```
Shuoyang City, night, 21:30.
On the bustling streets, where crowds once thronged, now there was complete emptiness.
Robots that automatically swept up trash roamed about, their wheels jammed by several shredded plastic bags, rendering them immobile.
Whirring.
Amidst the faint hum of engines, a black sedan emblazoned with a pale blue tiger sped toward the suburbs.
Inside the car.
The Dragon Gate Crane's older brother, Ji Xian, sat with his hands on his knees, irritably loosening his tie around his neck.
After loosening the tie, he casually picked up a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Greyish rings of smoke spouted from his nostrils, gradually fading and dispersing, sucked away by the car's automatic air system.
