The soldiers on duty wore mocking smiles as they watched the two soldiers in front of them beating each other.

"Look at those city defense troops!" one of the sentries said to his companion. "They're like monkeys. At least they make this boring duty a little more fun."

"Heh..." His companion chuckled, also watching the scene with interest.

They thought the brawl would end quickly, but what happened next exceeded their expectations.

As the two soldiers fought, more and more soldiers jumped down from the trucks to join in. What started as a fight between two soldiers turned into a brawl involving dozens of people. But even so, the sentries didn't leave their posts, because their duty was to guard the Presidential Palace.

But then, a gunshot broke the silence.

In the midst of the melee, someone, driven mad by anger, fired a shot!

Fighting among soldiers was common, but once guns were involved, the situation changed. The dozens of soldiers on duty in front of the Presidential Palace all changed their expressions. The officer-like figure thought for a moment, then immediately drew his sidearm and led the sentries toward the brawl.

Normally, he wouldn't have bothered with something like this, but now the fight was happening in front of the Presidential Palace. Several generals and the President were inside. If the brawl escalated into a firefight in front of them, resulting in a large number of casualties, the President would be furious!

If he stood by and watched, allowing the situation to worsen, he would surely be reprimanded!

"Stop! Stop!"

The officer shouted as he ran, firing a warning shot into the air.

But the soldiers, already seeing red, didn't listen to him and continued to fight. The officer cursed, then ordered his sentries to violently separate the brawlers.

The sentries surged into the fray, using their rifle butts and bayonets to try and break up the fight.

Inside the Presidential Palace, a general saw the chaotic scene through the blinds, frowned, and cursed, "Those bastards! How dare they fight in front of the Presidential Palace!"

"What's wrong?" the President asked.

"Some rowdy city defense troops are fighting..." the general replied nonchalantly. "Kaiserfu should really control those thugs of his. They dare to cause trouble at a time like this!"

The President looked at his watch. Two hours had passed since he had notified the Sonan faction generals to come to the Presidential Palace for a meeting, but so far, not a single one had arrived.

After several urgings, their response was... they were on their way.

"According to our intelligence agencies, a convoy and helicopters from the First Military Region have indeed departed for the capital, but it's uncertain whether Sonan is in the convoy," the general said. "I suspect Sonan and his people are deliberately stalling for time."

The President was irritated. He heard the clamorous shouts outside the window and muttered, "Get those fighting bastards away from here!"

...

After the Presidential Palace sentries joined the fight, they shouted and used their rifle butts and bayonets to separate the combatants. But then, they were surprised to see the soldiers who had seemed intent on killing each other suddenly stop, as if they had received an order. They turned and stared coldly at the sentries.

The chaotic battle instantly quieted down. This bizarre scene made the Presidential Palace sentries uneasy.

The officer took a step back, seeing in the soldiers' eyes a look akin to a lion looking at a flock of sheep.

That look made him very uneasy.

He carefully examined the faces and uniforms of the group, and asked sharply, "Which officer of the city defense force are you under? Report your unit number immediately!"

He was responsible for guarding the Presidential Palace and was familiar with the city defense soldiers who often patrolled outside the palace, but these faces were very unfamiliar!

He realized something was wrong. His hand subtly turned the muzzle of his gun, preparing to fire.

Just then, the soldier who had started the fight moved like a nimble cheetah, suddenly leaping forward. Without any run-up, he jumped nearly eight meters, a shining dagger in his hand, stabbing straight into the officer's neck!

*Thwack!*

Blood splattered!

*Bang!*

The officer's gun fired!

The officer had pulled the trigger the moment the soldier jumped, but the shot didn't ring out until the dagger pierced his neck.

This meant the soldier's speed far exceeded that of ordinary people!

"Evo... evolved!" The officer gasped, air whistling through the wound in his throat, blood gushing from his mouth. His eyes widened. "You're... Sonan's rebels!"

"Mr. Bai sends his regards!" the soldier said coldly, twisting the dagger. The officer's head tumbled off his shoulders!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. It wasn't until the officer's head hit the ground with a thud that the Presidential Palace sentries reacted. They roared and raised their weapons.

But it was too late!

The soldiers who had been fighting moved with lightning speed, firing faster than the sentries.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

A storm of bullets erupted, blowing the heads off more than forty sentries!

"Charge in!" The evolved soldier who had killed the officer pointed at the Presidential Palace and shouted, "Leave no one alive except the President and the military district commander!"

The sudden turn of events stunned the soldiers guarding the Presidential Palace and the generals inside.

Through the slats in the blinds, the general witnessed the evolved soldiers slaughtering their own troops. He trembled and turned to the others behind him, "Quick! Assassins have broken in! They're evolved!"

The President was stunned, then quickly stood up. "Don't panic! There are still eight hundred guards inside the Presidential Palace! We're going to the basement immediately! Notify Kaiserfu, the commander of the city defense forces, and tell him to send reinforcements immediately!"

The President never expected that he would be greeted by a small group of assassins instead of Sonan's main force.

"Mr. President! These assassins are wearing the uniforms and using the vehicles of the city defense forces, and they came to the Presidential Palace through the city defense forces' heavy blockade. Do you still think there's no problem with the city defense forces?" The general who had spoken first looked grim. "The city defense forces can't be trusted now! Kaiserfu has probably already been bought off by Sonan. I'll order two regiments from outside the city to enter the city immediately!"

The President muttered to himself, his face full of disbelief, "That's impossible! Impossible... I promoted Kaiserfu myself. His loyalty to me will never waver. How could he cooperate with Sonan?"

The President couldn't accept reality, but there was no time for him to think. The sounds of fierce fighting were already erupting outside the Presidential Palace.

Surrounded by guards, the generals quickly escorted the President to the highly secure basement.