Ch 63: The Eve of the Battle
“Team Leader Shen, please show some leniency.”
Seeing that the other captains were about to strike, Xu Huaizhi preemptively unleashed his imposing aura. The powerful presence felt like a murderous intent washing over them.
Shen Mengting showed no fear, simply smiling slightly before continuing to stare at everyone.
The burly man, clutching his chest, stood up from the ground, his eyes filled with both resentment and fear.
A moment ago, he had suddenly felt a sharp pain throughout his body, his blood surging, as if his entire chest cavity was about to burst. Despite being a Special Grade Ability User himself, he couldn’t even understand Shen Mengting’s attack method.
Ji Chuan was sensing everyone’s abilities and strength. Although he was currently in a possessed state, his true body was hidden in the shadows of the room.
This room contained almost two-thirds of the Base’s Red Crystal Cores. He had considered a surprise attack, but many abilities couldn’t be judged based solely on their names and types.
Only he and Xiao Hui were ready to act now, making only four people including two zombies. There were eleven humans with Red Crystal Cores in the room, all of whom had considerable combat experience, making an immediate attack unwise.
Although he had won against Xia Yiqing, Xia Yiqing had been rather overconfident, and Ji Chuan had also had a do-over.
Now, the opponents had far more detailed information about him. Facing eleven Red Crystal Core experts in the room simultaneously, Ji Chuan felt his chances of victory were practically zero.
What surprised him was that the one possessing the 【Ant Queen】 ability was Li Jingru—the leader of this stronghold. He wasn’t sure what the Ant Queen ability could do, or why a man would have that ability.
“Minister Xu, I didn’t truly intend to strike. If I had, he would have died instantly. So, retract your imposing aura. My actions earlier were merely to make you understand that obeying orders is a command, not a matter for discussion.”
Shen Mengting’s expression possessed a maturity beyond her years.
“I intensely dislike incompetence. If uncontrollable factors arise during combat, I will not offer rescue; I will preemptively eliminate the problem itself. I hope you all understand.”
After saying this, Shen Mengting’s hair seemed to escape the constraints of gravity and rise into the air, her bun unraveling, like a young girl in a storm.
The wave of imposing aura made everyone tremble. Xu Huaizhi even found that the opponent’s aura was on par with his own.
The Jinglian City group were unfazed, simply watching calmly. Shen Mengting was a very strong captain; anyone who disrespected her by treating her as a mere girl would regret it.
The young girl’s hair fell, and a relaxed smile reappeared on her face.
“That’s all for today. We’ll set off promptly at 9 a.m. tomorrow; I won’t be able to get up any earlier. I feel like I stink all over; I need a bath. Next time, I’m not going on a mission with Brother Lin.”
She stuck her tongue out at Wang Lin, finally looking like a girl should.
Li Jingru looked back at Xu Huaizhi, sighed, but still wore a smile. “Everyone, please rest well at the base today. If you have any questions, you can contact our Logistics Department Minister Jiang Zhilan. I won’t disturb you all further.”
Without waiting for a response, Li Jingru returned to his room, the smile disappearing, his brow furrowed.
These people were undoubtedly strong, but would they succeed tomorrow? He wasn’t certain.
These four Special Grade Ability Users were carefully selected; they had a complete balance of attack, defense, support, and weakening abilities. The report would look good, and even if something unexpected happened, they had already deployed the base’s main forces, leaving nothing to criticize.
With eight Special Grade Ability Users, failure shouldn’t be possible, yet a sense of unease, a unique insect intuition, arose within him.
Ji Chuan sensed the abilities of the four from Jinglian City. The man named Wang Lin posed no threat; he’d discovered his control over zombies was superior to Wang Lin’s, meaning his Crystal Core level must exceed that of a Red Crystal Core.
What gave Ji Chuan a headache was the man with the narrowed eyes and the 【Rainbow Guardian】 ability. This was the most powerful comprehensive ability Ji Chuan had sensed so far, encompassing attack, protection, reconnaissance, and support energy. It was like seeing a miniature version of himself.
The base had several reconnaissance ability users guarding the area near the room. Even without them, Ji Chuan felt that the man with narrowed eyes would still discover him if he appeared.
Ji Chuan had originally planned a nighttime surprise attack, but he felt it was too risky.
Currently, the most powerful energy came from Shen Mengting. The energy surging from the girl was immense; her understanding of her own ability was exceptionally thorough.
As for the taciturn man, his ability was equally incomprehensible to Ji Chuan: 【Soul Reshaping】. What kind of ability was that?
Tomorrow, the priority should be eliminating Shen Mengting.
After a while, Ji Chuan returned to the stronghold.
The Olijia’er Courtyard was filled with all members capable of attack. After Ji Chuan’s instructions that afternoon, no one dared to relax.
Ji Chuan’s absence caused everyone to become increasingly anxious.
“Brother Ji Chuan hasn’t come back yet.” Xiao Xuan felt extremely worried.
“I hope Ji Chuan is alright…” Lin Lulu couldn’t wait any longer and even considered going to check on him.
“Master is fine; Master is approaching.”
Da Zhuang reminded them. Both he and Xiao Mei could sense Ji Chuan’s location from a distance; Ji Chuan was clearly about to return.
Ji Chuan landed, and everyone finally felt relieved.
But his expression was very serious.
“Tomorrow will be a tough battle.”
Ji Chuan recounted the afternoon’s events to everyone. Xia Yiqing and Song Ci understood the seriousness of the situation.
They were quite familiar with the main teams led by those four captains, and their strength was formidable.
As for Jinglian City, due to its powerful ability users, the entire city still maintained order, with zombies under control. The support personnel from such a place were likely stronger than their own.
Therefore, they would be facing at least eight Special Grade Ability Users tomorrow.
On their side, only Xia Yiqing and Song Ci were Special Grade Ability Users.
Ji Chuan felt that Wang Lin posed no threat and couldn’t be counted as a combatant. The two Red Crystal Core zombies were under his control, so they had at least four Red Crystal Core Ability Users on their side.
Since Xiao Hui could constantly revive, he could also be considered a Special Grade Ability User.
So, they had seven Red Crystal Cores against their five, plus himself, making it a somewhat even match.
Furthermore, Lin Lulu and Gu Yunxi had shown significant progress during this time, so their chances of winning might be quite high.
Ji Chuan then briefed everyone on the next day’s plan.
While explaining the plan, Ji Chuan heard a voice.
“I know you can hear me! The base assigned me to handle the transport tomorrow; I didn’t want to come. I’ll leave immediately after arriving. Please don’t make things difficult for me!”
…
“Team Leader Shen, may I bother you for a moment?”
Jiang Zhilan held several precision devices. No sound came from the room, but the door opened.
Shen Mengting was combing her hair with her back to the gate.
“Team Leader Shen, this is the latest research result from our Jianghua City. We found that the Crystal Cores of Mutated Species can provide energy to Ability Users and relieve fatigue from extensive ability usage.”
“I don’t need it; I haven’t run out of energy yet. Give mine to Zhuang Tu; he uses a lot of energy.”
Jiang Zhilan sighed softly. “Alright.”
I hope this Shen Mengting really is as strong as she claims to be.
