In the split second before the fire ignited...

Through the window, Chen Xiang clearly saw hundreds of rockets whistling towards them!

The first rocket struck the front of the large floating vehicle, engulfing it in flames and a deafening roar.

Everyone but Chen Xiang and Wei Qingqiu instinctively closed their eyes, raising their hands to shield themselves from the blinding fire.

More rockets followed in quick succession. Without thinking, Chen Xiang wanted to leap from the vehicle, but suddenly stopped, as if struck by inspiration, placing his hands on the vehicle.

A faint ripple spread out, and suddenly the entire vehicle, along with its passengers, seemed to blur and become intangible, allowing several rockets to pass harmlessly through...

A wave of relief washed over Chen Xiang, only to be replaced by a profound fatigue deep within his mind. The vehicle's intangibility faded, and then...

Fire! Falling! Collision!

Next came the piercing sounds of metal fracturing and the deafening screech of the vehicle grinding against the ground.

After what felt like an eternity, everything fell silent.

Finally, Li Xiaotong's voice broke the quiet.

"Everyone, are you okay...?"

"Cough, cough..." The two chubby boys coughed violently, choking on the thick smoke, while Guo Xue and Man Mu weakly waved their hands. Wei Qingqiu frowned, and Chen Xiang kept his eyes downcast.

"Teacher Li!" Guo Xue cried out, her voice trembling.

"Zhong Sizhe, Zhong Sizhe, he..."

Chen Xiang looked over at the bespectacled boy, who was coughing up blood but managed to wave his hand weakly:

"I'm fine, just a shock..."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Yuan Wanli, still shaken, patted his chest:

"With so many rockets, we actually survived!"

Confusion clouded Guo Xue's eyes:

"I clearly saw many rockets coming towards us at the last moment..."

Suddenly, a cacophony erupted outside. Through the shattered glass, they could see figures surging towards them.

"Not good!" Li Xiaotong's expression shifted as she kicked open the twisted door and called out, "Get out! Now! Together!"

They unbuckled their seatbelts and jumped out, witnessing dozens, even hundreds of civilians rushing towards the burning vehicle, scrambling to seize the remaining supplies...

The scene turned chaotic.

These people resembled not civilians but a mob. Chen Xiang even saw many pulling knives and stabbing each other just to grab more resources...

"What in the world is going on?" Yuan Wanli asked, bewildered.

The students all turned their gazes toward Li Xiaotong, who shook her head:

"I don't know... I really don't..."

Taking a deep breath, she began to lead everyone away from the floating vehicle while making a phone call.

"Mom! It's me!"

Li Xiaotong quickly recounted the situation, responding briefly before hanging up.

She exhaled, "My mom will send someone to pick us up. For now, we don't know what happened or who attacked us..."

Chen Xiang looked up at the sky, where more floating vehicles were crashing down, his expression grim.

Even though these large vehicles were very sturdy, many would still perish this time...

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Moments later, the roar of multiple engines approached from afar, causing the looting mob to scatter, leaving behind dozens of bodies.

A convoy of over thirty modified jeeps rumbled into view. Chen Xiang glanced up, noting they were packed tightly, each jeep fortified with thick armor. Some had mounted machine guns on the roofs, dragging long chains of orange-yellow ammunition.

Amidst the fearful gazes of Yuan Wanli and the others, a rugged man with a cigar jumped out, shouting:

"Young lady!"

Over a hundred gang members leaned out of the jeeps, shouting in unison:

"Young lady!!"

Chen Xiang's thoughts raced; the rumors were true—this assistant teacher Li came from one of Jiuhuan's powerhouses...

Li Xiaotong remained surprisingly composed, exuding a unique air of nobility, no trace of the girl who almost cried at Chen Xiang's presence.

With both hands raised calmly, she said, "These are my friends and students; we're going to see my mom, clear some space."

The rugged man with the cigar nodded easily, pointing to four vehicles and signaling the rear members to disembark before laughing heartily:

"Young lady, everyone, hop in!"

Chen Xiang exchanged glances with Wei Qingqiu, and they climbed into a jeep.

Soon, with the roar of engines, the convoy charged recklessly down the street, kicking up clouds of dust.

Wei Qingqiu glanced at the two burly men in front and whispered, "Old Chen, have you heard of the Many-God Favored?"

"What do you mean?" Chen Xiang asked calmly.

Wei Qingqiu sighed softly, saying, "It refers to those favored by two or more great deities simultaneously... Such individuals have boundless potential in the short term, but in the long run, their fates are often tragic. The favor of the gods always comes at a cost."

Chen Xiang understood that Little Wei was mistaken. As an old messenger who had embarked on the path of the extraordinary, she had witnessed the attack and remained calm, unlike the others. She probably thought she was still favored by the Void and Anti-Reality Lords, reminding herself of that fact.

He nodded slightly, not bothering to explain, and turned to the gang member in the passenger seat. "Hey, what do they call you?"

The young man turned slightly, respectfully replying, "Sir, you can call me Buzz Cut."

He knew not to be dismissive since this was the young lady's friend.

Chen Xiang didn't hold back: "I'm a colleague of Teacher Li. Is her mother quite powerful in Jiuhuan?"

Buzz Cut chuckled proudly, "Of course! Is this your first time in our Jiashe?"

"Jiashe?"

"Oh, that's what we call Jiuhuan. I heard the three heads are preparing to let Jiuhuan separate from the Great City and establish itself as a city named Jiashe City…"

He paused for a moment, raising his chin. "The ‘Auntie'—the young lady's mother—is one of the three heads! From Area One to Area Four, they're all under us!"

"Three heads?" Chen Xiang pondered.

Buzz Cut quickly began explaining. Jiuhuan, like Bahuan, was a perfectly circular area divided into twelve sectors, corresponding to the twelve hours on a clock.

The three heads controlled different zones: the one nicknamed ‘Old Lame' governed Zones Five to Eight, while the one known as ‘The Gentleman' managed Zones Nine to Ten. As for Li Xiaotong's mother, she simply went by ‘Auntie' and oversaw Zones One to Four.

"The rockets were launched from the Twelve Ring, and it's definitely connected to the Gentleman," Buzz Cut continued. "You all are lucky; you crashed in Zone One. Those who landed in Zone Twelve probably had it worse and might not survive."

Chen Xiang furrowed his brows. "Aren't they afraid of the Giant Academy?"

"The Giant Academy?" Buzz Cut chuckled. "This is Jiuhuan, this is Jiashe. It's not like you're in Bahuan; the academy's influence doesn't reach here, and the heads don't fear them."

Chen Xiang recalled Little Wei mentioning the tragic fate of the governors in Jiuhuan and nodded thoughtfully. Governors were extraordinary beings, so it seemed the three heads were likely extraordinary too... but he wondered about their exact levels.

As for the Gentleman? Chen Xiang lowered his gaze, not letting himself act impulsively for the sake of a few student teachers who might have been captured by him. While not a bad person, he wouldn't put himself in danger for others.

After all, the Saintess of the Outer Three Rings had long perished.

However, Chen Xiang valued relationships. If someone sent him a gift—like a barrage of rockets—he felt obliged to return the favor.

After inquiring a bit more about Jiashe, Chen Xiang gazed out the window. Jiashe was different from Bahuan and not like the other rings he had seen; it resembled a Western city from his past life.

Street-side shops, vendors with carts, hurried pedestrians, homeless people at the corners...

Of course, there were also robbers seizing stores, thugs extorting vendors, thieves targeting pedestrians, and drug addicts buying from the homeless...

In just ten minutes, Chen Xiang witnessed dozens of criminal incidents, hearing gunshots at least ten times.

"Such a simple folk," he remarked.

"That's just how we are in Jiashe. The police station was blown to bits, and now it all depends on the three heads to maintain order," Buzz Cut chuckled.

Chen Xiang pointed to a robber swaggering out after a heist. "Is this your order?"

Buzz Cut laughed, "That's our order."

He emphasized the word "our."

The burly driver chuckled as well. "As long as you have our issued crime licenses, you're allowed to report any crimes beforehand. Everything's permitted."

"Crime licenses?" Chen Xiang was taken aback.

"Theft has a theft license, murder has a murder license, robbery requires a robbery license—each can be used once and can be purchased with money."

With a shrug, Buzz Cut added, "This way, all criminal activities are under our control. There won't be excessive violence or large-scale chaos. If you're willing to spend big, you can even buy a ‘protection card'... It systematizes and standardizes chaos; how can this not be order?"

Chen Xiang fell into silence.

After a while, the convoy came to a slow stop.

"Have we arrived?" Wei Qingqiu asked casually.

"Not yet..."

Buzz Cut pulled out a gun, staring intently at a young man approaching, who stood at about 1.6 meters tall.

"It's... it's Little Hu... someone from the Gentleman!" he said, his voice trembling.

Chen Xiang and Wei Qingqiu frowned slightly.