As expected.

  Qin Luo exchanged glances with his team. The intentions of the leader of I City were crystal clear.

  It was obvious.

  Bai Shu tapped on his tablet to type, **"What's the deal with that bodyguard? Are you certain your mayor is innocent?"**

  The report stated that the bodyguard was hospitalized for saving lives, while the mayor diligently worked to gather all the ability users to resist the mutated marine creatures.

  The SOS message painted a heroic picture.

  But now, it all seemed like a lie?

  While Xiao Lu spoke, she multitasked by typing, seamlessly managing both tasks.

  **"Our mayor is a good person, but that bodyguard is a vicious tyrant. Many of the orders now come from him, and the mayor seems helpless."**

  **"There's another thing. That bodyguard keeps demanding mutation cores from other ability users. I once found a wristband and briefly accessed a forum. It clearly stated that mutation cores greatly enhance ability users. But the base leaders have been hiding this information and never distribute wristbands to ability users."**

  **"Our base is extremely underdeveloped. We have no means to connect with the outside world."**

  The base was so isolated that most people knew nothing about the outside world. The bodyguard, now the de facto leader of the ability users in the base, was referred to as "Lord Yi" by everyone. He constantly recruited ordinary ability users and offered them generous incentives to work for him.

  These uninformed ability users were easily deceived.

  As a result, the ability users in the base were weak, with many barely reaching Level 1.

  Even visiting task forces were often tricked by Yi Liuqi. Even if they didn't work for him, they wouldn't expose the secrets of I City Base.

  Xiao Lu had tried to seek help before, but most people were still bound by their desires. Even the combat squads were seduced by the various benefits Yi Liuqi provided.

  Luxury cars, expensive watches, beautiful women, fine wine and food, status, and reputation.

  Of course.

  Since it had only been a little over two months since the apocalypse began, ability users were still rare. Headquarters' combat squads were widely dispersed, and only a few teams had visited I City.

  However, all of these squads defected. On the surface, they stayed to assist with the construction of I City Base. In reality, they privately supported Yi Liuqi, helping him seize control of the entire city.

  Exploiting ordinary people.

  Xiao Lu mentioned that even the tent areas on the outskirts of the city required rent. People worked tirelessly like laborers, yet survival was still uncertain.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  She had come across the 3A Special Operations Team on the forum before and found them to be a trustworthy team. So far, they were the most unique team she had encountered, as they were completely immune to Yi Liuqi's temptations.

  Chen Xiaofei was speechless after hearing this. "Seriously? It's the apocalypse now. What use are luxury cars, watches, and women? It's all about strength, my brothers!"

  The 3A team's motto was simple: improve abilities, improve abilities, improve abilities!

  What else mattered?

  When you're dead, none of it will mean anything. Those things were ridiculously superficial anyway.

  Chen Xiaofei shook his head in disbelief. Only fools would let themselves be used as pawns.

  Xiao Lu shared everything she could think of with them. Bai Shu finally nodded in understanding and typed, **"We'll report this to headquarters. Thank you for the information."**

  Xiao Lu was visibly excited, nodding enthusiastically. Her eyes sparkled with hope, as if she had finally found the right people to trust.

  "So, have you all chosen your outfits yet? If you're having trouble deciding, I can arrange a professional stylist for you," Xiao Lu offered, her tone more genuine now that her mood had improved.

  Bai Shu, Chen Xiaofei, and Wang Weihu all turned to their captain, Qin Luo, in unison.

  Qin Luo, who was still drying Little Zombie's hair, glanced at them lazily. "No need for outfits. Where's the banquet? We'll head there ourselves when the time comes."

  Xiao Lu quickly responded, "It's in the banquet hall on the 18th floor downstairs. The event starts at 8:30 PM."

  Bai Shu nodded. "Got it. We'll be there later."

  Xiao Lu politely excused herself and left.

  Chen Xiaofei immediately closed the door. "Damn, this base is so shady. They were afraid we'd notice anything suspicious in the room, so they didn't dare install surveillance or bugging devices here. Instead, they tampered with the guides. It's impossible to guard against!"

  Wang Weihu, having watched the entire ordeal, was at a loss for words. He genuinely felt this base was rotten to the core. "Qin, what do you think we should do about this?"

  Bai Shu also looked to Qin Luo, while Chen Xiaofei eagerly awaited his decision.

  Xu Duoduo, having heard everything, was furious at the base's leaders. She wanted to pull out a chainsaw and give them a piece of her mind. How could they already be scheming for power and territory so soon after the apocalypse began?

  Such heartless people!

  She, too, turned to Qin Luo.

  Qin Luo calmly set down the damp towel and casually remarked, "If someone can't lead, then replace them."

  Everyone burst into laughter.

  Chen Xiaofei gave Qin Luo a thumbs-up. "Qin, you're the best! So cool!"

  It really wasn't that complicated.

  If the current leader had ulterior motives, then just remove him.

  No need for unnecessary scheming.

  Of course, Qin Luo and his team wouldn't blindly trust Xiao Lu's account. It was clear that the base was fundamentally flawed, but who the true mastermind was remained uncertain.

  Bai Shu speculated, "We can't rule out the possibility that the mayor is the real villain, using the bodyguard as a scapegoat."

  Doubt was a healthy habit. If one were to guess, would a villain really make their schemes so obvious? Just because the mayor claimed to have no abilities, did that mean he truly didn't?

  There was a good chance the mayor was feigning innocence, orchestrating everything from behind the scenes while letting others take the fall.

  Either way, they would have to investigate themselves. Reporting to headquarters was a given.

  The three major bases might not guarantee that everyone was good, but they were certainly more reliable than other places, with a higher proportion of decent people.

  Qin Luo couldn't help but chuckle. "We came out here for a mission, and now we're solving a mystery too."

  Bai Shu sighed. "Tell me about it."

  Their plan was straightforward: report to headquarters first, then investigate on their own. If the base's leaders slipped up in front of them, they'd deal with it on the spot.

  Wang Weihu added, "We still need to eliminate the mutated marine creatures. That's our main task."

  On the first day, they had already cleared out a third of the creatures. The 3A team was incredibly strong, with no injuries among their members. Other teams, however, had suffered casualties.

  The mutated Australian lobster alone had knocked several ability users flying. They couldn't afford to let their guard down.

  Wang Weihu repeatedly reminded everyone to stay safe. "And wear proper clothes when we go out. Don't catch a cold."

  The "old father" mode was activated.

  Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei nodded absentmindedly, half-heartedly agreeing with "Mm-hm" and "Yeah, yeah."

  After drying Little Zombie's hair until it was about 70-80% dry, Qin Luo pulled out a hairdryer and motioned for her to come over. "Did you hear that? Don't catch a cold. Come here and dry your hair."

  Xu Duoduo, who had been holding a tablet and reading information about the mayor of I City, immediately scooted over and sat down obediently in front of him.

  Chen Xiaofei couldn't help but exclaim, "Qin, the class monitor listens to you way too well!"

  Qin Luo looked down at the docile little zombie and smirked proudly. "Of course. She's the most attached to me."

  Tsk tsk tsk. Bai Shu and Wang Weihu exchanged looks, clearly unable to bear watching this display.