Chapter 1592 - The Band on the Road

According to their intelligence, all four enemy groups had been surrounded and annihilated—except for those in Nanbao, who had yet to be arrested.

Photographs of the corpses and prisoners were being developed at top speed for comparison against the surveillance records. The current list contained approximately fifty names, though not everyone had been photographed.

If some hadn't been photographed, others certainly remained undiscovered. Their existence posed an enormous hidden danger to the Senate. The attack on the Xiaocang had exceeded all anticipated scenarios—a fact that deeply troubled Wu Mu.

Most critically, none of the primary figures had yet been confirmed captured or killed.

"Alright! Everyone ready? All units, line up and load the vehicles!"

Okamoto, head of the Art Troupe, shouted into a tin megaphone. Before him stood the neatly dressed members of the Folk Orchestra.

Today was the Cultural Festival dress rehearsal. The entire Art Troupe staff had assembled in formation at the Propaganda Department compound early that morning. Even Deputy Director Dongfang, notorious for rising late, had arrived ahead of schedule. The gymnasium dressing rooms were limited in size, so the musicians had donned their costumes beforehand.

Various equipment was packed in crates and strapped onto carriages borrowed from the bus company. The naturalized citizen musicians would also travel by carriage. According to the Political Security Bureau's security protocol, the four Senators would ride in Dongfeng official carriages specially dispatched by the General Office. In addition to an armed coachman carrying a pistol, each carriage was assigned a guard soldier with a double-barreled shotgun. A full squad of troops would follow the convoy for protection.

Except for Okamoto, who wasn't performing, the other three Senators were all in costume—garments custom-made by Hong Huangnan from linen fabric suited to Hainan's climate.

Liu Shuixin remained radiant and graceful. Nan Gonghao looked dashing in a well-tailored long shirt, complete with a white bow tie that was an authentic artifact from the old timeline. Only Dongfang Ke appeared slightly bulky and out of proportion in his upper body—he wore a stab-resistant vest beneath his costume. Fortunately, he wasn't heavyset to begin with.

"Wearing that thing just for rehearsal—you're paranoid to the core!" This was Okamoto ribbing his partner, but he received only an eye-roll in return.

Nan Gonghao had also brought a stab-resistant vest, planning to put it on before going on stage. Lingao was simply too hot; he didn't think he could endure running around dressed in such gear.

The group settled into the carriage. Just as the driver was about to crack his whip and urge the horses forward, a figure came running through the compound gate.

"Chief—Chief Okamoto—" The man shouted as he ran. Sharp-eyed Okamoto had already recognized Wang Qisuo, a soldier of the Garrison Battalion and the Folk Orchestra's chief erhu player.

"Qisuo?? Why are you back? Weren't you escorting the Little Senator to the gymnasium?" Okamoto stared at the soldier in confusion.

"Sigh... That Chief Little Qian wouldn't let me onto their boat. She said... said they're a female sailor crew, and men aren't allowed... So I had to come back..." Wang Qisuo answered, looking embarrassed.

"What boat? What's going on? So Qian sent you packing? Good heavens..." Okamoto thought this ABC girl was really something—casually dismissing a guard. This should probably be reported to the General Office, but he decided it wasn't his concern. Without a PHS, reporting was terribly inconvenient anyway. He'd call the General Office after they reached the gymnasium.

Qian Duoduo and the others should be safe enough traveling by boat. He immediately called Wang Qisuo to climb onto the carriage and squeeze in with the guards. The convoy set off, guided by a lead vehicle flying a special flag.

The road along the Wenlan River was narrow. To accommodate the heavily loaded equipment carriages, the convoy couldn't move quickly. The Senators chatted in the carriage, their conversation consisting mostly of complaints about the current situation.

Once the convoy left the security zone, it picked up speed. Suddenly, a strange sound reached them from the distance—followed by another, then another in rapid succession.

"Is that—? Gunshots?? What's happening?! Guards!" Okamoto called out in alarm. Nan Gonghao and Liu Shuixin's expressions also changed. Dongfang Ke, slouched in a corner of the carriage, showed no surprise whatsoever. He only remarked: "Sounds like it's coming from the riverside direction, not the gymnasium."

No one cared where the shots came from—gunshots simply shouldn't be sounding here and now. Sharp whistles pierced the air as the convoy halted. Soldiers from the lead vehicle had already dismounted. Led by their squad leader, they spread into a fan formation to monitor both sides of the road. Other security personnel also drew their weapons, guarding the flanks of the Senators' carriages. Okamoto tried to step out and assess the situation but was stopped by the guard: "Chief, please remain in the vehicle for your safety."

At that moment, the guard captain jogged over, climbed onto the running board, and reported: "Chiefs, an abnormal situation has been confirmed approximately one kilometer ahead. A large number of naturalized citizens are fleeing in all directions. According to the safety protocol, the convoy will pause its advance. A soldier has been dispatched forward to scout. Chiefs, please remain vigilant and do not leave the carriage!"

Before Okamoto could respond, Dongfang Ke looked up: "Sergeant. Immediately send a soldier back to the sentry post at Bairen City gate to report our convoy's situation and request updated instructions from command. Then move the convoy off the road and keep the musicians in the rear carriages under control—don't let them scatter."

The naturalized citizen sergeant of the Garrison Army paused momentarily, then replied loudly "Yes, Chief!", saluted, and departed.

Nan Gonghao, his face already pale as his shirt, stammered: "This... what exactly is happening...? Perhaps we should turn around and... and return... to Bairen City..."

"No need—let's wait until the situation clarifies. We didn't bring portable communication equipment. Gunshots mean there's definitely an emergency." Dongfang Ke's expression remained unchanged, though his speech noticeably quickened. As he spoke, he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Okamoto stared wide-eyed at this perpetually eccentric colleague.

"Obviously removing my clothes." Dongfang Ke swiftly shed his performance costume, peeled off the stab-resistant vest, and handed it to Liu Shuixin, who had sat silently since the convoy stopped. "Teacher Liu, put this on. Nan Gong—give the one in your bag to the coachman up front."

"Wh... what? Are you joking?" Nan Gonghao had been about to open his backpack and retrieve his own vest to wear when he heard this request and froze.

"If anything happens, the four of us and those two soldiers don't know how to drive a carriage. Hand it over." Saying this, he snatched Nan Gong's backpack.

"I don't need it. Hiding in the carriage keeps me safe enough." Liu Shuixin's face had paled somewhat, but she declined. "Give it to the guard—they'll be the ones fighting if it comes to that."

"Hey! You—yes, you—turn around and put this on!" Dongfang Ke addressed the driver, who was already standing alert beside the vehicle. The coachman employed by the General Office had also undergone military training and various emergency protocols. He remained calm now, merely repeating "I couldn't possibly" several times before accepting the vest.

At that moment, noise approached the convoy. The captain returned, climbed back onto the window ledge, and reported: "Chiefs, it's been confirmed that a shooting incident occurred at the pier ahead. It appears enemies attacked a boat and were killed at the pier. The surrounding streets are currently in chaos, with large numbers of naturalized citizens fleeing. I've observed Public Security Army personnel sealing off various intersections. Please advise: should the convoy turn around and return to Bairen City?"

The artist Senators exchanged uncertain glances. They didn't fully grasp the current situation. After a brief moment, Head Okamoto spoke up and discussed with his colleagues: "What if we first assess the surrounding conditions? If there's danger, we address it immediately? Then we proceed directly back and locate a sentry post within the city walls?"

While they hesitated, teams of Garrison Battalion soldiers and police rushed toward various intersections along the main road, deploying according to protocol.

The other three Senators paused briefly, then nodded in agreement with the decision to turn back. Since a terrorist attack had occurred, order around the gymnasium was surely compromised. Arriving there rashly would only disrupt formations and create trouble for the agencies handling the situation.

So the massive convoy began its slow, collective turn. Fortunately, the riverside road along the Wenlan had more room than the downtown area—downtown lacked such spacious stretches—and reorganizing the convoy required considerable effort. Half the garrison soldiers dismounted and formed a hollow square around the Senators' carriages. Just then, a stream of people surged from the south, apparently coming from the direction of the gymnasium square—a motley crowd in both indigenous and naturalized citizen attire, running wildly amid a cacophony of noise.

"No one approaches the Senator convoy!" Several soldiers stood on the carriage running boards, shouting at the top of their lungs, but the chaotic mob seemed deaf to their commands. In desperation, the guard captain ran to the rear of the formation, halted, fired three warning shots into the air, then bellowed: "Fix bayonets!"

Every shotgun in the guard team was instantly fitted with a bayonet. The gleaming blades and warning shots scattered the rushing crowd.

"Chief, in my opinion, our carriages should proceed along the riverside while the soldiers march on the main road to protect us. That would be safer." Wang Qisuo, who had been standing beside the coachman, suddenly spoke up. The Senators nodded uncertainly. Indeed, this would reduce the chances of infiltrators mixing into the crowd and approaching.

The convoy moved slowly, the enemy situation still unclear. A single squad of guards was stretched thin under these conditions. The guards on the carriages also dismounted to augment the foot patrol force.

The soldier sent to report and bring reinforcements had yet to reappear, heightening the anxiety and vigilance of the Senators and naturalized citizen officers alike. All three men had drawn their pistols long ago.

"I haven't fired this thing in ages." Okamoto gripped his Glock, body trembling slightly. "How close do I need to be to actually hit something?"

"Theoretically, the closer the better." Dongfang Ke had already left his seat and knelt by the carriage window, scanning outside. He held an S&W 9mm revolver. Thanks to his time studying in America, he wasn't completely inexperienced with pistol shooting.