Yu Tao was currently in a wretched state.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that his carefully planned operation—one he was absolutely certain of winning—would end in such a thorough defeat.
An S-class variant!
Damn it! How had he never heard of a variant that could be so obedient?
The men he brought with him had now almost all been devoured by the variant green vine, with only a scattered few remaining, fleeing in all directions.
But the earth walls that suddenly erupted blocked their escape routes completely.
Seeing this scene, the ability users within the base forgot all about the poison inside them; their blood boiled with excitement, and they were thrilled to their core.
“Beautifully done!”
“Those damn invaders, they got what they deserved!”
“It’s Miss Chu! Miss Chu saved us!”
Chaoxun felt the rising spirits of the crowd in the base and curled the corners of her lips.
Yu Tao gritted his teeth, his body covered in wounds. He suspected that the variant green vine was merely playing with him like a dog, wearing him down until he could no longer run before devouring him in a single bite.
He couldn’t die!
He had gone to such lengths to plunder the ability of that little bastard; he refused to accept dying like this!
Yu Tao suddenly called out:
“Chu Chengshan, Chu Muhuan, spare me! I can give your ability users the antidote! Only I can cure the poison they’ve been given!”
Chu Chengshan shook his head.
“Yu Tao, you deserve to die.”
Chaoxun suddenly recalled at this moment that she still needed to reclaim the special ability for her newly recruited servant, Yu Shun. Thus, she said to the green vine:
“Don’t play this man to death just yet. Leave him with a breath of life.”
The green vine nodded, sprouting numerous vines from the air that bound Yu Tao tightly.
Just like that, a major crisis for the base was resolved by Chaoxun.
Qilin stared displeasedly at Yu Tao, sensing the sheer malice this man harbored toward its master. Tilting its head, it swiped its paw, and an earth spike erupted from the ground, skewering Yu Tao from below.
Yu Tao’s face turned instantly pale. This pain was far more intense than any injury he had ever suffered before!
Chaoxun smiled.
“Qilin, well done.”
Qilin let out a meow and returned to Chaoxun’s embrace.
Seeing this, the green vine immediately shrank in size and wrapped itself around Chaoxun’s wrist.
With the base’s crisis resolved, apart from Wu Cheng who was spared and Yu Tao who was left with a breath of life, all the other invaders were devoured by the green vine.
The other people within the Central Base had initially been terrified upon seeing the variant green vine, instinctively bracing themselves. However, seeing that the green vine did not harm them unlike other variants, they gradually set their minds at ease.
Chu Chengshan and Chu Muhuan looked at Chaoxun, a barrage of questions on their minds. Just then, Jiang Chuan and Yu Shun caught up, with Su Jin and her team members remaining on high alert.
“Sister Xun, how are you so fast? This base is so huge, I couldn’t even keep up with you!” Jiang Chuan gasped for air as he spoke.
Yu Shun was also deeply concerned for Chaoxun.
“Miss, are you alright?”
Chaoxun gestured to him.
“Yu Tao is right over there.”
Yu Shun followed her gaze and saw Yu Tao pinned to the spot by the earth spike.
“Yu Tao, I told you we would meet again.”
With his face deathly pale from the excruciating pain, Yu Tao widened his eyes when he saw Yu Shun standing before him.
“You’re actually not dead?!”
He then sneered mockingly, “Little bastard, you certainly are lucky. If I had known, I should have sent you to die along with your mother back then.”
Yu Shun’s expression remained calm, completely unprovoked by his words. He drew a dagger.
“Now, your life is in my hands.”
With that, he used the dagger to slice Yu Tao’s arm, and a thin slice of flesh appeared on the blade.
Yu Tao gritted his teeth, glaring at him intensely. He didn’t make a single sound; instead, he laughed.
“So what if you can kill me? Your special ability belongs to me now. You will never be able to take it back, even if I die.”
Su Jin, Wang Peng, and the others walked over quickly.
“Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief: The Daybreak Rescue Team has completed its mission!”
Chu Chengshan nodded gently.
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Where is Lihan?”
The crowd’s expressions instantly plummeted.
“Captain Lou… has fallen.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Chengshan and Chu Muhuan fell into a grieving silence, their faces filled with sorrow.
“Return to the command center first.”
He quickly arranged for personnel to clean up the aftermath, organized the base’s doctors and healing ability users to treat those who were injured and poisoned, and had Wu Cheng and Yu Tao escorted away.
Inside the command center.
Chu Chengshan’s voice was raspy.
“Is Lihan’s body still intact?”
Grief-stricken, Su Jin nodded and said to Chen Yi:
“Release Captain Lou.”
Chu Chengshan looked at Lou Lihan before him. He closed his eyes, opening them only after a long pause.
“What happened?”
Lou Lihan was a junior he had watched grow up, an outstanding child all along, and his chosen grandson-in-law.
At this moment, his body lay silently before them.
Chu Chengshan felt a deep sorrow in his heart.
Su Jin said solemnly, “It was a Level 7 variant. It ambushed us on the road. To protect us, Captain Lou perished along with the variant.”
Chu Chengshan let out a deep, heavy sigh from the bottom of his heart.
“I understand. Go and rest first.”
Su Jin and her team saluted and departed.
Chu Chengshan and Chu Muhuan then turned their gaze toward Chaoxun.
“Xiaoxun, don’t be sad.”
Chaoxun thought to herself that the original owner’s affection for Lou Lihan was truly deeply ingrained in everyone’s minds.
Everyone was worried that she would be devastated by Lou Lihan’s passing.
Chaoxun shook her head.
“I am not sad.”
Chu Muhuan assumed his younger sister was merely putting on a brave front. Whatever he was thinking, it only made his heart ache for her more.
“Xiaoxun, when did you awaken your special ability? What level are you now, and what is the deal with that variant green vine?”
Since it was just the three of them now, the family could speak more freely.
Chaoxun thought for a moment and said, “Grandfather, Older Brother, in truth, I have awakened quite a few abilities. Currently, I have control, healing, and spiritual abilities. Aside from these, I can also use other abilities.”
“As for my level, it is likely Level 7.”
In truth, she had never compared herself to others, but it was roughly around that level.
“The green vine was contracted by me. It is very obedient and will not harm anyone without my permission.”
Listening to her words, Chu Chengshan and Chu Muhuan fell into utter shock.
Had they misheard?
A triple-element ability user?! A multi-element ability user!
A month ago, Xiaoxun was still a completely ordinary person.
Even before the rescue team had set out, she had not yet awakened any special abilities.
How had she awakened multiple abilities in such a short period of time, and even reached Level 7?
Yet, the two were merely shocked; they did not doubt that Chaoxun was telling the truth.
Regardless of their titles as the Commander-in-Chief and Colonel Chu, they both doted on her immensely.
“Xiaoxun, you are now the highest-level ability user in the base.”
Chu Chengshan’s heavy heart, which had been grieving over Lou Lihan’s passing, found some solace at this moment.
Their Central Base was truly showing promise now.
Chu Chengshan still had many things he wanted to ask his granddaughter.
“Xiaoxun, what exactly happened when you fell behind during the relocation back then?”