Chapter 712: The Undying and the Prophet

Zhu Zheng paused for a moment when he received the codename Zhang Ye submitted. Then a smile slowly crept across his face.

As if to say—of course.

That’s exactly what fits Zhang Ye’s personality.

After the codename system was introduced, the six major districts had even squabbled over it.

Popular codenames were like lucky license plates—everyone wanted one.

Superhumans had clashed many times over a single coveted codename.

Just a hot codename could spark a duel between two top-tier supers.

Names like "Sun Wukong," "Erlang Shen," "Lord Guan," and "Hao Tian" had already swapped owners multiple times.

Zhang Ye picked one like [Chaos], which meant no one would bother coming after him for it.

“This guy… steady. Way too steady.”

Zhu Zheng couldn’t help but sigh.

If Zhang Ye weren’t so insistent on staying out of Blizzard City, Zhu Zheng would’ve loved to recruit and nurture him personally.

He’d absolutely be a capable right-hand man.

Especially now that the frontier forces had been wiped out, Zhu Zheng’s own power base had taken a major hit.

If things didn’t rebalance, even his position might become shaky.

“Zhang Ye, Zhang Ye…”

He muttered the name to himself, already thinking about how to win Zhang Ye over—if he completed this mission successfully.

…

Not long after Zhang Ye left the Operations Center, Baili Changqing found him.

As soon as they met, Baili Changqing gave Zhang Ye a meaningful smile.

“Congrats—you ended up becoming the investigation team captain after all!”

His eyes held a mix of feelings.

Looking back, it really was pretty legendary for Zhang Ye, someone from the outer city, to become a team captain.

Zhang Ye noticed the look and could already guess what was on his mind.

So he asked, “What about you? Does that mean you’re no longer captain?”

Baili Changqing shrugged helplessly. “I was only acting captain to begin with. And now I’ve come to terms with it—if you don’t have what it takes, don’t take the job.”

“These past days I had the captain title, but no one really treated me like one.”

“This way’s a bit easier, honestly.”

Zhang Ye rubbed his nose. “That’s not my fault.”

Baili Changqing nodded. “I get it. At least my family’s living standards haven’t changed.”

Zhang Ye said, “I’m only acting as captain for now. Once the Shiyue mission’s over, the Tengu Squad might get disbanded. I’ll step down too. When that time comes, I’ll recommend you to retake the role.”

He smiled and slung an arm over Baili Changqing’s shoulder. “We’re close, right? If I don’t have your back, who will?”

Having connections up top made things smoother, and he definitely intended to look out for Baili Changqing.

Baili Changqing didn’t confirm or deny it. He’d been through this once before, and it left him with complicated feelings.

Only by becoming strong enough could one earn real recognition.

Just like Zhang Ye.

As long as he was strong enough, even without connections or background, people would still value him.

That was the one upside to the apocalypse—it shattered the old social rules and gave ordinary but capable people a chance to rise.

Baili Changqing said to Zhang Ye, “You just became team captain, so there are things you still don’t know. HQ asked me to brief you on the duties and authority that come with the title. Also, I have two important intel packets to give you.”

Zhang Ye’s expression turned serious the moment he heard the word “intel.”

“What kind of intel?”

“One is the personnel file for the Tengu Squad members. As captain, you’ll need to understand their abilities in order to command them properly.”

“As for the Black Robes Squad, I’m already here, and everyone knows your strength, so they shouldn’t have a problem accepting your leadership.”

“But the Heavenly Gods Squad… since Deng Shentong had such high prestige, his teammates are used to being proud and hard to manage. They might not respect a super from the outer city.”

Baili Changqing winked at him. “If needed, show them who’s boss. Let them know who’s in charge.”

Zhang Ye gave Baili Changqing a weird look.

D*mn, are you just using me to settle old scores?

But if those Heavenly Gods Squad folks really didn’t respect him, then yeah—he’d have to teach them a lesson.

“And the other intel file?”

Baili Changqing’s smile faded.

“It’s the last message Deng Shentong sent to HQ before he died.”

“This contains the core intelligence on Shiyue.”

Meaning—Deng Shentong had traded his life for this data.

Zhang Ye’s expression darkened.

He knew nothing about Shiyue’s leader, Fujimiya Jin.

Her abilities, her strength—everything was a blank slate.

Though she defeated Deng Shentong, someone of his level surely forced her to reveal quite a few cards.

This intel was critical!

“Let’s go. Let’s take a look.”

Zhang Ye brought Baili Changqing into the living room, where Yang Xinxin was sitting on the couch hugging Huahua.

Zhang Ye poured a cup of hot water for Baili Changqing, who found a good spot to set up and started playing the footage.

“Let’s watch the intel Deng Shentong sent first,” Zhang Ye said.

Baili Changqing nodded and queued up the recording.

Zhang Ye sat on the couch and pushed the cup of water toward Baili Changqing.

The three of them turned their attention to the screen.

It was the last video Deng Shentong left behind.

Most of the beginning was blank.

Because of his ability to manipulate light, recording devices couldn’t capture a clear image.

Only audio could be heard.

But based on the few lines exchanged between the two, some things still came through.

One thing was clear—Fujimiya Jin had the ability to resurrect after death.

“The Undying? That’s definitely a headache.”

Zhang Ye frowned slightly.

How do you deal with someone you can’t kill?

Though he didn’t believe someone could be truly immortal.

Each time Fujimiya Jin resurrected, she must’ve consumed some ability or resource.

But where was her limit? Who could possibly know?

And from the sounds of battle, her melee combat skills weren’t much worse than Deng Shentong’s.

After a long while, the blinding white light faded away.

And in its place came a sea of crimson flames.

Zhang Ye saw Deng Shentong surrounded by fire, in unbearable pain.

He also saw that terrifying figure—naked, wreathed in flames.

Fujimiya Jin let out a crazed grin and charged in again and again.

Even then, Deng Shentong hadn’t lost his will to fight.

The sacred light around him clashed with the phoenix fire as he fiercely battled Fujimiya Jin!

Author's Note