Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

After work, Hexia changed back into the ordinary student uniform she had arrived in, undid the braids Belfeng had woven for her, then put on her glasses again and stepped into the descending vertical elevator.

Looking at the reflection in the glass, a familiar feeling finally returned to her body.

She looked up towards the top of the elevator, trying to see through walls and barriers, gazing at the luxurious 'Dream of Glazed Glass' high in the sky. Everything that had happened today felt surreal, as if in a haze.

'It's just like a dream,' Hexia murmured to herself, thankful for the day's experiences but also worried that if she didn't work hard, she might lose this happiness.

You have to do your best, Hexia, she silently encouraged herself.

Cradling a mix of emotions, the gray-haired girl made her way home.

…

However, as many people in Payin City left work, certain places were just beginning to open.

Payin City's 44th-floor entertainment district, Sound of the Vast Sea bathhouse.

The spacious plaza in front of the bathhouse was filled with vehicles. Scores of people who had worked hard all day emerged from their cars, then in groups of two or three, entered the bustling, oversized bathhouse.

After accumulating a day's fatigue and body odor, a comfortable hot bath was a rare treat, especially since Payin City was a markedly industrial city, where many workers had to wear thick protective suits, stifling all day long, and were all the more eager to unwind afterward.

This bathhouse was the largest in the district, and its interior was divided into several sections and floors, based on different customer spending levels. All you had to do was pay a fee, get an annual pass, and you could enjoy it daily. Many even continued to discuss the day's unfinished business while soaking in the baths, accompanied by hot water brushing over their bodies, chilled drinks, and tasty snacks, making everything seem wonderful.

Although the average spending at this large bathhouse was far less than that of the 'Dream of Glazed Glass' atop Topstar Tower, it fit better with the habits of the general public and drew far larger crowds daily, bringing in considerable revenue.

Where there was profit, naturally some were envious, and this was not an industry with technical barriers or unique business models.

"Long, we're here."

A hover car stopped in the plaza in front of the bathhouse, after which three people opened the car door and got out.

Today, Qiao Long wore a carbon-colored short-sleeved shirt. The high-tensile and comfortable fabric outlined his muscular contours, conveying a sense of vigorous strength.

"What did they say," he asked, looking at the wide-open storefront through his sunglasses. Data continuously scrolled across the lenses, capturing the faces of passersby, listing their identity data, along with income-related information.

"These people really are rich."

"The boss of Sound of the Vast Sea doesn't want to give in. They've hired a large number of security personnel and purchased a lot of equipment."

"So, they're planning to resist, huh?"

"It seems so; he doesn't want to share such a large interest."

"Well, that's just it. Hogging it all for oneself never ends well, especially in Payin City." Qiao Long took off his sunglasses and handed them to a skinny underling beside him.

"Time to get to work."

"Yes, Long," the underling replied, nodding and standing at attention before turning his head and gesturing to the others behind him.

A trunk of a nearby car was opened, revealing a peculiar object with a shell resembling an engine with rotating circular contours. However, upon closer inspection, it was not an engine.

After the rear door of the vehicle was opened, an underling with black sunglasses inserted an activation card into the object, then unlocked the safety and pulled down a handle.

A wailing roar followed from inside the peculiar device, with faint blue particles gradually appearing in the surrounding void, being sucked into the apparatus. This continued for several seconds until, as if compressed to the limit, they exploded outwards.

A visible, faint blue ripple spread from inside the device, resonating outwards. Wherever it passed, numerous fluorescent lamps burst, hover cars stalled, and surveillance systems failed, plunging the surrounding area into darkness. Screams and cries erupted from the streets and inside and outside the bathhouse.

"Charge!"

"We only have 20 minutes, hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Go!"

A prepared group of people threw open their car doors, brandished various tools, and rushed towards the chaotic bathhouse entrance. Even though the lighting was dim now, they all wore glasses with night vision, experiencing no obstacle.

Watching his subordinates storm in, Qiao Long walked unhurriedly toward the chaotic entrance.

"When will the police arrive?" he asked the chubby man beside him.

"Just after getting out of the car, I checked. They say initially there will be four neighboring Autonomous Units dispatched, and they can't stop that; we have to deal with it ourselves."

"After they receive the alarm and dispatch vehicles, they'll use the failure of routes and surveillance as an excuse to delay for ten minutes, and then considering the transit time, we only have about 20 minutes."

"So, you mean we have to catch the boss of Sound of the Vast Sea within 20 minutes and also destroy or take their main control T3-ranked AI"

"That's right, Long."

"They really think highly of me, heh." Qiao Long flexed his fingers, and at that moment, the sound of hurried rotary blades came from the sky.

Four large rotorcraft carrying armed Riot Control Units arrived.

[Analyzing the situation on site...]

[A malicious high-energy electronic pulse generated by human activity has damaged the area around 38 Xuanjing Street.]

[Danger level increased by 2, shooting module authorized with activation at 60% power.]

[Searching for suspects...]

In the nearly dark chaos, four red warning lights lit up, began spinning, and emitted alert notifications.

[Please, all Federal residents on the scene, stop moving, stand by at your current location, and remain quiet!]

[This is Riot Control Unit belonging to Payin City's 44-H29 district. Weapon modules are now activated. If you do not want to be accidentally injured, please restrain yourselves and refrain from any actions that may be deemed as dangerous.]

[Electronic pulse emission device located, analyzing the scene...]

The scanning lenses on the rotorcraft focused on the peculiar device on the car that had emitted the shockwave earlier.

[Source of disruption identified, no personnel around, or they have already left.]

[Launching fixed spider-web control, continuing search for target…]

Of the four rotorcraft, one flew towards the paralyzed hover car on the ground, and then a robot about 2 meters tall was deployed.

Its feet touched the ground, slightly bending to absorb the impact, causing a slight tremor and raising a cloud of dust before it approached the now-deactivated electronic pulse emitter. Its rectangular head began a detailed scan of the device.

[Fingerprint records in progress, collecting residual scent, connecting to the Star Domain network for comparison…]

[Identity confirmed, beginning investigation.]

"Damn it, Big Brother Long, the Riot Control Autonomous Unit seems to have found something."

"What about the guys who activated it? Weren't they supposed to drag the machines away immediately after they were done?"

"That was the plan, but those guys seem to have forgotten about it."

"Tsk!"

The Riot Control Autonomous Robot in the distance suddenly looked up, its indicator light switching from its normal yellow flicker to a sudden red, causing a large number of people in the plaza to scream.

"Red! It's turned red, the Riot Control Autonomous Unit is activated!" a man in a suit shouted in panic, leaning against a car.

"No, don't, who knows if I'll get caught in the crossfire if they start shooting."

[Target located, 2 inside the building, 1 running away.]

[Pursuit initiated.]

One of the three rotorcraft circling in the sky split off towards the street corner, while the other two landed on the ground, unloading the Riot Control Units, and then rushed into the public baths.

At the street corner, the rapidly spinning propellers propelled the Riot Control Autonomous Unit closer to the fleeing man, emitting a shrill warning.

[Stop, stop, please stop immediately!]

[You have been identified as an important suspect. If you continue to flee, you will be arrested by force, meaning you are in danger of death!]

"No, I don't believe it; I just pulled a handle, there's no way that leads to a death sentence, you stupid robot, don't scare me." The man ran as he dove into the narrow streets and alleys.

[Target resists capture and flees into complex area, danger level increased by 3 levels, weapon authorization granted.]

Whiz—

A muffled, screeching sound cut through the darkness. A bright green light briefly illuminated the entrance to the alley, then faded.

A large dumpster previously in the alley had been melted into a hole large enough for a person, with dark red molten metal slowly flowing down the edges, and the ground scorched into a long ravine.

"No, no." The man seemed panicked, crawling on the ground, while the sound of the rotorcraft overhead grew louder.

Whiz—

Another screeching sound tore through the night.

"Aaah—" A scream of utmost fear rang out in the alley before slowly dying down.

"I'm, I'm not dead?" The man barely opened his eyes to see a strong and towering figure standing in front of him, with the smell of burnt material still lingering in the air.

"Big Brother Long…" he recognized the boss.

"Idiot, I told you not to run. As long as you don't run, the Riot Control Autonomous Unit won't kill you, at worst they'll just take you to the station."

Qiao Long did not turn around. While scolding his subordinate, he kept his gaze fixed on the Autonomous Unit in front of him.

"Now, let me handle this, you get lost and stop holding me back."

"Yes, I'm off." Eventually, the man regained some sense, limping towards the distance.

[Assisting an escapee, considered an accomplice. Weapon attack authorization approved.]

Then another laser beam was fired.

After briefly illuminating the alley, the light dimmed, and a dark red charred area appeared on Qiao Long's chest.

It was hard to imagine that a high-energy shot capable of piercing a 20mm steel structure didn't penetrate the man's body, or perhaps that thin carbon-colored T-shirt had a high level of protection?

"Hah, is that all? Seems like the Federation's Riot Control Robots aren't so tough, and here I was always being careful around them." He shook his hand, and faint Dragon Scales appeared on his body.

The Transcendent Professions of the Dragon Sequence were mostly characterized by ferocious styles. Upon reaching a High Rank, one could even transform into a Giant Dragon, with few adversaries among those of the Same Rank and very few weaknesses. However, due to the difficulty of training, not many opted for the Sequence.

Qiao Long, although his head and body were covered in charred marks, had not sustained serious injuries. Such minor wounds were not a major issue for the sturdy members of the Dragon Sequence.

"I don't have time to waste here." With that, he stomped the ground, his figure leaping like an arrow, and he kicked the hovering rotorcraft apart.

The rotorcraft, suddenly struck hard, had its propellers bent and destroyed, with various parts flying off, while the Autonomous Unit it carried ejected early and rushed towards Qiao Long.

The green laser light flickered on and off, but most of it was dodged by the strong black-haired young man. He then approached the Riot Control Autonomous Unit and directly smashed its core armor with a punch, sparking a mass of electrical arcs.

Tearing open the squealing chest armor, Qiao Long ripped out the AI chip from the Riot Control Autonomous Unit, then kicked the remaining mechanical limbs away, rushing towards the distant public baths.

'Now there's only 12 minutes left.' He silently calculated in his mind.

Soon after, more explosions and gunfire rang out within the baths, glass shattered from various floors, with various cries and screams intermittently heard.

Time slowly passed until, ten minutes later, armored police cars with stout armor and onboard weapons drove into the plaza, and police officers in white exoskeleton armor jumped out of the vehicles. Only then did the situation finally stabilize.

Unfortunately, those who had caused the panic had long since disappeared.