their status quickly retreated back into the traffic. The sky was devoid of hovercars aside from police vehicles.

These events, recorded and uploaded by citizens, immediately fueled a wave of schadenfreude.

The government officials were also helpless, feeling that the city’s privileged youth had lost their minds. Showing off their privilege was certainly not appropriate at this moment. Was this really the time to display such actions, especially after the attack on the Patrol Inspector, someone considered more powerful than the Mayor himself?

While even the Mayor was diligently working from the monitoring center, these officials several ranks below him were acting with such recklessness—betraying their elders!

Amidst this turmoil, one vehicle continued to honk and flash its hazard lights as it sped down the emergency lane, utterly unconcerned.

Citizens initially cursed, but upon seeing the license plate and small flagpoles on either side of the vehicle, they fell silent, tacitly accepting its use of the emergency lane.

Though patrol hovercars flew down to inspect the vehicle, they obviously recognized its identity and soon returned to high altitude surveillance, ignoring the vehicle.

Uninformed citizens were puzzled. "What kind of privileged vehicle is that?"

"An embassy vehicle. Much more powerful than those privileged youth," explained someone in the know.

"An embassy vehicle, yet a ground vehicle? Is it not from a Great Power embassy? I haven’t seen that flag before."

"That’s the flag of the Hualanxi Republic. They are indeed a Great Power. Rumor has it, they’re vying with the Gran Empire for the title of world’s leading power."

"Really? How could they be so poor they use a ground vehicle as an embassy vehicle?"

"Heh, you think all Great Powers are rich? Their budgets are limited. Our Empire is so vast, with so many planets and governorates, that the funds allocated to our small city’s embassy makes ground vehicles quite normal."

"That’s true, but these Great Powers have ambitious minds. The Empire sets up embassies in every municipal administrative region and above. No wonder their funding is insufficient."

"Who knows why they have such a high embassy density? I heard that our Empire only sets up embassies in foreign capitals and key planets. Whoever has too much money to burn goes and sets up embassies in every city!"

"Heh, imagine if the wanted assassin were hiding in that embassy car. They can’t be searched, and the assassin would simply get away." The citizen said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"They can’t be checked inside the city, but at the exits, they’ll definitely be secretly checked with penetrating instruments."

"And what if they’re found? It’s an embassy vehicle. It’s like moving national territory. Do you dare to arrest someone in there?"

"They can be monitored continuously. They can even surround the embassy where the assassin is hiding."

"That’s wishful thinking. Don’t you know the Empire primarily maintains friendly relations with foreign countries? If the envoy reports this to the imperial court, this three-city patrol inspector would be in deep trouble! Forget about catching the assassin—they’d lose their position!"

"Damn it! Foreigners are superior, and there’s nothing we can do about them sheltering an assassin! This is infuriating!"

"It doesn’t matter to us commoners."

"Doesn’t it make you feel like our Empire is weak? Shouldn’t we be angry? If a Gran Empire official were to encounter such an assassination, believe me, they would even search all the foreign embassies!"

"If our strength is inferior, there is nothing to say. Besides, these matters don’t concern us, commoners. The important thing for us is to find a way to earn more money."

"Yes, that’s true."

The citizens’ discussions had no effect on the embassy vehicle speeding down the emergency lane. Inside was the young man in the ancient warrior’s attire.