Chapter 723: The Challenge

Chapter 723: The Challenge

Zhang Yi glanced at the plain, unassuming Rolex on his wrist, silently counting the ticking seconds.

The three men didn’t dare keep pushing their luck.

Xue Miao grabbed Ye He and Lu Yinghao by the arms and leapt into the air. A swirling gust surrounded them as they descended from above, landing safely in front of Zhang Yi and the others.

Zhang Yi looked at the second hand and remarked with a touch of regret, "What a shame."

The three of them glared at Zhang Yi, their obvious resentment plain as day—even a fool could see it.

Ye He crossed his arms and said sarcastically, "Chaos, you're really throwing your weight around, huh? First day on the job and already abusing your authority? Impressive!"

He deliberately emphasized the name "Chaos," his tone dripping with scorn.

In his eyes, anyone who chose a name like that had to be some timid little nobody.

True powerhouses, like their former captain, picked names that sounded mighty and awe-inspiring.

Deng Shentong’s codename, for instance, had been—Erlang Shen Yang Jian.

Zhang Yi stared coldly at the three men.

This situation was completely within his expectations.

The Black Robe Squad said nothing, but their expressions clearly said they were enjoying the show.

Though they knew Zhang Yi was strong, strength alone didn’t make a good leader.

He needed the ability to command.

If he couldn’t even control these three, how could he lead them into battle against Moon of Corrosion?

Zhang Yi fixed his icy gaze on the trio, his eyes finally locking onto Ye He.

It was obvious—Ye He was their ringleader.

Take him down, and the others would fall in line.

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

Zhang Yi didn’t shout like some drill instructor—he didn’t want to strain his voice.

He simply said it in a chilling tone: "Next time, ask for permission before you speak. If I allow it, then you talk."

Ye He smirked. "Permission to speak, I—"

"Shut up!"

Zhang Yi snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Did I say you could talk?"

"You—"

Ye He was furious now. He had never respected Zhang Yi, this no-name captain plucked from the Outer City.

Seeing Zhang Yi deliberately targeting him, he didn’t bother hiding his contempt anymore.

"What’s the big deal?! Someone like you being captain—fck this shtty Investigation Unit, I quit!"

Zhang Yi didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

"If you’re done, then leave now."

Fewer people just meant he could ask Old Zhu to send him more replacements.

With so many members in Yan Yun, adding a few elites wouldn’t be hard.

But Xue Miao and Lu Yinghao panicked. They quickly grabbed Ye He’s arm and pleaded:

"Don’t be rash! If you quit now, you're playing right into his hands."

"Even if we wanted to quit, we can’t walk away like this—it would disgrace the Celestial Squad name!"

The two of them didn’t have the same family background as Ye He.

Even if Ye He left, his family could still get him another post elsewhere.

But for Xue Miao and Lu Yinghao, they were the backbone of their families.

If they stopped being Investigation Unit members, their whole family's standard of living would plummet.

Not everyone could afford to rage-quit.

You had to know your own worth.

So the two tried hard to stop Ye He from going too far.

They’d gone along with him to stir the pot just so they could bargain for more benefits when transferred to a new squad.

At the mention of the Celestial Squad, a flash of pain crossed Ye He’s eyes.

Memories of past glory—and the towering figure of Deng Shentong—rose in his heart.

Now Deng Shentong and the others hadn’t even been buried properly, and they’d been tossed like garbage into a patchwork squad.

How could Ye He not feel humiliated?

He honestly felt like the region had abandoned them.

Otherwise, why else would they appoint some no-name Awakened from the Outer City as their captain?

Meanwhile, the Black Robe Squad watched with amused expressions.

Ye He gritted his teeth, making a decision.

If he was going to leave, he wouldn't go out like this—he couldn’t let people laugh at him.

He pointed at Zhang Yi. "Hey! Aren’t you the Celestial Hound Squad captain? Let’s see if you’re even worthy of that title!"

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who are you to decide that? What the h*ll do you think you are?"

"You... don’t think you can just win with words!"

Ye He glared at Zhang Yi and sneered, "There’s a rule in the Investigation Unit."

"A squad captain must accept challenges from team members. If he loses, he forfeits his position."

"This kind of challenge cannot be refused. And since I’m still a squad member, that means..." He smiled darkly. "You have to accept my challenge, Chaos!"

Zhang Yi fell silent for a moment.

Not out of fear—but because he was genuinely puzzled.

Did people who stayed in big institutions for too long just get... dumber?

"You want to fight me?"

He pointed at himself, clearly baffled.

Even if he wasn’t that well-known, could they really not tell? If Zhu Zheng had personally appointed him, did they think he’d be weak?

Ye He snorted.

"Of course not! One-on-one would be bad optics."

"It’ll be the three of us—versus you!"

"Zhang Yi, do you dare accept the challenge?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Baili Changqing and the others immediately perked up, their faces full of interest.

They all knew Zhang Yi was strong.

But how strong, exactly? They didn’t know.

Three Celestial Squad members versus Zhang Yi alone—now that would be fun to watch.

Would Zhang Yi accept the challenge?

Baili Changqing frowned slightly, trying to calculate whether he himself could take on the three.

In the end, he wasn’t optimistic.

Investigation Unit members were all elites. One-on-one might be doable, but the synergy of three working together could drastically increase their strength.

Even as a vice-captain, unless he had a direct counter ability, Baili didn’t think he could win a 1v3.

Zhang Yi lifted his gaze, his tone calm: "If you’re looking to die, I’ll gladly oblige."

This battle was necessary to assert his authority.

If he didn’t fight, he wouldn’t be able to lead them going forward.

Ye He and the others lit up with excitement.

They hadn’t expected Zhang Yi to actually accept!

Ye He sneered darkly. "Three-on-one? Unless you're a real captain-level Awakened, you won’t stand a chance."

"He doesn’t really think just because he holds the title of captain, he’s actually got captain-level strength, right?"

It was the same situation Baili Changqing had faced when leading the Black Robe Squad—position didn’t always equal power.

Author's Note