Chapter 230: Mission Requirements
Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Mission Requirements
Inside the spacious conference room, over twenty people were seated according to their squads. However, the atmosphere instantly heated up with the arrival of Luna Dawson and Kevin Keane.
The moment their two silhouettes stepped into the room, every pair of eyes locked onto them.
Most onlookers were simply curious. They all wanted to witness the legendary Sunset Squad in the flesh. After all, this team had single-handedly slaughtered four Fourth Order monsters during an escort mission, and their captain was the base’s sole Fourth-stage Superpower User. Seeing them in person today left the crowd utterly breathless; they looked even better than they did in the videos!
Yet, amidst the awe, two hostile glares pierced the duo like freshly forged needles.
Kevin remained completely unfazed by the surrounding stares. His black tailored T-shirt outlined the sharp contours of his broad shoulders and narrow waist, while his camouflage combat trousers wrapped around taut, muscular legs. Every step he took exuded an undeniable sense of oppression.
His thick, short hair was brushed back to reveal deep, sculpted facial features. Having taken off his mask, his sharp gaze swept across the room. In merely an instant, a few individuals who had been openly sizing him up instinctively averted their eyes, feeling a sudden chill creep down their spines.
Luna stood by his side, appearing particularly petite as she only reached Kevin’s shoulder. Her high, jet-black ponytail swayed gently with her movements. Under the bright lights, her skin was as white as snow, flushed with a faint pink hue.
Her peach-blossom eyes curved into little crescents as she looked around with unbridled curiosity, her fitted T-shirt perfectly accentuating her proud, alluring figure. When her gaze finally landed on Kyle Keith, who had stood up to greet them, she flashed a radiant smile. The sheer charm in her expression instantly threw the entire room into a momentary daze. Many subconsciously held their breath, their hearts skipping a beat before pounding wildly in their chests.
Ian Wyatt, in particular, was so stunned that the teacup slipped from his hand. It hit the floor with a loud CLATTER, yet no one even seemed to notice.
"Their looks are just unreal..."
"Did the Sunset Squad recruit members based on their appearances?" someone muttered in a hushed voice, their tone brimming with absolute marvel.
Dylan DuPont was the first to snap back to reality. Suppressing the amazement in his eyes, he guided the two of them to the seats right next to the head of the table.
The moment Luna sat down, her gaze collided directly with Sharon Sloan, who was seated across from her.
Sharon’s face was incredibly tense, her eyes surging with resentment and reluctance. Luna merely curled her lips into a faint smile. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked back with an amused, knowing expression. An invisible smoke of gunpowder quietly diffused between the two women.
"The people from Sunset sure put on quite the airs. So many of us had to sit here and wait just for you." William Walsh did not bother to hide the dissatisfaction in his voice. He already held a grudge against Kevin and Luna because of their past conflicts. Seeing them so poised and dazzling now only infuriated him further.
Luna did not even spare him a glance. Keeping her eyes locked on Sharon, she casually offered, "Should I leave then?"
"You!" Choked for words, William abruptly stood up, only to be firmly held down by Ian beside him.
Ian slowly shook his head, his eyes signaling for him to stay calm. William naturally understood the situation at hand; he was just too angry to swallow his pride. OmniCorp’s distress signal revealed that traces of a Tier Four Zombie had been detected in Decron nearly a month ago. In the entire base, Luna was the only Fourth-stage Superpower User capable of fighting such a creature. If he forced her away, the mission would be completely impossible to execute.
Clenching his fists, he finally gritted his teeth and sat back down, though the blazing fury in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
Catching sight of Ian out of the corner of her eye, Luna casually noted to herself that he was quite lucky to be alive. It looked like he had recovered rather nicely from the injuries he sustained last time.
Kyle let out a timely cough to smooth things over. "Captain Dawson is just joking. This mission is incredibly dangerous, and we absolutely cannot do without you," he said in a gentle tone, carrying an unquestionable sincerity.
Kevin finally withdrew his sweeping gaze from the crowd and focused on Kyle. His voice was deep and icy as he asked, "Francis Grant isn’t going?"
"The base has a lot of complicated affairs to handle. Colonel Grant and Commander Rhodes went elsewhere to recover our country’s scientific research results, so they are indeed splitting up from us this time," Kyle explained patiently, his smile remaining as mild as ever.
Seeing the atmosphere ease slightly, Dylan immediately took over the conversation. "A total of three squads will participate in this mission, spearheaded by our Special Operations Department. Now that everyone has arrived, I will explain the mission details to you all."
As he spoke, he turned on the projector. A four-dimensional perspective rendering of a honeycomb-like underground research institute clearly appeared before everyone’s eyes. The intricate, maze-like corridors and distinct zones were meticulously labeled.
"The research institute is located deep beneath Omni Pharmaceuticals in the suburbs of Decron. It consists of five floors above ground and three floors underground. Walter Walsh sent out distress signals to neighboring bases and the former Corbin Safe Zone, stating that the institute was suddenly besieged by a massive horde of zombies. Several researchers are trapped inside, their fates unknown, while core research supplies and critical data urgently need to be transferred to Kensington Base.
"Our primary objective is to safely rescue the trapped personnel and bring back all vital supplies and scientific data to the best of our abilities."
Dylan’s tone grew stern as his gaze swept across the room. "Omni Pharmaceuticals is located deep within the industrial park. The internal structure of the factory is extremely complex, and the exact number of gathered zombies remains unknown. Several squads that previously went in for rescue operations have all lost contact. The latest reconnaissance data indicates that a Tier Four Zombie was recently spotted at the factory. Everyone must exercise extreme caution during this operation."
As soon as his voice fell, a low murmur of commotion rippled through the conference room. So many people had already gone in as cannon fodder, and now a Tier Four Zombie had been discovered. The imminent danger was self-evident. Even though the official Special Operations Team was only dispatching Third-tier Superpower Users this time, they would be hard-pressed to gain any advantage when facing a Tier Four Zombie.
Luna gently tapped her fingertips against the tabletop, a glimmer of anticipation rising in her eyes. A Tier Four Zombie meant a Fourth Order Crystal Core. At the very least, it would give her a chance to stretch her limbs.
Dylan motioned for everyone to quiet down, turning his head to look at Kyle.
Kyle raised his hand and pushed a stack of non-disclosure agreements to the center of the table. Tapping his fingers lightly against the surface, his smile was gentle yet unyielding. "This mission is classified as top secret. The scientific data in question is of utmost importance and might even assist in the development of a zombie virus vaccine. Therefore, everyone is required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Whatever you see or hear during the mission must not be leaked to the outside world under any circumstances. Violators will be dealt with in accordance with the base’s supreme regulations."
Luna pondered for a moment before speaking up. "The Sunset Squad will only be sending six members on this operation."
Dylan immediately agreed. "That’s acceptable. Our main priority is ensuring that Captain Dawson and Vice-Captain Keane participate. After all, dealing with the Tier Four Zombie and handling the institute’s materials will largely require both of your assistance."
"Walter Walsh sent distress signals to neighboring bases?" Kevin spun a pen in his hand, looking sharply at Kyle. "Does that mean people from other bases might come and interfere?"
"Rest assured, Captain Keane. The distress signal sent by Walter Walsh was rather strange; it merely kept playing on a continuous loop. Our base has since intercepted any subsequent distress signals," Kyle slowly explained. "Even if other bases have caught wind of it, at most, only the relatively nearby Northern Base might dispatch a squad to provide support. When that time comes, our two sides will prioritize cooperation. There shouldn’t be any conflict."
Kevin crossed his arms, staring intently at Kyle with a scrutinizing gaze. Kyle remained as calm as ever, allowing the other man to size him up. His smile did not falter, perfectly balancing approachability with professional distance.
"How many people is the Special Operations Department sending?" Kevin continued to press.
"The Special Operations Department is dispatching ten Third-tier Superpower Users to form the temporary ’Genesis’ unit, which will be led by me." Dylan spoke up, introducing his team members one by one. "Yvonne Ford, Wood Element Third Order; Sean Barnes, Power Mutation; Sebastian Spencer, Third-rank Spiritual..."
Those whose names were called stood up one after another to acknowledge the room. When it was Yvonne’s turn, she made a point to shoot Luna an exceptionally enthusiastic smile.
Luna returned the smile, then cast a look of sheer disdain at Sharon. They were both captains, but the stark contrast between the two was painfully obvious.