The concert was over.
The vast majority of fans were still craving more. The entire concert experience was amazing. There was almost no intermission; it was like running a marathon, sprinting from start to finish. This kind of exhilarating passion... many fans only realized after it ended that their throats were hoarse and their arms were exhausted from waving glow sticks. And they even got to hear a new song written by Sora that hadn't been officially released. It was just too awesome!!
Many fans who hadn't had enough were already gathering in groups, pulling out speakers from their backpacks, ready to continue performing the traditional arts of fandom outside.
"There's... a burning smell."
Lucas Reeve also smelled the burning odor wafting from all around, but he didn't pay much attention to it. A burnt smell was normal. Maybe a circuit had burned out and short-circuited somewhere. After all, it was currently summer; it was perfectly normal for a circuit to overload, age, and burn out.
Lucas Reeve joked with a smile: "Oh, it's a burnt smell. I thought it was the smell of smoke."
"Let's go, Mr. Lucas Reeve. The concert is over. Let's go backstage and see Sora."
Jessica gave Lucas Reeve a sweet smile. She proactively looped her arm through his. Under the continuous special dietary therapy from the Nine-Colored Deer, Jessica's chest had started to develop a bit. And having spent more time together, she was no longer as shy and embarrassed as before; she could now generously hook her arm with Lucas Reeve's or hold his hand.
When she mentioned Sora, she glanced at Lucas Reeve and intentionally emphasized her tone, which made Lucas Reeve feel rather awkward.
"Mm."
Lucas Reeve scratched his cheek.
As for the others, they followed behind. Sora had gone backstage to rest immediately after the performance. After jumping, dancing, and singing for two hours straight, even with great stamina, she was exhausted. This wasn't a marathon; a marathon could at least be run at a steady pace. The stamina consumed by this kind of jumping and dancing for the same amount of time exceeded that of a marathon.
"Oho~ There's a burnt smell."
Exusiai suddenly trotted over, sniffing with her sensitive nose.
"Maybe a circuit shorted."
Nian said casually, not paying it any mind.
"I don't think so."
Exusiai said: "We Sankta have a very keen sense of smell for guns and explosives. Especially this kind of burnt smell. Although it's not the smell of an explosion, when I first smelled it, it gave me the feeling of... burnt meat."
Hearing "burnt meat," Ceobe, who was next to them, immediately perked up her ears, her eyes shining.
"Barbecue? What barbecue?"
Ceobe sniffed, and her cute face wrinkled up. "Ew, it stinks, this smell."
Magallan, walking at the back and chatting with Franka, chimed in jokingly.
"Could it be that somewhere's on fire and someone was set ablaze? I just saw a science clip that said when people are ignited, they might have a unique stench. I just watched a movie last night, that Ghost Rider, he's kinda hot. His whole head is burned down to a skull, but he's ridiculously cool. I love him, I love him. Kinda like that Flame-Head Captain."
Magallan finished her monologue.
She saw that everyone had stopped and was staring at her without speaking.
Magallan thought they had taken her seriously.
"I was just kidding. This is the biggest mobile city in Siracusa. How could something bad just..."
Just...
Magallan hadn't even finished her "just."
Suddenly, a nearby door was pushed open, and a person covered in flames rushed in. Because it happened so suddenly, and the concert had just ended, there were over 30,000 people in the venue, so naturally, they couldn't all leave so quickly.
The person engulfed in flames was wailing tragically, seemingly asking for help. However, the flames were burning so fiercely that their voice seemed to be drowned out by the fire.
Everyone was confused, and then instantly fell into a panic.
Ahhhh!!
Ah, this...
Lucas Reeve and the others, who were on the stage preparing to go backstage from the front, were stunned.
How did it happen just as she said it!!
This Magallan's mouth must be blessed (or cursed).
Hiss...
We're clearly the gods here, so how can Magallan's 'Magallan Theorem' be so accurate every single time?
Because the incident was too sudden, many fans who hadn't left in time were scared and fled in panic.
The Nine-Colored Deer rushed forward immediately. Saving lives and healing the wounded was the duty the Nine-Colored Deer had set for herself. She used her divine power, and a sweet rain appeared from the void, falling on the person rolling on the ground in flames. The flames on their body were instantly extinguished, and the Nine-Colored Deer immediately used other techniques to stabilize their injuries.
However, the Nine-Colored Deer's own abilities weren't specialized in healing. This person seemed to have been burning for a long time. The burns all over their body were already extremely severe and required immediate hospitalization. The Nine-Colored Deer's ability could only prevent the wounds from getting infected and worsening.
After all, if the Nine-Colored Deer could really cure all ailments, she wouldn't have come to Columbia to learn advanced modern medical knowledge. Her Rule itself was not healing.
Suddenly!
A large group of people rushed into the stadium. People rushed in from every door. Even many fans who had already left were forced back into the stadium, like little lambs who had just escaped only to run into the shepherd, forced to return and squat inside.
These people looked quite ordinary.
Their clothes were all standard civilian attire. You couldn't tell which faction they belonged to from their clothes. And every single one of them was holding a weapon. Some held staffs, clearly identifying them as Casters.
"Down with Sicily's tyranny!! Siracusa doesn't need Sicily!!"
One of them shouted a slogan, and it seemed to be a rallying cry. The hundreds of people who had suddenly burst in, all dressed similarly, followed suit, raising their arms and shouting. Although their shouts were far from being as loud or passionate as the fans chanting slogans during the concert.
Everyone: "???"
What the fuck?
The tall, sturdy man leading them was very satisfied with the scene before him. This way, they had control of the entire stadium. There were tens of thousands of hostages here.
And on the side of the stage, Sora and Rope, along with the entire backstage staff, were forced onto the stage with their hands up by a group of people holding standard-issue weapons, like ducks being herded. None of these staff members dared to resist. Having lived in Lungmen's Upper District for so long, when had they ever seen a situation like this? Some staff members were already crying out of fear.
Sora, walking at the very front, had an unusually calm expression. She even looked around with great curiosity. When she saw that Lucas Reeve and the others were also standing in the center, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and silently mourned for these people, whether they were robbers or something else.
The leader of this group of "robbers" walked onto the stage. Seeing that everyone was behaving and no one was resisting, he felt quite satisfied and proud, but even more so, he felt contempt and ridicule.
These caged birds from the big city, accustomed to a peaceful life, were all like weak-kneed shrimps.
"Ahem..."
The leader took the microphone and began to give a speech in his hoarse voice.
"Subjects of His Majesty! Do not be afraid! Do not panic! Let me introduce myself first! I am the Great General under His Majesty, the King of Siracusa! Since you are the people of Siracusa, you are naturally His Majesty's subjects as well."
Everyone: "????"
Exusiai, not panicking in the slightest, turned her head and whispered to Texas next to her. Texas was from Siracusa; she should know this well.
"Siracusa has a royal family? How come I've never heard of it?"
Texas nodded. "They do, but that was a long time ago. Back in ancient Siracusa. Ancient Siracusa was indeed a monarchy, with the royal family controlling the entire country. However, times changed. Due to the tyranny of the Siracusan royal family, coupled with the intervention of capital from other countries, the current situation where the Mafia controls the country was formed. I didn't expect the former royal family to still have people."
The leader began his passionate speech.
"His Majesty is the true heir of Siracusa! The traitor Sicily actually tried to seize His Majesty's territory! From this day forward, His Majesty will officially take back everything that originally belonged to our royal family..."
Lucas Reeve was in no hurry to make a move. Instead, he stood by with his arms crossed, silently watching the show. The 'Royal Guards' responsible for watching Lucas Reeve's group saw that they were being so arrogant, standing while everyone else was squatting. They immediately walked over, intending to teach them a lesson. However, as soon as they approached...
Several pairs of eyes, seemingly from the abyss, stared at him.
In an instant.
The guard felt as if he had fallen into hell. His entire body was soaked in cold sweat. He was too scared to say anything and immediately returned to his post obediently, not daring to look or meddle further.
Based on this 'Great General's' slurred speech, Lucas Reeve roughly understood what was going on.
Basically.
Everyone in this stadium was a hostage, to be used as a threat against Sicily. Outside, other troops were already in motion, determined to pull Sicily down. So, don't resist. As long as they don't resist, once the soldiers outside decapitate Sicily's leader, that rebel, everyone will be freed.
"Don't try to resist. If you resist, your fate will be the same as this person!"
The 'Great General' on the stage pointed to the charred person lying on the ground, threatening viciously.
"I imagine being burned alive to the brink of death isn't a pleasant feeling. We don't want to use such torture on His Majesty's subjects either, so please be obedient."
As expected, just as he thought, almost no one dared to resist. The people who could come to a concert were mostly well-off people from the big city. These young people had been pampered since childhood. Forget fighting, most had never even killed a chicken, let alone resisted.
To facilitate management.
These so-called 'Royal Army' troops gathered many people in the venue into one area. All of Sora's company staff also squatted obediently to the side, not saying a word, silently praying that nothing bad would happen.
"What do you guys think of this group?"
Since they were all in the corner together, everyone started discussing.
Jessica smiled and joked: "But, these guys are really unlucky. They could have taken hostages anywhere, but they just had to pick this place."
Sora, Exusiai, Texas, and Croissant all nodded. They first looked at Lucas Reeve, Nian, and the others, then looked at the arrogant 'Great General' in the center of the stage, a sense of pity rising in their hearts. This person probably didn't check the almanac before going out today.
Lucas Reeve said without even thinking: "Is there even a need to think? It's definitely the remaining three families trying to resist, so they teamed up with this long-lost royal family to make a desperate, last-ditch effort."
"Right now, Sicily's advantage is too great. They're already in a 'flying dragon riding your face' position; it's hard to lose even if they try. It's only a matter of time before the remaining three families are completely wiped out. In the past, they might have been able to surrender and become vassals, but now Sicily doesn't need these so-called vassals. So, it's death either way. That's why they decided to just go all in. After all, if the three families want any chance of a comeback, there's only one way: assassinate the core pillar of the Sicily family, Lady Sicily. A leader, a soul figure, is extremely important to an army or a family."
"Without a commander, an army of 400,000 might not even be able to defeat an army of 50,000."
"This is the only hope the remaining three families have for a comeback."
"If I'm not mistaken, this group is just the vanguard. They're using the opportunity of Sora's concert to control tens of thousands of hostages at once. After all, tens of thousands of hostages isn't just a few. The Sicily family will definitely have to rescue them; they can't possibly abandon them. If they did, everyone's approval of Sicily would plummet."
"By kidnapping tens of thousands of hostages, they create an opportunity, drawing the entire city's attention here. Then, the main force will tie down Sicily's guards, while specialized assassins go to assassinate Lady Sicily."