The wind came from the far side of the street.
It carried dust.
And the sound of chaos.
Crying.
Gunfire.
The restless, shrill neighing of horses.
The entire street had already fallen into disorder.
Lucian stood at the entrance of the building.
A gun in his right hand.
His gaze steady.
The guide behind him had already gone pale.
"Young master, you can't go out."
"This isn't the city."
"They definitely have more people behind them."
"Going out now is suicide."
Lucian didn't turn back.
He simply looked toward the center of the street.
A flower-selling girl was being dragged along the ground.
Petals mixed into the dust.
Their original colors no longer visible.
The man dragging her was laughing.
Like he was handling livestock.
Nearby, several other children were tied together with rope.
Someone tried to resist.
The next second, he was kicked to the ground.
A rifle butt smashed down hard.
Along the edges of the street, windows were being shut.
No one came out.
No one spoke.
The people here were already used to it.
Or rather—
They had no choice but to be.
Lucian spoke calmly.
"How many."
The guide froze.
"What?"
Lucian said,
"Headcount on the street."
The guide instinctively observed.
"More than twenty on the surface."
"There should be more behind."
"There may be ambushes in nearby buildings."
Lucian gave a slight nod.
The next second—
Bang.
A gunshot exploded.
The man at the front dragging the girl jerked backward.
A burst of blood mist erupted from his forehead.
His body fell straight off the horse.
The street seemed to fall silent for a moment.
Everyone froze.
No one expected someone to open fire so suddenly.
And openly execute him.
The girl froze as well.
The rope slipped from her hands.
The next moment—
Lucian had already stepped out of the building.
"Bring her back."
Two guards behind him moved instantly.
Fast.
They charged straight into the street.
The chaos finally erupted completely.
"Enemy attack!"
Someone roared.
Gun barrels swung toward them—
But before they could fully raise them—
The second shot came.
Bang.
Another man's shoulder exploded.
He fell off his horse.
The guards had already pulled the girl back.
And Lucian didn't stop.
He kept moving forward.
Steps steady.
Gun muzzle adjusting continuously.
Bang.
Bang.
Three more shots in succession.
All hits.
Screams erupted from the other side of the street.
Only then did the group finally react.
Dozens of gun barrels lifted at once.
"Kill them!"
The next moment—
Gunfire flooded the entire street.
Bullets tore toward the building.
Stone fragments flew.
Glass shattered.
Behind Lucian, the guards immediately established suppression.
No confusion.
No hesitation.
Two knelt halfway, forming a fire zone.
Two others moved quickly, seizing cover along the street.
Not ordinary bodyguards.
But men trained for real battlefields.
The guide was completely stunned.
Because this was no longer a simple conflict.
This was a real firefight.
And the most terrifying part—
Their numbers were increasing.
People kept pouring out of nearby buildings.
Some even wore worn military uniforms.
Covered by cloth on the outside—
But their movements were too standard.
Clearly trained.
Lucian's eyes turned cold.
As expected.
Not ordinary bandits.
More like a border force disguised as raiders.
The gunfire spread.
The entire street was out of control.
In the distance, more vehicle sounds appeared.
Some began sealing off the street exits.
The guide's face changed completely.
"It's over."
"They're locking the area."
"There's definitely military backing behind this."
At that moment—
A communications officer crouched behind a wall,
quickly activating a device.
"Calling extraction point."
"Confirm engagement."
"Requesting air support."
Static crackled.
The next second—
The line connected.
"Received."
"ETA: seven minutes."
Seven minutes.
The guide almost cursed.
There was no way they could hold for seven minutes.
The street's firepower was intensifying.
Bullets slammed into the walls.
Stone chips scattered.
One guard peeked out—
Bang.
A distant sniper instantly suppressed him.
He snapped back.
"High-ground fire."
The air tightened.
Lucian stood behind cover,
his gaze scanning constantly.
He noticed—
Their coordination was too precise.
Route sealing.
Crossfire.
Elevated suppression.
This wasn't temporary crime.
It was structured, long-term border operations.
A perception-type member spoke softly.
"Right side."
"Flanking."
The next moment—
The guards redirected fire.
Bang bang bang.
The attackers rushing from the side were immediately forced back.
The guide finally realized—
This guard unit was nothing like ordinary armed groups.
They were too stable.
No chaos.
No shouting.
Everyone executed their position.
Like a real battlefield unit.
On the other side of the street—
More and more people gathered.
Someone even began setting up heavy firepower.
The situation was worsening.
At that moment—
A young woman tied up suddenly broke free
and ran desperately toward them.
The people behind her raised their guns.
Lucian fired.
Bang.
The bullet struck the shooter's wrist precisely.
The gun flew out of his hand.
The woman finally reached the cover.
Her whole body shaking with sobs.
The flower girl curled beside her.
Face pale.
The guards quickly checked the perimeter.
"We can still hold."
"But not for long."
Lucian already knew.
The gap in numbers was widening.
This was not their territory.
The real problem—
No one knew if actual military forces would intervene.
The guide spoke in a low voice.
"Young master, we need to leave."
"We can't hold this."
Lucian didn't answer immediately.
He continued watching the street.
Those people were still grabbing civilians.
Even during the firefight—
They didn't stop.
As if they were used to it.
Or rather—
As if this was normal.
That scene made Lucian's gaze sink.
Before—
His understanding of war came from maps.
Power.
Interests.
Borders.
But now—
It was different.
For the first time—
He truly saw what people became
after a border collapsed.
There was no order.
No rules.
No stability.
When national boundaries kept shifting—
The first thing abandoned
was always ordinary people.
Gunfire erupted again.
This time, a bullet grazed past Lucian's cheek.
A guard immediately forced him down.
"Young master!"
At that moment—
A low roar echoed from the distance.
The air began to vibrate.
Everyone looked up instinctively.
The next second—
Two black helicopters approached at high speed.
Rotor blades tore the air apart.
People on the street panicked.
Because they finally realized—
These weren't ordinary merchants.
Machine gun fire rained down from above.
Ratatatatata—
The end of the street was torn apart.
Figures were forced to retreat.
The encirclement broke open instantly.
The guards moved at once.
"Withdraw!"
Smoke grenades were thrown.
Thick gray smoke spread rapidly.
The unit began moving.
Fast.
No hesitation.
The flower girl was lifted.
The others rescued were dragged along.
Gunfire still came from afar—
But the helicopters were already suppressing at low altitude.
The entire street fell into chaos.
Lucian took one last glance back.
Those people were already retreating.
No one pursued.
Because they knew—
If this continued, it would escalate completely.
Soon—
They rushed into the extraction point.
The helicopter door opened.
Everyone boarded quickly.
The aircraft lifted again.
The ground grew distant.
The entire border zone shrank below—
Like a gray-black wasteland.
Wind roared into the cabin.
The flower girl curled in a corner, still trembling.
Medical personnel checked the injured.
The guards rechecked their weapons—
As if everything just now
was routine.
Lucian sat there the whole time.
Silent.
The helicopter crossed above the border.
Below, vast abandoned areas stretched on.
Many places had no roads at all.
Only scattered lights.
Lucian slowly closed his eyes.
Everything replayed in his mind.
Population.
Resources.
Borders.
Armed forces.
Chaos.
And those numbed people.
He suddenly realized—
His previous thinking had been too simple.
Relying only on wartime alliances
was far from enough.
What truly determined whether a nation remained stable—
Was not verbal cooperation.
But:
Food.
Transport.
Medicine.
Security.
Water.
Order.
If these didn't exist—
The border would eventually become like this.
The color of nations would keep changing.
But the people living there—
Never would.
The helicopter continued forward.
Outside, the sky slowly darkened.
And for the first time—
Lucian's gaze began to extend
toward something far beyond.