Chapter 1458: Chaos Outside the Imperial City

Outside the Imperial City on the Capital Star of the Luoke Imperium, flames soared into the sky.

Keta crouched in the shadow of a wall surrounding a noble estate, clutching an oil-soaked torch in his hand.

"Move."

Keta said in a low voice.

Several torches were thrown into the estate's warehouse; the hay and timber ignited instantly, tongues of fire licking the rafters as black smoke billowed upward.

Guards rushed out from their posts, shouting and yelling; some went to fight the fire, while others looked around, searching for the arsonists.

This was only the beginning.

Over the next two hours, Keta and his men set fires at seven different noble properties outside the Imperial City.

On the streets outside the Imperial City, panicked crowds began to appear.

Civilians awakened by the firelight ran out of their shacks, and seeing the thick smoke rolling from the direction of the Noble District, they began to panic, unaware of the situation.

Soldiers of the Luoke Imperium Enforcement Squad swarmed in from all directions, wearing dark gray uniforms and carrying Energy Guns and Batons.

"Everyone! Return to your residences! No gathering! Violators will be killed without mercy!"

The voice of the Enforcement Squad officer echoed through a loudspeaker.

But by now, the Luoke crowd had already fallen into a panic; more and more people flooded the streets, pushing, screaming, and cursing at one another.

Several young people took advantage of the chaos to smash open the door of a tavern and snatch a few bottles of liquor, and more Luoke people began to follow suit; shops along the street were smashed open, and goods were looted.

The Enforcement Squad began making arrests.

Those who resisted had Energy Guns pressed against their foreheads and were forced back.

Those who ran were chased down, tackled, and beaten.

An old Luoke man shouted that he was innocent when he was caught, but the Enforcement Squad members did not respond, simply dragging him to the side of the road and stacking him with a pile of captives.

Keta stood in the shadow of an alley, watching the chaos on the street.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, then he turned and continued walking toward his next target.

Behind him, a young Luoke man caught up and asked in a low voice.

"Brother Keta, are we still continuing? There are more and more Enforcement Squad members."

"Continue. His Highness wants a great chaos, not a small one."

The young Luoke man nodded.

They disappeared into the dark alleyway.

Inside the Imperial City, in Kechasaili's office.

An Adjutant ran in hurriedly, reporting while panting for breath.

"Sir, the chaos outside the city has already spread to three districts. The Enforcement Squad is short-handed and requests reinforcements."

Kechasaili turned around.

"Reinforcements? Reinforcements for whom? Those rioters? Dispatch a squadron of the Imperial City Guard to suppress them. Leave no survivors; rioters are rioters, they do not need a trial."

"Sir, those rioters... many are just civilians. They were caught up in it."

Kechasaili looked at him.

"Civilians? Would civilians set fire to noble estates? Would civilians loot shops? Would civilians attack the Enforcement Squad? They are not civilians, they are thugs. Thugs deserve to die."

"Yes, sir."

The chaos on the streets continued to escalate.

Reinforcements from the Enforcement Squad arrived, and the situation became even more severe.

More soldiers rushed into the crowd and began making indiscriminate arrests.

A young Luoke man picked up an iron rod from the ruins and smashed it toward the nearest Enforcement Squad member.

The iron rod struck the soldier's helmet, a burst of cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd, and more people began picking up weapons from the ground to throw at the Enforcement Squad.

The Enforcement Squad opened fire, the sound of gunfire echoing in the night sky; several people fell to the ground, and blood began to spread across the street.

As Keta passed through an alley, a squad of Imperial City Guards rushed out from a side alley—over a dozen men, fully armed, led by a burly Captain.

"That's him, catch him!"

Keta did not look back and accelerated his run; the pursuers behind him followed relentlessly, and the beam of an Energy Gun grazed his shoulder, a burning sensation spreading throughout his body.

He turned into a narrower alley, but at the end of the alley was a high wall; there was no way out.

He turned around to face the squad of pursuers and drew a short blade from his waist, the edge gleaming coldly in the firelight.

"You can't run anymore."

The Captain walked over and raised his Energy Gun.

"Speak, who sent you?"

"I can't be bothered to talk nonsense with you!"

Keta gripped his short blade and charged; a flash of light streaked by, Keta's body jolted, and he looked down at the bullet hole in his chest.

The Energy Beam hit his chest; he opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and his body swayed and collapsed to the ground.

The short blade slipped from his hand and fell onto the gravel; his four pupils were already beginning to dilate, his mouth half-open.

The Captain walked up to him, kicked Keta's corpse to confirm he was no longer breathing, and then crouched down, pretending to search this Luoke man for clues.

"There's a clue!"

The soldiers gathered around, looking at the clue the Captain pulled out: an unopened letter, a seal from Kesi Palace, and a slip of paper with several names written on it.

The Captain took the letter, opened it, and his brow furrowed slightly, though the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Enough, we're returning to the Imperial City."

He put away the letter and turned to walk in the direction of the Imperial City.

News of Keta's death soon reached the ears of the officials in the Kesi camp.

They gathered in the side hall, discussing in hushed tones, when an official pushed the door open, his voice urgent.

"The Enforcement Squad has arrested many people; I heard someone implicated His Highness. The Imperial City guards have already obtained so-called 'evidence' that bears the seal of His Highness Kesi."

"This is a frame-up! His Highness would never do such a thing! It must be Kedixi and the others who did this!"

"Whether it is a frame-up is not important; what matters is that His Majesty will believe it. We must rescue His Highness before His Majesty takes action."

"How do we rescue him? We have no army in our hands."

"The army can be mobilized. Although the border garrisons have withdrawn, there are still a few squadrons loyal to His Highness in the city suburbs. I have already contacted them, and they are willing to enter the Imperial City under the pretext of 'quelling a riot'."

"What if His Majesty considers this a rebellion?"

"There is no time; once His Highness Kesi is safe, everything can be explained."

They conferred in low voices, their sounds echoing in the side hall.

The officials of the Kesi faction began to take action; some were making phone calls, some were writing secret letters, and some were contacting military generals.

The situation within the Imperial City was heating up rapidly, while the chaos outside the Imperial City continued.

Firelight danced in the night wind, illuminating the devastated streets.

The Enforcement Squad soldiers were still making arrests, the rioters were still resisting, and the sounds of gunfire and screaming continued.

Keluoke Imperium Imperial City, the Emperor's bedchamber.

Another explosion sounded outside the Imperial City, and Keluoke Ershisi Shi finally spoke.

"Kesi, have you heard the commotion outside?"

Kesi nodded slightly.

"I have heard it, Father Emperor."

Keluoke Ershisi Shi opened his eyes, his four turbid eyeballs turning toward Kesi.

"Who do you think did this?"

Kesi said.

"This son does not know, but I have heard the Enforcement Squad making arrests, heard gunfire, and heard people shouting 'rioters'; it seems someone is deliberately creating chaos."

Keluoke Ershisi Shi stared at him.

"Deliberately creating chaos? Who would deliberately create chaos?"

"This son dares not speculate recklessly, but whoever benefits from the chaos is the one under suspicion."

The corners of Keluoke Ershisi Shi's mouth curled up slightly.

"Who benefits? Kesi, who do you think benefits the most from this chaos?"

Kesi met the gaze of Keluoke Ershisi Shi.

"Father Emperor, this son does not understand what you mean."