The chubby girl's eyes flashed disappointment. She said, "I thought you were the new ability squad. If you stayed here long-term, I wanted to apply to join your team. Don't look at me, I'm fat, but my ability is really strong."
The chubby girl introduced herself as Su Qinghe. She had been at the base since it was built. Back when everyone had no abilities, mutated animals would occasionally harass the area near the base. At that time, people had already started forming teams to hunt them.
It was much harder back then. They only hunted near the base because no one wanted to risk their life going farther. Later, on one mission, the group ate insect powder outside and mutated. That was how the squad members gained abilities.
Su Qinghe's ability was fire-based, like Lao Gao's. Fire abilities are high-tier. Among ordinary abilities, they stood out. Even though she was overweight, her attacks were strong. In critical moments, she could protect herself and the team. Many people wanted her in their squad.
Su Qinghe was grateful that before she had abilities, the current squad leader kept her. So when she gained powers, she stayed and fought alongside the team.
A few days ago, however, the team members had disappeared one by one on the way here, leaving Su Qinghe alone again. She did not want to join other squads at the base. Before returning, she had wanted to join Lan Jin's team, but…
They weren't even from this base. If people leave, they have their own destination. Su Qinghe did not have the standing to insist on being taken along. All of them were high-tier ability users. One more or less wouldn't matter.
Su Qinghe sighed with disappointment. "Why am I the only one left?"
"You still want to stay with them?" Lao Gao replied in disbelief. They had barely survived. Did she want to die with the others too?
But Su Qinghe did not mean that. "Could it be possible…"
Before she could finish, Lao Gao said, "We don't know. We are just here to complete the mission. We know nothing else and have no interest. You did not discuss or tell us anything, and we do not want to hear it."
The more you know, the faster you die. There were clearly too many problems here. The four of them were just passing through and did not want to get involved. But Lao Gao's tone was clear. Su Qinghe felt embarrassed and slightly annoyed. Holding her unfinished food, she left without saying a word.
Lao Gao snorted at her back and said to the other three, "Don't be fooled by her harmless appearance. A squad usually has eight to ten people. Only she survived. Don't you find that strange? She wears two ornaments I saw in the 12th floor display. Not expensive, but not cheap. Add in a strong fire ability, and this person is suspicious. Very suspicious."
Indeed, there were problems. According to Brother Zhang, before the three of them entered the mountain, they must have encountered that big cat. Not to mention, they saw no traces of Su Qinghe's squad passing through. Escaping from the big cat could not have been easy.
Lan Jin had noticed too. When they rescued Su Qinghe from the cave, she saw something was wrong. The girl was too clean. No scratches, no mud.
The dangers before were not even considered. Against the big cat, even with strong abilities, Lan Jin and the others' clothes had scratches. Coming into this dense forest, there was no part of their bodies that remained untouched.
Injuries aside, the contrast with Su Qinghe was stark. It could not be that everyone protected Su Qinghe along the way. She was high-tier. Everyone depended on her ability to survive.
She had even hidden in the cave for several days. The cave was dark and damp. Sitting on the ground should have left some dirt, yet she was spotless. No traces from being handled either.
If she had changed clothes, how? Her foot had been caught in a trap. She could not have swapped clothes. So there were clearly problems. Anyone with sense could not ignore it. Lan Jin was certain, and Brother Zhang must be suspicious too.
Lan Jin said, "When we meet her, everyone be careful. Don't think about investigating secrets. That is H City base's business, not ours. Finish this mission, take our reward, rest, and leave. The less we know, the better for us."
Physical injuries heal, but Lan Jin felt mental wounds required time to recover.
After finishing her food, Lan Jin asked, "Do you still have energy? Should we review the past few days?"
Lan Jin's review was not to investigate doubts. She had said before, this was the base's business, not theirs. She would not create trouble. Her review was about abilities.
"We understand too little about abilities. We know too little about how they work. During this, I saw we were serious, but if something happens, we cannot respond in time. We should not be so passive. Passive abilities mean passive lives.
We should review it. Not urgent now. If too tired, we can do it back at the base. I want to rest at H City base. Rest, then start. Until we understand these things, I don't suggest moving forward. Who knows what is ahead? We don't want to become food for mutated creatures."
Lan Jin's suggestion was agreed by all. But everyone was tired. Lao Gao said, "I have no energy. Tomorrow we enter the mountain again. If not for this big thing, our abilities are enough now. Let's review back at the base."
Ling Jiang said, "Fine. I don't care. If you want to review back at the base, we will. Find a place with heating to talk."
Lao Gao sighed. "You even pick the place."
"I'm cold."