Chapter 653: Breaking Up the Team
The situation between Zhang Yi and Chen Xiaoxiao had reached a breaking point.
Truth be told, Chen Xiaoxiao had never been fully convinced of Zhang Yi's authority as team leader.
Now, seeing him acting so cautiousâstalling her from completing the mission and earning contribution pointsâher impatience finally boiled over. She confronted Zhang Yi head-on.
Zhang Yi didnât back down one bit. He plainly told her: If youâre unhappy, youâre free to leave.
Chen Xiaoxiao stared daggers at him, fists clenched tight, absolutely furious.
In her mind, sheâd been cursed with terrible luckâgetting stuck with a coward of a teammate like him.
Before the tension could fizzle, Peng Li jumped in, unable to hold back.
She stepped up, arms akimbo, and scolded Zhang Yi:
âFine, weâll leave! Following a captain like you, we wonât even scrape together a single point. People like you? Youâll never accomplish anything. No guts at all!â
She snorted coldly, then tugged Chen Xiaoxiaoâs arm.
âCome on, Xiaoxiao. Weâll act on our own!â
Chen Xiaoxiao frowned even harder.
If they split up now and ran into a strong Moon of Corrosion member, the two of them might not be able to handle it.
But Zhang Yiâs passive strategy left her totally opposed.
Staying here would just mean more wasted time.
They might as well try on their own.
After all, their mission wasnât to defeat the Moon of Corrosionâjust to lure them out.
Even if they ran into a powerful enemy, the Celestial Squad was supposed to be their backup.
With that in mind, Chen Xiaoxiao said,
âFine then. If we donât share the same path, thereâs no point sticking together. Weâll go our separate ways.â
Peng Li lifted her chin toward Zhang Yi and scoffed:
âJust wait. When we get the points and seize the Linhai City territory, youâre gonna regret it!â
The two turned and walked away without a secondâs hesitation, cautiously heading into the thick fog.
Zhang Yi watched their silhouettes vanish into the mist and raised an eyebrow.
âThey have no idea what kind of enemies theyâre walking into.â
Not everyone had been through a battle like the one in Tianhai City.
To Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li, being Delta-level Superhumans mightâve seemed impressiveâ
But they didnât understand that even within the same level, the gaps could be enormous.
Currently, humanity's classification system for Superhumans was still vague.
Even without subdivisions like Level 1 to 9, power differences at the same rank could be massive.
A peak Delta-level Superhuman could obliterate an average Delta in seconds.
Even Zhang Yi didnât dare act recklesslyâso what made them so confident?
Count on the Celestial Squad to protect them?
Heh.
Putting your life in someone elseâs hands was a childish move.
âYou asked for it. If you die, donât blame me.â
Zhang Yi ignored them and chose to stay put, continuing to observe the surroundings.
It wasnât that he didnât want to contribute to the missionâ
He just understood something they didnât:
Outer City Superhumans were just bait.
The real action would be carried out by the Celestial Squad.
And if the Celestial Squad got to sit back and wait for the perfect opportunityâwhy couldnât he?
When it came down to it, Zhang Yiâs combat power was more valuable than most members of that elite squad.
So he wouldnât act blindly.
He needed patienceâwaiting for the enemy to expose a weakness.
Still, there was one thing he couldnât figure out.
Why hasnât anyone come to this sector yet?
âWhy havenât they shown up? Do they just⊠not want to?â
Zhang Yi rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.
After leaving, Chen Xiaoxiao immediately contacted headquarters.
âHeadquarters, this is Chen Xiaoxiao. Weâve separated from Zhang Yi and Liang Yue.â
âTheyâre refusing to follow orders and are idling around the edge of Jiangning Plaza. Their attitude is far too passive. We canât tolerate this behaviorâso weâve chosen to act independently. Over.â
Zhu Zheng listened quietly, then simply closed his eyes and replied calmly,
âUnderstood. Youâre authorized to proceed on your own.â
Chen Xiaoxiao was a bit taken aback.
Sheâd expected Zhu Zheng to erupt in anger, maybe even come down hard on Zhang Yi.
But he stayed completely calm.
She couldnât figure out the leadershipâs mindset, so she let it go.
On Zhu Zhengâs end, he watched as Zhang Yiâs team had advanced briefly⊠and then stopped again.
Rubbing his forehead, he chuckled with some helpless amusement.
âI almost forgot. That guyâs always been a defense-and-counterattack type. Making him a scout was a mistake.â
A general in the field does not always obey the emperor's orders.
Outer City Superhumans were technically under Blizzard Cityâs command,
But that didnât mean Blizzard City could issue unrestricted orders to them.
Especially nowâsending Zhang Yiâs team deeper into the fog to locate the Moon of Corrosion?
That was basically sending them to their deaths.
So Zhang Yi had played with the wordingâhe moved a bit, then stopped.
Zhu Zheng could only sigh.
Still, this wouldnât affect the overall operation much.
The Outer City units were primarily bait.
And if no enemies showed up in the southeast, Zhang Yi couldnât exactly be blamed.
âWeâll wait and see.â
Hands clasped behind his back, Zhu Zheng shifted his attention back to the other two battlefields.
At this point, the fighting had reached a fever pitch!
Western Battlefield â Wu Shifangâs Squad
Things were becoming more dangerous by the second.
Jia Heting, the Earthburrow Hermit, had his internal organs ruptured by a single stomp from Daiku Kai Enzu. His condition underground was unknownâlife or death.
Even with teamwork between his main body and clone, Wu Shifang couldnât withstand more than three strikes from Daiku Kai.
The Yokozunaâs raw strength was terrifying on its own.
Now that heâd transformed into the Myth-Class Beast Tidal Tiger, his sheer might was enough to bulldoze anything in his way.
âHold him off!â
Mo Zhongning shouted toward Wu Shifang.
Then he summoned a horde of self-destructing Soul Beasts, preparing for a massive assault.
Wu Shifangâs real body already had torn and bleeding hands.
Helpless, his clone put away the longbow and switched to melee combat.
He took the Drum-Urn Hammers from the main body and stepped up to the front lines.
The clone could be sacrificedâ
At most, Wu Shifang would lose a bit of vital energy.
But if it created the right opportunity, it might deal some damage to Daiku Kai.
Seeing them still struggling to resist, Daiku Kai sneered.
âTrying to stop me? With just you lot? Keep dreaming.â
He charged like a freight train toward Wu Shifang and his clone!
Wu Shifang and his clone braced on either side, shouting defiantly:
âNo retreat! We fight to the death!â
If they backed off now, they were finished.
But if they risked everything, there was still a chance!
BOOM!!!!
A thunderous impact echoed out.
The clone, who stood in front, was smashed so hard his body twisted like a pretzel.
The real Wu Shifang, using the recoil, was knocked flying.
He slammed into the ground, clutching his chest, and began coughing up blood.
His internal organs were severely ruptured.
If he werenât an Enhancement-type Superhuman, heâd already be dead.
Just as Daiku Kai raised his Dragonfly Cutter, ready to finish him offâ
His body suddenly vanished from the ground.
By the time he realized it, he was already suspended dozens of meters in the air.
At the last second, Li Weihai had used his spatial transfer ability to relocate Daiku Kai.
Not only thatâ
Mo Zhongningâs explosive Soul Beasts were now all over him.
Hundreds of crab-shaped bombs clung to his body, locking on tight!
BOOM!!!!!!!!!
A string of deafening explosions lit up the sky.
But as Daiku Kai crashed back to earthâ
Everyone could see with their own eyesâ
Aside from some singed hair, he didnât have a single wound.
Author's Note