"What! Zhendong is dead too!?"
In a room at the center of the Survival Base, Wang Zhenhong shot to his feet, staring at the man below with undisguised horror.
"Seven or eight hundred Third and Tier-4 Evolvers-and half of them were killed!?"
"Didn't you say they only had seven people?"
"Y-yes... only seven," the man said quietly.
"Seven people? Seven people did this to you!?"
"Are you all completely fucking useless!?"
Wang Zhenhong had reached the absolute limit of his fury.
His son and his brother, killed back to back. He was barely holding onto his sanity.
"Master... they have a Tier-6 Evolver!"
"Tier 6!? How is that possible!?"
Wang Zhenhong's eyes went wide, disbelief written across every line of his face.
Even the Wang family and the government didn't have a Tier-6 Evolver. How could a handful of nobodies possibly have one?
"It's true, Master. They don't just have a Tier-6 Evolver-they have several ability users too. The weakest among them is Tier 5. We... we never stood a chance."
"......"
Wang Zhenhong fell silent.
As much as he didn't want to believe it, he knew the man wouldn't dare lie to his face.
"How could anyone reach Tier 6 this fast..." he muttered.
This battle had cost the Wang family dearly-and delivered a resounding slap across Wang Zhenhong's face.
What stung worst was the realization: while they'd been congratulating themselves on staying ahead of the curve, someone had already blown past them entirely.
Ma Zhongguo was equally shaken.
At that same moment, the mayor was throwing his own tantrum behind closed doors.
He'd sent Shen Hong over thinking she might find an opening-charm someone useful, bring back a prize.
Instead, she never came back at all.
Shen Hong was one of the few ability users under his control, and fiercely loyal at that.
Losing such a valuable piece from his board left Ma Zhongguo seething.
"Fine. Fine, fine, fine." His voice was low and dangerous. "They really think the apocalypse means no one's in charge anymore. They think they can just ignore the government."
"When Vice Division Commander Liu returns, tell him I need a word."
"Yes, sir."
When Liu Yong returned to the Survival Base with a large contingent of soldiers escorting another batch of survivors, a subordinate flagged him down with the message. He made his way to Ma Zhongguo's residence, mildly puzzled.
"Mayor Ma. You wanted to see me?"
"Vice Division Commander Liu, perfect timing. Please, sit."
Liu Yong lowered himself onto the stool, still uncertain what this was about.
"Vice Division Commander Liu, how have the rescue operations been going lately?"
"Fairly smooth. Ever since that Tier-6 zombie disappeared, we haven't taken mass casualties."
"Though survivors are getting harder to find. Some days we sweep entire districts and come back with barely a handful." Liu Yong's tone was matter-of-fact, but the weariness bled through.
"That's to be expected. It's been a long time since the apocalypse started. The living are only going to get scarcer."
"By the way-that Tier-6 zombie your people wounded. It never resurfaced?" Ma Zhongguo asked.
"No." Liu Yong shook his head. "We tracked its escape route for days. Nothing."
"Is it possible someone else finished it off?"
"Mayor Ma." Liu Yong's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why the sudden interest in that zombie? Something happen?"
"We encountered a Tier-6 Evolver at Jinghe Garden." Ma Zhongguo let the words land with appropriate gravity.
"A Tier-6 Evolver!?"
Liu Yong stood up before he realized he'd moved.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Tier 6 was. One Tier-6 zombie had torn through his men, and even after they'd put a round clean through its skull, the thing still escaped.
"Who the hell is strong enough to kill a Tier-6 zombie?" Liu Yong asked.
"A few lawless young punks," Ma Zhongguo said, his voice carefully controlled. "If I had to guess, your people did the hard work-crippled that zombie-and they swooped in to finish it off."
"That's... plausible," Liu Yong conceded with a nod.
"Right. And honestly, if that's all it was-just lucky scavenging-I wouldn't care. Good for them. But these people are violent criminals. The moment they gained power, they started killing indiscriminately."
"Just yesterday, they murdered the Wang family's eldest son, Wang Ruikai, along with dozens of people in his villa at Jinghe Garden."
"Today, when the Wang family sent people to confront them, they slaughtered hundreds more." Ma Zhongguo's voice rose with righteous anger.
"That ruthless?" Liu Yong's brow furrowed.
"They're a cancer. We cannot allow them to keep running wild. That's why I'm asking you, Vice Division Commander Liu, to take a team to Jinghe Garden and bring them in."
"That's..."
"Mayor Ma, you know how stretched we are. Star City still has survivors waiting for rescue. We don't have the manpower to spare."
"Vice Division Commander Liu, I understand the pressure you're under. Believe me." Ma Zhongguo leaned forward, his tone shifting to something more urgent, more reasonable. "But these people are no less dangerous than the zombies. They have zero respect for authority. If we let them keep growing stronger, we may lose the ability to deal with them entirely."
"With temperaments like theirs, they will become a catastrophe for Star City. It's only a matter of time."
"This..."
Liu Yong's frown deepened. He sat with it for a long moment, then finally nodded.
"Fine. I'll take a team to have a look. But unless they're idiots, they've already cleared out. No guarantee we find anything."
"That's fine. Just check whether they left any trail. I trust your military's investigative capabilities-even if they've fled, you'll track them down eventually."
"Alright."
Liu Yong nodded without enthusiasm, collected the dossiers on the targets, and left.
Back at his quarters, he began assembling personnel and equipment.
A Tier-6 Evolver. As if that was something you just casually went and arrested. Proper preparation was non-negotiable.
"Commander." Song Tielin appeared at his side, voice low. "I'm pretty sure the group Mayor Ma's talking about is the same one we ran into before."
"Yeah. I figured." Liu Yong didn't look up from the equipment manifest. "You think they're the type to kill indiscriminately?"
"Indiscriminately? No." Song Tielin paused, choosing his words. "But they're not the type to show mercy either. If someone crosses them, killing a few hundred people? Yeah. They'd do it without blinking."
Liu Yong nodded slowly.
"Commander, honestly-that group is not going to be easy to take in. Are we really doing this?"
"I know. But I already agreed, so we at least have to show up and go through the motions."
"Get everyone ready. We move in thirty minutes."
"Yes, sir!"
"Goddamn it," Liu Yong muttered once Song Tielin left. "What kind of bullshit errand is this? Like I've got nothing better to do."
"Uncle Liu, let me come along." Lin Yifei appeared beside him.
Liu Yong considered it, then nodded.
"Good idea. If we actually run into them, your ability could make the difference."
He exhaled heavily.
"Here's hoping they're already gone. I really don't want to fight another Tier 6."
Looking for more free chapters? Visit www.skynovelvault.com to read over 5,000 free chapters and continue exploring more stories from SkyNovelVault.