Lao Ba looked slightly excited. I glanced at Xiao Rui before watching Lao Ba push open the massive door, crafted from some unknown high-strength metal, and the three of us stepped inside.
The door closed with a booming sound behind us, and almost immediately, a lazy voice called out, "I was wondering why Hongkeng wasn't here yet. What took you so long?"
There was no need to guess—it was the so-called prodigy, a young man with abilities similar to mine. Despite being the same age, he oddly resembled a fourteen or fifteen-year-old, earning him the nickname "Lazy Kid."
I smiled and walked over, saying, "Heh… How could I miss such an important event?"
A soft voice chimed in from behind, "That's true. Hongkeng was the biggest troublemaker around here."
I turned to see a familiar face—light golden curls, a slightly weathered but cool-looking face, and deep, melancholy eyes. In his long, slender hand, he held a half-full glass of red wine. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Naturally, it was another old friend. His name was Jingwen. We used to get into fights together practically every day when we first met, but over time, we became close. He'd been reassigned by Zhong Guan to another place, and we hadn't kept in touch much since.
I paused, flashed a sly grin, and said, "Jingwen… in the mood to get beaten up again?"
Jingwen blinked, then burst into laughter. He walked over and said, "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"
I laughed too. "Neither have you... Let's find a time to have another go at it."
The brief reunion with old friends brightened my mood significantly. I looked around the room. Including both familiar and unfamiliar faces, there were probably a few dozen people present. Though the numbers were small, this represented Qingcheng's strongest force. Aside from the higher-ups and the "old ones," only we had any real influence in Qingcheng.
I'll briefly explain the structure of our organization. Aside from those of us in this rank, Qingcheng also has many peripheral members, like the armed guards outside. Since Qingcheng is similar in nature to the Dragon Group, the state has granted special permission for these guards to be armed. Though the lowest tier in Qingcheng, their strength is still formidable compared to ordinary people. Above them are those of us with supernatural abilities, numbering a little over a hundred. Qingcheng divides us into different levels based on our overall strength, labeled A, B, and C, with each level split into upper and lower tiers. While there are only a few levels, the gap between them is substantial. Out of all of us here, only about thirty have qualified to attend this meeting, and roughly seventy percent of them, like me, are ranked in the upper B tier. Within this group, we're considered the lowest level. For those ancient beings, crushing us would be as easy as squashing an ant.
Then there are the powerhouses like Zhong Guan. Their abilities are far beyond the ABC tiers. No matter how strong they are, they belong to one rank: Special A. There are no more than five people at this level. Apart from these key figures, Qingcheng also includes a wide array of personnel such as security guards, medical staff, legal advisors, and more.
When the clock struck twelve, the lights in the assembly hall suddenly dimmed. One of the walls in the hall began emitting a faint white glow. To make things more convenient, the entire wall had been converted into a glass screen long ago, and it was finally being put to use.
Just as everyone turned their attention to the massive glass screen, a familiar pressure washed over us. We all instinctively channeled our energy to resist it. A faint white light flickered in my hand. Xiao Rui, who was right next to me, was struggling to hold up, and I also noticed Jingwen and Lao Ba nearby. Judging by the intensity of their energy, they had both advanced significantly, now reaching the lower A tier.
Zhong Guan's power had also grown, as had those who had honed their skills over the years. There were fewer and fewer of us still stuck in the upper B tier. Damn it, I thought. I have to step up my game. A certain memory flashed in my mind.
Zhong Guan quickly appeared before us, and everyone fell silent. We all knew she had something important to say, and no one dared to provoke her.
"Everyone," she began, cutting straight to the point, in line with her usual style. "The reason I've called you here today is straightforward. Due to the increasingly rampant activities of the Maya, after careful consideration by me and the higher-ups, we've decided to assign you a new round of missions. This mission comes with its own risks and challenges, which is why we've urgently summoned you. Of course, there's also a deeper reason behind this: Qingcheng's defense has weakened significantly as of late, and we need your help."
The room fell into a tense silence as people exchanged glances, trying to figure out what had happened. After a moment, one person stepped forward and said, "Boss, since we joined Qingcheng, we've known we can't back away from anything. Just tell us what the mission is."
His name was Lu, and we usually called him Old Lu. Although his supernatural abilities weren't particularly strong, he held the rank of colonel in a certain military district. While he hadn't contributed much to the organization in the past, whenever there was trouble, he could privately mobilize part of the military's forces to assist us. Due to Qingcheng's unique nature, many of its actions couldn't be publicly acknowledged, and having Old Lu around meant we could discreetly involve the military when necessary.
We all turned our attention to Zhong Guan, silently agreeing with Old Lu's statement.
Zhong Guan glanced at Old Lu, then at the rest of us, and nodded before continuing, "As you all know, the Maya aim to annihilate all of humanity. Their strength is, without question, greater than ours. In fact, with our current capabilities, it's nearly impossible to defeat them completely…." Zhong Guan's gaze briefly flicked to me. I wanted to resist, but I was powerless.
"So… we've decided to assign everyone here a high-difficulty mission, with only one objective: capture the Maya!" Zhong Guan paused briefly, succinctly stating the task at hand.
"It's as simple as that. There's no time limit, but the goal is to capture a group of living Maya as soon as possible. Our team of biochemical experts will then analyze their composition and weaknesses, which will improve our understanding and ability to counter them."
Without expression, Zhong Guan added, "Let me introduce a few people. They are Xisong, Xiaoliu, and Yiyi. They will be the primary personnel for this mission. All the data gathered will be analyzed by them, so take a moment to get acquainted."
At that, I saw two women and one man stand up. Xisong, a young woman not much older than me, wore a white lab coat, confirming her role. I had met Xiaoliu once before, a cute girl, and I hadn't expected her to be involved in this work as well. Yiyi was a short guy with a crew cut, looking a bit naive.