Captain Zhang almost spun around as he barked, "Come on, I'll take you over."
He led the four of them through the crowd of ability users and brought them right up to the base gate.
Captain Zhou and Captain Wang followed close behind.
Captain Wang had traveled with them before, so he was tagging along just for the excitement. Captain Zhou, though, clearly wanted to see just how strong they really were. In his mind, ability users from his base might not have been able to wipe out the swarm cleanly, but they were still considered tough. Against this many mutants, things should've been tricky even for the strongest.
Who could've guessed—
For them, it was child's play.
Ling Jiang stepped forward. With nothing more than a stomp, dozens of ants and cockroaches were instantly frozen from the waist down, locked in place. The mutants and even the onlookers froze up at the sight. While everyone was still gaping, the trapped creatures started thrashing on the ice.
Not that it mattered. Ling Jiang's ice wasn't something these pests could break free from. She ignored their struggles and walked straight to the car buried under bugs.
Before anyone could react, Lan Jin summoned a whip with the Violetbane Ring. She lashed it around the vehicle, sweeping bugs to the ground. As they hit, the whip's current fried them to a crisp, leaving behind the sharp stench of burnt chitin.
And that was it. Two people had stepped in, and the whole mess was already cleaned up.
Compared to how long the others had been struggling earlier, the difference was staggering.
"Wait, that's it?"
"Of course that's it."
"No way… their abilities are insane."
"Mine doesn't even feel like it's on the same scale."
"Are they from our base? How did I never know we had people this strong?"
Someone who knew the details explained, "They're not from our base, but now they are. There's no other base around Capital city anyway."
"That's not the point. Where the hell did people this strong come from?"
"H city base," the insider replied. "Captain Zhang brought them."
"I've heard of Captain Zhang. People say he's strong."
"Not just say. He really is, before or after awakening."
With powerhouses like this at his side, there was no way the base wouldn't value him more going forward.
…
Captain Zhang and Captain Zhou escorted the four researchers from the car into the base. After their identities were verified, Captain Zhou finally dismissed the ability users still milling around the gate.
Everyone went back to their duties.
Captain Zhou supported the oldest professor among the researchers and said, "Let me take you to your quarters. You've had a long journey. Rest first, we'll talk later."
The professor nodded wearily. "Yes, yes. Let me rest tonight, we'll speak tomorrow."
Since their arrival had been reported ahead of time, housing had already been prepared.
Capital city base was large, so accommodations were divided into zones. Ordinary residents had one area, staff had another. Even that was split between regular workers and those with official positions, like soldiers and semi-soldiers.
Soldiers were people like Captain Zhang, straight from the military. Semi-soldiers were people like Lan Jin, attached but not full military.
This professor team would've been considered unaffiliated before the apocalypse. But times had changed. People like them were now classified as internal staff, so they were housed in the same area as Captain Zhang's group and were escorted there together.
Though the crowd had dispersed quickly after Lan Jin's group acted, the impression they left behind was unforgettable. Barely after the alarms died down, word of what happened was already spreading like wildfire.
The happiest man of all was Captain Zhang. The base hadn't blamed him for the vaccine incident and even gave him work, but he hadn't been given real importance. With today's display, that was bound to change. Even though he hadn't done the fighting himself, the four belonged to his people. That alone was enough. All he had to do was wait, and recognition would come.
He thought he'd have to wait days. Instead, the very next day he was summoned by the higher-ups. When he returned, he'd been promoted several ranks. But with the new rank came new expectations.
Since his standing now depended heavily on those four, he couldn't let them stir up trouble. He told the higher-ups plainly, "We already agreed before. If the base needs them, they'll step up without hesitation. But outside of that, they don't like strict rules. I let them run a shop, plant fields. It's nothing. As long as they stay here, it's fine."
The base leaders still weren't reassured. "How can you be so sure they won't leave? If they were official staff and defected, at least we'd have authority to hunt them down. But now, if they walk away, we won't even know where to look."
Captain Zhang shook his head. "They won't. They're not alone. Lan Jin has a daughter. She might not care where she goes, but for her child's sake, she'll stay. And besides…"
The leader leaned in. "Besides what? Speak."
"It's nothing major. Her daughter really likes Zhou Zhiye. Clings to him every time she sees him. Unless something crazy happens, they won't leave. Sir, you should have more confidence in yourself. With everything this base offers, why would anyone prefer the outside?"
"I'm only worried about what-ifs. If they used to be from H city base, you'd better make sure people like that don't slip away."
Captain Zhang said firmly, "Relax. As long as nothing blows up, they won't leave."
And that was the heart of it. In the apocalypse, soldiers had duties. Even if they were wronged, they still shouldered the base's safety and didn't walk away. But free people were different. They had choices. Why would they stay and suffer if they didn't want to?
Still, as long as things continued like before, there'd be no problem. So really, why force them into hardships at all?