They Needed to Be Open-minded

The countdown to the apocalypse: 15 days.

Sheng An left early that morning with Hao Jingye. Song Linwei stayed at the camp to handle matters there and continue screening for Aberrants.

"After we contacted him yesterday, he was very cooperative and proactive. He also asked to arrange the meeting in Capital City," Hao Jingye reported. "Also-"

His voice cut off abruptly.

He spotted Qiu Yu, who was also preparing to leave.

Qiu Yu was not alone. Along with the assistant Gu Cheng, Lou Mingwei and Geng Leqian were there too.

Lou Mingwei's arm was still in a sling. Clearly, Sheng An had not gone easy on him yesterday.

Both sides noticed each other.

Their eyes met, and Lou Mingwei's expression instantly darkened.

Sheng An nodded calmly and headed toward the parked cars as though nothing had happened.

Lou Mingwei could not help asking, "Where are you headed, Team Leader Sheng?"

Hao Jingye copied Sheng An's emotionless smile. "Group B's business hardly needs to be reported to Group A, does it? Speaking of which, I heard you were told to write self-criticisms. Finished them already?"

Lou Mingwei clenched his uninjured hand, his eyes blazing with anger.

Geng Leqian stepped forward and said gently,

"Please don't hold it against Lou. He has a short temper, but he's actually concerned about you. Aberrants all have unusual circumstances to some extent, so they aren't easy to bring into the fold. But Group Leader Qiu Yu's ability is very special. If Team Leader Sheng needs us, we can help."

Her words sounded gentle, but they were barbed all the same.

She was saying Sheng An was inferior to Qiu Yu!

Hao Jingye sneered. "No need to trouble yourselves. Team Leader Sheng has never failed yet. I'm sure Group Leader Qiu knows that very well."

"She hasn't failed, but things don't seem to be going very smoothly, do they?"

Gu Cheng glanced at Hao Jingye, then looked away and continued, "Group B is weaker, after all. Why not simply merge the two groups? Group Leader Qiu's ability is very useful. It would help manage the Special Affairs Office better."

They were both assistants. With their leaders at odds, they naturally disliked each other too.

The exchange seemed peaceful, but both sides were attacking each other.

Hao Jingye's smile did not reach his eyes. "You saying our group is weak makes it so? Since when was strength measured by the number of Superpower People?"

Lou Mingwei suddenly laughed. Raising his chin, he looked at them contemptuously. "It was my fault for attacking without authorization yesterday..."

Hao Jingye froze.

Someone like Lou Mingwei could actually apologize?

And who apologized with contempt written all over his face?

Sure enough, he continued a moment later, "But this is the Special Affairs Office, and most of us are Superpower People. Naturally, we should learn from one another. We brought it up with the higher-ups last night. Elder Li said that, as long as both parties agree, we can have a little spar."

He heavily emphasized those last words, as though he had already crushed them, his voice eager and malicious.

Hao Jingye's heart sank at that.

If it came to sparring...

Their group really had no advantage.

Apart from Li Xin, they currently had no Superpower People capable of fighting. Even once Li Wanyun returned, they had no idea how well she could fight.

Group A, meanwhile, had quite a few Superpower People.

With a smile on her lips, Sheng An walked over.

Her steps were brisk, her presence imposing. A wave of pressure swept toward them.

She headed straight for Lou Mingwei.

Almost instinctively, Lou Mingwei jerked backward, ducking his head, his eyes wary and frightened.

Sheng An tilted her head, looking rather innocent. "Why are you backing away? I'm just getting my car."

With that, she pressed her key fob, and the car beside them beeped.

Lou Mingwei: "..."

Fuck!

His heart lurched.

She did that on purpose!

But he had been frightened into retreating, so he was the one who had embarrassed himself.

Regret and frustration engulfed Lou Mingwei in an instant.

Hao Jingye, meanwhile, broke into a grin and eagerly trotted over to open the passenger door on the other side, his face glowing with triumph.

Lou Mingwei stiffened his neck and ground his back teeth, biting out each word:

"Wait! Team Leader Sheng, you haven't answered about sparring yet. When can our groups have a match?"

Sheng An stood beside the car door and looked at him.

Lou Mingwei sneered. "What? Scared? Your group only has one combat-capable Superpower Person. Surely you aren't going to be overprotective, Team Leader Sheng?"

Having suffered at Sheng An's hands yesterday, he had learned nothing. He only resented her more.

His latest humiliation merely made him more desperate to regain his pride.

Hao Jingye curled his lip.

What an obvious provocation.

But-

If the higher-ups had approved occasional sparring, it really would be difficult to refuse.

If they kept refusing, wouldn't that mean they were afraid?

But how could they beat Group A?

While Hao Jingye's thoughts raced, Sheng An glanced at Lou Mingwei, who had edged closer and closer.

He was provoking her, so naturally he stood very close.

At such close range...

Sheng An asked curiously, "How's your injury?"

"Huh?" Lou Mingwei froze, then his face darkened and he gritted his teeth. "Just. Fine. A Superpower Person's physique is nothing like an ordinary person's. A little injury like this-Aaargh!"

A scream like a pig being slaughtered rang out.

Sheng An gripped his fractured arm and gave it a shake. Lou Mingwei instantly hurt so badly that he lost his voice.

The arm that had only just been treated... was now worse.

"Oh dear, looks like it hasn't healed yet. As for sparring, my friend with a Lightning-Type Ability, you'd better recover first." Sheng An smiled faintly.

Then she got into the car and waved to the three of them. "We're off. Bye."

The car drove away.

Only the agonized Lou Mingwei and Geng Leqian, who was supporting him, remained.

"This Team Leader Sheng really is ruthless!"

Qiu Yu ignored Geng Leqian and watched Sheng An's car disappear, eyes unreadable.

Inside the car.

Hao Jingye was speechless. "It's like there's something wrong with Lou Mingwei. He asked for a beating yesterday, and today he's at it again. Group Leader Qiu isn't stupid either. Why let him keep making trouble?"

Sheng An drove, her gaze calm. "They aren't stupid."

Hao Jingye looked at her in confusion.

"The apocalypse is getting closer. The country needs the full strength of the Special Affairs Office. Having two team leaders was a response to circumstances, not the ideal outcome-especially when those two leaders don't get along."

"If the people under us clash and the conflict escalates, either Qiu Yu or I will have to be removed. Qiu Yu is letting Group A make trouble to force the higher-ups to choose."

Sheng An saw it very clearly.

Hao Jingye grew anxious. "Qiu Yu is so confident that if they have to choose, they'll definitely pick her? Because she can control Superpower People?"

"That ability is indeed very useful," Sheng An replied mildly.

Hao Jingye let out a long breath, feeling helpless. "At a time like this, they're still scheming against each other..."

Sheng An said, "It's normal. As long as it doesn't compromise the bigger picture, wherever there are people, there will be disputes."

Besides, this was Qiu Yu-Qiu Yu, who had always wanted to beat Sheng An.

Hao Jingye sighed. "Even if it doesn't affect anything, and they're the ones coming off worse, watching Lou Mingwei stir up trouble is still annoying. If only a Superpower Person stronger than him would show up."

People like Sheng An and Captain Qi could put Lou Mingwei in his place, but he clearly refused to accept it, relying on the fact that he had an ability.

From what they had seen so far, Lightning-Type Abilities really were powerful among Superpower People.

It would probably take someone with a stronger ability to make him behave and shut his mouth.

But someone like that would not be easy to find.

Sheng An said, "Tell me about the person we're meeting today."

Hao Jingye immediately put his other thoughts aside and focused on work.

"The university student we're meeting today is named Zhang Jialiang. He's from Stone City, and his family is fairly well-off. He attends university in Capital City. The day before yesterday, he took his girlfriend to stay at a mountain guesthouse, then left her behind and returned to the city that same day. Yesterday morning, he went to the police station-"

Meanwhile.

Zhang Jialiang had already arrived at the Capital Public Security Bureau and was sitting in a conference room, waiting for the people he was supposed to meet.

He was visibly restless, as well as excited and apprehensive.

A police officer came in to pour him some water.

Zhang Jialiang asked, "How much authority do the people I'm meeting have? What rank are they?"

The officer did not know and shook his head.

Zhang Jialiang was a little disappointed.

Just then, the bureau chief entered, his face stern and his voice serious. "The people coming to meet you have considerable authority. You'd better really have something important."

Gripping his phone tightly, Zhang Jialiang sat up straight and answered earnestly, "Of course. I can guarantee that what I have to say is extremely, extremely important."

He had not merely seen it with his own eyes. He had concrete evidence too!

Now Zhang Jialiang only hoped the people he was about to meet would be open-minded enough not to be frightened by what he told them.

"They're here," someone reported from the doorway.

The chief immediately went out.

Zhang Jialiang grew even more nervous, the hand clutching his phone already slick with sweat.