A massive brass bell, twelve feet wide and weighing twenty tons, hung at the pinnacle of the Benevolence Tower.
Three burly percussion guards pulled back a five-hundred-pound iron-wood striker, releasing the latch with a sharp click.
CLANGGGGGG!
The deep, resonant chime rolled across the 108 districts of Taichu Sanctuary Immortal City.
It was not a somber funeral knell. It was not a frantic emergency siren. It was the clear, ringing tone of the municipal overtime bell, echoing off stone buildings, sky-docks, and residential gardens with triumphant clarity.
Lin Mo stepped back to the golden acoustic microphone.
His posture was relaxed, hands resting comfortably in his coat pockets. He tapped the glass twice to ensure the spirit-relays across the entire perimeter were fully synchronized.
“Attention all certified personnel,” Lin Mo’s voice carried smoothly across twenty miles of fortified walls. “I know it is Friday evening. Many of you had plans for dinner with your families. Some of you were probably looking forward to Grandma Chen’s spicy turnip noodles.”
