Chapter 437: Chapter 23: Base of Operations

“No need to be so cautious…” Su Changxing looked at Zhang Shun’s reaction and said irritably:

“So among those Extraordinary in our settlement, who else is from the Security Bureau?”

Zhang Shun thought for a moment and said somewhat uncertainly, “Well, it should only be me, right, Deputy Lin?”

Lin Xiuyu shrugged and said, “I can testify, Zhang Shun’s affair was completely an accident. His uncle is considered an old-timer of the Security Bureau.”

Su Changxing took the folder handed over by another woman, flipped through it, frowned and said, “Isn’t Team 17 a bit short on personnel?”

Lin Xiuyu’s eyes gleamed, and she smiled, saying:

“It is a bit short, but there’s no way around it. It was just recently formed, and most of the core members have been transferred from other teams. Inviting you to be the team leader is also to form Team 17 into a group of Extraordinary. Now Donglin City and the surrounding areas have been brought under our team’s jurisdiction.”

A city isn’t too big, but it’s not small either.

Su Changxing pondered aloud, “Hmm, so we just need to focus on developing Team 17?”

Lin Xiuyu nodded in agreement, saying:

“That’s the idea. Also, given the current situation, Donglin City is relatively optimistic. The number of Giant Anchors isn’t many. The Boss is now at the coastal area where the number of Giant Anchors is high, and the Black Fog is more rampant. I’ve heard that some giant Sea Beasts have appeared there… I don’t know if they can handle them.”

“Sea Beasts? Are they posing a significant threat to the coastal cities?” Su Changxing asked.

Lin Xiuyu took a sip of water and said, “It’s more than that. I’ve heard a city has been half-submerged by Sea Beasts, with a massive loss of life. They’re currently preventing people from retreating further back.”

Looking at it this way, Donglin City’s situation is indeed quite good, at least not to the point of being forced to relocate.

“Once those Black Fog World’s people leave, we should only need to deal with those monsters appearing out of nowhere, right?” Su Changxing, after a slight thought, said.

Lin Xiuyu had several files placed on the table and said, “Our people are already overwhelmed, but luckily these monsters aren’t too hard to handle. Most can be dealt with using firearms, though there are just too many of them.”

“Lin Xiuyu!”

Zhou An noticed the commotion downstairs and came down, surprised, “You didn’t even tell me you were here.”

Lin Xiuyu helplessly raised her hands and said, “I’ve got official duties to attend to.”

Zhou An turned to Su Changxing and asked, “Official duties? What kind of official duties?”

Su Changxing grabbed a biscuit from the table, ate it, and said, “I’m now the team leader of the Security Bureau’s Team 17.”

Zhou An was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, “So, am I part of the Security Bureau too?”

He seemed to handle the change well, showing no strong reaction.

Su Changxing nodded, “Hmm, with your strength, becoming a captain shouldn’t be a problem.”

Then he headed upstairs, saying, “I’ll go take a nap first. Zhou An, you go with them to handle the city’s monsters, and earn some points while you’re at it.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Zhou An appeared excited, full of vigor.

“……”

Lin Xiuyu was left dumbfounded.

Halfway up, Su Changxing seemed to remember something and turned back to say, “Of course, if you guys want to rest, sort it out yourselves—the house next door should be empty.”

In normal circumstances, he needed to maintain a certain amount of sleep to prevent faltering at crucial moments, which is also a form of precaution.

……

Before dawn, Su Changxing came downstairs. Zhou An and others hadn’t returned yet; only Zhu Xin Xue was in the living room, leaning on the sofa, reading comics.

“Up early, I see.”

Su Changxing walked over, speaking with a milk carton in hand, taking a big swig.

Zhu Xin Xue seemed bored and said, “Couldn’t sleep long anyway… Hey, Master, I’m strong enough now. I can handle those monsters without any problem.”

“You?”

Su Changxing thought for a bit and said, “Better not, just wait a bit more. Although you’re an Extraordinary, you’re still lacking in strength.”

Zhu Xin Xue’s role is a “Striker,” focusing on physical enhancements, capable of forcibly repelling attacked targets. Such power is also lethal to Ordinary People.

However, if a real fight broke out, Zhou An could probably handle two Zhu Xin Xues.

“Has anything abnormal happened?”

Su Changxing asked again.

Zhu Xin Xue thought for a moment and said, “Hmm, not really. A ’Streetlamp’ passed by just now, but Brother Zhang Shun and his team took care of it.”

In the city, gunshots and artillery could be heard from time to time, with the military cooperating to clear the city of monsters. Every few steps on the street, you’d see soldiers in green uniforms.

But these monsters seemed endless. After one wave was cleared, new ones quickly emerged, and non-Player individuals wouldn’t earn points for killing these monsters.

Su Changxing ate some bread Zhou An had bought, then went out to the house opposite. From a distance, he could see many people moving inside.

He planned to make this area Team 17’s base because its geographical location was quite good—situated in the city center and away from the Giant Anchors.

Entering the house, he saw a woman with an iron collar around her neck approaching to greet him, “Leader.”

“Leng Ying?”

Su Changxing showed surprise and smiled, “You actually escaped; lucky you.”

Leng Ying showed a pained expression and said, “That’s because you, Leader, distracted those people, but only a few managed to escape… I’m part of Team 17 now.”

Su Changxing nodded, looking at the collar on her neck, “Can’t you take that thing off?”

Leng Ying sighed, shaking her head, “It seems not; the material of this thing is extraordinary. It might require more precision cutting means.”

“Let me try.”

Su Changxing manifested a Scythe in his hand, and before Leng Ying could react, it brushed past her face, slicing through the collar precisely.

“Clatter~”

The collar fell to the ground, producing a crisp sound.

Su Changxing glanced at the collar on the ground, saying, “Hmm, it wasn’t too hard after all.”

“C-Cut it?”

Leng Ying was momentarily stunned, not expecting Su Changxing to cut through the collar barehanded—this was too unbelievable.

Without the collar, she felt much more at ease and quickly thanked, “Thank you, Leader.”

Su Changxing nodded and asked, “How’s the situation now?”

Leng Ying caught up, saying, “Due to unstable networks, information is always delayed, but based on our analysis, although clearing is underway, the number of monsters is still on a slow rise.”

The hall had clearly been turned into an office environment. Dozens of people had notebooks in front of them, jotting things down with pens, and conversations could be heard from time to time.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep