Figurative Language in Urban Description

Read the following excerpt from a contemporary novel:

"The city buzzed with life, each person a note in the grand symphony of urban existence, while the streetlights blinked like the eyes of a thousand owls, watching over the nocturnal hustle. As the clock struck midnight, the air vibrated with whispered secrets, the night holding its breath, waiting for the dawn to break the spell of darkness."

Which of the following options identifies the primary figurative language technique used in this excerpt?