Chapter 935: I Only Trust Myself
Zhang Yi's arrival at Blizzard City this time completely resembled that of a lone wolf.
From the beginning of attending the meeting, he hadn't expressed many opinions.
After the mission concluded, he silently collected supplies alone and returned to his residence to feed his cats and dogs.
This attitude left many people feeling astonished.
Yet when they considered Zhang Yi's previous experiences at sea, everyone thought he might not have moved past that period yet, so they found it understandable.
For this mission, the Jiangnan Region naturally took it very seriously, making thorough preparations in all other aspects.
These won't be elaborated on one by one here.
Simply put, to complete the search operation, they dispatched Deputy Minister of Operations Situ Xin to lead the team, along with five hundred professional reconnaissance personnel.
That evening.Zhu Zheng's office remained lit.
He sat at his desk, hands clasped supporting his chin, his tightly furrowed brow revealing his current state of mind.
Regarding this mission, he harbored enormous ambitions.
However, actually achieving his goals presented incredibly difficult challenges.
The most critical point remained that he lacked sufficiently powerful forces at his disposal.
Among the current five investigation squads, the Night Crow Squad had just been established, while the Celestial Hound Squad had become scattered due to Zhang Yi's passive approach.
If they truly went to Star Island, they would likely struggle to form effective combat effectiveness.
Most crucially, they lacked a suitable leader to command and support the entire team.
"Ding dong."
An electronic prompt sounded, "Commander Zhu, Night Crow Squad Captain Jingwei requests to see you."
Hearing the name "Jingwei," Zhu Zheng immediately said, "Let her in!"
Soon after, Jingwei, dressed in black combat suit with her eyes covered by a black veil, stood before Zhu Zheng.
"Commander Zhu!"
Her voice sounded cold, like an emotionless machine.
Zhu Zheng looked at Jingwei and said thoughtfully, "Did you meet him today?"
Jingwei nodded.
"I met him. Feeling-wise, he's very strong."
Zhu Zheng also nodded.
"Don't forget your mission for this operation. He's an absolute conservative. Staying close to him during this action is the safest option for you."
"But," a faint gleam flashed in Zhu Zheng's eyes, "when necessary, you can utilize him."
"After all, something like the Divine Source is very important to the region!"
Jingwei raised her right hand to her temple.
"Yes, Commander Zhu! I'm very clear about my mission!"
Zhang Yi returned to his residence in Blizzard City with a large quantity of supplies.
Hua Hua and Lele were waiting there for his return.
After returning home, Zhang Yi's first task was preparing food for them.
Both creatures had enormous appetites.
Hua Hua was relatively better - before transforming into giant combat form, its energy requirements weren't excessive.
But after every battle participation, it would consume enough food for dozens of people.
Not just Hua Hua - actually, Zhang Yi, Liang Yue, and others were all the same.
Nowadays, the energy consumed by supernatural abilities all came from converted food.
The higher the level of superhuman, the greater their dietary energy requirements.
Fortunately, Zhang Yi's Dimensional Space contained ample supplies.
Otherwise, given their current state of development, food might not last several decades.
For ordinary wild superhumans, even with high talent, they dared not engage in combat easily due to food scarcity issues, or couldn't obtain sufficient energy replenishment.
However, fortunately, supplies in the Jiangnan Region were abundant.
They employed special food production and processing methods that could support an increasing population.
Supporting superhumans was completely within their capabilities.
This was why Zhang Yi always took supplies openly whenever he came to collect them.
To put it jokingly.
Every operation by superhumans like Zhang Yi consumed energy possibly comparable to deploying a large warship.
Superhumans had become strategic weapons of the new era - expensive to maintain yet offering extremely high cost-effectiveness.
Fortunately, superhumans didn't require much maintenance in daily life, which was the only good news.
Zhang Yi sat on the sofa, preparing mountain-like piles of food and drinking water for them, then sat on the sofa himself, taking out hamburgers and cola from his Dimensional Space to eat.
His expression appeared completely indifferent.
This sharply contrasted with the various levels of Blizzard City units currently bustling with activity.
All this simply because he clearly understood one thing at this moment.
That during the upcoming Star Island operation, the region could hardly provide them with much assistance.
And expecting help from the main responsible party for this operation - the East Sea Region - was also unrealistic.
He had to rely on himself to obtain everything he wanted.
Moreover - he had detected something unusual from Zhu Zheng's attitude.
Not just because Zhu Zheng had forgotten his previous promises.
But more because Zhu Zheng hadn't appointed him as the overall commander for this operation.
Considering this from conventional perspective, when the Jiangnan Region's strength was clearly weaker than the Colombian Navy and East Sea Region.
The best approach would be concentrating forces for major tasks.
Having him, the strongest in the current Jiangnan Region, lead the team with all five investigation squads acting in unison would be the optimal choice.
Yet Zhu Zheng hadn't mentioned this at all.
This indicated that Zhu Zheng still maintained some wariness toward Zhang Yi.
This couldn't be considered wrong.
As the region's supreme commander, who had been betrayed by trusted subordinates just six months ago.
So Zhu Zheng didn't want to see Zhang Yi becoming overwhelmingly dominant.
"I'm just somewhat curious, besides relying on me, who else can he depend on now?"
Zhang Yi frowned while eating his hamburger, completely puzzled by this.
Zhu Zheng needed powerful forces as the foundation of his authority.
And other investigation squad members basically had backing from various power factions within Blizzard City.
Any faction growing too powerful would make Zhu Zheng uneasy.
Precisely because of this, Zhang Yi's existence appeared particularly valuable.
Zhang Yi knew that unless new superhumans emerged who were easier to control and possessed strength not inferior to his, Zhu Zheng's attitude wouldn't change so rapidly.
"Could it be that during these five months I was away, he discovered new talents?"
"This seems very possible."
Zhang Yi took a bite of his hamburger, his dark pupils shimmering with intense light in the night.
Soon, he raised the corners of his mouth.
"This makes perfect sense. This is how a region's supreme commander should operate."
"Not trusting anyone, only believing in the power held in one's own hands!"
Zhang Yi felt no disappointment whatsoever.
He and Zhu Zheng were merely using each other from the beginning.
He cooperated with Zhu Zheng's work only because Zhu Zheng's position could provide him maximum convenience.
"I just fear you've miscalculated this time."
Zhang Yi said calmly.
Author's Note