"And these are...?" Zuo Li asked, looking curiously at the group behind Xie Ning.
"Let me introduce you all." Xie Ning gave a simple introduction, presenting her family to Zuo Li and her teammates, and vice versa.
Everyone immediately started chattering, greeting each other, shaking hands, and exchanging a few pleasantries.
"That’s wonderful! I’ll be able to see you often from now on, Xiao Ning." Zuo Li beamed, nodding repeatedly. "Have you finished the paperwork? Come on inside with us."
Her group silently glanced at their young captain, Xie Ning.
Xie Ning sighed. "We were just about to leave."
"Huh??" Zuo Li, Xiao Qi Zi, and the others stared with wide-eyed surprise.
"What happened? Why?" Zuo Li demanded, her gaze sweeping over to the two young guards standing stiffly at the base entrance.
The two young men quickly ran over, rubbing the backs of their necks in embarrassment. "Cap-Captain Zuo, it’s like this."
The young man was a decent storyteller and quickly recounted what had just happened at the gate in a few sentences.
Zuo Li raised an eyebrow and crooked a finger.
Xiao Qi Zi and two teammates stepped forward, dragging over the bruised and swollen, pot-bellied man.
"Wh-what are you doing? Zuo Li, you... don’t you go too far!" the man roared, his face contorted. When his eyes swept over to Xie Ning, a flicker of terror appeared in them.
"Wu Liangcai, you’ve really got some nerve!" Zuo Li held up two slender fingers and crooked them.
Chen Xiao immediately placed a file in her hand.
Zuo Li flipped open the file to the first page and turned it around for the pot-bellied man to see. "Take a look for yourself. What is this?"
"It was decided at last week’s meeting. The base has explicit regulations regarding the collection of entry fees."
"Any team led by a Third-rank Superpower User or above can enter the base for free."
"Are you blind, or is there something wrong with your head?"
"If you’re going to shake people down for ’tips,’ you need to pick your targets more carefully. Trying to get a ’tip’ from a Fourth-rank Superpower User? You’ve got a lot of nerve!" Zuo Li slapped the file down on the man’s greasy head. "You value money more than your life, is that it?"
"Fourth-rank?!" Wu Liangcai’s pupils contracted. He tilted his head back, his face a mask of utter shock.
’How was I supposed to know this young girl was a Fourth-rank powerhouse?’
’If she’d just said she was Fourth-rank, I wouldn’t have been so reckless!’
’In this entire Golden City Base, a Fourth-rank Gold Ability User is probably one of a kind, isn’t she?’
Zuo Li couldn’t help but laugh. "Look at you, what an idiot. It’s not even worth my time scolding you."
"You really think no one knows about your little schemes? Tricking newly arrived Superpower Users who don’t know the ropes into joining your family’s Superpower Special Team, Squad Three. And you even have the audacity to try and break up their teams? What gives you the right to boss around a Fourth-rank Superpower User?"
"So, the Golden City Base doesn’t actually break up and reassign the Superpower Teams that enter?" Xie Ning asked, genuinely surprised.
’I just thought that damn fatty was trying to squeeze some benefits out of us. I never expected he’d be so bold as to just make up base regulations on the spot.’
"Of course not," Zuo Li said with a serious nod. "The base is indeed learning from the Capital and has started to form its own Superpower Special Teams."
"But joining the Superpower Special Teams is completely voluntary. We never force anyone."
"The Superpower Special Teams are generally only mobilized when the base is in danger. For large-scale missions issued by the base, other Superpower Teams can choose whether or not to participate, but members of the official special teams are required to take part."
"Otherwise, everyone is free to do as they please."
"The members of the Superpower Special Teams are often captains or members of their own Superpower Teams. They’re free to go on missions with their own squads. There aren’t that many restrictions; they just need to obey orders when an occasional, unified command is issued."
"So that’s how it is," a Superpower User to the side exclaimed angrily. "That damn fatty just said all Superpower Users could get priority to join Squad Three and Squad Five. He claimed they had great benefits, better treatment, and all that!"
"That’s because Squad Three and Squad Five are under the jurisdiction of his brother-in-law, Huang Zhaosheng, the chairman of the Base Management Committee," Zuo Li exposed him without hesitation.
"In reality, the teams with the best benefits are, of course, the Base Commander’s own: Squad One and Squad Two. Once you all enter the base and get familiar with how things work, it won’t be too late to make a choice. There’s no need to waste time out here on a hot night like this."
"Get everyone registered and into the city! And no more funny business," Zuo Li said, shooting a look at the base guards.
The two guards looked both wronged and helpless.
’Wu Liangcai, the Management Committee Chairman’s brother-in-law, had insisted on getting involved in registering Superpower Users. How could they have stopped him?’
"Xiao Ning, don’t be angry, okay? I’ll give this damn fatty a few kicks for you." With two swift kicks, Zuo Li knocked Fatty Wu unconscious.
"Our base is actually really great! Even though we’re just starting out, and the management might have its flaws, we can improve things step by step!" Zuo Li’s eyes, bright as stars, were fixed on Xie Ning. "Look, it’s so late. You shouldn’t be dragging your grandparents all over the place. It’s too much for them, don’t you think?"
"And look, this little girl is about to fall asleep." Zuo Li reached out and patted Su Xiyue’s head.
Yueyue, who had been secretly dozing with her head bowed, shyly shrank behind her mother.
"Come on, come inside with me. The courtyard house next to mine is still empty. You can stay there for tonight and register tomorrow." Zuo Li winked at Xie Ning.
Gazing into Zuo Li’s eyes, which were as clear and pure as ever, Xie Ning subconsciously nodded.
Cres, watching from the sidelines, rolled his eyes so hard they nearly popped out of his head.
Ji Taixian, Wang Zongxuan, and the others suddenly felt that Cres, the little rascal, might not have been exaggerating after all.
’It really feels like our sis is about to be whisked away by someone, doesn’t it?’
’With her prickly personality, she should have just dragged us all away without a second thought.’
’But now, she’s actually letting this Captain Zuo talk her into staying.’
’And you have to admit, Captain Zuo is quite the fascinating character...’
Normally, entering the base required a twelve-hour wait in an observation and quarantine room, but Xie Ning’s group followed Zuo Li straight inside.
The eyes of the surrounding crowd followed them with envy, but no one dared to say a word.
’That’s the privilege of a Fourth-rank powerhouse for you!’
At the same time, two of Xiao Qi Zi’s teammates dragged a scrawny young man along as they hurried to catch up with the group.
The young man grimaced in pain, shouting, "Hey, hey! Gently, a little gentler, brothers! I’m really not a bad guy. I... I’m a special envoy from the Capital! How about you let me say a few words to the powerhouse?"
"Behave yourself!" one of Zuo Li’s teammates kicked him unceremoniously. "The boss is busy getting settled. Who has time to deal with you?"
"Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow."
"Superpower Users, please proceed to Entrance Three to register. Thank you for your cooperation."
Beichen followed behind a few other Superpower Users, tilting his head up slightly to look at the less-than-imposing walls of the Golden City Base. His gaze slowly settled on the figure up ahead.
The young woman was walking with a cheerful spring in her step beside Captain Zuo.
’Compared to the sight of her piercing Lu Zhong’s neck with a Metal Spike, with blood spraying everywhere... it was truly...’
’A stark contrast.’