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Chapter 136 The Siege of the Black Steel Building
The next day.

Early in the morning, Wang Xi woke up before the alarm clock rang, as usual, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Ding ding dong—

"Good morning, citizens of Gucheng. It is now 8:7 AM on Thursday, July 25th, 2045..."

Wang Xi was brushing his teeth in front of the mirror, silently listening to the morning news on his phone.

Sweet female announcer:

"This is 'Sky Dome Signal Tower' reporting. Today will be cloudy with showers, with a 70% chance of precipitation. We advise residents to bring rain gear when going out. The daytime high will be 32℃..."

"Due to an emergency repair of a signal malfunction, the No. 7 rail transit line will have a speed limit from Huanguang District to Xiudai District, and the arrival time is expected to be delayed by about 15 minutes... The municipal department reminds citizens that due to the upgrade of the lighting system, the lighting on some sections of Chaodu District will be temporarily interrupted from 8 pm to 10 pm tonight. Please pay attention to safety when taking a walk at night."

As the announcement played, Wang Xi changed out of her pajamas, put on a mask, grabbed an umbrella, and went out.

It was a little past nine o'clock when we arrived at Century Trade Plaza in the central area.

The sky was overcast, and the wind blowing in my face was sultry.

It's not a holiday today, but there are still a lot of people here. Even so early, you can see groups of men and women chatting and strolling around.

After all, it is the most bustling and lively commercial street in Gucheng.

The humanoid robots, some walking and some flying, are dressed in uniforms from various stores, either selling products to passersby or sweeping the streets.

Everything was the same as always.

But as Wang Xi walked further in, he soon discovered something unusual.

A large crowd had gathered near the end of the street, diagonally opposite the commercial plaza and the giant screen.

Some stood alone under the trees, some sat in twos and threes on benches or by flower beds, and others paused after coming out of the shops, whispering to each other as if discussing where to go next.

The crowd was scattered, maintaining a distance of several meters to more than ten meters from each other.

These people were dressed in nothing special, and their words and actions were normal, but Wang Xi could tell at a glance that they were not simple.

"Gucheng Police Station Officers (Plainclothes)"

With a quick glance, he spotted no fewer than twenty plainclothes police officers, all around the two-star basic level. A few of them were "senior officers," with the strength of a three-star basic level.

'This means they've arrived at the designated location ahead of schedule and begun deploying police forces...'

The thought flashed through Wang Xi's mind.

He turned his head and glanced at the tall building, its exterior glass a striking blue-black color, nestled among the shops about fifty meters away.

This is the Black Steel Building.

An old office building.

It houses dozens of small and micro enterprises, all of which are engaged in supporting businesses for the Century Commercial Plaza, mainly providing food, drink, and entertainment services.

Wang Xi thought for a moment, then bought a soy milk and fried dough sticks from a breakfast shop not far away, and walked closer to the Black Steel Building with the bag in his hand.

He found a stall with a perfect spot and sat down.

From here, you can observe the entire street, and it's only 30 meters from the entrance of the Black Steel Building.

"Boss, can you put a screen protector on me?"

Wang Xi handed his phone to the man wearing sunglasses and said casually.

The owner of the screen protector stall was also eating breakfast, holding a cup of instant noodles and slurping them down. Wang Xi glanced at it; it was braised beef flavor.

He couldn't help but think of Ms. Xia Ling—who was also a fan of instant noodles.

"Hey buddy, your phone screen is even more solid than a screen protector, you don't need to put one on."

The boss put down the instant noodle cup, took the phone, glanced at it, clicked his tongue, and offered a word of advice.

Wang Xi wasn't actually there to apply screen protectors; he was just using this spot as cover to observe his surroundings. He then casually made up some nonsense:
"It's okay, I have double insurance. I have a lot of important study materials stored on my phone, I can't afford to lose them."

The boss still couldn't understand and thought he was wasting money and that it was completely unnecessary.

Wang Xi explained, "Hey boss, think about it, just like those professional warriors, when fighting monsters, they won't complain about having too many defensive methods, right?"

"Handsome guy, you're really steady. Looks like you really love learning."

The shop owner nodded thoughtfully in agreement, and then, while cleaning and applying a screen protector to the phone, he chuckled and said:

"But what you're saying is too complicated. As long as the phone doesn't break when it's dropped, or if it does break, it can fix itself... The same applies to professional warriors."

Seeing the look of surprise on Wang Xi's face, the boss, with an air of great knowledge, explained:

"The wild card is full of wonders. I have actually seen immortal beings. Such strong people can fight monsters without any worries."

"Boss, you have great insight."

Wang Xi praised it.

The man in sunglasses chuckled and applied the screen protector with even more enthusiasm.

Just then.

Wang Xi heard a noise.

He turned his head and saw that the plainclothes officers, as if they had received some kind of order, split into several groups and entered the Black Steel Building one after another.

Meanwhile, plainclothes officers who remained outside began to subtly disperse the crowd—approaching pedestrians, showing their identification, whispering a few words, and pointing in a direction, causing the pedestrians' expressions to change slightly and them to quickly leave.

Before long, another group of company employees left the building, hurrying away.

"Handsome, the screen protector is applied."

At this moment, the stall owner's voice drew Wang Xi's attention back. He glanced at the phone the other person offered, didn't take it, and added:
"Um, boss, could you please put on a back panel film for me as well?"

"Steady and reliable, that's the way to go."

The man in sunglasses chuckled. If there was money to be made, he would definitely be willing to keep working.

Wang Xi turned his gaze back to the front of the building.

More than a dozen police drones appeared out of nowhere and hovered in front of the building entrance.

Several hovercars arrived, and police tape was quickly put up around the area. The crowd nearby dared not approach, watching the commotion from a distance of several dozen meters, whispering amongst themselves.

Soon, Wang Xi saw a familiar face.

Yu Zizi, with her long, wavy purple hair, wearing a high-necked trench coat and a police inspector's badge hanging on her chest, stepped out of a hovering police car and solemnly whispered something to the officer beside her.

Besides them, Yu Jiali and Lin Xin'er were also present. It was the first time Wang Xi had seen the former in a police uniform, looking dashing, while the latter wore a blue-black tight-fitting combat suit. "Handsome, the screen protector is applied."

The boss's voice came again.

Wang Xi secretly admired the boss's superb skills, but also found it too efficient, so he casually remarked:

"Uh, boss, how about you also apply the side film and lens film while you're at it?"

"Handsome, you're too cautious. Okay."

The man in sunglasses didn't seem to mind the trouble and continued pasting.

Wang Xi's gaze sharpened.

He saw Chu Nai.

The silver-haired girl wore a blue and white tight-fitting combat suit, with a laser-finish matte gray turtleneck jacket over her upper body.

Xiao Yuzhe got out of another black hovercar that had arrived and hurriedly ran to Chu Nai's side.

"Section Chief Chu, the Gucheng Council has publicly impeached you for interdepartmental law enforcement, and the Overlooking Bureau has received numerous complaints... The director has told you to stop interfering in this matter."

The long-haired youth looked anxious and lowered his voice.

However, the silver-haired girl ignored her, her expression remaining indifferent.

"Okay, I understand. You can go back now."

Chu Nai said softly, then turned and walked directly into the Black Steel Building.

"..."

Xiao Yuzhe opened his mouth, wanting to say something but then stopped. He gritted his teeth and made a phone call, remaining at the scene and ultimately not leaving.

"Handsome, this time it's really all done. There's nowhere left to put it."

The boss handed over his phone, saying helplessly.

"Okay, thank you." Wang Xi coughed and took the phone. "How much?"

"400 credits."

"So expensive?!" Wang Xi exclaimed in surprise.

“My membrane is air-freighted from Dongzhou. It’s top quality, and you won’t find another place in Gucheng with such craftsmanship… Who still does this kind of work these days? It’s a technical job.”

The man in sunglasses picked up the instant noodle container again and explained with a smile.

Wang Xixin was heartbroken, but he had no choice but to scan the code and pay.

"Boss, you've made so much money, it's time to improve your lifestyle."

he sighed.

Unexpectedly, the man in sunglasses didn't seem to mind. He had just finished the last sip of his soup when he casually chuckled:

"When I was in the army, our squad all liked this kind of food. Did they really think I had no money for food?"

After saying that, he started packing up his stall and leaving.

Wang Xi couldn't sit any longer and stood up.

"It's about to pour rain..."

The stall owner, pushing his cart, seemed to linger briefly on the umbrella in Wang Xi's hand, his gaze lingering behind his sunglasses. Before leaving, he kindly offered a word of advice:
"An umbrella can block the rain, but it can't block the wind. Be careful not to catch a cold, handsome."

Wang Xi thanked him and watched the boss leave, feeling that the man was a bit strange.

Sweep with Caius:
"Gu Li (friendly)"

...

...

After this incident, when Wang Xi looked at the Black Steel Building again, he found that Chu Nai, Yu Jiali, Lin Xin'er, and others had already led their team inside.

Only Zizi and a few police officers remained outside.

Soon, two plainclothes officers approached Wang Xi.

The evacuation area is gradually expanding.

However, before the plainclothes officer could even pull out his police ID and speak, Wang Xi first unfolded his hero's ID in front of the two of them.

The two plainclothes officers were taken aback at first, then their eyes widened in astonishment—a four-star hero?!

Wang Xi was wearing a mask, and the two of them didn't recognize her at first until they saw the certificate.

The two plainclothes officers quickly saluted.

Wang Xi nodded in acknowledgment and gave a subtle gesture, indicating that they should continue. Then he strode forward, brushing past the plainclothes officers.

As he crossed the cordon and headed towards the building entrance, Yu Zizi and the others couldn't help but turn their gazes toward him—this area had already been cleared out, and Wang Xi was the only one walking in the opposite direction, which was quite eye-catching.

The police inspector's gaze scrutinized Wang Xi, then suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he nodded slightly.

She clearly recognized her.

boom!Boom!

Suddenly, bursts of gunfire rang out from inside the building. Interspersed among them were the muffled, rapid whistles of laser weapons, the clashing roars of the crowd, and the clanging of clashing melee weapons.

bang——

There was a loud bang.

Wang Xi stopped and looked up, only to see an explosion on the top floor of the building. The floor-to-ceiling windows shattered with a deafening roar, sending sparks, smoke, and metal fragments flying everywhere.

A shower of debris rained down from the sky, and screams and gasps came from the crowd in the distance.

Wang Xi opened the umbrella.

The umbrella was covered with a layer of fine ice crystals, and glass shards and pebbles fell on it, making a crackling sound.

Immediately afterward, just as Yu Zizi and other police officers raised their guns, stood ready, and looked up, they were about to face the danger.

Then a deafening roar was heard:

"roll!!"

(End of this chapter)