"It's been half an hour."
Outside Aurora City, Han Meng checked the time, his brow tightly furrowed. "Why hasn't Aurora City responded yet? Did you really relay the message to headquarters?"
"I did. You saw it yourself, didn't you?" The enforcer guarding the gate replied impatiently.
Han Meng's gaze turned icy. He had indeed watched the message being sent, but given the severity of the situation, Aurora City should have reacted immediately. There was no reason for such prolonged silence.
Just as Han Meng considered forcing his way through the gate, a low, thunderous rumble echoed as the massive city gates slowly creaked open, stirring clouds of dust.
Only one figure stood beyond the gates.
A man clad in the same black trench coat, his wild white hair resembling a lion's mane. The hem of his coat bore seven shimmering silver stripes, gleaming under the sunlight.
The moment they saw him, the enforcers at the gate widened their eyes in shock. Even Han Meng's heart skipped a beat, his expression filled with disbelief...
A seven-stripe enforcer. There were only five in all of Aurora City, each holding immense power and status, figures rarely seen by ordinary people. Even these enforcers, who had grown up in Aurora City, had never laid eyes on one.
"You're Han Meng?" The seven-stripe enforcer glanced at him and spoke indifferently.
"...Yes."
"I am Gu Yuan. I'm here to escort you into the city."
Gu Yuan?
Han Meng's pupils contracted slightly. The name was all too familiar to him. He was the only seventh-tier enforcer on the [Judgment] path in Aurora City—the pinnacle of [Judgment] in the current era.
Years ago, when Han Meng had first embarked on the [Judgment] path, he had heard of Gu Yuan's legendary status. It was said that he presided over Aurora City's highest court, wielding supreme judicial authority over all disputes and crimes, standing at the zenith of the city's legal system.
And now, this legendary figure had personally come to the gates to escort him inside?
The other enforcers stared at Han Meng with undisguised envy. They couldn't fathom why a mere enforcer from District Three warranted such attention from someone as esteemed as Gu Yuan.
"...Into the city?" Though shocked, Han Meng was even more confused.
He had only come to deliver a message about District Three's crisis. Why would someone like Gu Yuan intervene? For a moment, he couldn't discern Aurora City's stance toward the districts.
Gu Yuan gave him a faint glance, then turned and walked into Aurora City without another word.
After a brief hesitation, Han Meng followed.
The gatekeepers exchanged glances before silently closing the heavy doors behind them. With a resonant boom, the city at the heart of the Aurora Domain sealed itself once more.
"Senior Gu Yuan, where are we headed?"
"Headquarters." The reply was terse.
Hearing this, Han Meng hesitated before pressing further. "The situation in District Three is dire, but surely it doesn't warrant your personal involvement?"
Gu Yuan remained silent, continuing his steady pace toward headquarters. Han Meng trailed behind, his frown deepening with each step...
"We sent countless distress signals to Aurora City, but received no response. I assumed the fog disrupted communications, but Aurora City isn't even shrouded in mist." Han Meng glanced up at the clear sky above, where the aurora danced in mesmerizing waves.
"Senior... you did receive our pleas for help, didn't you?"
Still, Gu Yuan said nothing.
Finally, Han Meng halted. He took a deep breath, his expression grave.
"Is Aurora City... abandoning the seven districts?"
Gu Yuan's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.
---
"You think Aurora City would harm Brother Meng?" Xi Renjie immediately shook his head. "No, that makes no sense. Forget whether they'd abandon the districts—Brother Meng is a fifth-tier enforcer. Even in Aurora City, he'd be exceptional. Why would they target him? He's already proven his potential. He's not some helpless rookie anymore."
"I didn't say they'd attack him. But if they're determined to suppress information, they might detain him instead of letting him return."
"Chen Ling, you're overthinking this." Xi Renjie met his gaze solemnly. "Brother Meng's last order was for us to maintain order in District Three. The district is chaotic enough as it is. There's no need to spread baseless panic."
Chen Ling held his stare for a moment before sighing in resignation.
"I hope I'm wrong..."
These were, after all, just conjectures without proof. But ever since witnessing the scene at the clinic, the thought had lodged itself in his mind. He'd even begun considering—if Aurora City truly abandoned the seven districts, what would he do? How could he survive?
As Chen Ling stared blankly at the steps beneath his feet, Xi Renjie patted his shoulder.
"Chen Ling, don't push yourself too hard. Your talent is on par with Brother Meng's. Sooner or later, you'll enter Aurora City... Maybe once you're there, you'll realize District Three was just a broken stepping stone. People like you don't belong here."
Hearing the undisguised envy in Xi Renjie's voice, Chen Ling couldn't help but ask, "Is Aurora City really that great?"
"Of course it is." Xi Renjie nodded firmly, gazing toward the fog-shrouded horizon. "I've never been, but it's nothing like District Three... It's a paradise. Maybe only there can you truly live."
"Then why don't you go?"
"Me?" Xi Renjie smiled bitterly. "I'm not like you or Brother Meng. My path is ordinary, and my talent is mediocre. It took me three years just to advance from first to second-tier... How could I ever enter Aurora City?"
Seemingly unwilling to dwell on the topic, Xi Renjie waved a hand.
"Enough. I need to continue patrols... You take the western streets."
With that, he strode toward the eastern district, his black coat gradually vanishing into the dim fog.
Seeing this, Chen Ling didn't linger either, turning toward Frost Street.
Along the way, shattered doors, bloodstains, and residents wailing over severed limbs lined the streets. Their injuries weren't fatal, so the clinic had turned them away, leaving them to clumsily tend to their own wounds.
Chen Ling's eyes swept over them as he pressed onward. Only when he neared Frost Street did the war-torn atmosphere fade, as if he'd stepped from an era of chaos into one of peace.
No limbless residents. No collapsed buildings. Even the air carried little scent of blood. Chen Ling inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly... As expected, Frost Street had suffered far less than the other districts.
As he stepped onto Frost Street, faint rustling sounds emerged from the houses. One by one, residents cautiously cracked their doors open.
Hiding behind their thresholds, they peered out at Chen Ling—their eyes brimming with gratitude.