Chapter 691: Gao Changkong

Chapter 691: Gao Changkong

Gao Changkong came from a humble background and had never served in the military.

You could say he represented the ultimate underdog success story in Blizzard City—his life was downright inspirational.

That’s why he had immense support among the public.

Countless girls in the city were die-hard fans of his.

Some even joked in private that their dream was to marry Deng Shentong and keep Gao Changkong as their secret lover.

One was the classic rich, powerful, and handsome CEO type, while the other was a warm, radiant “first love paladin” type.

Zhang Yi could now fully feel the zeal of the fan culture.

But it wasn’t a bad thing.

After the apocalypse, people no longer idolized pretty boy celebrities—but brave, fearless warriors.

He wondered if one day, he’d get that kind of attention too.

He stayed half a step behind Baili Changqing, not wanting to draw too much attention.

But Gao Changkong’s gaze still lingered on him for a moment.

Some people couldn’t hide who they were.

Just standing there made them shine.

Baili Changqing walked up and gave Gao Changkong a bear hug with a laugh.

“Old Gao, congrats! Everything went smoothly at Beiting Lake?”

Gao Changkong smiled, “It went okay. The creature we faced was strong, but not smart. The problem was it had too many minions, so the battle dragged on.”

He turned to Zhang Yi. “And this is?”

Baili Changqing quickly introduced him, “Let me introduce you—this is Zhang Yi, an Awakened from Tianhai City. There’s a long story behind him, we can talk about it later.”

Though the intro was brief, Gao Changkong’s expression remained fully respectful.

Anyone Baili would personally bring over in his car had to be someone of comparable strength.

A top-tier elite.

Gao Changkong made that assessment silently.

He walked up to Zhang Yi and offered his right hand.

“Zhang Yi, nice to meet you. I’m Gao Changkong, captain of the Reincarnation Squad.”

Zhang Yi glanced at the offered hand—covered by a black leather glove.

He was also wearing gloves, so he gave a firm shake.

“Captain Gao, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

While sizing up Gao Changkong, Zhang Yi also casually swept his eyes over the rest of the Reincarnation Squad.

They had nine members total.

But the two most eye-catching ones were standing closest to Gao.

To his rear left was a tall, gentle-looking woman with thick, black, waist-length hair.

That kind of hair length was rare—and striking.

Combined with her graceful figure and beautiful face, it was easy to see how someone could become infatuated.

On the other side stood a handsome man with a center-part hairstyle and hands in his pockets.

His expression carried a mix of wildness, arrogance, defiance—and just a hint of disdain.

Facing the crowd, Gao Changkong raised his voice.

“Thank you—thank you, everyone! We’ve returned safely. Thank you for your support!”

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “Brother, go take out those Neon punks!”

That one comment instantly lit a fire among the spectators.

Fueled by emotion, many held deep contempt for the Neon Nation.

After watching Blizzard City lose twice in their campaign against Moon of Corrosion, people were furious.

They all hoped Gao Changkong would take the lead and win back the honor of the Jiangnan District, and of the entire Huaxu Nation.

“Captain Gao, kill those Neon bastards!”

“Crush them! They’re absolutely despicable!”

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but feel speechless at the shouting.

These people had no idea how powerful Moon of Corrosion really was.

Approaching your enemy with arrogance and underestimation would only trap you in ignorance.

It’s not weakness or ignorance that gets you killed—it’s arrogance.

Gao Changkong’s expression shifted slightly at those comments, but he didn’t answer. He simply smiled and waved.

Then he turned to Baili Changqing and Zhang Yi and said, “I’m heading to HQ to report to Commander Zhu. After that, let’s grab a drink. I’ve been away for a while—time to catch up on what’s been going on in Blizzard City.”

Baili scratched his head. “You just came back victorious—they should be throwing you a welcome banquet!”

Gao Changkong shook his head.

“I turned it down. When I was on my way back, HQ told me about some recent developments regarding Moon of Corrosion.”

“It’s not the right time for celebrations. It would just cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

After all, Celestial Squad suffered heavy casualties, and Deng Shentong died in battle. The Deng family and the Operations Center were still in mourning.

If the Reincarnation Squad threw a party now, it’d look like they were rubbing it in.

Gao Changkong was too thoughtful to make that kind of mistake.

“In that case, let’s just have a quiet get-together later,” Baili said with a smile.

Zhang Yi didn’t say anything. He wasn’t the type to speak much around strangers.

When you don’t know someone well, saying less means fewer mistakes—and fewer chances to expose your weaknesses.

Gao Changkong gave some instructions to his squad, especially to his vice captain, that center-parted guy named Ji Yushen.

“I’ll ride with them.”

Ji Yushen stared at Zhang Yi for a long moment, then nodded.

Gao Changkong got into Baili’s car, taking the front passenger seat while Zhang Yi sat in the back.

The car headed for the Operations Command Center.

Meanwhile, as the welcome ceremony wrapped up, the fans all returned to their jobs.

Joy was temporary. Most of the time, they still had to work hard just to survive.

On the way, Gao Changkong and Baili chatted casually.

Zhang Yi could tell they were genuinely close friends.

Gao Changkong asked about Moon of Corrosion.

Baili let out a long sigh. “It’s not looking good.”

He recounted the events in detail—including how the last mission ended in failure.

Gao Changkong frowned as he listened.

“Even Deng Shentong couldn’t win?”

Baili said, “You came back at just the right moment. Unless something unexpected happens, the next mission will probably fall to you. So you better be mentally prepared.”

Gao Changkong gave a light laugh. His gaze turned serious, though his tone remained calm.

“We’re the defenders of order in Jiangnan District. No matter who tries to disrupt the peace here—no matter how strong they are—we’ll face them without fear.”

Baili nodded. “Headquarters is clearly taking Moon of Corrosion more seriously this time.”

“Blizzard City will be deploying more forces. Commander Zhu will definitely tell you more when you see him.”

“And Moon of Corrosion didn’t come out of it unscathed either. Even though their leader killed Deng Shentong, he was badly injured in the process.”

“They lost five members.”

As he spoke, Baili tilted his head toward the back seat and gave a thumbs-up.

“And the guy behind me? He’s the one who took out one of Moon of Corrosion’s elite members all by himself.”

Author's Note