Half an hour later, outskirts of South Town.
The three had changed out of their glamorous clothes and donned simple "disguises."
Yuri Sakazaki wore a baseball cap and an oversized hoodie, attempting to conceal her energetic youthful aura.
Mai Shiranui switched into a sleek black tactical outfit, a scarf covering half her face, leaving only a pair of vigilant, beautiful eyes exposed—the spitting image of a female agent on a secret mission.
Cloud's disguise was the most... thorough.
He'd spent 10 Source Points at the system store to exchange for a "Perfectly Ordinary Background Character Outfit"—a faded white T-shirt, ripped jeans, flip-flops, and a pair of black-framed glasses that covered half his face.
Standing by the roadside, he perfectly suppressed the aura of a powerful fighter. His entire presence instantly blended into the background—the type you'd never pick out of a crowd.
"Let's go, my two lovely companions," Cloud lowered his voice, speaking in the tone of someone playing a spy game. "Our stealth mission, codename 'Save South Town,' officially begins now!"
"Pfft..." Yuri couldn't help but laugh at his antics, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.
Mai shot him a look of exasperation, but the corners of her lips curled upward despite herself.
Like three phantoms melting into the shadows, the trio silently infiltrated this heavily guarded city.
Along the way, they witnessed firsthand what they'd sensed earlier.
The streets were clean—excessively so.
The drunks and homeless people who used to be everywhere were nowhere to be seen.
In their place, squads of burly men in black suits and sunglasses patrolled the streets in orderly formation, their expressions cold as ice.
They were like emotionless "sanitation workers," ready to "clean up" any disharmonious "trash" at a moment's notice.
Pedestrians on the sidewalks hurried along, rarely speaking to one another, their eyes full of wariness and unease.
The entire city operated like a precisely programmed machine, running coldly within an oppressive atmosphere.
"This isn't the South Town I knew..." Mai took in everything around her, her heart heavy with emotion.
"It's like someone put a gray beauty filter over everything. Looks neat and tidy, but it's lost all its soul."
"Save the commentary for later. Let's find a place to lay low and gather some intel first." Cloud's gaze swept across the nearby shops until it settled on a familiar sign—"Pao Pao Cafe."
"There. Let's go."
...
Inside the Pao Pao Cafe, business was much slower than before.
Customers kept their heads down, speaking in hushed tones, as if raising their voices might invite unwanted trouble.
Cloud's group found a corner table by the window and ordered three of the cheapest coffees.
"Looks like even this place has been 'harmonized.'" Cloud stirred his coffee while discreetly observing his surroundings.
Just then—BANG—the cafe door was roughly shoved open.
Five burly men in black suits swaggered inside.
Their leader, a man with a knife scar across his face, walked straight to the counter and planted one foot on a chair. In a condescending tone, he addressed the trembling elderly shop owner:
"Old man, it's time to pay this month's Urban Beautification Management Fee."
The old owner shakily retrieved a wad of cash from the drawer, pleading: "Sir, didn't I just pay last week? Business has been poor, and I really can't... afford to pay again."
"Can't afford it?" Scarface sneered, snatching the money and stuffing it inside his jacket. Then he backhanded the old man with a resounding slap.
"That's your problem! Lord Geese's rules ARE the law in South Town! Say another word and I'll tear down this dump today!"
The surrounding customers all lowered their heads in fear, too afraid to voice their anger.
This was the "order" of the "new" South Town.
Yuri's face flushed red with fury. She was about to stand up and confront them when Cloud pressed down on her hand.
"Don't be rash." Cloud shook his head at her, then slowly rose to his feet.
In that moment, he stopped pretending.
A presence as immovable as a mountain slowly emanated from within him.
The air in the entire cafe seemed to freeze solid in that instant!
Everyone felt an indescribable pressure, as if some primordial beast that had been slumbering beside them had just awakened!
The five suited thugs froze mid-motion.
They turned in horror to look at the "background character" in black-framed glasses who was calmly walking toward them.
"You... what do you think you're doing?!" Scarface barked, his fierce words masking his inner fear.
Though he could sense that terrifying presence, he'd been lording over South Town for so long that he hadn't yet processed the situation.
Cloud said nothing. He simply walked up to stand before the man.
"I'm talking to you! Are you fucking dea—"
Scarface's threat never finished. Cloud moved.
No one saw what he did.
Everyone only felt a blur before their eyes, as if time itself had skipped a beat.
The next second, all five swaggering suited thugs lay on the ground in twisted positions like carelessly discarded logs, completely unconscious.
From start to finish, Cloud hadn't even rustled his clothes.
He simply stood there, as if nothing had happened.
But everyone knew that in that fraction of a second, something utterly terrifying had occurred.
...
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