"You are not qualified to dictate my itinerary. My visit is not over, and I will not leave for now," Jiang Ye said loudly. "Why are you being so obstructive!"
"Esteemed Commander Jiang, this is an internal affair of our Rongping Star. I'm afraid you have no right to interfere," Gladstone replied coldly.
Suddenly, a loud bang like thunder came from outside the window.
It wasn't from the ground, but from high in the sky – the air blast sound of a star-class warship making an emergency hover.
The restaurant windows vibrated violently, and screams erupted inside. Zhang Qiongshi's subordinates thought cannons had fired outside, crying out in fear. Jiang Ye's subordinates, however, smiled and remained seated calmly, waiting.
Jiang Ye turned to look at Che Zhen. Che Zhen stood up, parted the curtains, and looked up at the sky, then nodded at Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye switched hands holding the phone. "Did you hear that? My warship is right above your heads! I just said, I am the Interstellar Peace Consul of the Galactic Empire! My duty includes the right to armed intervention when civil war breaks out on planets within the Galactic Empire! Do you understand?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Understood. But I would like to point out that Rongping Star has not erupted into civil war. If your warship were to fire indiscriminately and kill people, you..."
"Civil war or not, I set the standards!" Jiang Ye shouted into the phone. "Your troops are strictly adhering to the regulations and have not stormed the Governor's Mansion. That's good! I warn you, if your troops overstep their authority and enter the Governor's Mansion, regardless of whether weapons are used, I will deem it a mutiny and civil war! Do you understand?"
Silence fell again on the other end. "Understood."
"Now, you and Hodgson, come in. Whatever matters you have, discuss them with your Chief Zhang face-to-face!" Jiang Ye said. "Since you are obeying the security team's rule of not entering the Governor's Mansion, you must also obey your Chief Zhang's orders! If you are summoned and you don't come, that's insubordination!"
The call suddenly ended.
Jiang Ye was stunned. "Damn it, they dare to hang up on me?"
A few seconds later, a guard rushed up to the entrance. "Report! The negotiation representative from the First City Security Force wants to come up, one person! Should we let him in?"
"Who?" Jiang Ye shouted.
The guard shook his head blankly.
"Is it Gladstone?" Jiang Ye asked. "Or Hodgson?"
"Neither... neither, I don't recognize him," the guard shook his head. "He just said he's a negotiation representative."
"Don't let him in!" Jiang Ye said. "If any unauthorized personnel dare to come in, shoot them dead! Only let Gladstone and Hodgson in!"
The guard stood frozen, looking at Zhang Qiongshi.
"Do as Chief Jiang says," Zhang Qiongshi sighed tremblingly, her eyes glistening slightly.
"Yes!" The guard hurried away.
Zhang Qiongshi suddenly walked to a corner, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking.
Jiang Ye took a pack of tissues, walked over, patted her back, handed her the tissues, and said nothing.
Che Zhen walked over, leaned close to Jiang Ye's ear, and asked in a low voice, "Should we call for more reinforcements?"
"It's pointless. We can't go to war. Five warships are enough to deal with these rebels," Jiang Ye said. "Have the kitchen start making some late-night snacks. I don't know how long this stalemate will last. Let's eat first."
Che Zhen turned to go, but Jiang Ye called him back.
"Find me a raincoat, a waterproof mask, and bring me the fire axe from the corridor," Jiang Ye said.
Che Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and went out with his subordinates.
Jiang Ye turned and walked to the window, reaching out to pull open the curtains.
Zhang Qiongshi suddenly grabbed Jiang Ye's wrist. "There are definitely snipers. Don't misfire."
"Old Ma, show Commander Jiang the surveillance," Zhang Qiongshi said to an official beside her.
A bald man handed Jiang Ye a tablet, which displayed surveillance footage of the area around the Governor's Mansion.
Over four hundred police armored vehicles, all used for riot control, were densely packed around the Governor's Mansion, like dark steel beasts. Their bright headlights illuminated the first floor of the mansion as if it were daytime.
Police officers in dark, cold-weather coats stood behind the armored vehicles, a sea of helmets and peaked caps. The temperature difference between day and night was significant; it was warm during the day and chilly with biting winds at night. The white mist exhaled by the officers was particularly clear in the light, creating a visual impression of widespread conflict.
At least fifty to sixty thousand police officers had arrived, covering the hills and plains.
The officers in the front row held riot shields and assault rifles. The equipment became simpler further back, with only batons at the very rear, not even peaked caps, just closely cropped hair, giving them the air of temporary staff.
Jiang Ye reached out to zoom the camera. He could see police cars filling the distant streets, their red and blue lights flashing continuously. It was possible that all the police cars in the entire capital city had been mobilized.
"Your Rongping Star, can a single city have a police force of a hundred thousand?" Jiang Ye asked in shock. "My Jiang Ye Star, even a city with a few thousand police is considered a top metropolis."
"Not a hundred thousand, around eighty thousand," Zhang Qiongshi sighed. "There's no choice, the public order is too poor, and there are too many shootings. There needs to be a police booth every two hundred meters, a police station every two streets, and specialized counter-terrorism units. The forces surrounding the Governor's Mansion now are the counter-terrorism units."
"How many shootings occur in the capital city in a year?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Over twenty thousand," Zhang Qiongshi said. "The downtown commercial areas are relatively safe. The city outskirts are chaotic. If you drove alone to the outskirts, by the time you circled back, your car might have seven or eight bullet holes."
"Is that a joke or an exaggeration?" Jiang Ye asked uncertainly.
"It's true," an official nearby chimed in. "When I was young, I was driving in the West Second District. I was stopped by a gang in an alley, and they fired three shots at my car's hood. I reversed and fled."
Jiang Ye found it hard to comprehend. "With all due respect, the governance level of your planet is like that of a fool. An incident like this happening today is, to some extent, your own doing."
"There are plenty of planets worse off than us," Zhang Qiongshi retorted.
"Comparing who is worse?" Jiang Ye was speechless. "You lack strong measures, so you can't implement gun control. Without gun control, a city can produce eighty thousand police officers. You lack strong control, which is why a mere local police captain dares to stage a mutiny."
"I don't want this to happen either, but how can it be avoided?" Zhang Qiongshi said.
"Commander Liu." Jiang Ye turned around.
"Present!" a burly officer stood up.
"Tell Chief Zhang how the mutiny on Jiang Ye Star was resolved many years ago," Jiang Ye asked.
"Report, the lower-ranking officers of the mutinying troops revolted and directly executed the superior officers who ordered the mutiny!"
"Sit," Jiang Ye said.
Zhang Qiongshi stared at Jiang Ye blankly.
"As long as your control is strong enough, these police officers outside won't dare to block the door so recklessly. Before they set out, they would have resolved the rebels internally," Jiang Ye said. "Whether your troops are more loyal to their immediate superiors or to you is your capability. How many Zhao Kuangyins have you cultivated? If Gladstone and Hodgson come in later, do you dare to kill them?"