Chapter 198: Lodging a Complaint

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Lodging a Complaint

Sharon Sloan sobbed until she could barely catch her breath, but deep down, she was already calculating her next move.

She knew very well that the Kensington Base would undoubtedly be interested in the research results and precision equipment of the underground laboratory jointly operated by multiple factions and OmniCorp! Furthermore, when they first arrived at the base the day before yesterday, they had already met with the base’s upper echelons. Both sides had long reached a consensus.

As long as this escort mission was successfully completed and they arrived safely in Kensington, the base would quickly assemble an elite squad to support OmniCorp’s secret laboratory. They would not only salvage the core equipment and scientific research inside but also do everything in their power to rescue her missing father!

With this connection in place, there was absolutely no way Francis Grant and Kyle Keith would side with Luna Dawson.

Her crying and accusations caused the captains of the other squads in the back rows of the conference hall to break into hushed whispers, their voices rising and falling in waves.

"OmniCorp? That’s the pillar of our nation’s medical research! They were world-renowned even before the apocalypse!"

"I heard they haven’t been slacking off since the apocalypse began. Their lab results are supposed to be incredibly significant. I think they even developed some special serum!"

"You mean the Enhancing Liquid? Word is it can increase superpower intensity!"

"That’s not right. I heard it was the Superpower Supplement Liquid, which rapidly restores depleted superpowers!"

"Wait, who is this Sunset Squad anyway? How do they have the guts to directly provoke people from OmniCorp?"

"You don’t know? The Sunset Squad might be absurdly strong, and they made huge contributions during the zombie horde, but they’ve definitely kicked a hornet’s nest this time!"

"Serves them right! They’re always throwing their weight around in the safe zone!"

"Who does the Sunset Squad think they are? Now they’ve offended a major family."

Standing not too far away, Shane Shaw watched the scene unfold. The corners of his mouth curled up as he muttered under his breath, "As expected of Luna Dawson and Kevin Keane."

Sitting right next to him, Yvonne Ford happened to catch his quiet exclamation. She turned to look at Shane in agreement and said, "Indeed. As expected of people from our Kensington Base..."

Listening to the endless chatter around her, Sharon felt countless gazes of scrutiny, pity, and schadenfreude darting her way. Her cheeks burned hotly. A profound sense of grievance washed over her, and she wailed even more heart-wrenchingly.

Just then, she caught sight of Kyle slowly standing up. Assuming he was going to stand up for her, she immediately dialed back her sobbing and looked up at him with eyes full of expectation.

But Kyle’s gaze swept right past her. He looked down at Luna beside him and spoke in a cool, indifferent tone. His voice wasn’t loud, yet it echoed clearly across the entire hall. "I’m not familiar with them."

"What?!" Sharon gasped.

William Walsh had just caught his breath. Hearing this, his eyes instantly widened in sheer disbelief. The three vice-captains of the Omni Squad who had accompanied him were equally dumbfounded. They exchanged glances, seeing nothing but absolute bewilderment in each other’s eyes. They had clearly seen Kyle having a perfectly pleasant conversation with their captain and his sister earlier. Why was he suddenly severing all ties with them?

On the other side of the room, Francis Grant had already pieced together a rough understanding of the situation from the hushed accounts of the Special Operations Team captains in the back rows. He let out a helpless sigh, clearly nursing a headache over this sudden conflict.

He then turned to his adjutant, Jean Sterling, and spoke in a steady, unquestionable tone. "Find a few people to carry them out for medical treatment. Send word that the captains of Omni Squad One and Two are injured and delirious, rendering them temporarily unable to participate in this escort briefing. The vice-captains of Squads One through Three will attend in their stead."

The moment his words fell, a collective gasp echoed throughout the conference hall. William glared at Francis in disbelief, as if he couldn’t fathom that the man would make such a decision!

Seeing this, a mocking smile curled on Kevin Keane’s lips. He slowly lifted the foot he had planted firmly on William’s chest, allowing the medics to approach with a stretcher. ℴ

As they were carried away, William and Sharon continued to voice their indignant protests, their voices gradually fading into the distance.

"Sunset Squad!"

"Luna Dawson! Kevin Keane! I won’t let you get away with this!"

Once the commotion completely faded away, silence returned to the conference hall. Luna stretched lazily and shot a playful raised eyebrow at Kevin, her eyes brimming with amusement.

Kevin stepped closer to her and reached out to ruffle her hair. His fingertips carried a gentle touch as he asked softly, "You weren’t scared, were you?"

"How could I be?" Luna pouted slightly. "A little scene like this isn’t even enough to wake me up fully."

"What is the meaning of all this racket?!"

A commanding reprimand suddenly boomed through the air, rolling over them like a clap of thunder. The crowd, which had still been murmuring and watching the spectacle, instantly fell dead silent. Everyone looked up in unison to see Major General Thomas Dalton, the commander-in-chief of the military base, striding in. The gold stars on his epaulets glinted coldly under the lights.

He was followed by a group of uniformed leaders from the safe zone. Luna’s gaze swept over the military insignias on their shoulders, inwardly clicking her tongue in awe. They were all field-grade officers or higher—every single one of them a heavyweight holding real power.

An invisible aura of authority permeated the room. Unanimously, everyone present straightened their backs and obediently returned to their seats. They even lightened their breathing, waiting quietly for the meeting to commence.

Major General Dalton and his entourage successively walked onto the stage and took their seats at the long conference table, facing the superpower user captains in the audience head-on.

It was only after everyone settled down that Luna belatedly felt a wave of pressure hit her. Francis and Major General Dalton were sitting directly opposite her. The other leaders were also scattered across the opposite side. With just a lift of her eyes, she could clearly see the faces of all the big shots in the front row.

The sense of intimidation was instantly maxed out. Now, never mind secretly catching a nap—even letting her mind wander would keep her on edge. She felt exactly like a slacking student terrified of being caught by the teacher, her conscience incredibly guilty.

She wondered if she should pull out her sunglasses and put them on as a shield. But on second thought, wearing sunglasses right now would be far too conspicuous; it would basically be announcing to the entire room that she intended to slack off. She ruthlessly cursed whoever had arranged the seating in her heart, wondering which absolute genius came up with these crappy seats.

Seeing that the venue was thoroughly silent, Major General Dalton finally spoke. His steady voice carried through the microphone and echoed across the massive hall. "For all of you to brave the bitter cold of negative ten degrees to attend this meeting, I, on behalf of the safe zone’s over three hundred thousand citizens, extend my most sincere respect to you all."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room as his tone turned stern. "I believe everyone is well aware of the core objective of this meeting—to coordinate and arrange the upcoming escort mission. Next, I will first brief you on the composition of the superpower user squads participating in this operation. Those currently seated in the first row of this hall are all the Third Rank and above superpower users who will be participating in the escort mission."

The moment he finished speaking, a significant stir rippled through the venue. People in the back rows stood on their tiptoes, peering curiously toward the front row to see exactly who these high-level superpower users were.

Meanwhile, the individuals in the first row began to observe each other. There were over twenty people seated there, most of them bundled up in thick winter gear. Their hats and scarves covered them so tightly that only pairs of eyes were visible, making it utterly impossible to discern their specific appearances.

Seeing the whispers in the hall starting to rise again, Major General Dalton raised his hand and pressed it down slightly. An invisible, commanding presence instantly squashed all the noise, and the grand hall returned to dead silence once more.