Chapter 620: One Hour
Liang Yue’s question wasn’t without reason.
This time, Zhang Yi was heading to Blizzard City with only her and Hua Hua, but refused to bring along Uncle You and the others.
It was easier to explain not bringing Zhou Ke’er, Lu Keran, and the others—they were all Support-type superhumans, after all.
But what about Uncle You and Xu Chunlei?
They were both Combat-type superhumans. Zhang Yi choosing not to take them meant only one thing—their combat power wasn’t enough for the battles Zhang Yi was involved in now.
That naturally made Liang Yue, as a teammate, feel uneasy.
After hearing her question, a playful smile crept onto Zhang Yi’s lips.
Instead of answering directly, he asked in return, “Miss Liang, do you think I’m the kind of guy who’s eager to build a massive force and constantly grow his own team?”
Zhang Yi answered without hesitation, “Of course not!”
“Sure, from the start of the apocalypse till now, it might look like our team’s been expanding.”
“But I’ve never had the intention of creating some huge faction or ruling the world in the apocalypse.”
He shot a glance at Liang Yue. “Otherwise, I could’ve easily consolidated all of Tianhai City’s forces by now. Have you seen me do that?”
Liang Yue’s expression grew thoughtful.
“You really haven’t.”
Even after taking in the people from the three major bases, Zhang Yi had never planned to manage them directly.
That didn’t line up with someone hungry for power.
Zhang Yi said calmly, “Back when the apocalypse first hit, I kept gathering people because I didn’t have the ability to protect myself. Banding together helped us all survive.”
“Back then, I did pick teammates with a very utilitarian mindset.”
“But now, those harsh early days are behind us. And the relationship between you all and me is no longer just mutual benefit.”
Zhang Yi looked at Liang Yue, his gaze softening.
“We’re family now. And family doesn’t nitpick over who contributes more or less.”
“Even if you guys couldn’t do anything at all—just being by my side would be enough.”
The sincerity in Zhang Yi’s eyes made Liang Yue finally feel at ease.
She nodded. “That’s all I hoped for. Honestly, I’ve already seen all of us as family too. I just want us all to survive this apocalypse together.”
Zhang Yi smiled and nodded. “That’s the spirit! So from now on, none of that kind of talk, alright? Family doesn’t doubt each other.”
Liang Yue lowered her head a bit sheepishly. “I was overthinking it. Sorry!”
Zhang Yi thought to himself, Hey, I’m not some kind of devil...
At his core, Zhang Yi saw himself as just a regular person.
Not overly kind, but definitely not evil either.
All he wanted was to survive this apocalyptic world in peace.
And if he could have a group of companions who gave him warmth, even better. People always need some emotional support.
So even if Uncle You and the others couldn’t contribute much in future battles, Zhang Yi’s attitude toward them on the surface wouldn’t change.
Having a trustworthy crew in the apocalypse was already incredibly rare.
Zhang Yi and Liang Yue arrived at the Xiaomiaoshan Subway Station. He put the Snow Vehicle into storage, then waited on the platform for the special train to pick them up.
Right on schedule, the train arrived.
As usual, the familiar robotic female attendant greeted them with a smile and invited them to board.
Zhang Yi and Liang Yue stepped onto the train, with Hua Hua perched on Zhang Yi’s shoulder like always.
This time, since there was no need to pick anyone up from other cities, it only took them under two hours to reach Blizzard City.
They stepped off the train onto a quiet platform, guarded by a few armed soldiers.
But Zhang Yi saw some familiar faces.
Baili Changqing, current captain of the Black Robe Investigation Team, along with his old acquaintances Wu Di and Meng Siyu.
The three of them were geared up in sleek black combat suits, and when they saw Zhang Yi, smiles broke out on both Baili Changqing’s and Meng Siyu’s faces.
Wu Di still wore that cocky expression, but his eyes carried a trace of respect when he looked at Zhang Yi.
After all, last time, Zhang Yi had beat him fair and square—while holding back.
“Hahaha! Zhang Yi, welcome to Blizzard City! You got here at just the right time.”
Baili Changqing laughed heartily and pulled Zhang Yi into a big bear hug.
Zhang Yi was a bit surprised. “You came to pick me up?”
As a Captain of one of the Six Investigation Teams, Baili personally coming to greet him was a bit over the top—it made Zhang Yi wonder just how much clout he had now.
When did he get this much face?
Baili let go and smiled. “Commander Zhu asked me to come meet you. To be honest, I was a little surprised myself that you actually agreed to join this operation.”
Zhang Yi got the picture—his actions in wiping out the Daze City superhuman alliance must’ve caught Zhu Zheng’s attention.
Still, he just gave a calm smile in response.
“You really think I had a choice?”
Baili’s grin widened.
“Commander Zhu said you were very cooperative this time—agreed to come right away.”
Zhang Yi took a deep breath. “Is that so weird? Even I can’t just sit back when facing a foreign invasion.”
Zhang Yi wasn’t stupid.
Baili nodded approvingly, then sighed. “You’re right. This mess is worse than we thought.”
Zhang Yi’s face turned serious too.
“What exactly happened? Is Moon of Corrosion really that strong? They wiped out ten superhuman teams?”
Baili replied in a grave tone, “It’s worse than you think. Even Commander Zhu was floored when he heard the full story.”
“There’s something weird about Moon of Corrosion’s power. You know how long it took them to eliminate those ten teams?”
Zhang Yi narrowed his eyes. “How long?”
Baili said each word slowly and clearly.
Zhang Yi was stunned.
“One hour? No way. That’s impossible!”
Even if Bian Junwu led the entire Black Robe Squad at full strength, there’s no way they could pull that off.
There were just too many unknowns in warfare.
When you don’t know your enemy, you’ve got to probe carefully, and distribute your forces properly.
If this battle had been between the Black Robe Squad and ten superhuman teams, Zhang Yi figured it’d take at least ten days, maybe more.
Even if Bian Junwu went all-in with Annihilation, it wouldn’t be that fast.
Once your powers are exposed, others will find ways to counter them.
Even if they lost, it wouldn’t be like slaughtering pigs—completely wiped out in an hour!
Baili said, “Come on, let’s talk while we walk. We’ll chat more at the bar.”
Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow, curious. “Shouldn’t I be meeting Commander Zhu first?”
He was here on official business, after all.
Zhu Zheng sent Baili to receive him, and now Baili was taking him for drinks?