61: Chapter 61 Seemingly Ordinary People

Chen Ye's face was full of awkwardness, and he quickly waved his hands, saying, "It's a misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding. I'm just out taking care of some personal business. Since we all know each other, let's chat another day. I'll be going first."

After saying that, he pulled Shen Jiaojiao, wanting to return to the car. He only wanted to get away as quickly as possible and rush to Mei Mountain to seize the ability crystal.

"Since you're here, don't be in such a hurry to leave." Liu Lingwei's tone was flat, yet it carried an irresistible authority. "Driving behind the special forces in the dead of night, I can't be sure if you two are accomplices to this gang of villains."

Chen Ye was speechless for a moment; this was clearly a naked threat. "This…"

He knew Liu Lingwei's personality too well—cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Once she made up her mind about something, she would never compromise. It was simply impossible to get away immediately.

"Alright then, what exactly is the background of this group you mentioned?" Chen Ye suppressed the impatience in his heart and asked in a deep voice.

Liu Lingwei's expression suddenly turned serious, and her gaze became as sharp as a knife: "A criminal gang made up of Superpower users. They are taking advantage of the apocalypse to loot the Residential Community and seize supplies. Any civilian who dares to resist is killed on the spot."

"In this village alone, twelve people have been killed, and countless others have been injured or killed in other Residential Communities."

"We have already blocked them on the second floor of a residential house. They are still holding hostages inside, and we are currently in a standoff!"

As soon as she finished speaking, shouting from the standoff could be heard from the residential building in the distance. Although it was too far to hear clearly, one could tell the ruthlessness in the opponent's tone.

Chen Ye's expression darkened completely.

If he delayed even a second, the ability crystal might be snatched away by someone else first.

At this moment, two steady and powerful sets of footsteps approached quickly.

Two soldiers wearing lightweight special forces uniforms arrived side by side, their postures upright, with the sharpness of soldiers between their brows.

The one on the left had a rugged face and sharp brow bones; his name was Wei Zhenfeng.

The one on the right had a slightly thinner build and sharp eyes; his name was Chu Zhaoyuan. Both were core members of the Demon Hunting Squad under Liu Lingwei's command.

The two looked Chen Ye up and down, their faces full of disdain and skepticism, not taking this seemingly ordinary young man seriously at all.

Wei Zhenfeng grinned, his voice rough, and teased Liu Lingwei, "Captain, is this the guy you said saved us at the Guangming Residential Community last night?"

"He looks pretty ordinary to me, soft and delicate. He'd probably be panting after running a hundred meters. Are you sure you aren't joking with us?"

Liu Lingwei crossed her arms, a playful look of watching a show appearing in her cold eyes, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly: "I only know he runs quite fast. As for whether he pants or not, I'm not sure."

With that one sentence, Wei Zhenfeng and Chu Zhaoyuan burst into laughter.

Chu Zhaoyuan took the opportunity to cast his gaze on Shen Jiaojiao behind Chen Ye, saying in a deep tone: "Running out into the wilderness in the middle of the night with such a stunning beauty, you definitely aren't doing anything proper."

"Afraid you're secretly having a tryst during the apocalypse?"

The harsh teasing reached her ears, and Shen Jiaojiao instantly stiffened in fear.

She was originally a gentle female teacher and had never seen such a situation, and she was even more embarrassed by the frivolous words of this group of rough men, her cheeks turning red.

Her slender hands gripped the corner of Chen Ye's clothes tightly, and her long legs, wrapped in black tight yoga pants, were pressed closely together.

Her delicate body subconsciously shrank behind Chen Ye.

She didn't dare to speak and could only bury her whole face in Chen Ye's back, revealing only a section of her fair, slender neck, her breathing becoming soft.

Liu Lingwei's gaze followed Chen Ye's shoulder and landed on Shen Jiaojiao's shy, stunningly beautiful face. In the depths of her cold eyes, a faint trace of jealousy quietly flashed by.

She remembered this girl; when registering during the day, she was Chen Ye's neighbor. The information clearly stated she was married, so why would she follow Chen Ye out of the city in the middle of the night?

Could it be that Chen Ye was eloping with someone else's wife?

A trace of inexplicable irritation welled up in her heart, but on the surface, Liu Lingwei remained as calm as before, saying coldly: "Stop talking nonsense. I sent you to investigate the situation; what are the results?"

Wei Zhenfeng and Chu Zhaoyuan instantly stopped laughing and immediately stood at attention.

They reported with serious expressions: "Report, Captain! The criminals inside are demanding that we all retreat immediately and throw all our weapons at the entrance of the stairwell!"

"If we don't agree, they will kill a hostage every ten minutes!"

Chen Ye frowned and looked at Liu Lingwei: "Haven't you already formed the Demon Hunting Squad? The members have basically awakened Superpowers. Isn't there a way to quickly raid and instantly kill the criminals?"

"We didn't bring that many Superpower users because we want to take them alive," Liu Lingwei said with a grave tone. "This group has formed a Superpower criminal gang and has dozens of human lives on their hands."

"We have already killed three of them. We must extract the location of their hidden supplies and the whereabouts of the remaining members from the mouths of the last two. This is a strict order from our superiors."

"Moreover, the opponent's Superpower is extremely tricky; it's a large-area group damage attack. A forced assault would very easily accidentally injure innocent hostages."

"Which floor are they hiding on? What is the situation with the hostages?" Chen Ye asked in a deep voice, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

"Right on the east side of the second floor, in two south-facing rooms!" Wei Zhenfeng spoke up eagerly. "They are holding a family of three inside: a married couple and an eight-year-old little girl!"

"The little girl is locked in the secondary bedroom alone, and the couple is held in the master bedroom. They are being kept separately, which is extremely cunning!"

Chen Ye continued to ask: "What kind of Superpower do the criminals have?"

Chu Zhaoyuan glanced at Chen Ye with disdain and sneered: "Kid, this is confidential information of our Demon Hunting Squad. You're just an ordinary person, why are you asking so much? Don't cause trouble here!"

Chen Ye completely ignored him and looked directly at Liu Lingwei with an unquestionable certainty.

Liu Lingwei nodded slightly, signaling Chu Zhaoyuan to tell him truthfully.

Chu Zhaoyuan then spoke up reluctantly: "There are two criminals in total. One has awakened a Screaming Superpower. The high-frequency sound waves emitted can trigger resonance in human internal organs, shattering them from a distance. It's a large-area, indiscriminate attack."

"The other has a Bear-type Beast Transformation Superpower. He can transform into a giant bear. His strength is comparable to a Second-order Beast, and he has thick skin and flesh, making him extremely difficult to deal with!"

One long-range and one close-range, one control and one attack, their coordination was seamless. It was no wonder the special forces squad had fallen into a stalemate.

A flash of understanding crossed Chen Ye's eyes, and he nodded: "Indeed a tricky combination. Then, do you have any speed-type Superpower users here?"

He already had a plan in mind. Although his own speed was fast, the hostages were in two separate rooms. If he were ambushed by the criminals while rescuing them, the hostages would undoubtedly die.

He had originally wanted to let Shen Jiaojiao take action, but she had just awakened her Lightning Ability and lacked sufficient control.

Furthermore, he didn't want to expose Shen Jiaojiao's Superpower for the time being, so he could only borrow the military's strength.

"Yes!" Liu Lingwei said without hesitation. "We have a Cheetah-type Beast Transformation Superpower user in our team. When running at full speed, their speed is more than twice as fast as yours."

"It's just that they have only recently awakened and their combat power is slightly weak, so they may not be a match for the Bear-type Superpower user."