| WRIAWW | Joshua is in a Bad Mood | 105
Half an hour later, all S-level survivors were ready at Guanghai.
At eleven o'clock in the dead of night, Guanghai should have been nearly deserted. But tonight, the gathering of these top-level combat forces made it anything but ordinary.
A handful of passing survivors stopped to watch, their eyes wide with astonishment and excitement. They whispered among themselves, and their fingers quickly tapped on the keyboard of their mobile phones. It was obvious that the forum would be flooded with this explosive news in the next second.
Yet, just before the posts could be sent, a large hand reached over their heads, plucking the phones away and hitting delete with precision. The carefully typed posts vanished instantly.
The survivors were about to protest, but the moment they looked up and saw who it was, they fell silent.
"Apologies, we are currently carrying out a confidential mission. We can not allow any information to be leaked. Please understand."
After saying this in a businesslike manner, Qin Ye threw the phone back.
The other members of the Watchtower Guild were doing the same, intercepting survivors of lower levels, forcibly inspecting their phones, and warning them against leaking information before letting them go.
Some couldn't resist speculating about the operation's purpose. "Boss Qin Ye, with so many S-levels gathered here, are you planning to use that new city pass to take on a new mission in the ultimate dungeon or something?"
"Sorry, that's confidential too." Before Qin Ye could respond, Si Yuyan, who had joined the mission as part of the special operations team, cut in bluntly. "And it'd be best if you didn't post about this on the forums afterward. Otherwise, you might find yourselves blacklisted by all three major guilds and the Merchant Guild."
Her tone was too harsh, and was likely to breed resentment. Si Yuyan is well aware of the mentality of hitting a stick and giving a date, so she softened her voice: "Of course, if the mission goes smoothly, you'll hear about our success on the forums soon enough."
"Got it, okay! I wish you a smooth operation!"
"Don't worry, we won't say a word!"
Qin Ye said nothing.
His fingers absently traced the engravings on his knife hilt as his gaze settled on a silver-haired figure in the distance.
As an artificial experimental creation, Joshua's lifespan far exceeded that of an ordinary human. What's more, he is bound with the ability to resurrect, which makes up for the lack of the saint's ability. Now he can theoretically achieve immortality.
Although decades had passed, his appearance remained unchanged since the day he first entered the Infinite Space, no. Since the day he emerged from the cultivation pod, but his demeanor is completely different.
At some point, Joshua had learned to hide everything about himself behind a flawless smile. The meticulously measured expression reduced the inhuman aura he once exuded.
In the past, Qin Ye could still see the arrogance and sharpness on his face, but now there was no trace of emotion left to decipher.
Until today, when that perfect mask showed rare cracks.
In the conference room, despite it being just a fleeting moment, Qin Ye still caught Joshua's brief displeasure. This instinctive emotional fluctuation hadn't been seen in this eternally graceful and composed Saint for decades.
The discovery sent a shock through Qin Ye's heart, followed by deeper confusion.
Qin Ye attempted to talk to Joshua and wanted to gauge his attitude, only to be stopped by the other's impeccable responses.
"Not in a good mood? I'm sorry, but when have I ever been in a good mood while talking with you?"
"As for why this resurrection took longer than usual, it's because the Central Court's Holy Flame targets directly on the soul. Repairing a soul takes twice as long as repairing a body. Moreover, the fatigue afterward can only be alleviated with time."
Every explanation was flawless, yet Qin Ye's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
There must be something missing. He thought.
"Guild Master, ten seconds left."
However, the current situation left no room for further contemplation. Collecting himself, Qin Ye raised his voice: "Prepare for transmission."
To perfectly time their exploration within the two-hour window, they had to activate the teleportation array precisely at eleven o'clock sharp to reach the eastern district of Guiyi City, so as to maximize the use of time.
"Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one."
In an instant, over a hundred beams of light descended from the sky simultaneously.
When the light dissipated, all S-level members and the special operations team had vanished, leaving only distant onlookers holding their breaths.
At the same time, in Guiyi City's eastern district, beams of light landed in unison on a wasteland not far from Ankang Community.
"Seriously, I'll never get used to these pitch-black environments when entering dungeons."
"Yes, the dark night and blood moon are always the characteristics of each sub-city. I really don't know how these NPCs can stand it."
After adjusting to their surroundings, the survivors began surveying the area.
Having entered countless dungeons under circumstances where they could not move freely, the main system's tasks were challenging, but the system itself required them to consider many factors, the community being their top priority.
"According to Yu Anlian's map of Guiyi City based on existing intel, we're currently near Fifth Avenue. Ankang Community isn't far, we just need to head north one block and turn left."
After successfully navigating with compasses and maps, the group pressed on without delay.
As S-levels were elite among survivors, their speed was naturally exceptional. With members like Si Yuyan assisting, they wasted only a few minutes on the road.
Just as everyone was about to charge in, Yu Anlian suddenly called out, "Wait!"
As one of the strategists and a survivor who had previously completed a mission in Ankang Community, she naturally participated in this operation and was the first to spot something amiss.
"Something's wrong."
Her eyes filled with wariness as she stared at the pitch-black community before them: "An entire community complex with four buildings, and not a single light is on. Even the guard post is empty. Something isn't right."
During her last mission here, there had at least been signs of life. Now, the entire place looked empty.
"That can't be. This is a surprise operation, how could they have known in advance?"
"What if there's a fortune-telling expert among their ranks? It's better to be cautious."
"Alright, alright."
Although they said so, most of the S-levels didn't take it seriously.
Ankang Community was originally just a B-level mission. Even a single S-level could easily handle it with a flick of their fingers, let alone a hundred of them.
Just as they were about to enter the community, Shu Xingwen suddenly shouted, "Behind!"
In an instant, a bloody flash slashed toward them with deadly precision.
The survivors reacted swiftly, dodging the attack before warily eyeing the street corner.
Under the crimson moonlight, a figure gradually emerged from the darkness.
When the moonlight fully illuminated the scene, everyone was stunned to find that it was more like a half-human, half-praying mantis monster than a human figure.
The upper half was human, while the lower half was deformedly fused with the abdomen of a praying mantis, and the original arms had all become sickle forelimbs with a metallic luster. The curved hooks were soaked in blood, and it was obvious that countless lives have been taken.
Though they hadn’t clashed directly yet, both sides had already sized each other up.
"Huh? Didn't you say this is a newly established group with barely any subordinates? Then what’s this?!"
The barrage of questions nearly knocked the An Sheng Factory manager to his knees. Trembling, he stammered, "S-Sir, I truly don’t know!"
There was no doubt that every single person across the street was formidable, with some even meeting the standards of S-level weirds. The more the manager observed, the more horrified he became.
He couldn’t fathom how the leader of Ankang Community had managed to recruit such a powerful force.
And there were so many of them, easily over a hundred at a glance. Damn it, had the boss of Ankang Community sworn off drugs or something?
If he had subordinates like these, he could’ve conquered Guiyi City long ago. Yet he kept them hidden? Was he even human?!
"Whatever. It doesn’t matter. They’ll all die by my blade anyway."
Morris sneered, his bloodshot eyes filled with fighting spirit.
Although he sensed discrepancies between the intel and the factory director's claims, it didn’t faze him.
As a battle maniac, all he craved was a thrilling fight and the exhilaration of slitting his enemies’ throats. Nothing else mattered.
"Let’s see how long you can last against me..." With a cold laugh, he launched his assault.
On the other hand, the survivors all had serious expressions.
Si Yuyan adjusted her specialized goggles and relayed in a low voice, "This weird’s aura wavelength is unmistakably S-level. And far stronger than any we’ve encountered in previous S-level missions. In terms of power ranking, it’s second only to the dean of Taikang Yongle Hospital from the first question mark-level mission. The good news is, it’s weaker than the Central Court’s Judge and lacks that kind of oppressive rule-based domain."
To better gather intel, the survivors ranked weirds after each mission. Currently, the Chief Judge of the Central Court held the top spot, followed by the hospital dean.
"Damn, this scythe-wielder is ranked third? Could this be the boss those psych department guys kept talking about?"
"Probably not. Personally, I think the scythe-wielder one is also a subordinate of that psychiatric department boss. According to the patients' accounts, the psychiatric boss is much stronger than the hospital dean, his power should be on par with the Chief Judge, if not higher."
"Enough talk, Guild Master Qin. Leave this weird to me."
The survivors and weirds operate on different grading systems. An ordinary S-level definitely wouldn't be able to hold it off, they'd need a high-ranking leader to stand guard.
The 4th Santa quickly assessed the power disparity in his mind and decisively spoke: "Time is precious. I will lead this team to hold it off while you hurry into the community to capture Zong Le."
Although splitting up is taboo among survivors, there really was no better option at the moment.
Qin Ye agreed without hesitation, swiftly selecting ten elites and reminding them their goal was to stall, not eliminate.
"Let's move!"
After making these arrangements, he led the remaining survivors away without delay.
Yet when he turned around and saw the community swallowed by darkness ahead, an ominous shadow crept over his heart.
Encountering such a formidable obstacle right at the start inevitably shook his initial certainty of victory.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the growing unease.
He could only hope it was just his imagination.
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