Star Gate

Chapter 141: A Spare Tire (III)

They didn’t mind it when Li Hao and Liu Long came through the door together. Liu Yan knew some of the details, but didn’t say anything. Upon seeing that their supernatural colleagues were yet to arrive, Liu Long swept a glance at Wu Chao and Chen Jian.

“You two only started absorbing mysterious power over the past two days, didn’t you?” He frowned.

The two nodded.

“Finish absorbing all of your cubes in the next two days. I don’t care if it results in internal injuries, induct them all!”

The two men blinked. Why were they suddenly in such a hurry? Based on previous circumstances, twenty cubes was more than enough to last half a year. They might not receive any more in the future, so doling them out sparingly was the best way to maximum gains. What was the rush for?

But Liu Long’s authority remained and they highly trusted the director. They quickly nodded without any questions.

“Yun Yao!”

“Here.” Yun Yao looked at the director.

“You are a water supernatural now, how much of your healing abilities do you have left?” asked Liu Long.

“About the same as before.” Yun Yao pushed her glasses up her nose. She’d never worn any before, but was fond of wearing a pair now. Li Hao knew a thing or two—they seemed to be able to catch glimpses of scarlet shadows. The team doctor utilized them to steer clear of pursuit.

“Then you’re still our healer for now.” Liu Long nodded. “You’re in charge of treating the team before we have a true light or healing supernatural join us.”

“Understood!”

A knock sounded on the door before Wang Ming entered with a smile. He looked at everyone and nodded at Liu Long, wanting to find a place to sit. However, he found that the team was sitting willy-nilly. Chen Jian was even sitting on the floor!

Speechless, Wang Ming decided to stand on the side with Li Hao. Li Meng and Hu Hao opted to stand near Chen Jian.

Liu Long glanced at the group and dispensed with the niceties. “Folks, you’re none too familiar with us since you’ve just joined us. While we fought together before, that was a very short experience. I have one question for you—are you here to gild yourselves with pretty accolades, or are you here to experience life and death?”

“Of course we’re here to temper and hone ourselves!” Wang Ming replied with dissatisfaction. “Gild ourselves? Is there any point to gilding if we are lacking as supernaturals? Does Director Liu think too little of us?”

“Director,” Li Meng added. “We came to Silver City because we heard you need reinforcement. We’re not here to play around.”

“That’s good!” Liu Long declared coolly. “There will be a battle in the city soon. You don’t need to know who the enemy is! You just need to follow orders, keep your head, follow the plan, and don’t interfere with your teammates!”

A battle?

Wang Ming started. What battle?

“Director, how strong is the enemy?”

“Sunflare!”

“That’s not undoable.” Wang Ming furrowed his brows. “But the danger will be significant. Can I ask if they come from one of the three great organizations or some other one?”

“They can be viewed as part of the three great organizations!”

“But White Moon wishes that we don’t provoke a fight with them...”

“This is Silver City!” Liu Long barked out. “My decision is law here! You call the shots only when I step aside and you take my place! Otherwise, what I say goes!”

Wang Ming thinned his lips. Whatever you say then. He wasn’t afraid of just one Sunflare. Silver City was adequately staffed at the moment. While they lacked Sunflare, there were four Darkmoons in the department and two Sunderers. They could stand their ground.

As for danger... Just like he’d said, encountering danger was their ideal Silver City life.

“Director, do we have a time and a place for the operation?” asked a Hu Hao who’d been silent up to this point.

“I’ll let you know when it’s a go!”

Alright then, he didn’t trust them. That was normal. Although Wang Ming wasn’t too satisfied, he accepted the state of affairs.

“Do we have a plan of attack?” he asked instead. “How will we coordinate? I’m a metal supernatural, Li Meng is a special type, Hu Hao is a flight type. At White Moon, we typically run several drills beforehand to ensure that we’re synchronized and that our abilities don’t interfere with each other...”

“There’s no need, you just need to ensure that the three of you are in harmony!” Liu Long looked at him. “You need to be prepared for an attack by a Sunflare. Focus on how to withstand or even obstruct them so they cannot flee. If you cannot do it, let us know now!”

Wang Ming’s heart quailed! We three need to be prepared to fight a Sunflare? That’s... so... exciting!

He was worked up, apprehensive, and also embarrassed.

“Ah... Director...” he managed to spit out. “We... we lack sufficient battle experience. To be honest, our coordination isn’t all that and we probably won\'t be able to keep a Sunflare in place if we ran into one.”

Liu Long chuckled; he liked the guy’s honesty. There was no use in running their mouths. They’d be beaten to death in a second if they were truly on the battlefield. It would be a detriment to themselves and to their teammates.

“The enemy is also new!”

“Huh?” Wang Ming and his brethren blinked. Also a rookie? “There’s rookies among Sunflare?”

It was hard to believe—how could one still be a rookie as a Sunflare? This level of supernatural had crossed over at least ten years ago. Whether the supernatural was of the Night Watchers or other organizations, it was impossible to not have experienced a certain amount of battle after ten years—particularly as a Sunflare. Only when one was a Heaven Favored and naturally developed their way to Sunflare was that a possibility.

“They’re most likely rookies... I’m not entirely sure, but ninety percent certain! Even if they’ve battled before, their fights were most likely against lower levels. They don’t look to have fought peers!”

“If that’s the case, then we have nothing to worry about.” Wang Ming breathed out more easily. “Hu Hao can fly, Li Meng can lock onto their location and distance, and I can attack. So long as the three of us exercise caution, we’ll be able to run even if we can’t defeat them. Ahem, I mean we’ll be able to curb them within reasonable limits.”

They were more experienced after the wounds they’d suffered last time.

“It’s fine if the three of you withdraw from the operation. But if you wish to participate, we are so decided!” Liu Long concluded. “Everything is to be kept confidential. Nothing is to be divulged to even White Moon City without my approval. Do all of you hear me?”

“Yes!”

“Then the meeting is concluded. Be ready to fight at any time!”

“Understood!” the team chorused.

The Demon Hunters were very composed. So what if they faced Sunflares? They’d taken down Darkmoons before and the entire team was stronger now. It wasn’t incomprehensible that they had Sunflares in their sights.

......

Liu Long’s meeting was very brief. When the group filed out of the basement, Wang Ming grabbed Li Hao.

“Are we going up against Galaxy?” he muttered.

“Guess!” Li Hao grinned.

“......”

Guess my ass! That was the only possibility he could consider since that corporation possessed Darkmoons. But did that mean they had Sunflares among their ranks?

He didn’t know.

“Forget it, we’ll go against whoever we go against so long as it isn’t the Night Watchers!” He didn’t have many demands in this area. He would hit whoever the target was as long as it wasn’t one of their own. “Will your teacher be in the field?”

“Maybe.”

That set Wang Ming at ease. Their safety was assured if there was a Dominator waiting on the sidelines. It was just one Sunflare! Yuan Shuo would slap them to death in a matter of seconds if they proved to be more than what the supernatural trio could handle. Wang Ming still recalled how Yuan Shuo had hacked Ying Hongyue’s son to death with one stroke. The professor was formidable!

Thus, Wang Ming noticeably relaxed.

“Stay on your guard, things won’t be that simple!” Li Hao whispered when he saw his colleague at ease. “Treat every battle as your last—my teacher taught me that and I’ll tell you the same! Unexpected drops of the ball happen all the time.”

“Understood!” Wang Ming nodded with renewed focus.

The two went along their ways.

......

The work day was soon over. Li Hao promptly clocked out as usual; there was no aberration from his usual behavior. Anyone watching him would only draw the conclusion that the young man was extremely boring.

He came to work on time and left work on time. He didn’t go anywhere else apart from an occasional visit to his teacher’s. Li Hao’s life was so regular that he was more predictable than a retired senior citizen.

......

As Li Hao returned home.

The Yuan residence.

A panting Hao Lianchuan landed on the ground and irritably pushed through the front door. “Is there a need for this, Professor Yuan?? Threatening others with the life of the inspector general is not a good idea!”

He was quite dissatisfied! It was one thing to joke around, but Mu Sen had been gravely serious that Yuan Shuo would execute him if Hao Lianchuan didn’t come today! Once the matter involved the inspector general of a city... Hao Lianchuan had to rush here with due haste no matter how busy he was.

Yuan Shuo’s threat was over the line and out of bounds!

“Where is it?” Yuan Shuo ignored him. “Did you bring it? Don’t talk so much. You took my things and didn’t send so much of a word in many days, and you also took the sword of the Lis. Would you just forget about it if I didn’t ask you for it? Are the Night Watchers engaging in daylight robbery now?”

“......” Hao Lianchuan heaved a resigned sigh. “I’m collecting the mysterious power for you...”

“The Night Watchers can close up shop if they can’t even take out one thousand cubes!”

Fine. Hao Lianchuan had nothing to say to that because they could indeed bring out that many. He had indeed wanted to delay the handover until after the expedition, but he couldn’t withhold it forever since this one had insisted.

“I brought them with me, two hundred cubes of each of the five elements...”

“I gave you thirteen hundred!” Yuan Shuo looked at him with a frosty expression.

“We’re really not misappropriating your goods, that’s not something we’d do! You wanted equal parts of all elements—this is all we have on hand. I brought unattributed power for the other three hundred cubes. Will they do? They’re more useful for martial masters.”

Yuan Shuo reluctantly inclined his head. That would do.

“Then it’s settled. Liu Long came to me this morning and said that if you come, you can be an anchor for him. He wants to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony...”