Chapter 204
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 204: The Unknown World
As the days passed, for most people in Hope City, there was no obvious difference between recent times and the past.
However, those who had some connection to the core and the segment of the population they influenced clearly felt the rising tension in the atmosphere.
All these changes stemmed from the incident of the missing persons case that Lin Qingliu had personally handled.
Such an occurrence was an immense humiliation for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was responsible for monitoring. As an ordinary team leader, Zhuang Mian was summoned to meetings daily.
This was very frustrating for her; the disappearance of a key figure had infuriated the council members.
Angry council members began to hurl insults at the senior officials of the three major organizations.
The chastised senior officials, feeling the heat, started putting pressure on the mid-level managers.
Meanwhile, the mid-level managers, under immense pressure, intensified demands on the workers at the bottom.
Caught in a back-and-forth struggle between holding on and breaking down, the workers could only feel powerless anger.
Right now, Zhuang Mian belonged to the ranks of those workers, being the most capable among them.
The frequent meetings disrupted her work often.
She had begun to build up anger in her heart, reminiscent of when she hadn’t found any leads while investigating the Heart Snatcher.
But whenever she thought of that past incident, a unique feeling would surge within her, because in her memory, there had indeed been someone who could achieve similar feats…
And that person had been missing for some time.
—
At the headquarters of the superpowered individuals, there were many surveillance cameras, and recently new ones had been added in every lounge.
This arrangement naturally sparked discontent among many; the superpowered individuals felt they had contributed everything to Hope City, including their lives, and could not even have a bit of basic privacy.
Given that they stood above millions, it was somewhat difficult for them to accept.
However, this time, the official stance was particularly strong; these surveillance cameras had to be installed no matter what.
Their reasoning was quite solid—there was not even a trace of clues regarding the Nian team’s disappearance, and clearly, no one was satisfied with such progress.
Even those like the Shadow Master, who were a bit jealous of the Nian team, hoped that this unresolved case would be solved quickly.
As they had been part of the last group to interact with the Nian team, they were still undergoing internal scrutiny.
Damn it, don’t let me find out who’s responsible!
The Shadow Master, locked in a small cell, carved the fifth scratch into the wall with the rough corner of his shackles, filled with rage.
Of course, not all superpowered individuals were against the installation of surveillance cameras.
Those members of the superhero team, who were about to explore outside the city in a few days, had no concerns about this matter.
Under the mounting pressure, they were nearing a breakdown and had no time to think about whether their privacy was being violated.
The first thing these superpowered individuals did when they returned to the lounge each day was shower, and the second was retreating to their rooms to sleep.
When they opened their eyes the next day, a new round of training awaited them. This repetitive cycle continued, and even minor beast tides and random tasks seemed to have no impact on them, appearing like a form of closed training.
As the exploration day of Phase Two approached, many training sessions had intensified to the limit.
Even someone as passionate about exploration as Fresnel was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the training.
As long as the sun had not set, Fresnel’s beam of light could be narrowed to the size of a finger from hundreds of meters away, enough to melt some steel plates.
But what about after the sun went down?
The answer was that Hope City implemented scheduled power cuts in dozens of districts near the headquarters of the superpowered individuals, using the saved electricity to create light, effectively providing Fresnel with training conditions after sunset.
As for Wang Xiao, he had recently been showering very little because the skin and flesh he shed during training often took away his sweat along with it…
In the initial days after the disappearance of the Nian team, many superpowered individuals thought that the exploration missions would be canceled.
Even Shi Jin and the Puppet Master, who lacked extensive experience, shared this thought.
But Fresnel quickly shattered their illusions.
Cancellation was impossible; the departure was marked by the sound of drums and cheers, while the return was crowded with people, portraying an image of total victory.
The disappearance of the five-member team was undoubtedly a matter that had to be kept strictly confidential.
In other words, if the outdoor missions were canceled, the officials of Hope City would be seen as fickle and timid in the eyes of those who were uninformed, and acknowledging this situation would mean admitting their incompetence to the vast public.
With no way to turn back, the only solution for the officials of Hope City was to stubbornly continue forward.
Their only form of compensation to the superpowered individuals might be to increase the intensity of training, trying their best to minimize casualties during actual combat.
And… an increasing amount of insurance and compensation money…
Regardless of what everyone thought in their hearts, after five days, October 10th arrived.
The official broadcasts of Hope City had begun building hype for the Exploration Plan Phase Two days in advance, with repeated announcements playing daily.
By now, there were hardly any people in Hope City who were unaware that this event was about to take place.
So that morning, many people flocked to the nearest city gate.
Among them were a one-armed young man down on his luck, a boy full of excitement, and many ordinary people wanting to catch a glimpse of the outside world before heading to work.
Six superhero teams, a total of thirty individuals, had scattered at each city gate.
They would head in different directions to once again leave human footprints on the land that had been lost for decades.
They wore the most advanced Special Equipment, with expressions of determination or excitement on their faces, like caged birds longing for the freedom of the outside world.
On top of a house, Lin Qingliu’s gaze met that of Wang Xiao not far away.
The two stared at each other, and Wang Xiao nodded slightly.
He had completed the tasks assigned by Lin Qingliu, and everything was set.
As it stood now, his matte mech helmet was not the original; his teammates were completely unaware of this.
At 8 AM, the broadcast played stirring music left over from the Old Era, causing many listeners to feel their blood boil and even think about joining the city defense army.
The music gradually faded, and an inspiring voice began to resonate.
Hope City had already been cleared multiple times, aiming to boost the momentum for the exploration.
Thus, those city gates that hadn’t been opened for decades slowly creaked open under mechanical force, and countless civilians looked toward the outside.
For many, this was the first time in their lives they had seen a sun so low in the sky.
The sunlight bathed the superpowered individuals stepping outside the city, casting long shadows behind them.
Who is ignorant and foolish? Who is brimming with ambition? Who is thinking ahead? Who is arrogant and overconfident?
The results of the exploration would provide the answers.
