Chapter 167: Ch 167: Exploding Tension- Part 1
The day could only be called a failure as it ended. The tension that had been lingering in the air felt like it could erupt any second.
It made Selene feel more and more worried as the day ended, but she knew she could not show it or she would blow her cover.
After dinner, Zara sought out Selene, her expression grim.
"We have a problem."
She said quietly, pulling Selene aside.
Selene wasn’t surprised.
"Let
guess—more non-awakeners are trying to abuse the system? I knew that this was a possibility, but it happened far too fast."
Zara nodded sharply.
"It’s getting worse. I’ve heard too many people talking about ’putting awakeners in their place’ and using the new rules to their advantage. If this continues, we’re going to have an even bigger ss on our hands."
Selene sighed and rubbed her temples.
"I know. I ran into soone earlier who tried to force an awakener to do their work for them. I had to step in before things could get ugly this ti. But I don’t think I will always be able to step in like this."
Zara clicked her tongue.
"See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. If this keeps up, it’s only going to escalate."
Selene folded her arms, thinking.
"At this rate, we only have two real options: either put everyone under contract to ensure they don’t abuse their positions, or... separate awakeners and non-awakeners entirely."
Zara’s brows furrowed.
Neither of those options sound great."
Selene sighed.
"I know."
Just then, Ethan entered the room, arms crossed, looking bored but listening.
"Handle it tomorrow. It’s too late to deal with this tonight."
He said lazily.
Selene knew he had a point. Her body was exhausted, and her mind wasn’t working at full capacity anymore.
"...Fine. I’ll deal with it in the morning."
She agreed, exhaling.
Ethan shrugged.
"Good. Get so sleep."
She didn’t argue.
As tired as she was, she knew tomorrow was going to be worse.
______
Selene woke up the next morning, refreshed but wary.
The whole base felt like it was in a tense mood as people continued to look at each other in a way that showed just how annoyed and angry they were with each other.
A fight was begging to break out any second at this rate and Selene decided that she could not spend her day hiding away.
As soon as she stepped outside, she could feel it—the shift.
The atmosphere was different.
Tense.
Divided.
The awakeners and non-awakeners weren’t openly fighting, but the subtle hostility in the air was unmistakable.
They weren’t just two groups coexisting anymore.
They were two opposing forces on the verge of a war.
Selene kept her head down, pretending to be just another non-awakener as she went about her undercover work.
But as lunch approached, she felt a sinking feeling in her gut.
And then—
Chaos erupted.
The Riot Begins
Screams rang out.
The peace Selene expected to last for so ti did not even hold on till lunch and it felt like people would end up getting physical soon.
People shouted over one another, their voices filled with anger and fear.
Selene’s heart dropped as she saw people pushing, grabbing, and throwing punches.
It wasn’t a structured fight—it was pure, mindless violence.
People didn’t even seem to know who they were fighting.
They just wanted soone to bla.
Soone to hold accountable.
Selene’s eyes hardened. If this wasn’t stopped imdiately, people were going to get hurt.
She turned on her communicator and contacted Orion.
"Put up a barrier—now."
A second later, a transparent energy field materialized, separating the awakeners from the non-awakeners.
For a mont, the fighting stopped.
People stared at the barrier, breathing heavily, their faces twisted in frustration.
The barrier prevented people from getting to each other and causing more harm. But this was not a asure that Selene wanted to rely on long term.
It seed to hold them back—at least temporarily.
But Selene could feel it—
The tension was still building.
And then—
The awakeners snapped.
With furious shouts, they began attacking the barrier, their powers flaring.
Selene felt a surge of panic.
If they broke through, the fighting would resu tenfold.
And she wouldn’t be able to stop it again.
Just when she was about to intervene again, the room’s temperature dropped.
A heavy, crushing aura filled the space.
Selene froze.
So did everyone else.
All eyes turned toward the entrance as Ethan walked in, his hands in his pockets, his gaze cold and unimpressed.
The room fell silent.
Even the most aggressive awakeners and non-awakeners stiffened, their bodies reacting to his sheer presence.
His voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable weight.
"I’ll be in charge from now on. If you have any problem, then bring it to . I will decide what you can and cannot do here."
The words hung in the air, sending an unspoken ssage.
Step out of line, and you’ll have to answer to .
Ethan was soone who was publicly acknowledged as strong. As such, there was not a single person in the crowd that wanted to go against him and hope to win.
His quick intervention quickly killed the excitent and tension that was bubbling in the crowd and Selene let out a relieved sigh to see this.
A ripple of unease spread through the crowd.
No one dared to move.
No one dared to argue.
Ethan didn’t need to shout or threaten.
Just the re fact that he was watching them was enough to keep them in check.
Selene let out a slow breath.
The riot was over.
But at the sa ti—
Sothing inside her twisted with annoyance.
These people hadn’t stopped fighting because they respected the rules.
They stopped because they feared Ethan.
Not her.
Not the system she was trying to fix.
Just him.
Selene swallowed her frustration and forced herself to focus on the bigger picture.
At the very least—
The bloodshed had been avoided.
For now.
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