Chapter 722: Provocation

Chapter 722: Provocation

The next day, in the underground training arena on the first basement level of the operations center, Zhang Yi summoned all members of the Celestial Hound Squad to gather.

This was their first full team meeting.

As for the Black Robe Squad, there was no issue—Zhang Yi got along fairly well with them, and with Baili Changqing smoothing things over, everyone naturally accepted Zhang Yi’s leadership.

But the Celestial Squad was a different story.

Deng Shentong had held huge influence over them.

He was powerful, extraordinarily gifted, and carried a charismatic personality.

Zhu Zheng had once said to his face that he had a noble spirit.

Not only was he a gifted leader, he was also a wealthy second-generation heir—and extremely generous with his team.

Who wouldn’t like someone like that?

But now, shortly after Deng Shentong’s death, a random Awakened from the Outer City had come to take his place.

The remaining three members of the Celestial Squad clearly weren’t happy about it.

The massive training ground was wide and empty—usually used by various squads for regular drills.

The scheduled meeting time was 9:00 a.m.

Zhang Yi arrived at the training ground with Yang Xinxin, Liang Yue, and Hua Hua.

The Black Robe Squad’s six members were already there on time.

Baili Changqing cheerfully waved at Zhang Yi.

"Captain, our people are all here!"

Wu Di and the others looked at Zhang Yi, with complex expressions in their eyes.

Not long ago, Zhang Yi had just been the head of a small faction in Tianhai City.

Now, he was their leader.

It just went to show—after the Apocalypse, more and more people were rising to power based on ability alone.

Hierarchy and seniority were becoming things of the past.

Zhang Yi walked in, swept his gaze across the field, and saw only the Black Robe Squad.

None of the three remaining Celestial Squad members had shown up.

He already knew—they were clearly trying to make a statement by skipping his first meeting.

Their profiles popped into Zhang Yi’s mind.

As captain, he had already studied each member's abilities thoroughly.

The three who survived were Ye He, Xue Miao, and Lu Yinghao.

Among them, Lu Yinghao ranked last in the squad.

Ye He was mid-tier, and Xue Miao slightly below that.

The fact they were alive mostly came down to luck.

In that last battle, all the top Celestial Squad elites had taken on the toughest opponents.

After Deng Shentong’s death, HQ had urgently pulled the rest out—that’s how these three made it.

Zhang Yi glanced at his watch in mock seriousness—8:52, still 8 minutes until the scheduled time.

He strolled forward, calm as ever, and said, "Let’s wait for the others."

Then he said no more.

Wu Di leaned against the equipment rack and grinned at Kong Sheng. "Watch this—those guys from the Celestial Squad definitely want to give Zhang Yi a hard time."

Kong Sheng shook his head. "That’s just how they are. They never take others seriously."

Even though the operation against Moon of Corrosion had failed, their long-standing arrogance wasn’t so easy to shake off.

People always clung to the glory of the past.

Zhang Yi waited until the clock hit nine—but the three still hadn’t shown.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

He clapped his hands. "Everyone, gather up. I’ve got something to say."

Baili Changqing led the Black Robe Squad members over.

Zhang Yi stretched out his hand and gestured to Yang Xinxin and Liang Yue.

"You’re all already familiar with them, so I won’t introduce further. From today, they’re also part of the Celestial Hound Squad."

Everyone looked toward Liang Yue and Yang Xinxin with surprise.

Back in Tianhai City, Liang Yue’s combat level had been far from top-tier.

At most, she was on the same level as Wei Dinghai or Xiao Honglian.

And Yang Xinxin hadn’t even been an Awakened back then.

Everyone felt a bit skeptical, but no one objected.

Because in the Great Mutation Era, three days apart could mean a whole new person.

You never knew how powerful someone might become after awakening.

Zhang Yi raised his wrist and glanced at his Rolex, speaking in a neutral tone: "Baili, what’s the punishment for being late according to Investigation Unit rules?"

Baili Changqing grinned.

"According to protocol, one major demerit and a public apology in front of the whole team!"

The Investigation Unit was a special forces group. Their missions were critical—potentially affecting the entire Jiangnan Region.

As such, discipline was exceptionally strict.

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow, voice faintly amused: "Oh? That serious? Then let’s go by the book. The three who didn’t show—mark them late."

The Black Robe Squad exchanged glances, some of them barely hiding their smirks.

Because if you got two major demerits, the rule was—expulsion from the unit.

Zhang Yi was really laying down the law on his first day.

But Baili Changqing answered seriously, "Understood!"

Discipline is discipline—no excuses. That was the soldier’s iron rule.

Just then, a cold voice rang out from above.

"Hey, who are you calling late?"

Zhang Yi’s smile deepened as he looked up.

On the second level of the training ground, three men in silver battle suits looked down, their faces full of provocation.

This was open disdain for the new captain they refused to acknowledge.

"Yo, you’re Chaos, huh? What a lame codename. If you wanna play captain, at least don’t make rookie mistakes. Tossing out demerits to scare people? That’s not leadership."

The other two snickered.

Zhang Yi wasn’t fazed. He continued speaking to Baili Changqing. "Go ahead with the punishment. Count them late."

The three men’s expressions darkened.

They hadn’t expected Zhang Yi to actually go through with it.

Some Outer City Awakened, getting lucky and stumbling into a temporary captain position, dared to act like this?

"Hey, what the h*ll are you doing?! We’re right here!" shouted Ye He from above.

"I don’t see you. Doesn’t count," Zhang Yi replied flatly.

"You’ve got ten seconds to get in front of me. Otherwise, there’s no place for you in my squad!"

These bottom-of-the-barrel Celestial Squad leftovers wanted to act tough?

If he didn’t show them who was boss, they wouldn’t know who held the real cards.

The three men's faces turned downright ugly.

They had tried to make a statement—but Zhang Yi just called their bluff.

Author's Note