Chapter 583 â The Sabre
Bai Chunyu didnât bother with vague hints. He got straight to the point: âAfter youâre done with the gathering tomorrow, our captain would like you to come meet him.â
âPeople from the outer cities like you donât really know how things work in Blizzard City. You might get tricked into going somewhere you shouldnât.â
He smiled warmly as he continued, âIf Iâm not mistaken, Bai Li Changqing from the Black-Robed Squad has already tried to recruit you into his team, hasnât he?â
Zhang Ye thought to himself:
Bai Li Changqing doesnât have the guts. If I joined, he wouldnât be able to keep his position as team captain.
But Bai Chunyu clearly thought heâd guessed right.
His smile deepened. âAfter their former captain Bian Junwu died in battle, the Black-Robed Squadâs overall strength dropped to the bottom of the six major investigation teams. Thereâs even talk they might lose their team status altogether.â
âSo I hope youâll be careful. Donât let yourself get roped into something youâll regret.â
Zhang Ye understood that Deng Shentong inviting him over was likely a prelude to recruiting him.
Unfortunately for them, Zhang Ye had no intention of staying in Blizzard City.
Still, he wasnât the kind to reject a smiling face. And according to Bai Li Changqing, Deng Shentong held even higher standing in Blizzard City than Bian Junwu once did.
So there was no need to offend the man.
Zhang Ye said, âAfter the gathering, Iâll pay a visit to Mr. Deng Shentong.â
Bai Chunyuâs eyes opened slightly, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
âGreat. Iâll come find you then. Itâll also be a good chance to tell you about the history of our Celestial Teamâand let you see our strength firsthand.â
With that, he turned and headed back into the Operations Center.
The others looked toward Zhang Ye.
Fatty Xu sounded worried. âBoss, now youâve really got their attention. What can you do? Youâre like a sparkling diamondâthereâs just no hiding that shine!â
Zhang Ye said calmly, âWith my level of strength, it was inevitable theyâd start noticing.â
Even before absorbing Yuan Kongyeâs source energy, Zhang Yeâs performance had already been enough to attract Bian Junwuâs interest.
So this wasnât something he could avoid.
Being too goodâit was its own kind of headache.
âBut if Iâm not interested in joining Blizzard City,â Zhang Ye continued, âI doubt theyâll try to force me.â
Both Bian Junwu and Bai Li Changqing had told him the same thing.
The investigation teams and the Yan Yun Unit placed heavy emphasis on loyalty.
So the process of recruiting Variants from outside was extremely strict. They didnât just look at power, but also background, character, and more.
As for forcibly drafting someoneâonly if your ability was
so
powerful theyâd swallow their pride just to keep you.
If Zhang Ye ever revealed the full extent of his strength,
that
might happen.
But right now, heâd only shown the level of an elite investigation team member.
In the context of Blizzard City, that level of power wasnât common, but the six investigation teams and the Yan Yun Unit had plenty who measured up.
Hearing this, everyone around him let out a quiet sigh of relief.
From what theyâd gathered, Blizzard City had a maze of rules. Your access to survival supplies depended on your contribution level.
If Zhang Ye got transferred here, theyâd probably have to come too. And life under those restrictions would be a far cry from the freedom they had in Tianhai City.
Meanwhile, Lu Keran couldnât take her eyes off the box in Zhang Yeâs hands.
Zhang Ye knew exactly what she was thinking and smiled. âCome on, letâs head back.â
He was eager to get a good look at this new weapon too.
The group returned to the apartment complex.
The female attendant whoâd received them earlier looked visibly relieved to see them back safely.
Her brows furrowed ever so slightly, and though she didnât say anything, her expression clearly showed a bit of displeasure.
Still, she didnât dare make it obvious. Her polite smile just turned a bit colder.
Zhang Ye couldnât be bothered with her and headed straight to his room with the others.
Xiao Honglian and the rest had stayed behind at the apartment, so they had no idea about Zhang Yeâs duel with Wu Di.
Now, everyone gathered in Zhang Yeâs room, their eyes fixed eagerly on the black box he was holding.
Liang Yue and Lu Keran were the most curious about the new weapon.
Zhang Ye wasnât the type to keep people guessing. He placed the box on the table and opened it right in front of them.
A soft
hiss
sounded as the lid popped open, releasing a faint white mist.
Zhang Ye instinctively frowned and stepped back, but Lu Keran quickly reassured him, âItâs a chemical preservative for the metalâto prevent corrosion. Only the most valuable treasures and weapons get stored like this.â
Zhang Ye relaxed.
As the mist dissipated, the weapon inside was finally revealed.
Everyone instinctively leaned in to get a closer look.
At first glance, the sabre already gave off an extraordinary vibe. Its design was distinctly cyberpunk. Under the light, the blade shimmered with a cold blue hue, while the handle was wrapped in black leather.
The sabre wasnât long. Blade and handle together measured just a little over one meterâaround 1.2 meters in total.
Compared to Liang Yueâs long sabre,
Longming
, it was noticeably shorter.
The blade was straight and sharp, good for both stabbing and slashing.
It wasnât a weapon for wild, sweeping attacksâbut it was perfect for close-quarters combat, parrying, and defense.
Its strengths were speed in tight spaces and ease of carry.
âWhat a blade!â
Liang Yue recognized it instantly. âItâs modeled after the Tang horizontal sabre. Not quite the ancient style, but definitely made for close combat.â
Zhang Ye lifted the sabre. Though he wasnât a sword expert, he could feel how sharp the blade was. It was definitely on par with
Longming
.
Lu Keran couldnât wait. âBrother Zhang Ye, can I take a look?â
Zhang Ye gave a slight smile. âGo ahead.â
In the apocalypse, cold weapons were mostly only useful to strength-type Variants.
After all, this wasnât ancient timesâmodern firearms were widely available and highly effective.
Zhang Ye had asked for this blade mostly as a symbolic trophy, something for close-range self-defense. He didnât expect to use it much.
Thatâs why Bai Li Changqing hadnât minded parting with it.
Of course, that didnât mean it wasnât valuableâit just meant that for someone at Zhang Yeâs level, abilities were usually more practical than weapons. Unless you were a Variant who specialized in melee combat.
Lu Keran took the sabre. It wasnât heavy, probably five or six pounds at most, but it was razor sharp.
Perfectly suited for someone like Zhang Ye, who wasnât built like a tank.
Lu Keran ran her fingers over the blade, activating her
Mechanized Control
ability. Immediately, she began analyzing the materials and construction of the entire weapon.
Author's Note