Chapter 621: A Cloud of Doubt

Chapter 621: A Cloud of Doubt

Baili Changqing chuckled. “No need to rush. This time, Commander Zhu is truly furious. He’s summoned a bunch of top-level powerhouses from all across the Jiangnan District, not just you.”

“And this kind of mobilization also needs to be discussed in a meeting with the other regional leaders.”

“As for the specifics… I’m not exactly sure myself.”

Baili spread his hands. “You know how it is—I’m just a combat guy.”

A flicker of doubt passed through Zhang Yi’s eyes.

Just a combat guy?

That was probably a bit of an understatement.

Truth be told, Baili Changqing’s strength was still quite a distance from that of someone like Bian Junwu or Deng Shentong.

He’d only barely been promoted to captain of the Black Robe Squad.

But not everyone necessarily acknowledged his authority.

Zhang Yi didn’t say any of that out loud. He just nodded. “Alright then—let’s go.”

Baili and Zhang Yi walked up front while the others followed behind.

After leaving the subway station, they got into Baili’s car, and in no time, arrived at the Cipher Bar.

Baili had a private room there.

Zhang Yi had been there before, so once they entered, he casually made himself comfortable on the orange-red couch in the center and crossed his legs.

Liang Yue, with the Loong Roar Sword strapped to her, curiously glanced around at the decor and sat down not far from Zhang Yi.

Baili called for a server and ordered two bottles of whiskey. Wu Di and Meng Siyu also picked their drinks.

“Zhang Yi, Miss Liang Yue—what would you two like to drink?”

Zhang Yi gently stroked Hua Hua’s soft fur. “Two glasses of milk.”

Baili Changqing: “…”

Wu Di couldn’t help but roast him. “You came to a bar to drink milk?”

Zhang Yi glanced at him. “Commander Zhu could summon me at any time. You want me showing up reeking of alcohol?”

Baili laughed. “Fair enough. Though maybe you don’t know—Commander Zhu enjoys the occasional drink too. The weather’s freezing after all. White liquor’s become a staple beverage.”

Liang Yue calmly added, “I’ll have an oolong tea.”

Baili gave the order to the server.

Once the server closed the door behind them, Baili finally dropped the friendly smile and sat upright to talk business.

“The situation in Linhai City is extremely complicated. If it weren’t, Commander Zhu and the other higher-ups wouldn’t be going to such lengths with troop movements.”

“As for Moon of Corrosion, we’ve gathered some intel on them through our own channels.”

“They’re very powerful. Every member is a Delta-level superhuman. Back when they were in Neon Nation, they dominated the Kanto region, and not even the top organization there—Izumo—could deal with them effectively.”

“But even so, there’s no way they could’ve destroyed ten superhuman squads so easily without some kind of preparation.”

Zhang Yi frowned, a chill running down his spine.

“You’re saying there was a traitor inside Blizzard City who leaked all our movements to them?”

Baili’s brows furrowed too, and he replied slowly, “That’s a possibility—but not a likely one. Ever since the apocalypse, to prevent info breaches targeting Blizzard City, Headquarters implemented the highest level of information security.”

“And the Operations Center is one of the most secure departments in the city—S-Class security level. No one could leak intel from there without making waves.”

Zhang Yi took a deep breath, his voice grim. “But if they didn’t have full intel on those ten teams, there’s no way they could’ve wiped them all out so effortlessly.”

“That’s exactly what’s baffling us.”

Baili crossed his arms, his tone heavy. “Don’t forget—we’re living in an era filled with mutated beings. We don’t know what kind of powers their superhumans have.”

“Maybe someone on their team has an ability like that.”

Zhang Yi’s breathing grew heavier.

“You’re talking about... future sight?”

If that was true, how could they possibly fight back?

No matter what move you made, the other side would always be one step ahead.

It’d be like playing rock-paper-scissors, except you had to show your hand first.

Baili scratched his head. “Right now it’s just speculation. We don’t have solid proof. But personally, I think that’s a bit of a stretch.”

“If they really had that kind of power, they could’ve conquered all of Neon Nation’s superhuman organizations. Why would they bother crossing the sea to fight us?”

Zhang Yi scoffed, arms crossed. “Sounds like someone didn’t do their homework.”

But Baili quickly responded, “That’s not fair. We paid a heavy price to get the intel we do have.”

Zhang Yi’s smirk faded into something colder—more contemptuous.

“You mean the ‘price’ you paid was sacrificing those ten superhuman teams who volunteered to go to Linhai City, right?”

Only then did Baili seem to remember—Zhang Yi was technically one of the Outer City leaders.

Maybe it was because Zhang Yi’s power was just too overwhelming—it made Baili subconsciously separate him from the rest of the outer city forces.

“Well… that was something we couldn’t avoid.”

Baili gave a bitter smile.

Zhang Yi shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not like it affected me. In fact, I should thank you for the heads-up back then.”

Zhang Yi didn’t hold any particular grudge toward Zhu Zheng and the other leaders of Blizzard City.

This was war.

When you’re playing chess and trying to take the king, you can’t protect every single piece. Some of them have to be sacrificed.

As long as the piece being sacrificed wasn’t him, Zhang Yi couldn’t care less.

But inside, Zhang Yi’s sense of caution had grown sharper.

Even if he came here with a desire to repel foreign invaders, he wasn’t about to be turned into cannon fodder.

Suddenly, a new thought popped into Zhang Yi’s mind.

“Baili—do you think any of their people could be Epsilon-level?”

Baili fell silent for a moment—even Wu Di and the others looked over in surprise.

Epsilon.

Just hearing the word was enough to send chills.

They’d seen firsthand during the battle in Tianhai City what kind of terrifying power an Epsilon-level superhuman had.

If Moon of Corrosion really had someone at that level, wiping out ten teams wouldn’t be shocking at all.

But Baili shook his head decisively.

“No. There’s video footage from the battlefield. We saw those Ronin in action. They were strong, sure—but definitely not Epsilon level.”

Zhang Yi nodded. “In that case, there’s still hope.”

These were Ronin—not some inexperienced rookie like Yuan Kongye.

If there was an Epsilon among them, even Zhang Yi couldn’t rule out the possibility that he might die out there.

Author's Note