Free Web NovelChapter 159: Chapter 113: Ring Academy (2)
HUMMM!
The black SUV soon reached the cross-river bridge, just a stone’s throw from the inner city ring.
Lu Chao wasn’t worried about the Mechanical Violence Team’s roadblock and inspection.
He rolled down the window, presenting his ID and the relevant mission documents.
Everything went smoothly.
Under the envious gazes of onlookers from the nearby Iron Ring District, the three of them quickly passed the Mechanical Violence Team’s identity check.
VROOOM!
The engine roared.
As the black SUV started moving again, Chen Xiao gripped the steering wheel from the driver’s seat and glanced at Lu Chao in the rearview mirror. "Captain, Fang Xu is already on standby at Ring Academy."
"Should we head straight there?"
He made a point of using the formal address when they weren’t in private, showing Lu Chao proper respect.
"Alright." Lu Chao smiled and nodded.
They were entering the inner city ring this time for one reason: to carry out a so-called special mission.
Or to be more precise, for the foreseeable future, their Third Squad would be regularly entering and exiting the inner city.
The reason was simple.
Because of the recent kidnapping attempt, Miss Su’s security team deeply distrusted the Mechanical Violence Team.
After some negotiation to placate them, the higher-ups contacted the Patrol Department. After a bit of back-and-forth, several squads were drafted to assist.
Among them, the Third Squad was specifically requested, and they were required to go to Ring Academy.
"You saved Miss Su. She and her security team trust you, so you have to lead this mission."
"Just go and do what you need to do. Vice Director Liu has your back! The department’s other squads will do their best to support you."
Yang Wangtao’s words from that morning still echoed in his ears. Lu Chao could feel his superior’s trust and expectations, as well as the heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
After half a month of recuperation, though he hadn’t fully recovered, Yang Wangtao had insisted on returning to the Patrol Department to formally take over as the acting captain of the Third Division.
And he had personally handed this mission to Lu Chao.
’So, this is a security detail, huh...’
His gaze flickered as he closed the interface on his wrist device.
In that moment, Lu Chao realized he was no longer the small fry who could only hide behind others, needing someone else to shelter him from the storm.
On the contrary.
Looking at the cheerful, laughing Chen Xiao, and then at the new recruit, Xiong Cheng, in the passenger seat, a newfound steadiness filled Lu Chao’s eyes.
Team Leader.
It wasn’t a high rank, but he was the leader of a squad.
No matter what, he had to be responsible for the people at his side.
VROOOM!
The black SUV drove onward, passing completely into the inner city ring.
...
「Half an hour later.」
The black SUV slowly drove into a bustling area.
To the left and right, skyscrapers rose one after another, their floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the sunlight like a blue-green ocean.
Holographic projections floating in mid-air seemed to materialize into reality, some forming dolphins that leaped from the water, kicking up a spray of blue electronic waves.
Other projections played advertisements, showing powerful individuals with cybernetic modifications making gestures, pointing to the latest bionic prosthetic while reciting slogans like "Faster, Stronger."
Everything was completely different from the Iron Ring District, exuding a sense of advancement and technology at every turn.
It was as if even the air here was fresher.
’The inner city...’
Lu Chao sat in the back seat, having rolled down the window, and watched the scene unfold.
Hovercars, a rare sight in the outer districts, were everywhere here. They shuttled between the high-rises, leaving trails in their wake. There were even Mechanical Violence Team units on patrol in hovercars, their red and blue lights flashing as they conducted air traffic control.
The skyscrapers in the Central District were nearly a hundred meters tall and connected by glass corridors that formed skyways. Looking up, you could see the silhouettes of people walking through them.
And at the very center stood the symbol of Ring City.
A sky-piercing tower hundreds of meters tall, its neon lights burning through the night—the Ring Tower.
"So this is the inner city?"
Xiong Cheng, in the passenger seat, was in awe. Hailing from the Iron Ring District, he had never set foot here in his twenty-plus years of life.
Envy, anticipation, longing... The yearning that many from the Iron Ring District held for the inner city ring flashed in his eyes.
However.
"This place is certainly prosperous, but not everyone gets to stay."
Chen Xiao, in the driver’s seat, shook his head, his tone a mix of consolation and warning. "Just talking about housing, every inch is worth a fortune. A single apartment would cost us decades of work, and that’s without eating or drinking."
"Besides, permanent residency in the inner city isn’t easy to get. A lot of people here only have temporary residence permits, and they have to pay a hefty renewal fee every three years."
"They look glamorous, but their lives aren’t necessarily any easier than ours."
He spoke meaningfully, his expression a mixture of wistfulness and complexity. It was clearly not his first time in the inner city.
Lu Chao grew thoughtful at his words, gazing out at the bustling streets beneath the holographic projections.
Most of the passersby hurried along, bearing the clear marks of prosthetic implants, with fluorescent lines on their faces and necks flashing intermittently. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Anxiety was etched on most of their faces. Even as they rushed, they fiddled with their wrist devices, projecting virtual light screens as they processed data.
For some reason, he recalled something Zhao Yuanqing had said.
The Prosthetic Clinic’s customers weren’t just young gang members, but also many workers from mega-corporate factories, and even office workers from the inner city ring.
Not everyone could walk the Superpower Path; for most, mediocre talent was the norm.
Because of this, if they wanted to stand out at work, they had to rely on prosthetic organs to gain greater strength and faster information-processing capabilities, all to ensure they wouldn’t lose their jobs.
"We’re here."
Chen Xiao spoke again, pulling Lu Chao from his thoughts.
