1244: Chapter 1244 Swift Suppression, Pressure from Higher Authorities

Black Cloud Empire, Black Emperor Star

The riot erupted after nightfall on the seventh day. There were no warning signs whatsoever.

In the bustling commercial starport of the Black Emperor Star's East District, an Imperial soldier on duty suddenly had his eyes turn crimson, and he backhanded his energy sword into his colleague's chest.

Before the surrounding crowd could react, the soldier lunged at the next target like a madman, his mouth emitting a roar that did not sound human.

This was only the beginning.

In the South, North, and West Districts, at almost the exact same moment, hundreds of thousands of Black Cloud Empire citizens lost their sanity simultaneously.

Regardless of their status or cultivation level, they attacked anyone they saw, their eyes hollow and crazed, as if their minds had been seized by some invisible force.

Most chilling of all—this even included Tier 4 Powerhouses.

An instructor at the Royal Academy, a Tier 4 Powerhouse at the Middle Stage, suddenly lashed out mid-lecture, striking three students dead on the spot with a single palm.

By the time nearby powerhouses arrived to subdue him, the instructor was bleeding from his seven orifices, repeatedly muttering the same sentence:

"Why, why won't they listen to the lecture properly..."

The riot spread like wildfire.

The streets were filled with burning wreckage and fallen corpses; screams, wails, and the clashing of metal wove together into an apocalyptic symphony.

Those who had lost their sanity seemed to know neither fatigue nor fear; even with missing limbs, they still crazily lunged at every living thing.

However, this was, after all, the main planet of the Black Cloud Star Domain—Black Emperor Star.

As the heart of the Empire, operated for thousands of years, how could it be shaken by an ordinary riot?

Suppression

Less than half an hour after the first signs of the riot appeared, the Royal Guard was fully deployed.

Silver-white standard-issue warships ascended from various bases, and the light from their energy shields wove into a net over the Black Emperor Star.

Ground troops, operating in units of a hundred, coordinated with aerial fire support to conduct carpet-style mopping-up operations in the riot zones.

"District 3 is under control."

"Rioters in District 7 have been cleared; we are currently treating the wounded."

"Three Tier 4 Powerhouses who had lost control were discovered in District 12; they have been eliminated."

Reports of victory flowed back to the command center like water.

The efficiency of the Royal Guard was staggering—they were well-trained, well-equipped, and showed no mercy when facing the deranged rioters.

The roar of energy weapons continued throughout the night, each sound signifying the end of a life.

By dawn, the overt riot had basically subsided.

The streets were rivers of blood; of the hundreds of thousands who had lost control, the majority had been killed on the spot, while a small portion had been subdued and detained for questioning.

As for the surviving common citizens, they were huddled in shelters, still shaken.

The Royal Guard announced to the public: "Hostile forces infiltrated, but the situation has been fully suppressed."

But everyone knew this was just a superficial explanation. What was truly unsettling were the invisible things.

Less than an hour after the riot subsided, the Shadow Guard had quietly entered the scene.

In the shadows of the Black Emperor Star, countless figures dressed in dark, tight-fitting suits moved silently.

They did not interact with anyone, left no traces, and only collected every possible piece of intelligence in the dark.

In the temporary command room of the Shadow Guard headquarters.

A middle-aged man with a sinister face stood before a massive holographic star map, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the tabletop.

He was the Deputy Commander of the Shadow Guard's Black Emperor Star branch—Qi Ye, a cultivator at the Late Stage of Tier 5, who had sat in this position for nearly a hundred years.

"Report."

A dark shadow appeared silently behind him.

"Speak."

"I have retrieved the surveillance records from all the riot locations and found that there are no common characteristics among those who lost control. Age, gender, cultivation level, occupation, background... everything is randomly distributed. There is no pattern to the timing either; the riots erupted at almost the exact same moment, but the locations were far apart, making a chain reaction impossible."

Qi Ye's brows knitted into a tight knot.

"What are the results of the Divine Soul examination?"

"We have conducted Divine Soul scans on some of the subdued individuals and found that there is a certain... abnormal fluctuation remaining in their Divine Souls."

The shadow paused, as if weighing its words, "But this fluctuation has dissipated entirely, making it impossible to trace the source. Currently, we can only conclude that their loss of control did not originate from themselves, but was the result of forced interference by some external power."

"Even Tier 4 Powerhouses were not spared?"

"They were not spared."

The shadow's voice dropped a few notches, "Those three Tier 4 instructors who lost control suffered a much more violent impact on their Divine Souls than ordinary people. It seems... the higher the cultivation, the stronger the attack."

Qi Ye fell silent.

He turned to look out the window; dawn had just arrived on the Black Emperor Star, and the morning light spilled over the row upon row of buildings, making everything look peaceful and beautiful.

But he knew that beneath this peaceful surface, an invisible hand was stirring up trouble.

"Keep investigating," he finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find the source."

"Yes."

The shadow dissipated.

Qi Ye stood alone before the window, the rhythm of his fingers tapping on the tabletop unconsciously speeding up.

He had worked in the Shadow Guard for hundreds of years and had seen too many conspiracies, but he had never seen such a... chaotic riot with absolutely no pattern.

No organization, no premeditation, and not even a clear target—those who lost control were simply attacking indiscriminately, as if madness itself were the only purpose.

This was illogical.

Every riot has its logic; even the craziest terrorist attack has its demands, its purpose, and a source that can be traced.

But this time was different; all clues pointed to nothingness, as if the riot itself were a natural disaster that appeared out of thin air.

Yet he knew this was a man-made disaster, and one specifically targeted at his Black Cloud Empire.

Several years ago, this kind of chaotic situation had appeared in the border regions of the Empire, but after the death of a Tier 5 Shadow Guard captain, the opponent had disappeared.

Who would have thought that the opponent only disappeared for a few months before making a comeback, and had come to the Black Emperor Star.

"Damn it, who exactly is it!"

On the third day after the riot, the Black Cloud Empire's royal family was forced to make a decision.

Inside the Empire's council chamber, more than a dozen high-ranking officials in ornate robes sat on both sides of a long table, the atmosphere so heavy it could almost drip water.

Sitting at the head of the table was a middle-aged man with a dignified face—Black Abyss, the younger cousin of the current His Majesty!

Although he was a member of the royal family, he had not been involved in state affairs for many years; this time, he had been personally appointed by the clan elders to be responsible for thoroughly investigating the root cause of the riot.

"You have all read the Shadow Guard's report."

Black Abyss's voice was calm, but a subtle gloom was hidden in the depths of his eyes, "Three days, and there has been no substantial progress."

Qi Ye stood up, his expression unchanged: "Your Highness, this riot has no pattern to follow. We have exhausted all means, but we still need time—"

"Time?"

Black Abyss interrupted him, his gaze like a knife, "The clan elders only gave me seven days. If we cannot give the citizens of the Empire an explanation after seven days, neither you nor I can bear the consequences."