Chapter 693: Balance

Chapter 693 – Balance

Gao Changkong, the popular investigation captain in Blizzard City, came across as sunny and laid-back.

He was elegant and easygoing, able to get along with just about anyone.

When Zhang Yi talked with him, he found the man had a really pleasant personality.

Gradually, Zhang Yi also began to talk with him more deeply about other topics—for instance, the missions carried out by the investigation teams.

“Captain Gao, there’s something I’m not sure if it’s okay to ask. It’s about your investigation team’s missions.”

Gao Changkong thought for a moment and then smiled. “Go ahead and ask. Some things the higher-ups want us to keep confidential, but honestly, most missions aren’t all that secretive.”

Zhang Yi put down his wine glass. “There are six investigation teams in the Jiangnan District, operating outside for long stretches of time.”

“Even this time, when Outsiders from Neon Nation appeared in the area, no recall order was given for all the investigation teams.”

“What exactly are the missions you’re carrying out? Are they ranked even higher than Moon of Corrosion?”

Gao Changkong thought about it, then answered with a smile. “That’s not an easy question to answer in one sentence. All I can say is—our missions vary a lot. All sorts of things, strange and unpredictable.”

He pointed at Baili Changqing.

“Take the Black Robe Investigation Team for example—they primarily deal with people. If large-scale unrest breaks out in any city, they’re the ones sent in to suppress it.”

“As for our Reincarnation Squad, recently we’ve been handling problems involving beasts.”

Zhang Yi frowned. “Shou problems?”

That sounded a bit philosophical.

“‘Beast’ as in wild animals. Mutant beasts.”

Gao Changkong saw the amusement in Zhang Yi’s eyes and chuckled as he explained.

“You probably know already—after the apocalypse, we entered an era of mass mutation. It wasn’t just humans that evolved—other life forms did too.”

Zhang Yi nodded. “Yeah, I know that.”

His pet Hua Hua, and the demon hound Lele under Xing Tian’s command, were both mutant creatures.

Gao Changkong continued, “But in urban areas, mutated species are relatively rare. You don’t usually find overly dangerous creatures.”

“However, out in the mountains and rivers, in places where wild animals gather, that’s where you get large-scale mutation clusters.”

“It’s just like with us humans—the more individuals gathered in one place, the higher the chance of mutations.”

“And the more powerful those mutants tend to be!”

“In fact, some regions are now dominated by mutated beast hordes.”

Gao Changkong’s expression grew serious.

“Take Beiting Lake, for instance. Many of the mutated beasts there had developed intelligence—some even rivaling humans!”

“Even regular mutated jackals, tigers, and leopards have physical capabilities far beyond anything humans can match.”

“With the global catastrophe, we’re practically back to the primitive era. Our advantage in weaponry has been severely reduced.”

“And that’s allowed the beast clans to rise.”

“The five cities around Beiting Lake had all been taken over by the beast horde.”

“And it was only with full support from Blizzard City that we managed to take the region back. It took us three full months.”

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but gasp.

Wasn’t that basically a beast tide?

But thinking about it more, it actually made perfect sense.

Humans had evolved over countless generations, but in truth, weren’t all that well-suited for the natural world.

The sudden cataclysm wiped out the vast majority of people almost instantly.

Meanwhile, animals—being far more adaptable to environmental changes—began to rise.

After all, most beasts already had better physical capabilities than humans.

A little mutation was all it took to turn them into terrifying opponents.

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but say, “Good thing I live by the coast!”

The coastal areas, with their relatively low salt levels, were mostly frozen over.

Even if there were mutated sea creatures, they weren’t overly strong.

Sure, the deep sea was probably crawling with terrifying monsters…

But at least they weren’t coming up on land to cause trouble.

Zhang Yi asked curiously, “So, are the other investigation teams dealing with similar problems?”

Gao Changkong gave a small smile. “Everyone’s got their own mess to deal with.”

He didn’t go into detail, and Zhang Yi realized this was one of those things outsiders weren’t supposed to know.

After all, he still wasn’t formally enlisted in Blizzard City’s ranks. There were some things people would naturally keep from him.

The three of them drank for over an hour before calling it a night.

This was Zhang Yi’s first time meeting Gao Changkong. He had a good impression of him—thought he was a pretty interesting guy, easy to talk to and not full of himself.

But still, they only spoke on the surface. Nothing too deep.

Zhang Yi gave Zhu Zheng a call and mentioned he was planning to make a quick trip back to Tianhai City to check in on his companions.

Zhu Zheng chuckled. “That’s fine—but make it quick. The moment Reincarnation Squad got back, we started planning the next operation. We can’t do it without you!”

Zhang Yi rubbed his forehead and agreed without hesitation.

Right after, he had Baili Changqing drop him off at the subway station so he could take the train back to Tianhai City.

Meanwhile, over at the Operations Command Center, Zhu Zheng had just ended the call with Zhang Yi and was now calmly looking at the person across from him.

On the sofa sat an elderly man with a face like a serene Buddha, leisurely sipping his tea.

Zhu Zheng spoke. “Mr. Deng, now that everyone’s assembled, we can move forward with our plan. Do you have any further questions?”

Deng Yuanbo set his cup down.

He looked at Zhu Zheng and smiled.

“Have you finalized the personnel?”

Zhu Zheng frowned slightly. “Zhang Yi is an excellent choice. I asked for his opinion, and he’s not willing to take the squad captain role.”

He clasped his hands over his knees.

“His abilities are crucial to this operation, but what I value even more is his ability to block prophetic abilities from the enemy—not just his combat strength.”

“As for the squad leader, we can choose someone else. In terms of command, Baili Changqing might be a better fit.”

Deng Yuanbo’s smile widened.

“But does Baili Changqing have enough strength to earn everyone’s respect?”

Zhu Zheng snorted softly. “He may not be one of the six captains, but he’s still at deputy-captain level. He’s only slightly behind them.”

“If we don’t promote Baili Changqing, are we supposed to hand everything over to Gao Changkong?”

Deng Yuanbo chuckled. “I know you’re not the type to give that much power to any one person.”

“But this time, Blizzard City can’t afford another failure. If we lose again, you know full well what the consequences will be.”

Zhu Zheng’s gaze grew deep.

If they failed against Moon of Corrosion again, as the commander of Jiangnan District, there’d be no excuse—he’d have to resign in disgrace.

But… could they really afford to let Gao Changkong hold that much power?

Deng Yuanbo spoke slowly. “From my perspective, Zhang Yi is still the best candidate. He refused the captain post because your offer wasn’t tempting enough. It just didn’t move him.”

Author's Note