Chapter 144 Captain Xie is Renowned

Chapter 144: Captain Xie, a Name to Be Reckoned With

Director Zhang tapped his fingers on the desk, then, with a solemn expression, continued, "What about the monster surges from the other three directions? Any news?"

His subordinate diligently reported, "Yes, sir. To the north, our Bureau's First and Second Team Captains are leading the defense. Although they were initially pushed back to the city walls by the monster surge, Dr. Hang timely delivered a batch of experimental weapons. The First and Second Team Captains have now stabilized the situation, and the front line is steadily advancing. The First Team Captain reported that they expect to push the front back to 500 meters outside the city within two hours."

"Oh? Did Dr. Hang's weapon research succeed?" Director Zhang raised an eyebrow, his eyes glinting with interest and excitement.

A smile finally appeared on the subordinate's face. "Dr. Hang hasn't confirmed whether it's a complete success yet—the batch sent to the northern city was just a prototype. But according to the First and Second Team Captains, the weapon's effectiveness is excellent, comparable to the most powerful high-level spells."

"Well, that's good news. Dr. Hang and Dr. Nie's hard work wasn't in vain."

Director Zhang smiled, and the others in the conference room shared a knowing look. This was the best news they'd heard all day. The two doctors from the research institute hadn't disappointed them; their previous investment in the research institute had paid off.

The subordinate's expression turned serious again as he continued, "As for the south, the situation isn't good. We outsourced it to the Roaring Tiger Squad, but due to negligence or some other reason, only half their members showed up today. Although the southern monster surge was originally the smallest and least dangerous, today's surge more than doubled its usual size. The Roaring Tiger Squad was immediately overwhelmed and forced to retreat into the city. Even the city wall there was largely destroyed by the monster surge, affecting nearby houses. Fortunately, Director Zhang, you were wise enough to have those residents relocate further into the city beforehand."

He looked uneasy, adding, "Thankfully, the other half of the Roaring Tiger Squad arrived in time, and our Bureau's nearby personnel also provided support, which finally stabilized the southern front. But if the monster surge continues to grow tomorrow, the Roaring Tiger Squad might not hold. Reports say they suffered heavy casualties today—nearly a third of their members died, and another third are severely injured. Without legendary-grade healing items, they likely won't recover anytime soon."

This meant they would need to find new personnel to take over the southern outsourcing.

The conference room buzzed with discussion, many expressing strong opinions.

"Didn't the Roaring Tiger Squad claim to be very powerful? They weren't even happy about guarding the least dangerous southern front, and now they can't even hold that. What a waste!"

"Sigh, I always said that Roaring Tiger Squad was unreliable. Their captain is too arrogant—young and reckless, clearly not cut out for serious work."

"Director Zhang, what should we do? We need to send more people to the southern front. Nighttime is even more dangerous than daytime. With only a third of the Roaring Tiger Squad left, can they hold?"

"Exactly. Even though the southern front is the farthest from Qingcheng's center, if the monster surge breaks through, the impact on our Qingcheng could be unpredictable. Moreover, now there's a Level 41 monster boss; our city's buildings won't be able to withstand their attacks."

Having witnessed the werewolf boss's destructive power, they were truly terrified, fearing that Qingcheng would be reduced to ruins.

"But who can we send? Our Bureau's personnel are already stretched thin. With today's monster surge, even those who worked the night shift were pulled out of bed to work..."

The atmosphere in the conference room was gloomy. It seemed they would have to recruit more people.

Director Zhang, however, remained calm and authoritative. "Our Qingcheng is full of talent. Besides the Roaring Tiger Squad and the Peanut Squad, there are other smaller teams. If one team isn't enough, we'll recruit more. Previously, we only outsourced to the two largest and most numerous squads to avoid conflicts that might arise from combining two or three teams. But now, urgency takes priority. I believe the Roaring Tiger Squad won't mind having a few more smaller teams join them to defend the southern city. Little Wang, quickly contact the captains of other teams. Ask which team wants to go and lead them there directly. Once they arrive, just inform the Roaring Tiger Squad. If they have any objections, tell them to come directly to me."

Little Wang nodded solemnly, looking at the older man with admiration. "Yes, Director Zhang."

Their director truly had the courage and wasn't afraid of offending people.

Director Zhang rubbed his temples. "Right, what about the eastern city? How's the situation there? The Peanut Squad's captain, if I recall, is a particularly... formidable young man."

More like a ruthless madman! Little Wang silently mused.

Captain Xie was a truly renowned figure within their Bureau. Decisive and brutal, he enjoyed charging into monster hordes with cold weapons. He never seemed comfortable unless he emerged from a fight covered in blood, earning him the reputation of a battle maniac. When he went berserk, he even nearly attacked his own allies.

He was also adept at using harsh measures in chaotic times. When encountering those who bullied the weak, he killed them as mercilessly as he did monsters.

However, the people he killed were indeed utterly heinous. Even they, upon seeing the crimes of those individuals, wanted to kill them. Thus, they turned a blind eye to his ruthless methods. With this killing god keeping order, Qingcheng's public security had significantly improved.

Therefore, the Special Operations Bureau's personnel had complex feelings about Captain Xie. On one hand, they feared his brutal reputation, worried that if he went completely berserk, he might not only kill the wicked but also harm innocent people, as his bloodthirsty demeanor on the battlefield was alarming to anyone who witnessed it.

On the other hand, the Peanut Squad he led was very strong, and he himself was formidable. As a deterrent, he had helped Qingcheng immensely, making them both wary and grudgingly grateful.

After recalling this, Little Wang looked at the message from his colleague regarding the eastern city, and his expression immediately became unreadable.

"What's wrong?"

Director Zhang and the others in the conference room keenly noticed his expression and asked with some concern, "Could something have gone wrong there too?"

Little Wang: "They... they're having a barbecue party."

"What?"

"A full-team gathering, a barbecue party."

The corners of everyone's mouths in the conference room twitched, their expressions turning equally unreadable.

Here they were, trembling with fear, holding emergency meetings, while the defenders in the other three directions were diligently fighting monsters, suffering countless casualties. Yet, the eastern city gave them a surprise: they were having a barbecue party!

For a moment, everyone didn't know whether to envy them or criticize the Peanut Squad for being so unreliable.

"So, they didn't encounter any crisis? Or was the eastern monster surge so light that they had time for a barbecue party?"