197: Chapter 197 The Great Distribution of Authority in Meteorite City!

Chen Chen crushed the crystal core in City Lord Yan Xiao's chest with one stomp.

Crack.

Yellow-brown crystalline light exploded from his chest cavity, only to be suppressed back down by the blue-gold patterns of the sea-stabilizing needle.

The City Lord of Meteor Crystal City couldn't even finish his last threat; his whole body twitched twice, and the crystal pipelines embedded in his back snapped one by one.

[Meteor Crystal City master control authority has completely collapsed.]

[City defense system has lost its supreme controller.]

[The Star Core Crystal Sand vein has entered an ownerless state.]

On the outer layer of the three-hundred-meter-high crystal wall, twelve defensive light curtains extinguished one by one from top to bottom.

The remaining crystal rail cannons on the city wall were still rotating automatically, but their muzzles suddenly stopped.

The next second, all the turrets turned in unison, aiming at the inner city barracks.

The remnants of the Meteor Crystal City's Crystal-Armored Army had just assembled from the alleyways and hadn't even had time to form a counter-attack formation before the sound of turrets charging up echoed overhead.

A Crystal-Armored officer's expression changed drastically.

"Who is controlling the city defense?"

Jiang Jiuyou sat at the Ghost Fortress's auxiliary command console, her silver-white low ponytail resting against her shoulder, her fingertips gliding over the authority chain unlocked from Shi Yan's tactical chip.

"Outer crystal rail cannon array, reverse takeover complete."

She raised her hand and tapped a red marker.

"Barracks east gate, warning shot."

Boom!

A crystal rail cannon shell smashed in front of the barracks' east gate, blasting a crater over ten meters deep into the ground.

The Crystal-Armored troops who had intended to counter-attack stopped in their tracks immediately.

Jiang Jiuyou's voice transmitted through the city defense broadcast into every street.

"Drop your weapons where you stand."

"After ten seconds, anyone still armed will be treated as an enemy force."

Someone in the barracks gritted their teeth and shouted, "We are the regular army of Meteor Crystal City! You outsiders—"

Boom!

The second shell landed on the roof of the armory behind him.

The entire roof was sheared off.

The man immediately shut his mouth.

Jiang Yanxue stood at the mine tunnel exit, her Shadow Instant-Kill Blade still dripping with blood, and she gave a light huff after hearing the broadcast.

"That woman Jiang Jiuyou really knows how to slap people in the face."

Blood Rose stood by the ventilation duct, slowly retracting the pink venom threads from her fingertips; her face was paler than usual.

She had just forcibly infiltrated the barracks' filtration system, which had consumed a lot of energy.

Hearing Jiang Yanxue's words, she lazily replied,

"If you're not convinced, you can go and fight her for the city defense."

Jiang Yanxue glanced at her sideways.

"You should first practice your poison until you can take down these tin cans before you talk."

Blood Rose's smile faded.

"What's the rush?"

"Next time, I'll make them kneel and call me big sister."

...

In the lower levels of the mine.

1.07 million mine slaves watched through the master control projection as Chen Chen dragged City Lord Yan Xiao out of the crystal wall.

The name that had pressed down on their heads for over a decade had become a corpse with a caved-in chest.

At first, no one dared to move.

Those with slave collars around their necks stared at the projection, holding their breath.

Until an old miner with gray hair suddenly knelt down, his forehead knocking against the rough crystal floor.

"Spare us, New City Lord!"

That cry was like breaking open a floodgate.

The mine slave area erupted into wails.

Some knelt and kowtowed.

Some hugged their children and wailed.

Some frantically clawed at the slave collars on their necks, not stopping even when their fingers bled.

"City Lord Yan Xiao is dead!"

"The City Lord is dead!"

"Can we live now?"

"Don't shout! Don't shout! The New City Lord hasn't spoken yet!"

The chaos spread rapidly.

In the bottom mine tunnels, a few young mine slaves pounced on a fallen Crystal-Armored overseer, snatched his keys, and desperately tried to unlock their collars.

But as soon as the slave collar was forcibly pried, a yellow-brown light lit up on the ring.

The young mine slave's body began to convulse.

"Don't touch it!"

Yi Chang's voice suddenly rang out from the mine slave area broadcast.

She had already walked into the Meteor Crystal City administrative hub.

Her black high heels crunched over the shattered crystals on the floor, her white shirt sleeves were rolled up, and the data pad in her hand displayed a dozen layers of authority windows.

She didn't offer comfort, nor did she speak any nonsense.

"Three orders."

"First, all mine slaves must register in place; you are not allowed to leave your sectors without authorization."

"Second, technical craftsmen, maintenance workers, and crystal sand refiners are to form separate lines."

"Third, former Meteor Crystal City officers, overseers, and warehouse administrators are to disarm and lie down with their hands behind their heads."

She paused for half a second.

"Whoever steals a key, dies."

The wailing in the mine slave area quieted down significantly.

Someone shouted, "We don't believe it! All City Lords are the same!"

Yi Chang didn't rush to refute them.

She projected the real-time image of City Lord Yan Xiao's corpse onto all the screens in the mining area.

Chen Chen's boot was still stepping next to that corpse.

The sea-stabilizing needle was inserted into the main node of the mineral vein, and blue-gold light pressed down along the flow of crystal sand.

The energy curve of the mineral vein, which had been on the verge of going berserk, began to recede.

Shen Wanbing watched the data and reported quickly.

"Star Core Crystal Sand vein stability, sixty-three percent."

"Seventy percent."

"Eighty-one percent."

Mio's projection floated beside Yi Chang, watching the feedback from Meteor Crystal City's architectural system, her electronic pupils flickering.

"Is that affix of yours taking over the crystal vein architecture?"

Yi Chang didn't look up.

"The mineral vein counts as a territory building."

Mio muttered, "You people can even count a mine as real estate?"

Yi Chang swiped her finger.

The [Miracle Creator] affix linked with the underground crystal vein of Meteor Crystal City.

The twelve main nodes that had originally been red turned green one by one.

Yi Chang's tone finally relaxed slightly.

"Mineral vein safety threshold restored."

"Now, let's start screening people."

...

Outside the City Lord's hall, in the central plaza of Meteor Crystal City.

The remnants of the Crystal-Armored Army knelt on the ground in droves, their weapons piled into several small hills.

Members of the Shadow Division took over the armory.

Jiang Jiuyou entered from the other side with nineteen members of the Shadow Division and happened to run into Yi Chang's civil administration team.

The two women stood with a floating holographic map between them.

Jiang Jiuyou swept a glance at the Meteor Crystal City administrators behind Yi Chang.

"The armory, city defense towers, and crystal rail cannons all fall under military jurisdiction."

Yi Chang flipped open her data pad.

"I can give you the armory."

"The crystal sand vein protective array, energy wells, and transport tracks belong to the urban construction system."

Jiang Jiuyou raised an eyebrow.

"Transport tracks can transport troops."

Yi Chang replied quickly.

"They can also transport ore."

"The mineral vein is more valuable right now."

Jiang Jiuyou took a half-step forward.

"Meteor Crystal City has just been captured, the remaining army inside hasn't been cleared yet, and you want to talk to me about production?"

Yi Chang didn't back down either.

"You moved all the turrets to the barracks; if the mine slave area explodes, who's going to clean up the mess?"

The tension between the two flared up again.

Beside them, the Landlady hugged her ledger and whispered to the Pig-Faced Butcher.

"If those two don't argue for a day, I feel like I've earned less somehow."

The Butcher carried a Crystal-Armored Earth Dragon leg, his voice muffled.

"Can we eat after they finish arguing?"

Su Xiaoqi poked her head out from the side, holding some roasted meat.

"Can we eat the dragon leg?"

Mio put her hand to her forehead.

"We are dividing city authority here, not discussing the menu!"

Chen Chen walked out from the mine tunnel master control area.

City Lord Yan Xiao's corpse was being dragged behind by Jiang Yanxue, leaving a trail of mixed blood and crystal sand along the way.

The plaza went silent instantly.

Chen Chen glanced at the holographic map.

"Divide Meteor Crystal City into three authority zones."

He reached out and tapped the mineral vein area.

"Mineral vein production, building maintenance, and population registration belong to Yi Chang."

He then tapped the city walls and the armory.

"City defense, armory, and prisoner-of-war camps belong to Jiang Jiuyou."

Finally, he pointed toward the storage and technical areas.

"Resource accounting, technical screening, and Gray-White Protocol cracking belong to Shen Wanbing."

Jiang Jiuyou and Yi Chang looked over at the same time.

Chen Chen added one more sentence.

"Whoever oversteps their authority will be sent to the bottom storage to watch the forced laborers tonight."

In the plaza, Blood Rose couldn't help it, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"Master's punishment is more lethal than the main cannon."

Jiang Jiuyou turned to look at her.

Blood Rose immediately raised her hand to smooth out her red skirt.

"I didn't say anything."

Yi Chang put away her data pad and added a dry, cutting remark.

"You laughed out loud."

Blood Rose: "..."

Su Xiaoqi bit into her meat and nodded earnestly.

"I heard it too."

Blood Rose reached out and covered her mouth.

"Little ancestor, just eat your food."