Chapter 653: Breaking Up the Team
The situation between Zhang Yi and Chen Xiaoxiao had reached a breaking point.
Truth be told, Chen Xiaoxiao had never been fully convinced of Zhang Yi's authority as team leader.
Now, seeing him acting so cautious—stalling her from completing the mission and earning contribution points—her impatience finally boiled over. She confronted Zhang Yi head-on.
Zhang Yi didn’t back down one bit. He plainly told her: If you’re unhappy, you’re free to leave.
Chen Xiaoxiao stared daggers at him, fists clenched tight, absolutely furious.
In her mind, she’d been cursed with terrible luck—getting stuck with a coward of a teammate like him.
Before the tension could fizzle, Peng Li jumped in, unable to hold back.
She stepped up, arms akimbo, and scolded Zhang Yi:
She snorted coldly, then tugged Chen Xiaoxiao’s arm.
“Come on, Xiaoxiao. We’ll act on our own!”
Chen Xiaoxiao frowned even harder.
If they split up now and ran into a strong Moon of Corrosion member, the two of them might not be able to handle it.
But Zhang Yi’s passive strategy left her totally opposed.
Staying here would just mean more wasted time.
They might as well try on their own.
After all, their mission wasn’t to defeat the Moon of Corrosion—just to lure them out.
Even if they ran into a powerful enemy, the Celestial Squad was supposed to be their backup.
With that in mind, Chen Xiaoxiao said,
“Fine then. If we don’t share the same path, there’s no point sticking together. We’ll go our separate ways.”
Peng Li lifted her chin toward Zhang Yi and scoffed:
“Just wait. When we get the points and seize the Linhai City territory, you’re gonna regret it!”
The two turned and walked away without a second’s hesitation, cautiously heading into the thick fog.
Zhang Yi watched their silhouettes vanish into the mist and raised an eyebrow.
“They have no idea what kind of enemies they’re walking into.”
Not everyone had been through a battle like the one in Tianhai City.
To Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li, being Delta-level Superhumans might’ve seemed impressive—
But they didn’t understand that even within the same level, the gaps could be enormous.
Currently, humanity's classification system for Superhumans was still vague.
Even without subdivisions like Level 1 to 9, power differences at the same rank could be massive.
A peak Delta-level Superhuman could obliterate an average Delta in seconds.
Even Zhang Yi didn’t dare act recklessly—so what made them so confident?
Count on the Celestial Squad to protect them?
Putting your life in someone else’s hands was a childish move.
“You asked for it. If you die, don’t blame me.”
Zhang Yi ignored them and chose to stay put, continuing to observe the surroundings.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to contribute to the mission—
He just understood something they didn’t:
Outer City Superhumans were just bait.
The real action would be carried out by the Celestial Squad.
And if the Celestial Squad got to sit back and wait for the perfect opportunity—why couldn’t he?
When it came down to it, Zhang Yi’s combat power was more valuable than most members of that elite squad.
So he wouldn’t act blindly.
He needed patience—waiting for the enemy to expose a weakness.
Still, there was one thing he couldn’t figure out.
Why hasn’t anyone come to this sector yet?
“Why haven’t they shown up? Do they just… not want to?”
Zhang Yi rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.
After leaving, Chen Xiaoxiao immediately contacted headquarters.
“Headquarters, this is Chen Xiaoxiao. We’ve separated from Zhang Yi and Liang Yue.”
“They’re refusing to follow orders and are idling around the edge of Jiangning Plaza. Their attitude is far too passive. We can’t tolerate this behavior—so we’ve chosen to act independently. Over.”
Zhu Zheng listened quietly, then simply closed his eyes and replied calmly,
“Understood. You’re authorized to proceed on your own.”
Chen Xiaoxiao was a bit taken aback.
She’d expected Zhu Zheng to erupt in anger, maybe even come down hard on Zhang Yi.
But he stayed completely calm.
She couldn’t figure out the leadership’s mindset, so she let it go.
On Zhu Zheng’s end, he watched as Zhang Yi’s team had advanced briefly… and then stopped again.
Rubbing his forehead, he chuckled with some helpless amusement.
“I almost forgot. That guy’s always been a defense-and-counterattack type. Making him a scout was a mistake.”
A general in the field does not always obey the emperor's orders.
Outer City Superhumans were technically under Blizzard City’s command,
But that didn’t mean Blizzard City could issue unrestricted orders to them.
Especially now—sending Zhang Yi’s team deeper into the fog to locate the Moon of Corrosion?
That was basically sending them to their deaths.
So Zhang Yi had played with the wording—he moved a bit, then stopped.
Zhu Zheng could only sigh.
Still, this wouldn’t affect the overall operation much.
The Outer City units were primarily bait.
And if no enemies showed up in the southeast, Zhang Yi couldn’t exactly be blamed.
“We’ll wait and see.”
Hands clasped behind his back, Zhu Zheng shifted his attention back to the other two battlefields.
At this point, the fighting had reached a fever pitch!
Western Battlefield — Wu Shifang’s Squad
Things were becoming more dangerous by the second.
Jia Heting, the Earthburrow Hermit, had his internal organs ruptured by a single stomp from Daiku Kai Enzu. His condition underground was unknown—life or death.
Even with teamwork between his main body and clone, Wu Shifang couldn’t withstand more than three strikes from Daiku Kai.
The Yokozuna’s raw strength was terrifying on its own.
Now that he’d transformed into the Myth-Class Beast Tidal Tiger, his sheer might was enough to bulldoze anything in his way.
Mo Zhongning shouted toward Wu Shifang.
Then he summoned a horde of self-destructing Soul Beasts, preparing for a massive assault.
Wu Shifang’s real body already had torn and bleeding hands.
Helpless, his clone put away the longbow and switched to melee combat.
He took the Drum-Urn Hammers from the main body and stepped up to the front lines.
The clone could be sacrificed—
At most, Wu Shifang would lose a bit of vital energy.
But if it created the right opportunity, it might deal some damage to Daiku Kai.
Seeing them still struggling to resist, Daiku Kai sneered.
“Trying to stop me? With just you lot? Keep dreaming.”
He charged like a freight train toward Wu Shifang and his clone!
Wu Shifang and his clone braced on either side, shouting defiantly:
“No retreat! We fight to the death!”
If they backed off now, they were finished.
But if they risked everything, there was still a chance!
A thunderous impact echoed out.
The clone, who stood in front, was smashed so hard his body twisted like a pretzel.
The real Wu Shifang, using the recoil, was knocked flying.
He slammed into the ground, clutching his chest, and began coughing up blood.
His internal organs were severely ruptured.
If he weren’t an Enhancement-type Superhuman, he’d already be dead.
Just as Daiku Kai raised his Dragonfly Cutter, ready to finish him off—
His body suddenly vanished from the ground.
By the time he realized it, he was already suspended dozens of meters in the air.
At the last second, Li Weihai had used his spatial transfer ability to relocate Daiku Kai.
Mo Zhongning’s explosive Soul Beasts were now all over him.
Hundreds of crab-shaped bombs clung to his body, locking on tight!
A string of deafening explosions lit up the sky.
But as Daiku Kai crashed back to earth—
Everyone could see with their own eyes—
Aside from some singed hair, he didn’t have a single wound.