Nightfall.
Glittering skyscrapers dotted the aerial cityscape, an unsubtle illustration of the opulence available to denizens of the Sky Citadel.
Even within this already-rarified air, there was hierarchy — the Plutus district was the most exclusive of all, being home to some of the Cabal’s most elite members. Bankers, lawyers, politicians… only those with the most clout could reside within the luxury apartment complexes here.
Inside one of these buildings, six men in black robes convened across a perfectly spherical table. This was the Inner Circle: a small group that ruled not only Dusktopia below, but the Sky Citadel itself. A giant hologram of the world rotated slowly, highlighting potential spots for both profit and trouble.
A sniper took aim from the building opposite. From this distance, his calibre of bullet wouldn’t be able to take out any of the members at the meeting, but it would force a massive evacuation effort. During the ensuing chaos, the plan was for his clan to establish their power base while the ruling members were in hiding.
The Inner Circle had been in power for far too long. In that time, they’d cut deals that impacted the fate of the world; but more importantly those deals enriched them so much more than anyone else in the Citadel, and the Deathwing clan — who had been outside the Cabal for so long — was determined to reverse that balance in their favor.
The sniper steeled himself, and took aim. A single crack split the air, and the glass on the skyscraper shattered. Alarms rang out across the district as police activated themselves, and the city turned into a hive of activity as people ran around in panic.
From a neighboring district, a group of men watched the unfolding chaos with grim satisfaction.
“It’s time for us to move. The Emergency Protocol will be in effect for at least 72 hours, and the key members of the Inner Circle will be stranded in a bunker for that time, and we have express intelligence as to where their stand-ins will be. We’ll take them hostage and force them to reveal the bunker’s location, and we’ll be halfway toward a full takeover,” one of the men remarked.
This was a pivotal time in the Cabal’s history. There were threats to their supremacy everywhere — from the disgruntled inhabitants down on Dusktopia itself, and from within its own ranks. To all that were there, however, the question was not whether they would survive: but how much blood would be needed for it.
___________________________________________________________________
《权力，谁不爱呢？》
夜幕低垂。
闪烁的摩天大楼点缀着夜空，这是凌空城堡居民享受的富裕生活最朴实无华的例证。
即使在这片已经稀薄的空气中，也存在着阶级 — 普卢图斯区是最高大上的，是柯保核心成员的家园。银行家、律师、政治家……只有那些最有影响力的人才可以居住在这里的豪华公寓。
某栋建筑里，六名黑袍男子围坐在一张完美的球形桌子上。这就是柯心 — 这个小团体不仅统治着下面的夜幕城邦，更统治着凌空城堡自身。一个巨大的全息世界地图缓慢地旋转着，显示着一个个潜在的利润和麻烦点。
一名狙击手从对面的建筑物中瞄准屋内。从这个距离来看，他的子弹口径不足以将会议上的任何成员带走，但它会迫使居民们进行大规模的疏散。他的计划是逼迫柯心成员躲藏起来，利用后续的混乱让他的家族上位，建立他们的权力基础。
柯心掌权的时间太长了。期间，他们完成了不少影响世界命运的交易；更重要的是，从这些交易得到的利益让他们凌驾于所有人之上，而德文氏族 — 他们已经离开了柯保的核心很长一段时间 — 决心扭转这种局面，从中牟利。
狙击手做好心理准备，心无旁骛地瞄准枪头。一道裂缝划破夜空，摩天大楼上的玻璃砰然碎裂。
刺耳的警报声响彻整个小区。警察奔波游走，人们恐慌地四处奔跑，场面局势皆是一团糟。
隔壁小区里，一群人笑意盎然地看着这场混乱的蔓延。
“轮到我们上场了。紧急状态将在这72小时内持续生效，而柯心的主要成员将在这段时间内被困在一个避难所里，我们有他们的接任者身处何处的明确情报。我们会把他们扣下并逼迫他们透露避难所的位置，到时我们的全面接管算是成了一半。”一名男子说道。
这是柯保历史上的转折点：从夜幕城邦大地上心怀不满的居民到集团内部，他们的至高无上受到的威胁无处不在。然而，对所有人来说，问题不在于他们是否能从混乱中活下来，而是需要流多少血才能活下来。
