Chapter 513: A Dim Meeting Under Eerie Faces

Creak…

At the front of the Administration Hall building in Heichao City’s main district, Lu Xin and his group checked into the hotel.

Two black sedans rolled in along the recently cleared street, stopping one after the other in front of the building.

At the top of the steps, a woman in a black professional suit hurried down to greet them. Behind her, armed guards clutched various weapons—submachine guns and standard-issue arms—staying on high alert.

Gripping their guns tightly, they stood like spears on either side.

The moment one sedan came to a halt, someone strode forward, opened its door, and four people stepped out in line.

From the first car, a young man with dyed yellow hair in an oversized tracksuit and a gold chain as thick as a finger disembarked, followed by a young girl with heavy makeup and a nose stud, despite her youth.

They appeared squeezed between two rows of armed soldiers, clearly out of place.

Yet their expressions were relaxed as they glanced at the soldiers and let out a mocking laugh.

It seemed they found the soldiers’ stern demeanor amusing.

From the second car, a man in a black trench coat with braided hair stepped out. In his thirties or forties, he carried a mature aura, with rugged features, impeccable attire, and expensive polished black leather shoes.

From the passenger seat came a slick, well-groomed man with a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Welcome, esteemed experts from Changhu City here to lend your support…”

The woman who had earlier met them from the Administration Hall spoke respectfully, keeping her distance as she extended her hand.

“I am Shen Yi, the External Secretary General of the Heichao City Administration. We have been waiting for you all for some time.”

Her face wore light makeup and a professional smile as she enunciated each word clearly.

“Hehe…”

Watching her outstretched hand, the young man and the heavily made-up girl only chuckled, finding her formal greeting a bit old-fashioned, and her overly polite manner even more amusing.

A middle-aged man with a ponytail didn’t even glance at her; he simply looked up toward the Administration Hall.

“Ah, Secretary Shen, hello…”

The slick, bag-bearing man hurried over to shake her hand, smiling as he said, “Once we received Heichao City’s plea for assistance, we rushed over immediately. Allow me to introduce you: this is our team leader from Changhu City’s Special Cleaning Department—call him Black Jack. We are all followers of Captain Jack; you can call me Old K, and over there are Fang Pian and Hong Tao.”

“I’ve heard so much about you.”

The Heichao City Administration Secretary extended her hand toward the ponytailed man with a courteous smile.

But he refused to shake it, continuing upward along the steps. Her hand hung in mid-air momentarily before she retracted it and bowed slightly.

“We apologize for the inconvenience…”

“…”

Changhu City’s expert team then proceeded directly into the Heichao City Administration. They crossed the heavily guarded lobby and took an elevator to the fourteenth floor, entering a security-guarded meeting room. The harsh, bright light forced everyone to squint until their eyes adjusted, revealing a room already packed with people.

The large meeting room was blindingly bright with every light on.

At its center stood a long conference table. Across from it, a line of stern-faced officials sat—some in suits with white collars stained brown by sweat, others in military uniforms dabbing sweat with handkerchiefs, and still others looking anxiously upward.

“Please, have a seat.”

Secretary Shen invited them to sit while she stood nearby like an attendant, hands folded at her waist, bowing as she said, “No one desired the crisis in Heichao City. We are deeply grateful that Changhu City has sent its experts to help us resolve this issue.”

Both Captain Black Jack and his teammates, Fang Pian and Hong Tao, simply smiled without replying.

Captain Black Jack maintained a stoic expression, exuding an aura that kept others at bay.

In contrast, the young duo, Fang Pian and Hong Tao, wore faint sneers as if mocking everything they saw.

Old K, however, eagerly replied with a beaming smile, “Secretary Shen, you’re too kind. In the face of this special pollution threat, our high-wall cities should help one another. By setting aside biases, we can overcome these challenges together.”

Turning his gaze to the opposite side of the table, he asked, “Are all the Heichao City Administration personnel here?”

Secretary Shen nodded lightly and said, “Yes. This is Mr. Zhou, the Chief of the Heichao City Administration, and here is the City Defense Department Commander…”

She introduced everyone one by one, detailing their identities meticulously.

Those introduced responded with polite smiles and nods toward the Changhu City team, though they seemed even more tense.

“Oh, esteemed leaders, you look so nervous. It seems we arrived a bit late…”

Neither Black Jack nor Fang Pian and Hong Tao showed any interest; their expressions remained languid.

Old K, on the other hand, greeted each official with a bright smile before saying,

“Regarding the pollution crisis in Heichao City, we have reviewed your materials. Rest assured that our team leader has extensive experience handling special pollution. Much of the special pollution in Changhu City was resolved by him, and he even recently killed that bizarre creature from the S-level forbidden zone around Changhu City.”

“With experience eliminating threats from S-level forbidden zones, Heichao City’s problem should be no match.”

“…”

“Excellent.”

Secretary Shen bowed slightly to the ponytailed man with a courteous smile, saying, “We truly appreciate your help.”

Across the conference table, a group of Administration officials nodded with reserved smiles.

The ponytailed man cast an impassive glance around the room, ignoring her words.

Old K smiled warmly, “Secretary, you’re too modest; it’s our duty to help.”

After a brief pause, he raised his head and added with a smile, “But since we’re here to help resolve Heichao City’s issues, shouldn’t Heichao City also show some sincerity?”

Secretary Shen, still in her professional suit, smiled respectfully and asked, “What kind of sincerity do you mean?”

Old K grinned, “Naturally, the mutual cooperation agreement between Changhu City and Heichao City.”

He continued, “We have repeatedly extended our goodwill to Heichao City, haven’t we?”

“Of course, though we’re not well-versed in the particulars; that is for the officials of our high-wall cities to negotiate. As a special support team, our role is solely to investigate and resolve your special pollution issues. Even if Heichao City objects to our proposal, both sides can negotiate. What matters to us now is your attitude.”

The Heichao City Secretary maintained her unchanging smile and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t make that decision…”

“You can’t decide?”

Old K’s smile faded slightly as he looked across the table and asked, “Then who can?”

The Secretary’s composed smile remained as she replied, “They can’t decide either…”

At her words, Old K chuckled, then glanced at Fang Pian and Hong Tao and shrugged his shoulders.

Captain Black Jack nodded subtly, his expression unchanged.

Old K smiled at Secretary Shen and said,

“Then I’m curious: if none of them can decide, who in Heichao City holds that power?”

“…”

Secretary Shen’s smile never wavered; not even the corners of her mouth shifted as she softly laughed, saying,

“Did you really think you only saw them in this room?”

“…”

As she spoke, she gracefully withdrew a small button from her pocket and pressed it lightly.

At that moment, Black Jack and the others exchanged indifferent glances at her action.

But she merely activated the remote control. With a soft beep, the room’s lights suddenly dimmed.

Simultaneously, the sound of falling drapes echoed as the black curtains on both sides of the wall descended, swirling a light breeze. Behind them, pairs of faint lights began to flicker in the dim environment.

Behind the conference table, the faces of the Administration’s chiefs and commanders suddenly filled with fear.

Sweat poured from their foreheads like gushes of water.

Some were so overcome with anxiety that their bodies slumped, nearly collapsing to the floor.

Behind the drapes hung white walls, and on them were mounted enormous faces.

Each face stood two to three meters tall, carved with stony, eerie expressions—some appearing asleep, others alert, and some seemingly mad. In the dim light, their ghostly white eyes seemed to lock onto every movement.

“Whoosh!”

The instant those faces appeared, Fang Pian and Hong Tao both rose, standing back-to-back as they scanned both sides.

Old K’s gaze darkened as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

The ponytailed man, codenamed Black Jack, slowly raised his head; his usually impassive face broke into a faint smile as he quietly remarked, “Ever since we lost contact, I suspected Heichao City’s pollution was far worse than we had expected.”

“But I never imagined that your ability users in Heichao City would prove even less effective than I thought…”

“In just a few days, the entire administrative system of the city has been overtaken by these anomalies…”

“…”

His voice faded until, almost inaudibly, he added, “Perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing…”

Just as his words nearly vanished, he abruptly stood up.