Chapter 252 - 3: I Respect You, so Come at Me Together

That same day.

At the Superpower Sub-Bureau.

Inside the office of the Fourth Superpower Team’s leader.

"Lu Chao, male, twenty years old."

"Suspected to be approaching the level of a veteran Elite. From the Rhombus Ring City Circle in the Federation’s northwest region."

Yao Jin, dressed in a white, cloud-patterned Martial Arts uniform with her hair in a ponytail, sat behind a black, solid wood desk, her back to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Her short-haired female assistant maintained a serious expression as she tapped her watch, transferring the electronic file, which materialized as a floating light screen above the desk.

"This man participated in a B-rank mission with the Patrol Department, killing a B-rank wanted criminal. His mission evaluation was ’Excellence’."

"Special promotion assessment evaluation: Excellence."

The information was displayed in detail, line by line, but the atmosphere in the room did not relax.

Finally.

"Leader, this Captain Lu... isn’t he a bit too ordinary?"

The female assistant said with a frown.

He looked decent on paper, but among the ranks of Superpower Team captains, he could only be considered mediocre.

"Look, Jiang Hua is the same age as him and is already at the peak Elite Level. He has an excellent track record from his time at the East Port Superpower Sub-Bureau, possesses extensive mission experience, and might even break through to the Superpower Level in the future, bringing you more glory."

"You finally got assigned such an outstanding captain, and you’re just giving him to Leader Li? It’s too much of a loss!"

The female assistant was indignant.

Yao Jin, her hair in a ponytail, didn’t refute her, merely letting out a soft sigh.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand all this.

However, she owed Li Xiyuan a favor.

Now he wanted to take Jiang Hua, who was about to be transferred over, and swap him with this man. Though she wanted to refuse, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.

"I think, at the very least, it should have been a genius like Zhao Yue."

The female assistant said, displeased, "He’s from Yao Capital, has participated in multiple operations to capture Rebel members, is also highly experienced, and his Life Energy has already reached 94 points."

"This is the only vacant captain position you have, Leader!"

she reminded her, knowing full well what that implied.

Not to mention, the Fifth Team’s situation was a bit special. Most of its members were resistant and emotional, not the kind of people an ordinary person could command.

"Forget it. Let’s just leave it at that."

However, putting aside her sigh, Yao Jin mulled it over for a moment before shaking her head and saying softly, "The appointment from Yao Capital can’t be faked. After all, this Captain Lu passed the specialist assessment with an evaluation of ’Excellence’."

"Perhaps there’s something special about him."

As she finished speaking, the female assistant opened her mouth, as if wanting to say more.

But meeting the calm and insistent gaze of her superior, she silently complied, taking the hint and withdrawing to handle Lu Chao’s onboarding procedures.

She watched the assistant leave.

"Sigh..."

Yao Jin shook her head gently and looked again at the information on the light screen.

She knew the Fifth Team’s situation better than anyone and had already considered the potential conflicts and mistakes that might arise.

However, a flash of helplessness crossed her eyes. ’Even someone at the Superpower Level can’t always do as they please. Some favors just have to be repaid.’

’I can only hope this Captain Lu is up to the task.’

...

「An hour later.」

Lu Chao left the office of the Fourth Team’s leader.

He thought about the Superpower Team leader he had just met, his new female superior, Yao Jin.

’I can’t believe I was transferred directly from the Third Team to the Fourth.’

Moreover.

[Carbon-Based Human]

[Life Energy: 155]

’A Superpower Level expert in her twenties?’

The data from his intuitive senses quietly surfaced, and he was slightly surprised.

But when he considered that most people in the Superpower Bureau were top elites from places like Yao Capital and East Port, he quickly felt it made sense.

"Let’s go, Captain Lu."

A hurried voice sounded by his ear, and Lu Chao looked over.

The short-haired female assistant named Wu Fang had a placid expression and sounded somewhat impatient. "The Fifth Team is waiting for you to take up your post."

"The Leader specifically notified all the members of the Fifth Team and its three field groups for you. They’re all waiting in the Fifth Team’s conference room right now."

"We should hurry. Don’t dawdle."

she said with a slight frown, making little effort to hide her dissatisfaction.

Lu Chao took it all in.

Although he didn’t know the reason, he paid it no mind.

’She is, after all, the assistant to my direct superior, Leader Yao. I should at least show her some basic respect.’

"Alright, I’ll have to trouble you to lead the way then, Assistant Wu."

Perhaps sensing the peace and composure in his voice,

Wu Fang’s brow relaxed slightly. She grunted in acknowledgment and led the way.

Chen Xiao and Fang Xu had been following from the beginning. They exchanged a look and silently fell in behind.

DING-DONG!

The elevator doors opened, and the group of four stepped inside.

Perhaps due to the silent atmosphere or for other reasons, Wu Fang hesitated for a moment. Staring at the closed elevator doors, she did her best to control her emotions and spoke again. "In our Superpower Sub-Bureau building, the first floor is the administrative office, the second is the cafeteria, and the third is the dedicated superpower training dojo."

"Most of the equipment is free to use, but facilities like the gravity room and the intermediate and advanced Cultivation Chambers require contribution points to access and are charged by the hour."

"The team offices are mostly on the fourth floor..."

In the end, she explained some of the Superpower Bureau’s internal matters to Lu Chao.

"Thank you, Assistant Wu."

Lu Chao nodded, committing it to memory. Before he knew it, the elevator had arrived at the fourth floor.

The tiled floor reflected the sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows, bright and clean.

Offices lined both sides of the corridor, and figures in Superpower Bureau uniforms could be seen coming and going.

"Also, there’s something else. Don’t blame me for not warning you."

Stepping out of the elevator, she shot Lu Chao a glance. Although her expression had softened, Wu Fang still spoke irritably, "I don’t know if you bribed the assessment specialist to get that ’Excellence’ evaluation and special promotion."

"But the Superpower Bureau isn’t as simple as you think, and its methods are completely different from the Patrol Department’s."

Wearing a blue, form-fitting uniform skirt, she walked half a step ahead of Lu Chao. "The Fifth Team was part of the first batch of personnel stationed here in Red Maple. It’s full of capable people, and nearly every one of them has made significant contributions and earned merits."

"The Vice Captain, Gao Hu, is a veteran Elite Level expert. He’s highly experienced and was specially transferred from a team in Yao Capital. He even has a record of defeating a peak Elite Level expert. If he hadn’t made some mistakes in the past, he would have been a captain long ago."

"And..."

Her steps faltered, a trace of sadness and regret in her eyes. Wu Fang’s final reminder was, "The Fifth Team’s previous captain was outstanding, but he was unfortunately killed in the line of duty during a mission. Everyone is still very emotional about it."

"Anyway, you’re on your own in a bit."

TAP, TAP!

She quickened her pace and said no more.

Lu Chao watched her go, a thoughtful look on his face, before following her into the Fifth Team’s office and conference room.

WHOOSH!

The door was pushed open, and dozens of gazes turned toward it simultaneously.

The light from the incandescent bulbs blended with the sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Rows of chairs surrounded a central oval conference table, extending outward in three tiers all the way to the walls.

Every row was filled with people.

The two outer tiers were clearly field team members, more than thirty of them in total. They sat close to the windows and walls, each with a stern expression, wearing uniform field team combat gear. They sat ramrod straight, their eyes fixed forward.

Most of them were fighters, their auras steady and composed.

And in the very center, in the first row right at the conference table,

sat eleven figures.

Three of them were clearly field team leaders, exuding the aura fluctuations of Professional Level experts.

The other eight Superpower Members had gazes as sharp as eagles. According to his intuitive senses, most of them had Life Energy levels above 40. The one leading them had even reached the level of a veteran Elite, just a hair’s breadth away from the peak Elite Level.

In an instant, every pair of eyes in the room focused on the opened conference room door.

Dozens of intense, fiery auras merged together and rushed forward, creating an oppressive atmosphere like that of a flock of raptorial Mutant Beasts.

Faced with this scene, even Chen Xiao, a Professional Level expert, felt his expression change. For a moment, he had the illusion of having stumbled into a den of Mutant Beasts.

Behind him, Fang Xu’s eyes flickered. It was his first time experiencing such a scene, and his palms grew sweaty without him even noticing.

Catching this out of the corner of her eye, Wu Fang’s expression remained flat. ’As expected,’ she thought.

’They’re from a minor city circle, after all. They haven’t seen much of the world.’

Then, she looked at Lu Chao.

His expression was calm, showing no significant fluctuation.

’If a dignified Elite Level expert couldn’t even manage this much composure, that would be truly disappointing,’ she thought.

TAP, TAP!

With that, Wu Fang, in her high heels, walked straight to the head of the conference table.

A walkway had been left clear between the first row and the outer two. Suppressing her various emotions, she scanned the room and said, "Sorry to have kept you all waiting."

"I’ve gathered you all here today for one reason."

Standing at the head of the oval table, she first offered a few polite pleasantries.

Then, meeting the gazes of the crowd, she stepped half aside and gestured to Lu Chao. "As per Leader Yao’s instructions, I am here to announce..."

"This is the Fifth Team’s new captain, Lu Chao!"

WHOA!

As her voice fell, some people were surprised, not having expected this to be the reason for the meeting.

Others had already guessed the situation; some remained calm and expressionless, while others frowned slightly, clenching their fists.

In the blink of an eye, a brief murmur of discussion filled the conference room.

Curiosity, doubt, dissatisfaction, resistance... all sorts of emotions flashed across their faces.

Wu Fang took the opportunity to turn and look at Lu Chao.

Although she was not pleased with his appointment, it was a done deal. She still hoped he would prove his worth and not make things difficult for the Leader.

As if sensing her thoughts, Lu Chao nodded.

He took a step forward, intending to introduce himself and bridge the distance.

However, just then, a sudden, somewhat rough voice cut in. "Assistant Wu."

The noisy conference room fell silent in an instant, as if everyone was accustomed to strict discipline, acting without the slightest hesitation.

Lu Chao and Wu Fang followed the sound. It came from the first seat to the right of the head of the table.

A tall man with tanned skin and a buzz cut stood there, wearing a combat uniform with a vice captain’s insignia on the shoulder.

With fierce, piercing eyes, he exuded a menacing aura. He looked quite mature, almost thirty years old.

"Vice Captain Gao?"

Wu Fang asked, puzzled, meeting his gaze.

The man stood up, his voice tinged with some emotion. "We will naturally obey the orders from above."

"The fact that Leader Yao would have Captain Lu take this position must mean he has some extraordinary qualities."

"However..."

He stood about two meters away, his eyes bloodshot, and turned his head to stare at Lu Chao. "This was Old Zheng’s position."

"If you want our respect, fine. Let your fists do the talking."

"If you win, I, Old Gao, will follow your lead without question from now on."

He clenched his fist, then shifted his gaze to the empty seat at the head of the table.

"But if you lose... I’m sorry."

His voice was low, and every word landed with weight. "I don’t want the squad Old Zheng left behind to become the laughingstock of the Fourth Division."

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly turned dead silent. The expressions of the people on either side of the oval table varied, but most were simply quiet.

Seeing this, Wu Fang’s expression shifted slightly.

Although she had expected it, she hadn’t thought the members of the Fifth Team would be so resistant.

"Gao Hu."

she called out quickly, subconsciously switching to his full name.

But he remained standing where he was, not responding, simply turning his head to look at Lu Chao again.

One by one, the official members, who were usually quite reasonable, now wore expressions similar to Gao Hu’s.

In an instant, dozens of gazes converged once more, all fixed on Lu Chao.

The resistance was palpable, an emotion anyone could sense. It wasn’t directed at any single person but was born from an unwavering loyalty to their fallen former captain.

"This..."

Wu Fang was starting to get a headache, hesitating over whether she should inform Leader Yao and ask her to intervene.

But then, a voice came from her side. "Alright." It was the calm young man who had ignored all her dissatisfaction on the way here.

"I understand."

Without any change in his expression, he looked at Gao Hu with a solemn face and nodded slightly.

Then, he looked out at the crowd. "I have great admiration for all of you."

"I admire your past sacrifices and respect your countless struggles and choices."

"So."

Lu Chao, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt he’d prepared for his first day, began unbuttoning his cuffs as he spoke. "Vice Captain Gao."

He looked at the man, his expression serious.

Then, using the conference table as a center point, he once again swept his gaze across the room, meeting the eyes of dozens of people one by one. "And all of you respected members."

"Come at me together."