Return in Triumph

Xiao He led the group towards the command post, still savoring the battle they had just fought. It was a victory achieved through unity. Of course, the main help came from Yue Feng, An Xiuru, and Han Tianyu, but Qin Weize and Li Xue's willingness to step forward also made him very gratified, providing him with moral support.

When Xiao He and the others landed at the command post, the scene was quiet for a moment. Then everyone, from the commanders to the technicians and the People's Armed Police officers, applauded them to welcome the heroes' triumphant return.

"Hehe... I've become addicted to this feeling." Qin Weize laughed a little shyly, "Even though I wasn't much of a help."

"Hmph, I did all this for myself," Yue Feng said with a cold snort, arms crossed.

Xiao He searched through the crowd for that petite figure, and the next moment he locked onto her. He then opened his arms and welcomed her into his embrace, laughing, "Oh, my Little Pufferfish... I've been waiting for you to welcome me."

"You're the best!" Ye Wanqing happily hugged his waist and laughed, "You truly are my man!"

"That's right," Xiao He smiled somewhat smugly, "Although we did receive help from everyone."

At this moment, Xie Haining and Xia Yu also returned to the command post with the convoy. Since they did not have the ability to move quickly, they stayed behind to assist civilians in taking refuge.

Although there were no zero casualties this time, it is already remarkable to keep the death toll in the double digits in the face of Earthquake of magnitude 9 or above, not to mention that Xiao He reduced the economic losses by tens of figures.

"You did a great job this time, you've made a significant contribution." Cui Man looked at Yue Feng, Li Xue, and Qin Weize and smiled. "I will report to my superiors and then raise your evaluation levels. Seize this opportunity, understand? Perhaps soon you will be able to leave that prison and live in the accommodations provided by the Special Response Department, living normal lives."

"Yes, Chief Cui!" Qin Weize said excitedly, "I will definitely do my best!"

"Alright, it's past 2 a. m. now, everyone must be starving, right? Let's go back to Beichang City, I'll treat everyone to a late-night snack!" Cui Man said excitedly.

But then a chorus of sighs erupted from the crowd: "Forget it, Sister Man." "So sleepy... I want to sleep." "Chief Cui, my wife and daughter are waiting for me at home, I'm going back to eat." "Chief Cui, are you a night owl? You seem so energetic."

Cui Man's brows twitched as she suppressed her anger, saying, "You bunch of people, it's rare for me to decide to pay out of my own pocket..." She then angrily waved her hand and shouted, "Get out! Go back to sleep! Someone! Take these people back!"

Since the strongest aftershocks have passed and the civilians have all reached the evacuation points, any further aftershocks are unlikely to cause casualties. Therefore, their mission has been successfully completed, and there is no need for them to stay. The rest can be left to their country's heroes, the People's Armed Police, doctors, and firefighters.

"Ah, I can finally relax." Xiao He sighed and leaned on Ye Wanqing's shoulder.

"Want me to make you a midnight snack when we get back?" Ye Wanqing asked with a smile. "How about I make you some noodles?"

"Sure, let's eat. After all, you look so cute trying so hard to hold back." Xiao He laughed heartily.

"Ugh, keep your voice down..." Ye Wanqing blushed instantly and couldn't help but pout, "I meant real boiled noodles... beef noodles."

"Whether it's real or fake, I love to eat it." Xiao He chuckled, patting her head. Ye Wanqing covered her flushed face and playfully punched him, muttering under her breath, "Shameless..."

Xie Haining, who was standing nearby, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well done, it's a pity I couldn't help much."

"Superpower, there's nothing we can do about it," Xiao He laughed heartily. "There will always be a day when you show your strength."

"Brother Xiao is really amazing," Xia Yu said with a smile. "After tomorrow's news comes out, he'll definitely gain a huge number of fans. Sister Man also very happy. This time he's done a great job, and it will definitely shut those people in the Research Department up."

"Ah, right!" Xiao He exclaimed, snapping out of his reverie. "This achievement should be big enough, right? This way, the Special Response Department will definitely be under Sister Man's control, and Wu Changchun shouldn't be able to compete with Sister Man anymore."

After returning to Beichang City, someone drove them home.

It was already four in the morning when I got home, so it wasn't a midnight snack anymore, but breakfast.

"Old Xiao..." Ye Wanqing looked at him with a smile while eating, and gently rubbed her foot against his leg under the table.

"What? Want to get intimate?" Xiao He reached out and pinched her cheek teasingly. Ye Wanqing glared at him. "No way! I just thought you were making me happy... because, because... you looked really handsome last night."

As she continued, the girl lowered her head shyly, stirring the noodles in her bowl, and then smiled.

"Yeah, but all I want to do right now is go to sleep," Xiao He said with a yawn, his eyes already drooping. "I haven't stayed up all night since the second semester of my freshman year..."

"Okay, after you finish eating, go take a shower and then go to sleep," Ye Wanqing said with a smile.

"Together?" Xiao He raised an eyebrow at her with a mischievous grin. Ye Wanqing blushed slightly, thought for a moment, and then nodded, "Mmm..."

Xiao He was no longer sleepy. He ate the rest of the noodles and buns in big mouthfuls, then smiled at Ye Wanqing and said, "I'm full. I'll go boil some water first, so it'll be convenient to take a shower later!"

"You scoundrel! One second you were saying you couldn't open your eyes, and now you're all wide awake." Ye Wanqing glared at him, annoyed. "Leave the dishes here and wash them tomorrow when you wake up."

However, the bath lasted from a little after four o'clock until five o'clock, and some pleasant things happened in between.

"I'm exhausted..." Before going to bed, Ye Wanqing sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, then glared at Xiao He with a hint of reproach. "And the blankets are cold... It's all your fault for taking so long."

"Alright, alright, it's my fault." Xiao He patted the spot next to him. "Come in, it's warm now."

Ye Wanqing checked to make sure it was warm enough before climbing into the covers and lying down beside him. She then opened her arms and smiled, "Okay, finally I can rest. Come on, I'll be your chest pillow as a reward."

"Really?!" Xiao He asked with some surprise. Ye Wanqing nodded with a smile, "You did very well last night."

"I performed very well the previous few nights," Xiao He said smugly. Ye Wanqing glared at him, and Xiao He quickly shut up. Then, he aimed at Ye Wanqing's righteousness and let his head fall headfirst into her.

"Ah~" Xiao He let out a soft groan as his head bounced up and then slowly sank back down.

"From this day forward, I will be the messenger of justice, steadfastly following it." Xiao He sighed contentedly. Ye Wanqing chuckled, patted the back of his head triumphantly, and said, "Good to know..."

The two slept until noon, when Xiao He was woken up by sheer hunger. He looked down at Ye Wanqing in his arms; the little girl was fast asleep, practically snoring. Seeing how soundly she was sleeping, Xiao He didn't want to disturb her. He quietly took out his phone and ordered KFC, then, thinking it wouldn't be enough, ordered Golden Arches's as well.

Ye Wanqing was not awakened until the food delivery arrived.

When Xiao He returned to the bedside with the takeout, Ye Wanqing was already dressed and ready to get up. She frowned slightly and asked, "Why didn't you wake me up if you were hungry?"

"Isn't it because I'm worried about you?" Xiao He kissed Ye Wanqing on the cheek, "So you can rest a little longer."

"Well... I was pretty tired last night, I stayed up half the night, and then I was even..." Ye Wanqing suddenly blushed as she said this, Xiao He chuckled beside her, "Even while showering?"

"Eat your fried chicken!" Ye Wanqing pinched him playfully. "I'm going to wash my face and brush my teeth first."

The two watched the news while eating lunch. The performance of the Special Response Department in Xinnan City yesterday had received unanimous praise. Although everyone performed very well, the most outstanding one in this rescue was naturally "Yinglong".

Putting aside the fact that they withstood the final aftershock of magnitude 9.6, the act of rescuing people using "Entropy Reduction" alone was enough to amaze everyone.

"Yinglong, he... he raised his hand, aimed at the collapsed building, and then! Then it was like time reversed!" the young man being interviewed exclaimed excitedly on television. "Everyone inside has recovered! It's a miracle!"

"Yes, I was at school when he just raised his hand and spun it around, and then... that school, which was almost collapsing, was completely restored! Everyone inside could walk out on their own without needing rescue!" Another interviewee was equally excited. "That was so cool! Ah, I really want to be like Yinglong..."

However, what is truly astonishing is the scene of Xiao He confronting the "Earthquake".

Xiao He himself could only see a small part of the scene due to his perspective, but the footage from the drone was astonishing. In the footage, "Yinglong" reached out and pressed his hand to the ground, and then a powerful shock suddenly erupted behind him, while the ground bulged up due to the accumulation of shock waves.

After that, Xiao He was pushed backward by the shockwave of the Earthquake. As he retreated, the shockwave seemed to be a crusher, swallowing everything it touched and shattering everything that was affected.

However, the other members of the Special Response Department arrived shortly afterward and began to support Xiao He. Only then did everyone see the ferocious and terrifying appearance of the "enemy." The tremors gradually accumulated, forming a visible tsunami, but this "tsunami" was formed by air currents.

From the television footage, it appeared that Xiao He, with the support of others, blocked the airflow, but the situation was extremely dangerous; the massive shockwave was like a car running over a praying mantis.

However, despite what seemed like a futile effort, Xiao He managed to stop the "tsunami" and, with the help of others, took one, two, three steps forward, ultimately tearing the entire giant wave to pieces!

This video, only a few dozen seconds long in the news, garnered hundreds of millions of likes, with many leaving comments. The most popular comment was simple and direct. "Isn't this better than Bo Ran?"

However, Xiao He had thought that the Special Response Department would take this opportunity to promote itself and make a great contribution, but Cui Man clearly did not intend to do so. The rescue operation was only briefly reported, the video of the fight against the Earthquake was not very complete, and there was no opportunity to promote the Mutant of the Special Response Department to the public, which was completely opposite to the approach of the M Country to promote itself.

"Oh, that." After lunch, when Xiao He came to the Special Response Department to ask Cui Man about it, Cui Man didn't seem to care much about it. "It's about hiding intelligence. The Mutant Competition is about to start, and we don't have as many Mutant as the M Country. This mission is deploying our main force, so we've controlled the publicity a bit."

"To avoid revealing our abilities?" Xiao He suddenly realized. Cui Man nodded. "The Superpower of Mutant are still very important. If we know the opponent's Superpower, but they don't know ours, then we have the advantage. So, we need to adopt a special strategy. I'll tell you the details when the competition is about to start."

"I feel it's a bit of a pity..." Ye Wanqing sighed with some regret.

"It's alright, we still deserve credit," Cui Man smiled slightly. "The higher-ups specifically praised the Special Response Department, didn't they? Our funding has increased again, and every participating member will receive a reward. Yue Feng and the other prisoners will also get their sentences reduced."

"That's not bad." Xiao He said, then suddenly remembered something, "Sister Man, I want Wanqing and I to save up our credit so that the country can allocate us a deserted island in the future, where Wanqing and I can live."

"Yes!" Ye Wanqing nodded in agreement. "We don't need any more money or material rewards."

"Oh, these two little devils are quite the romantics, aren't they? Trying to start a new ethnic group on the island?" Cui Man teased.

"No... no." Ye Wanqing blushed instantly, lowered her head and counted on her fingers, "It's just... I want to live with Old Xiao in a world where it's just the two of us."

"It's a small matter. I'll report it to my superiors, and once you've accumulated enough merit, we'll allocate you an island," Cui Man explained with a smile. "Then we'll tell everyone else that the island involves military secrets or something, and that no one else is allowed to approach it. That way, you two can enjoy your private time there."

"That's great! Thank you, Sister Man." Ye Wanqing said happily.

At this moment, Cui Man glanced at Ye Wanqing and teased, "Oh dear? It sounds like our Wanqing has already submitted to Yinglong, even though they've only been dating for a month. Things are progressing so fast. I thought you would be more conservative."

"I..." Ye Wanqing's face was flushed red, but she couldn't deny it; Cui Man understood immediately.

"Wow, that's impressive!" Cui Man teased, patting Xiao He's bottom. "How about having a little Yinglong soon?"

However, while some are happy, others are sad. Although there was no introduction to the other Mutant, "Yinglong" once again stole the spotlight in front of the whole world, which infuriated some people.

"Ugh! You're infuriating me!" President Herlangni raged in his office, turning to throw his cup at Schofield. "Where's that guy you mentioned last time who's stronger than Yinglong?! Have you found him yet?!"

"Sir, we've found him, but..." Schofield hesitated for a moment, "The doctor is still not entirely comfortable with his mental state and thinks he's not ready to leave the sanatorium yet..."

"A sanatorium!?" President Herlangni asked in astonishment. "I told you to find a Mutant stronger than Yinglong, and you fucking brought me a mentally ill person!? Are you kidding me?!"

"He...he's not mentally ill, he just suffers from multiple Cognition disorder..." Schofield hopped around, dodging the debris as President Herlangni approached. "But his Superpower are real. If...if his multiple personalities could be cured, he would definitely..."

"Get out of here! You idiot, you moron!" Herlangni cursed angrily, like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum. After kicking Schofield out, President Herlangni took a blood pressure pill to calm himself down, reassuring himself, "It's alright, our Mutant are strong enough right now anyway. We'll give you a dozen rounds of relentless attacks first, then I don't believe you'll still be so tough!"

Meanwhile, in London, Y Country, in a small church, a priest watched the television footage of Yinglong and others fighting against the "Earthquake," raised his hand to make the sign of the cross, and sighed, "This power... has severely disrupted the Order of this world; this power should not exist in this world. May the Father in heaven forgive their sins..."

"Forgiveness is impossible." At this moment, a blond man sitting devoutly in prayer on a bench behind him raised his head. His arms were covered with angel tattoos. "The Mutant are a group of sinners who stole the power of 'God.' They ate the forbidden fruit of Garden of Eden. We must kill them all and return the power they stole to 'God.'"

"How can you call them sinners? They are children of God who have strayed from His side," another woman replied with a smile, her tone even gentler and more loving. "We cannot harm them; instead, we must return them all to God's side. This world, filled with sin, is not a place for people like them."

Although the three had differing opinions, they had reached a consensus on one point: all the Mutant should be killed.

"Whether they are sinners or children of God, it is not for us to judge. God decides whether they are sinners," the priest said, turning to the believers behind him, his voice fervent. "And our task is to send them to God." He then turned to those behind him and said, "Through the Kraken and the Chimera, we have confirmed the child's abilities. And he will be the key to cleansing this world of its sins."