Chapter 283 - 17: Rebel: Wu Yuntao

At ten o’clock that morning.

Lu Chao entered the Superpower Bureau building with a steady gait, dressed in a blue captain’s uniform.

"Tsk, tsk. Captain Jiang Hua took first place again."

"No kidding. I heard his Life Energy is already at 99. He could undergo a Life Transformation and break through to the Superpower Level at any moment."

"And you should see Leader Li. He’s been beaming at everyone lately. I bet his own benefits and compensation have gone up a lot because of it."

Whispers and murmurs echoed from corners all over the building.

Lu Chao remained impassive, taking the elevator straight to the sixth floor.

Another month had passed, and the Superpower Fourth Bureau’s internal squad assessment results were out, sent directly to everyone’s communicator.

Squad Five’s performance was still unremarkable, stuck in the middle of the pack. In stark contrast, Jiang Hua’s squad was dazzling.

Ignoring the discussions, Lu Chao stepped out of the elevator, rounded a corner, and made a beeline for his direct superior’s office.

[Office of the Group Four Leader]

He glanced at the nameplate and saw Wu Fang standing by the door, dressed in a uniform pencil skirt.

She was holding a tablet and a stack of files, apparently also waiting to report to Yao Jin.

Hearing the footsteps, she turned and her eyes met Lu Chao’s.

After a brief silence, she spoke.

"Captain Lu."

She brushed a strand of hair back, her voice a little hesitant. Her attitude had subtly changed from when she first arrived.

"Morning, Assistant Wu."

Lu Chao nodded. She stepped aside to let him pass. "Please, go ahead. The Group Leader is looking for you."

"Alright. Thank you."

KNOCK KNOCK!

After thanking her, Lu Chao gave the office door a customary knock.

As he looked inside, he saw two black leather sofas and a coffee table against one wall, with a filing cabinet on the opposite side.

A black, solid-wood desk sat in the corner by the floor-to-ceiling windows. On it was a small, potted cactus.

"Come in."

A clear, calm voice called out.

With permission granted, Lu Chao stepped inside.

Yao Jin sat behind her desk, dressed in a white Martial Arts uniform with exquisite silver floral embroidery.

Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, giving her a sharp, capable look.

Her skin was fair, her eyes bright, and her nose high-bridged. She wore only light makeup, and her features were a blend of gentle beauty and elegance. She looked to be only twenty-four or twenty-five.

The two had met several times before on various missions.

However, aside from the day he’d first reported in, this was only the second time Lu Chao had been to this office.

"Group Leader, you were looking for me?"

Lu Chao asked. He had come because he’d received a sudden summons that morning.

"Captain Lu."

Yao Jin smiled faintly and set down her tablet, gesturing for him to relax and take a seat in the black leather chair opposite her.

"I called you in today for a simple reason."

She continued in an even tone, "Ever since Captain Zheng passed away, Squad Five has been very reluctant to interact with the other squads."

"However, under your leadership, Squad Five’s recent performance has been quite good. Because of that, I submitted a request to the higher-ups for a personal bonus for you."

Lu Chao was slightly taken aback by her warm words.

Before he could fully process it, she nodded. "And they’ve already approved it."

"You’ll receive an extra three thousand contribution points for this month’s missions. Congratulations, Captain Lu."

’Three thousand contribution points?’

Lu Chao snapped back to reality, slightly surprised.

That was a significant amount.

A Superpower Squad’s mission rewards weren’t kept by the captain alone; they had to be distributed appropriately among the team members.

Normally, even with standard benefits, an average captain’s monthly earnings were less than two thousand points. Those at the bottom of the rankings earned even less than that.

This was enough for him to redeem the formula for an intermediate Superpower Potion or get an additional fifteen hours of gravity room time.

"Thank you, Group Leader."

Lu Chao thanked her again, realizing she was doing him a favor.

Yao Jin just smiled and said no more, only encouraging him to keep up the good work on his future missions.

The sound of his footsteps echoed as she watched him leave.

Only then did Wu Fang enter the office. She sounded anxious. "Captain, you just transferred your own contribution points to Captain Lu, didn’t you?"

As her assistant, she knew perfectly well that the official request had been rejected.

All bonuses from the Superpower Bureau were tied to actual performance; everything was decided by the month-end assessment results.

This so-called "extra bonus" was just Yao Jin making up the difference herself.

"*Sigh*."

Yao Jin shook her head, the smile gradually fading from her face.

She pulled up the file on her tablet again. Li Xiyuan’s Group Three was once again ranked first in the assessment, and the name "Jiang Hua" was particularly conspicuous.

"He got dragged into this because of me. I don’t know who started the rumors about swapping captains, but all the gossip must have put a lot of pressure on him."

"Besides... there was something strange about that ’Iron Sand’ incident. Think of the three thousand contribution points as compensation."

She let out a soft sigh, having made up her mind.

Seeing this, Wu Fang felt helpless but didn’t argue any further.

However.

She glanced at the tablet, at Squad Five’s middling rank.

Then her eyes fell on Jiang Hua’s name in first place.

She sighed internally.

’Captain Lu might be capable, but he’s not top-tier.’

’If Jiang Hua had taken over Squad Five instead, wouldn’t the Group Leader’s life be so much easier?’

...

「That afternoon.」

A black jeep pulled up to a city square.

Dressed in a black combat uniform, Lu Chao arrived at Plaza Three in Satellite City No. 4, along with several members of Squad Five.