The four drones buzzed slightly as they hovered midair. The crowd held their breaths; some even chose to look away. While most were rugged individuals, having spent most of their lives on the ninth level, they knew better than to pick a fight with the government. If given a choice, they would rather be thrown into the depths than be taken away by the yellow light.

  For generations, stories of what happened when the yellow light shined on you spread among the populace—countless rumours and hearsay, yet the truth of it always out of reach, as none ever returned from wherever they were sent to. Some even theorized that they were simply deleted from existence—at least they comforted themselves with such naive thoughts. After all, it seemed the better option.

  "Really now?" a mocking voice came from the closest drone. "Are you filth trying to tell me how to do my job? You sure have gotten bold. Do you think just because the Hunter's Guild holds a certain authority on the lower levels, it enables you to do as you please? Get real! You're all just bottom-feeders. You should be glad you even have a use as hunters. If not for that, you'd be no different from the dregs from the depths."

  Ning Shan could feel the atmosphere grow much colder. He could see people in the crowd clenching their fists and jaws, trying their best to repress their emotions. Still, no one tried to rebuke his words, only letting an uneasy silence linger. He even saw Sera swiftly turn away, yet not fast enough to hide the tears welling in her eyes.

  Tension ran high, yet Ning Shan was only one of the two who remained utterly calm, the other being the man he had just met. It was almost as if the man-beyond-the-drone's words weren't meant for him or at least couldn't affect him. It was only when he noticed his wife's look of disgust that his expression finally changed. Her disgust wasn't aimed at the crowd around them but at the drones themselves.

  Interesting, Ning Shan thought. It seems some can still think for themselves...

  "Please take them back," the man said calmly, yet all the nervousness and hesitation disappeared. All that remained was a firm tone that couldn't help but command authority. Still, the incorporeal voice remained defiant.

  “Take what back?” he replied.

  “Your words.”

  “Why should I? I only spoke the truth. They’re just parasites siphoning away at The Cradle’s resources. Getting rid of them all would only be a blessing!”

  The silence was broken by the incessant cries of a newborn baby. Near the back was a mother, her small child in her arms. Despite doing her best to comfort him, it seemed he could feel her anxiety, which only aggravated the situation. The more the babe cried, the more dread became evident in her eyes. She even tried to lull him to sleep, but nothing worked. The child only cried evermore. It wasn't long before everyone distanced themselves from her, if only unconsciously.

  Unbeknownst to her, a drone silently hovered before her, the white light in its core turning yellow. All could see what was to happen, yet none chose to intervene—none except for one single man.

  “Don’t you dare!” the man said, his voice reaching heights that even startled the woman clinging to his arm. He took a few steps forward, facing a singular drone without fear in his eyes—only anger in his heart. “What do you think you are doing?”

  The drone stopped for a moment as everyone held their breaths. Even Ning Shan was slightly intrigued. Only Sera turned away, knowing only too well what was to come.

  "Exterminating the pests," the voice said coldly as the distant drone was bathed in yellow light, seeking to discharge it on the woman and her child.

  “You bastard!” the man yelled as he swung his fist toward the hovering drone before him, yet missed, only to hear the man beyond chuckle slightly, revelling in the power he possessed over them.

  The drone was now bright yellow, yet the beam of light had yet to come. The woman held her child within her warm embrace, yet his cries still echoed within the lobby. There were no doubts in her mind as to why her fate had yet to come. The man simply enjoyed torturing her with the faint hope she still kept in her heart.

  Even the married man knew it only too well yet could do nothing to stop it. Instead, he was now also the target of that drone operator's twisted sense of superiority. The drone before him also began to glow, mimicking the other one. His fate was also sealed.

  It was then that Ning Shan took action. Of the four drones, two had left to torment their respective targets while the remaining two hovered near him, standing guard. Yet, they seemed distracted, almost as if someone sought a better vantage point to watch the ordeal while ignoring him.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Taking advantage of it, Ning Shan spun on his heel, raising his right foot at eye level, using the momentum of the spin to transfer all of it to one of the drones. The top of his foot collided with a barrier. It shimmered slightly, becoming visible only momentarily as it absorbed the impact. However, it couldn't stop Ning Shan's kick.

  Black lightning coated the exterior of his foot, prying the barrier apart as it allowed the blow to connect fully. The spherical drone's hard surface was dented, propelling it at great speed toward the man and his wife. The black lightning burrowed into its internal components, rendering them inactive.

  The hunk of metal pierced through the air, almost creating a sonic boom as it accelerated toward its target. The drone traversed the distance separating them in less than a few milliseconds, only to collide head-on with another drone.

  The barrier sprung to life, trying to mitigate the collision, yet the black lightning remained, piercing through it again. The impact was such that if one looked at it frame by frame, one could see the two drones touch before seeing their metallic exterior take on a red hue, almost as if they were about to fuse together. If only for a moment, the temperature had risen so much that it became incandescent. It flashed, only to be extinguished a moment later.

  Most witnesses saw none of it; they only heard the two collisions as a singular one. Then, they saw the explosion as metallic pieces of both drones rained to the ground in the aftermath. The man and his wife were stunned, even slightly rattled by the noise. Still, the man couldn't help but wonder what happened, especially since none of the metallic shards came close to hitting them.

  Still, Ning Shan wasn't done. In the same motion, his other foot also rose from the ground. He twisted his body midair, aiming for the other drone. As he spun, the world became a blur, yet he knew exactly where to aim. He extended his leg, almost instinctively, and reached his target.

  The sole of his foot collided with the second drone, propelling it forward just as it did for the first one. However, its target was different. The metal ball ripped through the air, a slightly concave footprint on its surface. Still, its speed was much lesser than with the first, almost as if the drone had predicted its fate, making minor adjustments just before the impact.

  Still, it barrelled through the air uncontrollably, rushing toward the last remaining one just before it sought to fire its beam of yellow light. A mere second after the first, another collision happened. Two large crashes happened in quick succession, leaving the crowd stunned and speechless. Even Sera couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the aftermath.

  Silence reigned for a moment before being again broken by the infant's cry. The woman's eyes were wide open, unable to believe she had survived. Still, it took her less than a single breath to recover before hugging her child, hot tears flowing down her cheeks.

  The crowd exploded, and uproar filled the lobby, yet it was fleeting. Soon, uneasiness reigned again as the audience finally saw the remains of the four unmanned drones. Two were total losses. Their exteriors were shattered, and their circuitry spilled out of the vessel, half charred, half broken. A third was in slightly better condition, with only a single dim light slowly blinking, yet it would never float again. Only the last one remained, if only barely operable.

  “How dare you resist! I'll have your heads for this!"

  The same incorporeal voice resounded once again, shattering the brief celebration. The last drone struggled to rise from the ground, haphazardly hovering in place; the light it once emitted was now nowhere to be seen. It couldn't offer any immediate threat, yet it still hovered over the crowd's hearts.

  They looked at each other as if seeking a way out where none could be seen. Ning Shan even saw some of them gradually change how they looked at him—those who were aware of his actions. While they once seemed elated that the woman had survived, it had become something akin to resentment. Knowing their thoughts, Ning Shan merely shrugged as someone else had his undivided attention.

  The married man took a few steps forward, standing before the hovering drone. His expression had hardened, almost as if it had become stone. He looked at the broken piece of machinery almost as if he were looking at a corpse. Still, what truly caught Ning Shan's attention was the expression of the woman who stood slightly behind him.

  Gone were her timidity and nervousness; all that remained was a glacial look of indifference. It was even more striking than her husband's. It wasn't pride or arrogance but something more visceral, almost as if she didn't consider the man beyond the machine to be of the same species.

  "You will not," the man said, pressing two fingers behind his ear.

  Something seemed to flash in his eyes, if only briefly. He then scoffed, looking at the broken drone as if with pity, only to turn away without seemingly doing anything. He then walked toward the woman holding her child, showing the infant a radiant smile, which made him unexpectedly giggle.

  “My apologies,” the man added as he spoke to the woman, showing an apologetic smile. “I wasn’t aware things were this bad.”

  “How dare you ignore me after all this! I...”

  The voice was cut short as the drone suddenly grew dark. All signs of life ceased as the drone fell to the ground with a thud. Leaving the crowd stunned once again. Still, his earlier actions hadn't been missed.

  "What did you do?" the mother asked, holding her child. Her expression was one of gratitude but also confusion.

  "I just did what I should," the man replied, only for his wife to return to his arm and her usual demure expression.

  The woman frowned slightly yet shook her head soon after.

  "May I know your name?" she asked. "I, at least, wish to know who saved my son and I."

  The man looked conflicted. He turned his head toward Ning Shan, only to see him look to the side as if he couldn't be bothered. The man only showed a helpless smile. Ning Shan's actions had been much too quick for people with normal senses to observe. All they saw was a flash, then the four drones crashing into each other. Only a few knew his involvement, and he preferred it that way.

  “There’s no need to be this way,” the man replied helplessly. “I just couldn’t stand the way things were going. I couldn’t stand them using what I designed in such a way.”

  “You are..." the mother said, her pupils growing wider.

  A slight uproar erupted within the crowd, and even Sera couldn't help but be shaken by the revelation.

  “Are you really Nathan Hunt, the genius that propelled the Cradle’s technology a hundred years into the future?” she asked, unable to believe her eyes.

  "The one and the same!" Nathan's wife said proudly, only for the crowd to explode into cheers soon after, almost as if the previous threat had only been a figment of their imagination. Ning Shan was the only one to remain calm, even chuckling slightly as the man himself looked somewhat troubled by the attention.

  It seems I didn’t bet wrongly, Ning Shan thought.