Hyperthermal Hell || Apocalypse Paradise #1 [Complete]

42: The Mission and the Team Leader

Chen Jinfeng's office was in a building right beside the entrance of the compound. By the time the three of them exited the canteen, everyone in the Oasis had already started their duties under the curtain of night. Under the illumination of the searchlight, they could see people moving around orderly, handling their own responsibilities. In contrast, the three of them, who were leisurely strolling to their next destination, looked particularly out of place.

Obviously, the one who slowed them down was Septimus. He was very interested about everything in the Oasis. He observed their surroundings unhurriedly as if he were a tourist. Even when the other two protested, he wanted to look at everything in detail. When they approached the main entrance of the compound, he softly exclaimed, "Oh?"

"What's wrong with you again?" Marcie rolled her eyes at him without showing a shred of courtesy. Septimus appeared unaffected as he smiled back at her and gestured with his chin at the door. Lin Sanjiu followed his gaze.

Even on such a peaceful day, there were still five burly, pot-bellied men sitting by the entrance. As they guarded the entrance, they sat with their legs crossed, ankles on their knees. They chatted randomly, two of them even holding a hatchet each. Just when Lin Sanjiu turned her eyes to them, one of the men pulled out a cigarette from behind his ears and checked his own pockets. "I didn't bring my lighter!" he immediately cursed.

Another man beside him laughed and said something inaudible before he held the tip of the cigarette. In the darkness, they could see his fingers gradually glowing red, becoming brighter and brighter. Then, the cigarette was lit, and a stream of smoke rose from the cigarette. The others did not even raise their brows; it was apparent that they were already used to this.

This should've been a good sign for them, as this meant that there were still quite a few posthumans in the Oasis, but Lin Sanjiu immediately understood Septimus's concern. Putting aside other dubious issues... Why did they have to place so many guards at the entrance? What were they guarding against?

She continued ruminating about the matter even as they climbed up to the third floor of Building 37 and found Room 306. She went ahead and knocked on the door.

"Oh, another visitor!"

They heard someone laugh, and a stranger opened the door for them. The three of them were stunned. The stranger in front of them was a very tall young man who stood about 190 cm tall and was about Luther's age; he had an athlete's physique beneath the blue hoodie he wore. He warmly welcomed them into the room. "Are the three of you new here? Welcome, welcome! We'll need to look out for each other in the future!"

Lin Sanjiu and the others were bewildered as they walked into the room. They were immediately shocked when they saw that Chen Jinfeng' small office could actually fit so many people. There was a tanned, muscular man who looked as if he was made of steel; he wore a sleeveless shirt and stood in one corner, crossing his arms with closed eyes as he rested. An attractive woman stood beside him. They could not tell her age, but her head of large curls gave her a seductive allure. In her arms, she carried a young girl who looked like she hadn't been in elementary school for long. She was about eight- or nine-years-old and wore two French braids. Within the group, she saw a familiar face—Hu Changzai.

Including Lin Sanjiu's group, nine people filled every inch of the 10m² room. It was a little difficult to even turn around.

"Uh... Does this mean that all of you here are also waiting to be assigned a duty?" Lin Sanjiu rushed to ask softly, directing her question at the tall young man who seemed very affable.

"Oh, so Luther and you guys are here. Great! All the members of this squad are here!"

The young man nodded when Chen Jinfeng's voice suddenly rang out within the room. Lin Sanjiu scanned the room but couldn't spot him. She only saw him when the muscular man shifted and Chen Jinfeng squeezed out of the spot behind him with much difficulty. Chen Jinfeng walked to the center of the room, waving a piece of paper in his hand, and announced loudly, "Everyone, pay attention now. First, I'll brief you on today's mission!"

It suddenly quietened down as eight pairs of eyes locked their gazes on Chen Jinfeng.

"According to yesterday night's report from our scouting team, a small group of duoluozhongs in the west have started wandering around the area near Longwood Road. It's only a 20-minute walk from Longwood Road to our factory compound. This is already a dangerous distance for us, so the mission today for this squad is to head west, seek out the small group of duoluozhongs, and exterminate them. You must destroy this potential threat! I will pass the specific report to your team leader, who will lead the mission today. Does anyone have any questions?" Chen Jinfeng looked at the group.

The mission didn't sound difficult and the planned course was straightforward, so no one raised any objections. The room remained silent for a few seconds. Hu Changzai looked around him and realized that nobody else showed any intention to talk. After feeling conflicted for some time, he finally raised his hand and asked, "Uh... uh... who is our team leader?"

Suddenly, an unfathomable expression flashed across Chen Jinfeng's face. It was quickly followed by a cough as he looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. "Let me introduce all of you to your team leader, Student Xu Xiaoyang. She will be heading the mission today."

'Student... Xu Xiaoyang?'

Just when Lin Sanjiu had her suspicions about that form of address, the little girl with the French braids stood up. She nodded to the group and said in a crisp voice, "Hello, everybody. I am your team leader, Xu Xiaoyang. I will need all your cooperation for the mission later." The room fell silent again.

If the previous silence was because nobody wanted to be singled out, this silence was because everyone was struck dumb. The only two people in the room with unchanged expressions were Chen Jinfeng and that seductive long-haired woman...

The first person who could not restrain himself was the tanned, muscular dude. He immediately straightened his back. With a dark expression, he stared at Chen Jinfeng and shouted, "You're telling us that this silly little girl is the team leader? Executive Chen, are you kidding?"

Chen Jinfeng lowered his eyes, not even bothering to look at the man. "I would never make a joke out of this. This is a decision we made after much consideration. Tie Dao, you must cooperate with Team Leader Xu Xiaoyang for this mission."

The muscular man immediately rebutted with a "Ha?". With a rebellious tone, he mocked, "Even if I call you executive, don't think too highly of yourself. If you're asking me to listen to and follow this little girl, I won't do it!"

Lin Sanjiu took a glimpse of Xu Xiaoyang even before she knew why. A loud "bang" rang out in the room as the strong, muscular Tie Dao was thrown against the wall like a rag. The wall trembled for a bit as a large piece of reflective material fell off.

As the dust settled all over him, Tie Dao was so shocked that he forgot about his anger. The person who had thrown him against the wall was the silent, slender, long-haired woman.