Chapter 189: The Silent Battle Begins
The sun had completely dipped behind the horizon, and the base was now lit by soft, artificial lights glowing from the small poles scattered around. The dinner bell had already rung, and the scent of roasted meat from the freshly hunted mutated beasts filled the air.
But inside the conference hall, the real tension was only beginning.
Atlas sat lazily at the head of the long table, swirling his cup of tea with great leisure. His posture was relaxed, yet his presence was impossible to ignore.
On his left sat Xu Kai. Upright and silent. His black uniform spotless. His back perfectly straight as always. His sharp gaze never wandering.
And directly across from both men sat Liora. She regretted stepping foot into this meeting.
This was supposed to be a simple strategy meeting to discuss expanding the base. But with these two men sitting at the same table, it had turned into something entirely different.
Chen Wei, Shen Haoran, Yun Shou, and Zhao Ren sat quietly nearby, looking between the two powerful men like they were watching two wild beasts waiting to pounce. Mei and Liang Zihan served refreshments nervously, fully aware of the undercurrent swirling inside the room.
"Commander Xu," Atlas spoke first, his voice light like a breeze, "your recent hunt was quite impressive. Ten high-level mutated beasts. I must say, you’re quite efficient."
Xu Kai responded with a nod, his tone calm and polite but lacking warmth. "It’s my duty to secure the base’s food supplies. That is the responsibility of the hunting team."
"Such devotion," Atlas smiled. "Liora truly surrounds herself with excellent people." His eyes casually drifted toward Liora, his voice dripping with amusement. "And here I thought I was the only one she relied on so deeply."
Liora’s eye twitched.