Chapter 548: A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire

Chapter 548 -369: A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire

“There’s one more thing. The common people have become extremely supportive of Wu Liangchen, which is making our search incredibly difficult. Those lowlifes not only refuse to cooperate, but they also deliberately spread false information to confuse us,” the manager who had just reported said, his voice trembling.

Butterfly already knew this, of course. As the near-omnipotent god who controlled Zhongjing’s entire network, she was well aware of what the comment sections on the major forums looked like.

But as always, she didn’t care.

‘They’re just a bunch of lowly commoners. What good is their support, anyway?’

“Pass on my orders,” Butterfly said coldly. “Starting today, we begin cutting power and rationing water in the key areas.”

Her subordinates felt a chill run down their spines.

Butterfly’s meaning was obvious: You support him? Fine. From now on, you will pay the price for that support.

Let’s see how long you can last.

Although cutting power and rationing water in Zhongjing was bound to have dire consequences, no one dared question Butterfly’s decision.

Besides, since they wouldn’t have to bear the responsibility, they were more than happy to carry out the order.

In an instant, the entirety of Zhongjing was thrown into chaos.

The designated areas were immediately plunged into darkness.

Butterfly’s tactic was indeed a vicious one.

After all, while the legend of a hero can be stirring, once hunger and hardship become reality, once the conveniences of life are forcibly stripped away, even the most steadfast support is bound to waver.

Sure enough, by the third day of the new policy, the mood in Zhongjing had quietly shifted.

In the hushed whispers on street corners and in back alleys, while there were still curses aimed at the Sky Dome Group, complaints about Wu Liangchen were also becoming more frequent.

“This is all that Wu Liangchen’s fault. If it wasn’t for him, would we be living like this?”

“Exactly! He’s the powerful one who can just get up and leave whenever he wants. We’re the poor ordinary people left to suffer!”

“Ugh, when will this ever end…”

Wu Liangchen made his way through abandoned buildings late at night, taking in all these subtle changes.

He could clearly feel that what permeated the air was no longer just fear, but a growing anxiety and anger. Most of the convenience stores that had secretly left him food were now tightly locked.

Wu Liangchen’s brow furrowed.

‘I have to admit,’ he thought, ‘my opponent behind the scenes is skilled. They found a counter so quickly.’

‘This is clearly a move to tarnish my reputation, and I have very few ways to counter it.’

‘It’s an overt plot, nearly impossible to counter.’

‘The only way out is if I could restore the power and water myself. But it’s always harder to repair than to destroy.’

Wu Liangchen had plenty of ways to cut off Zhongjing’s power supply. If all else failed, he could just blow up a power station.

But restoring it was another matter entirely. It wasn’t just a simple fix; it would require proper circuit maintenance to get the supply running normally again.

Just as Wu Liangchen was about to leave the neighborhood, he caught a flash of light in the distance. His interest was piqued.

‘Is that light a signal for me?’

He immediately headed toward the intermittent flashes.

It was an inconspicuous general store on a street corner, a faint light glowing from within. Its rolling shutter was pulled down but left a narrow gap at the bottom.

It was just like the other shops that had provided him with supplies.

Wu Liangchen could sense it was empty inside, so he slipped in.

The interior was surprisingly clean. Aside from a light that flickered intermittently, there was only a pack of supplies on the floor.

Wu Liangchen lifted the pack of supplies and discovered a note underneath it.

East District, Skyscraper Tower.

There was no signature, no further explanation. The words were even printed.

But it was obvious the note was meant for him.

After a moment’s consideration, Wu Liangchen slipped out of the shop and vanished into the darkness.

The Skyscraper Tower, one of Zhongjing’s iconic landmarks.

Following the note’s instructions, Wu Liangchen quickly arrived and ascended to the top of the tower.

But the observation deck at the top was deserted. There was nothing but the howling night wind, which whipped at Wu Liangchen’s clothes and made them snap.

‘Was I tricked?’

Wu Liangchen frowned.

Just then, he heard a faint sound of something slicing through the air. A jet-black nightingale appeared from nowhere and landed lightly on the railing in front of him, a small letter held in its beak.

After placing the letter down, the nightingale flapped its wings a few times, and its entire body dissolved into specks of starlight that scattered in the night wind.

‘A construct of Magic!’

Wu Liangchen picked up the letter. Unfolding it, he found the address of an even more secluded location.

This time, Wu Liangchen didn’t hesitate. With a few vaults and leaps, he was off the tower hundreds of meters high, heading for the address on the note.

「North District, Abandoned Industrial Zone.」

Wu Liangchen followed the letter’s directions, winding his way through the area until he finally stopped before the entrance to a massive ventilation duct on the side of an abandoned factory.

At the entrance, a figure was slouched against the wall of the duct, chewing gum and idly kicking a loose stone with the toe of her boot.

It was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. Her short, fiery red hair was particularly striking in the darkness. She wore a ripped black leather jacket and pants that hugged a sizzling, curvy figure.

She wore heavy, smoky-eye makeup, her lips were painted a dark red, and a shiny stud pierced her nose. Her entire being radiated an untamable, wild aura.