Xinchuan City.
Early in the morning, as the sky was just turning bright, a breakfast shop near the east gate of the city had already opened its doors.
The shop owner was in his early forties, with a lean figure. He stepped out of the shop, looked at the cloudless sky, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and greeted the cleaner sweeping the street in front of his store, "Morning, old Zhang, the weather is nice today."
"Yeah," Old Zhang replied as he worked, "get me a bowl of noodles with an egg, and I'll have it after I finish sweeping."
"Alright!" The shop owner returned to the store with a smile and got busy.
Later, Old Zhang sat inside the shop, slurping up the noodles and munching on a large pancake from another shop. Having eaten and drank his fill, he sat satisfied, patting his belly before picking up a toothpick and leisurely picking his teeth.
It was time to settle the bill. He took several thin "ration cards" from his pocket and selected one with "noodles (one)" written on it, then went to the back kitchen to hand it to the shop owner, saying, "It's been strict up there these past few days. Be careful not to display things out like before."
"Got it, I know. You've emphasized it several times already!" The shop owner replied with a smile, asking his wife to help in the kitchen before wiping his hands and going outside.
"I say, Old Zhang," he lowered his voice, "can you tell me, what is going on up there? Making the city a civilized and advanced place?" He pointed upward with a raised index finger.
"Oh, what nonsense!" Old Zhang chuckled, "To tell you the truth, I don't know either. My nephew said they are attaching great importance to the matter, even I have to work overtime these days, sweeping every day! You've seen this street, how many times have I swept it? Not a single leaf left! But what can I do? Orders from above have to be followed."
"Ah, how come they've suddenly gotten so strict about cleanliness?" The shop owner asked, very puzzled.
"It's not just cleanliness, they're strict in all aspects," Old Zhang replied, "cracking down on crime, you know? In the past, officials turned a blind eye to some hooligans, vagrant merchants, but yesterday, anyone causing trouble on the streets was caught. Some might not even be released, and those vagrant merchants are being strictly inspected these days. If they dare to do any shady business in the city, they're caught and shot!"
"Wow, that's serious!" The shop owner gasped, "But I heard about the 'Black Flame convoy' yesterday, you know?"
"Of course, the whole city knows!" Old Zhang said, speaking even more quietly with a hint of schadenfreude, "Those guys were so arrogant, used to bullying around, we ordinary folks had to endure whatever they did. Who would have thought they'd cross the line with the 'monitoring team'? The captain thought he was a second-rank ability user, so the higher-ups wouldn't do anything to him. What happened? The deputy leader directly made a move and caught him!"
"Is the Five Commander personally taking action?" The boss widened his eyes. "What has the captain of the Black Flame convoy done to provoke the direct involvement of the Five Commander?"
"Hehe, this was originally confidential, but it just so happened that my nephew holds an important position in the government department, and I caught wind of it. I only told you because of our relationship. Please don't spread it around!"
"With such a capable nephew, Old Zhang, you're in for a good time in the future! You know my character. I won't disclose a single word that shouldn't be said." The boss, knowing Old Zhang's character, immediately flattered him and pledged to keep the information confidential, before leaning in to hear the gossip.
"It's just the tough luck of the Black Flame convoy. Why did they have to act up at such a sensitive time..." Old Zhang immediately embellished the news he heard from his nephew. It was nothing more than the Black Flame convoy acting aggressively and trying to buy goods from another small convoy with little money, nearly leading to a fight in the city. They also happened to run into the Five Commander personally leading an inspection, and the convoy captain even tried to deny or retaliate, but was immediately taken away.
The process was not wrong, but Old Zhang portrayed the scene of the Five Commander's involvement as if he had been there, like he had seen it with his own eyes.
The Five Commander was the leader of the subordinate team of supernaturals under the leader of Xinchuan City, and his strength had already reached the peak of the second level.
After exchanging gossip, the boss had to continue doing business, and Old Zhang had to hurry back to rest; he still had work to do in the afternoon.
It was around ten-thirty in the morning when they passed the restaurant. The boss let out a sigh of relief, but then heard a voice of reprimand coming from the next door.
He quickly went out to see that a person with a "City Cleanliness" badge on his arm, wearing a uniform, was instructing the shops blocking the road to take their things inside and even issued fines.
The shop owner being fined wore a miserable look, not daring to resist, as they had been warned every day for the past few days; today, they had displayed their goods on the road with a bit of wishful thinking, but ended up being fined.
Moreover, among the people wearing badges today, there was a supernatural, which was a great deterrent for ordinary people, so no one dared to complain about the fine.
Seeing this situation, the boss couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Just yesterday, he had displayed his goods on the road like the neighboring shop, with some wishful thinking. If it wasn't for Old Zhang's repeated warnings, he would have been fined today too.
Looking confidently at the group of people passing by his shop front, and nodding at the entrance, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
At this moment, some commotion seemed to come from the direction of the city gate. The boss's heart stirred, and he hurriedly ran out of the door to see what was happening, and suddenly, an extremely frightening aura came from the direction of the city gate!
The boss felt his breath hitch, almost falling to his knees, but fortunately, the aura passed in an instant, not even a second, and he managed to hold himself together, not losing face.
Looking around, he saw that some people couldn't hold on and had collapsed to the ground.
The next moment, the surrounding commotion suddenly grew louder, with many people desperately looking around, as if trying to find something in the sky.
The boss was no exception, shielding his eyes from the sun and constantly searching, but apart from the blue sky, there was nothing to be seen.
At this moment, someone beside him excitedly called out to each other, "It's the leader! The leader is back! The leader has finally returned!"
This made the boss's heart feel a surge of warmth. Although he was a negligible figure, he often learned a lot about "national affairs" from newspapers and idle chatter.
He knew that since the news of the leader defeating the strongest mutant beast "Lava Tyrannosaurus" last year, although it had deterred many forces, the rumor that the leader might be seriously injured, or even dead, had begun to spread in the city, despite many people not believing it.
On the surface, Xinchuan City was as peaceful as ever, but there were already dark currents beginning to surge underneath.
Just like the Black Flame convoy that was caught yesterday, it was just a small reflection of these rumors.
But now, the leader had finally returned, and all the turmoil and unrest would disappear with it!
As long as the leader was here, the heart of Xinchuan was here! The security of these ordinary people was here!
The boss laughed suddenly, then danced into the shop, meeting his wife halfway and saying, "What was that just now? I suddenly felt very uneasy!"
He didn't wait for an answer but suddenly kissed his wife's face loudly. In his wife's shocked gaze, he hummed a tune and headed toward the kitchen.
...
Xinchuan City Government Building, First Meeting Room.
"Leader!" Apart from the captains who were executing tasks, all the trusted subordinates were present, looking at Zhou Quchuan standing at the main seat, they all excitedly saluted and called out.
There was no way around it. The leader always ran off on a whim and left a mess of things for them to handle. It was fine in the past, but this time, he had been gone for several months, and he didn't allow anyone to visit or disturb him. If it wasn't for the repeated assurances from the Second and Third Captains that the leader was fine and even more powerful, they might not have been able to sit still!
Zhou Quchuan pulled the chair behind him and sat down, placing a hand on the tabletop, tapping his index finger, and raising his hand to stop the secretary who was about to speak.
"Alright, I know you're all happy to see me, but I have things to do. Carry on as usual. Also, if you see me in the city, you must, and you must pretend not to know me. Whoever dares to disobey this order will be punished according to military law!"
After he finished speaking, the group of people exchanged bewildered looks.
Many of them looked at the young secretary, Yu Shuai, indicating to ask the leader what he meant.
Yu Shuai cleared his throat and said, "Leader, this... you haven't been back for months, and there are many matters still pending. Since you've returned, why not..."
"Stop. I'll make time to come back every night." Zhou Quchuan said, "When I just returned to the city, I displayed my authority, notifying everyone that I'm back. Those rats hiding in the sewers should no longer dare to make any small moves. In any case, remember what I just said. I don't like to repeat myself. Also, the city must be strictly managed these days. If anyone dares to cause trouble, they should be... immediately arrested, no leniency!"
He had wanted to say "execution on the spot," but he thought that if Zhao Lian was present and saw the scene of the villains being executed, she might misunderstand the leader of Xinchuan City as a bloodthirsty and brutal person.
His tone was very severe, and although others didn't understand, they still stood up and replied, "Yes!"
Yu Shuai asked again, "Leader, do you need me to arrange anything for you?" As his first close general, Yu Shuai naturally knew about the girl named Zhao Lian that the leader had brought into the city.
He was the only one who knew about it, although he was very surprised, the leader's will equaled his will, so as long as Zhou Quchuan said it, he would do his best to do it well.
For example, the recent strict control, elimination of evil, and purification of the city were all carried out by him.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Quchuan said, "Just find an ordinary inn and have it cleaned up.
"Yes!" Yu Shuai bowed, and when he looked up, he saw that the leader's seat was already empty.
The others swarmed over and inquired about the leader's intentions this time.
But Yu Shuai just smiled and kept his mouth shut like a clam.
...
By the side of a dirt road about three or four kilometers from Xinchuan City, Zhou Quchuan's figure emerged from the woods. He saw Zhao Lian sitting on the edge of the rear compartment of the car, holding a map in her hand. When she saw him come out, she smiled and said, "Let's have something to eat and continue on the road. We should reach the main road not far along this path, and Xinchuan City is just ahead. We should make it there by noon."
Zhou Quchuan nodded, ready to sit beside her, but he saw Ada and A'er surrounding her, constantly nudging her hands and coquettishly asking for food. The back of the pickup truck was not big, and these two guys occupied most of the space. Since there was no other way, he had to lean on the side of the truck.
Earlier, he had used the excuse of solving a personal matter to enter the woods. After ensuring that Zhao Lian couldn’t see him, he quickly returned to the city, finished his work, and then silently came back. The whole process took less than ten minutes and went unnoticed.
Passing the jerky and water to Zhou Quchuan, Zhao Lian said, "I wonder how much we can exchange for the animal skins we have. It would be great if we can rent a cheap place to live long-term. Ah Chuan, you used to live in Xinchuan City. Do you remember anything we need to be cautious about when going there?"
"There's nothing to be cautious about. Xinchuan City is actually very safe and friendly to outside survivors. Even those who live outside the city don't have to worry too much about safety," Zhou Quchuan said. "Inside, the hard currency is ration cards. Our goods should be able to exchange for quite a few ration cards."
"What about job opportunities? With so many survivors, there should be significant competition, right?"
"I only know that even the elderly and the weak, as long as they are willing to work hard, can support themselves," Zhou Quchuan praised the base where he lived enthusiastically.
Curious, Zhao Lian looked at him and asked, "It seems like you have a very favorable impression of Xinchuan base. Have you remembered more things?"
"Uh, I remember some," Zhou Quchuan nodded, not revealing everything. "I remember there were very good people around."
Without further questioning, Zhao Lian knew that, whether it was good or not, she would soon see it with her own eyes. She also had some ideas about job opportunities. Ah Chuan was strong, and she was not a weak woman with no skills, so she shouldn’t struggle to support herself.
Just as they were preparing to leave, Ada and A'er suddenly stood up from the back of the pickup truck and, with their eyes fixed on a certain direction deep in the woods, began growling with a threatening tone in their throats.
Zhou Quchuan squinted. He noticed the movement in the woods before Ada and A'er did. Normally, he would have just left with Zhao Lian without getting involved. However, they were so close to Xinchuan City, and he had just described it so well, so he felt a bit embarrassed if something happened near the base.
With a sneer in his heart, he wanted to see which reckless fellow dared to cause trouble so close to Xinchuan City!
Seeing that Zhao Lian was also attracted by Ada and A'er's cries and became vigilant, he patted the side of the car and said, "You go start the car."
But before he finished speaking, two clear gunshots rang out from the woods.
Zhao Lian immediately jumped out of the car and took out her weapon, using the vehicle as a cover, shouting, "The other party has guns. Ah Chuan, get in the car! Ada, A'er, come back!"
But this time, Zhou Quchuan didn't listen to her. He just hid near the front of the car, taking out his gun to observe the situation in the woods.
What he saw was a burly man carrying a four or five-year-old girl rushing out of the woods. When he saw the pickup truck, his face showed joy, and he ran towards the vehicle with the girl in his arms.
However, there was another gunshot, and the burly man suddenly stumbled. The little girl in his arms cried, "Daddy!"
The burly man grunted and gritted his teeth to steady himself. He managed not to fall and ran towards the pickup truck even faster, despite being hit by two consecutive gunshots.
After reaching the pickup truck, he put the girl into the car window and said to Zhao Lian, "Save my daughter, please. I will block those people. You should leave quickly!"
After that, he turned around and rushed towards the gunshots!
Seeing the blood on his back, but apparently not seriously injured, Zhao Lian was surprised and quickly realized: this burly man must be an esper!
Indeed, he was an esper. He had named his ability "Invincible Body," meaning that his body was as unbreakable as copper and iron when using his ability!
Of course, it was just a name, and in reality, he was still flesh and blood. Moreover, he was only a first-tier esper, so he would be severely injured if he faced firearms like guns.
He covered his face with his hands, endured the intense pain from the bullets hitting him, and quickly rushed into the woods. There were about a dozen people chasing him, including espers, all armed with guns. He aimed to eliminate the pursuers while his ability still had power and he was still mobile.
"Daddy! Daddy!" The little girl cried and tried to crawl out of the car window, only to be grabbed by Zhao Lian, who held her firmly.
Though she had no personal connection with the man, she couldn't refuse to help a living girl right in front of her. She had once hoped for help herself and experienced the pain of being helpless and having no one willing to help her.
"You can't go out! Listen to your father, he has a chance of coming back alive only if you listen to him!" she scolded the resisting girl firmly, feeling her resistance weaken, and quickly fastened the safety belt in the front passenger seat to restrain her, then quickly started the car.
"Ah Chuan! What are you doing? Get in the car! Ah Chuan!?" Seeing Zhou Quchuan standing up, she thought he was getting into the car, but then she saw that he was shooting into the woods and running in that direction.
Although she had seen the scene of his fierce battle with the mutated ape and knew how powerful his ability was, Zhao Lian was still very angry at his risky behavior. She slammed the steering wheel hard and warned the little girl, "Lie down and don't look outside!" then got out of the car.
Occasionally, there were some gunshots from the woods, but it seemed that they were concentrated in a certain area, and no bullets were coming towards the pickup truck.
Worried about Zhou Quchuan's situation, she said to Ada and A'er, who got out of the car with her, "We will charge over there together later. Try to ambush them from behind and avoid getting hit by those things they have in their hands. Do you understand?"
Ada and A’er responded with a howl, showing that they understood. They had proven to be very intelligent during the few months Zhao Lian had spent with them.
As soon as the gunfire stopped in the woods, Zhao Lian and her two animal companions immediately rushed over at top speed.
Of course, Ada and A’er were much faster than Zhao Lian. With a swoosh, they disappeared into the woods.
As soon as Zhao Lian entered the woods, she heard several screams not far away.
By the time she reached the source of the screams, the people who had chased the burly man had all been taken care of by the burly man and Zhou Quchuan.
Ada and A’er joined Zhou Quchuan, rejoined Zhao Lian.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhao Lian rushed forward and fiercely punched Zhou Quchuan's chest a couple of times.
He dodged with a playful smile, "Hey, sister, Your Highness, I made a mistake!"
Frustrated, Zhao Lian kicked him twice more and stopped only when the burly man limped over.
"Thank you so much!" he knelt down in gratitude and continued, "You are my saviors. No matter what you ask, I am willing to do it!"
Seeing the burly man, Zhao Lian gestured for him to get up. "First, go and check on your daughter in the car. She must be terrified."
The burly man got up and hurried back to the car.
When he had left, Zhao Lian scolded Zhou Quchuan, "I never thought you were so softhearted! Are you not afraid of death for the sake of a stranger!?"
Knowing that she was scolding him out of care, Zhou Quchuan just chuckled and let her misunderstand him as being overly kindhearted.
As they emerged from the woods, they saw the burly man frantically comforting his crying daughter.
The little girl was crying in her father's arms, clearly very upset.
Seeing the two people come out, the burly man pulled back and didn't seem intent on imposing himself on them.
Zhao Lian took a glance at Zhou Quchuan and sighed in her heart, then asked, "Are you going to the Xinchuan Base? If so, we happen to be going that way, we can give you a lift."
"Really?" The big man's eyes lit up, immediately expressing his thanks. The bullet he had been hit with was still lodged in his flesh, so he needed to rush to a hospital to have it removed. Having a ride now was the best thing that could happen.
Once on the car, the little girl soon fell asleep in the big man's arms after crying, and the big man introduced himself and explained why he was being chased and who the people chasing him were.
It turned out his name was Xia Hongguang, a small team leader under the leader of the Changnan Base, with a wife and daughter. They were living a good life until one day his superior, Changnan's leader's brother, Barbou Yuan, insulted his wife while he was out!
His wife, unable to bear the humiliation, attempted suicide!
Filled with anger and losing his mind, Xia nearly killed Barbou Yuan, also an esper, before being outnumbered. Because of his daughter's remaining shred of reason, he immediately fled with her.
But probably because of the damage he had almost caused to Barbou Yuan, the leader of Changnan, Batai Ping, was furious, sending a group of people to hunt him down. He narrowly escaped death multiple times on the way and finally came near the Xinchuan Base, where he was fortunate to meet Zhao Lian and Zhou Quchuan.
Xia Hongguang said, "I've been a team leader of esper for quite some time, and I have some secret intelligence about Changnan. I plan to exchange this information with Xinchuan for some rewards. You two have saved me, and I don't know how to repay your kindness. I have grudges, and I can't follow you and cause you trouble. Whatever reward Xinchuan gives me, I will give it all to you."
"We'll talk about it later," Zhou Quchuan replied nonchalantly.
Zhao Lian looked at his tired and haggard appearance in the rearview mirror and said, "There's some food and water in the seat next to you, eat a bit first, we'll talk about the rest later."
Xia Hongguang gratefully thanked her and gently woke up his daughter, "An'an, An'an, wake up, have some water and food first."
The little girl, drowsy, immediately woke up at the mention of food and eagerly took the jerky her father gave her.
Seeing her daughter eat heartily, Xia Hongguang finally ate with relief. He was used to this kind of pain, so he could bear it.
About twenty minutes later, the group finally saw the Xinchuan city located at the end of the road next to a gorge.
Even though they were all people who came from the civilized era of concrete jungles, the imposing and grand high walls of the Xinchuan Base, which could hardly be seen at a glance, still amazed Zhao Lian and Xia Hongguang.