Chapter 933: Operation Star Island Combat Meeting
Baili Changqing didn't feel it appropriate to ask further. He wasn't privy to the details about the Divine Source, but judging by the current situation in Blizzard City, something major was clearly about to happen.
It was worth noting that even when the Moon of Corrosion had given the Jiangnan Region headaches previously, they hadn't recalled all investigation teams on such a massive scale.
Baili Changqing drove Zhang Yi to the Operations Command Center.
As he entered the main hall, he brushed past someone wearing a thick military overcoat.
Both men instinctively glanced at each other.
The man wore a white mask that concealed his features, his tall stature completely enveloped by the dark brown military coat.
Zhang Yi caught an extremely intense scent of blood from him.
Baili Changqing hurried over and said, "Captain, that's the leader of the Ironblood Squad, [Lilong]."
Baili Changqing's expression showed clear wariness toward the man, appearing unwilling to get too close.However, upon hearing their conversation, Lilong seemed to recognize who Zhang Yi was.
He touched the brim of his hat and nodded toward Zhang Yi. "So you're the leader of the Celestial Hound Squad, [Chaos]? I've heard much about you."
His voice sounded as raspy as if it were coming from a rusted paint can.
Zhang Yi nodded. "Mr. Lilong, pleased to meet you!"
Before they could converse further, a beautiful black-haired woman in professional attire approached and said with a smile, "Captain Chaos, Captain Lilong, everyone else has already arrived. Please come to the conference room!"
Zhang Yi nodded and followed the black-haired woman.
As just the deputy captain, Baili Changqing wasn't qualified to attend this high-level meeting, so he remained waiting below.
However, as they passed near the reception area, Zhang Yi heard a somewhat familiar voice seemingly arguing with someone.
He couldn't help but glance in that direction.
It turned out to be an officer applying for operational funds, but for some reason, he was arguing with the clerical staff handling the matter.
"We're all working for the region! Do you have to make things so difficult? We risk our lives on missions every day, and you're holding things up over a few typos!"
"You're simply going too far! I'm going to report you to higher authorities!"
But the woman in the gray uniform, with her peculiar expression, showed an eerie smile.
She tilted her head. "Go ahead and report me if you want! You don't actually think I'd be scared, do you? I'm much more shameless than you can imagine!"
"What a troublemaker."
Zhang Yi was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't expected that Zhu Yunque had ended up working as a receptionist clerk at the command center.
But judging by her appearance, it made people somewhat concerned about her mental state.
If Zhang Yi didn't know she had suffered severe trauma from falling into pirate hands, he might have thought Zhu Yunque was on drugs.
In this condition, Zhu Yunque clearly no longer met Zhu Zheng's standards for cultivating trusted aides. Being placed in such a position likely meant she had been essentially discarded.
Now, she could only get through her days by making things difficult for others.
After all, as a relative placed there by leadership, others couldn't really confront her too directly.
Finally, Zhang Yi watched as the Yan Yun Guard officer left in anger.
He shrugged.
"How unpredictable life can be!"
Zhang Yi and Lilong took the elevator up together.
Soon, they arrived at the conference room.
Most of those seated here were familiar faces.
Tu Yunlie, Deng Shentong, Deng Yuanbo, Zhu Zheng, and others were all present.
Like him, Linghu Feixue had also appeared at the scene after the effects of Compound 3 had worn off.
Despite the shame of having been captured, the Jiangnan Region was currently in need of personnel, allowing her to atone for her mistakes through merit.
However, there were two faces that were completely unfamiliar to Zhang Yi.
Not far from Deng Shentong sat someone with white hair and a cold, aloof expression, yet he wasn't particularly intimidating.
This was because he was quite handsome and appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old—he looked every bit like a middle school student.
Across from him sat a dignified woman with gray hair, dressed entirely in black combat gear, with her eyes covered by a black cloth.
Zhang Yi couldn't help but feel puzzled.
One of these two must be the captain of the Demon Squad.
But who was the other person?
While Zhang Yi was observing everyone, they were also sizing him up.
The current Zhang Yi was officially recognized as the strongest in the Jiangnan Region.
Although a superhuman's strength isn't absolutely tied to their ability index, Zhang Yi had saved Zhu Zheng's life and directly repelled Gao Changkong, making him the most acknowledged top expert.
Whether the various captains present shared this view was another matter entirely.
But as they say, fame attracts attention, and it was only natural that Zhang Yi would be scrutinized.
Seeing Zhang Yi, Zhu Zheng said with a smile, "Chaos, and Lilong, please come take your seats! We've been waiting for you."
Strictly speaking, the meeting had mainly been waiting for Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi's seat was to Zhu Zheng's left, the position closest to him.
After Zhang Yi was seated, Zhu Zheng first introduced the two newcomers.
The handsome white-haired youth was the captain of the Demon Squad, codenamed [Taotie].
The mysterious woman with the black eye patch was the captain of a newly formed team—[Night Crow Squad]—her codename was [Jingwei].
"A newly formed squad? They discovered new captain-level talent this quickly?"
Zhang Yi suddenly realized that during the five months he'd been away from the Jiangnan Region, this place had undergone tremendous changes.
Things had changed, and people had moved on—this was only natural.
Zhang Yi didn't dwell on it, simply asking calmly, "Calling such a hurried meeting—did we receive some news?"
Zhu Zheng nodded.
"Basically, everyone present already knows the situation."
"The East Sea Region's operation failed, and they even had a clash with the Colombian Navy. The situation isn't optimistic, and there's even a possibility that the Colombian Navy might also discover the Divine Source's location."
"The region has decided to join forces with the East Sea Region to search for the Divine Source together!"
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but frown.
If the Colombian Navy were to obtain the Divine Source, it would mean they would possess two Epsilon-level superhumans.
That would not be good news for the entire Huaxu Kingdom!
"How did they discover it?"
Deng Shentong asked, puzzled.
"The East Sea Region's operations aren't that reckless—they couldn't have been discovered so easily."
Lan Xincheng said with some schadenfreude: "That's hard to say. The Colombian Navy isn't incompetent either. Serves them right for trying to backstab us and act alone! This is just karma!"
Zhu Zheng glanced at him, and Lan Xincheng immediately closed his mouth.
Zhu Zheng continued: "This time, both sides will dispatch a group of top-tier superhumans to participate in the mission. My view is that since our strength is inferior to both the Colombian Navy and the East Sea Region, we need to concentrate our forces for major tasks!"
"Therefore, every investigation team must be deployed!"
A stack of documents lay before Zhang Yi, all containing various intelligence collected by the Jiangnan Region.
He casually flipped through them—they even included some intelligence on East Sea Region superhumans and the Colombian Navy.
"Qinglong, real name Xu Xiaolong, former Marine Corps major. Beast-type ability user, ability unknown, suspected to be giant sea creature."
...
While browsing through the materials in his hands, Zhang Yi listened to Zhu Zheng's speech.
Most of what Zhu Zheng was saying, Zhang Yi already knew.
The rest was just repetition of familiar topics.
"This time, our headquarters will send personnel to accompany the East Sea Region's team to the mission area!"
"Whichever side discovers the Divine Source first will receive sixty percent, with forty percent going to the other side."
Hearing this, Zhang Yi asked calmly, "Commander Zhu, can the Divine Source even be divided?"
Zhu Zheng chuckled. "That's something we don't know either."
Everyone present looked at each other with strange expressions.
Not even knowing what the Divine Source was—this intelligence was far too scarce.
Zhu Zheng said: "So to address this issue, we've come up with a solution. If the Divine Source truly cannot be divided, then corresponding resources must be provided as payment!"
Deng Shentong countered: "But is there anything more valuable than an Epsilon-level superhuman?"
Lan Xincheng answered on Zhu Zheng's behalf: "If quality isn't enough, make up for it with quantity!"
Author's Note