CR CH32

Chapter 32: D-Class Planet

Black combat boots made a faint scuffing sound against the smooth floor. The intelligent lighting in the rest area was dim, and the long corridor stretched out as if it had no end.

Jiang Tianji maintained a moderate distance from the person ahead of him. In the overly oppressive silence, the sound of their breathing became exceptionally distinct.

After a few moments, Liang Chong finally stopped in front of a mechanical door.

“We’re here.”

The mechanical door slowly slid open, revealing an interior lined with two rows of opposing metal benches, resembling a train car. The room wasn’t particularly spacious, and the energy layer on the walls had not been activated.

A group of tall, heavily built Alphas sat in neat rows. Hearing the sound of the door, they all looked straight toward the entrance.

Jiang Tianji paused for a fraction of a second before continuing inside.

Almost all of them were unfamiliar faces, though he vaguely recognized a few as regulars from the ordinary division’s arena tournaments, all with very high combat rankings.

The atmosphere here was distinctly different from that of an ordinary squad. The uniform youthfulness of their faces was contrasted by a steady composure that didn’t match their actual age, yet the sharpness in their eyes made it blindingly obvious that they each had a goal they were determined to achieve. It was clearly a wolf’s den.

In this lounge, everyone was transparent. They didn’t need to remember each other’s faces; their blurred features were superseded by distinct rankings—and that was the only piece of information that mattered.

Jiang Tianji’s arrival caused the tense atmosphere to ease slightly. He didn’t carry a rank, but most of them had heard of his “legendary exploits,” and measuring or curious glances soon followed him.

Liang Chong didn’t engage in any further conversation with him. Jiang Tianji walked right past him as if sidestepping a pillar, doing his best to avoid awkward eye contact with those around him. Suddenly, noticing an exceptionally spacious spot, he looked up and met Jia Yun’s cold gaze.

In a completely foreign environment and crowd, suddenly spotting a “familiar face” you had interacted with—even if that person was an adversary—brought a strange, inexplicable sense of relief.

Jia Yun was initially surprised to see Jiang Tianji. However, since he was thoroughly bored, he let his gaze follow the newcomer to pass the time. In the time it took to stifle a yawn, his eyes fell back onto him, only to find Jiang Tianji staring back, his eyes lighting up in a bizarre fashion.

Jia Yun: “…”

Before he could speak to reject him, this person had already consciously seated himself right beside him. Unlike the others, who kept a proud distance, Jiang Tianji sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

The rustling whispers around them quieted down, the others clearly failing to understand how these two could possibly be associated.

Jia Yun looked sideways. Seeing how utterly natural Jiang Tianji’s movements were, he laughed out of sheer exasperation.

“Do you know why nobody sits here?”

“No,” Jiang Tianji whispered back. “But do you know where we’re going?”

Jia Yun: “Didn’t you ask about the situation when you sneaked through the back door?”

Jiang Tianji: “I didn’t plan on sneaking in. The gatekeeper dragged me here himself. He was in a terrible mood, so I didn’t dare ask.”

Jia Yun was silent for a moment. “Impressive.”

When no answer came, Jiang Tianji sighed. Noticing that nearly everyone else was able to exchange a few casual words while only their corner remained desolate, he murmured, “Your popularity is pretty mediocre.”

Jia Yun scoffed. “What use is that? To make out with each other during the arena tournaments?”

Jiang Tianji: “…”

Not far away, Liang Chong noticed them. His gaze accidentally collided with Jiang Tianji’s; without a pause, both of them averted their eyes in mutual disgust.

The person beside him shifted. Jia Yun seemed to develop a bit of interest: “Exes?”

Jiang Tianji felt the hairs on his arms stand up. He couldn’t quite take it: “Do you have to speak in such a greasy way?”

“Friends, then?”

Jiang Tianji was silent for a brief moment. “Not really.”

“He’s ranked number one in the Ability Department’s comprehensive rating.” Jia Yun’s gaze darted between the two, attempting to find any common ground. “You two are not the same kind of person.”

Jiang Tianji let out a soft laugh and turned his head to look out the window. Before Jia Yun could study his expression further, the room’s broadcast rang out.

“Assemble.” It was You Li’s voice.

The crowd immediately formed up and marched out.

_

The ramp descended to the ground, and a gust of wind driven by sand slammed into their faces. A D-class planet was a land forgotten by the world.

A nauseating stench of decay invaded his nostrils, causing Jiang Tianji, who stood at the very back of the formation, to frown slightly.

The earth beneath their feet was cracked and parched. Residual mutant energy flowed within the fissures, its flickering frequency resembling a dying breath. Sullen clouds obscured the sunlight, and as far as the eye could see, there lay an endless expanse of ruins.

Before his vision could fully focus, what Jiang Tianji perceived first was desolation.

Small aircraft patrolled the skies above the massive ruins. On a relatively flat patch of land lay rows of corpses covered in white sheets. Within the blackened, broken walls, fire-elemental energy that had not yet fully dissipated still lingered, and the severed limbs of deformed mutants were scattered everywhere.

Not far away, within the energy cordon, sat a mountain-like S-class mutant. Its hardened carapace looked strikingly similar to the extinct Zerg race.

Its core had been destroyed, and its crimson eyes had lost their energetic luster. It stared deathly at the crowd as if it might stand up at any moment, projecting an invisible, suffocating pressure over everyone.

The Z01 squad was primarily responsible for the mop-up operations in the nearby unexplored sectors, scanning for living signals and low-level mutants that hadn’t been eliminated.

While the squad formed up to await orders, Jiang Tianji caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye.

Ling Kongmiao was leading the members of Special Assistance Team One with broad strides toward another transport ship. A tall, burly figure appeared at its entrance, opening his arms with a laugh to give him a hug.

The two seemed to have a good relationship; Chief Ling had an expression of disgust on his face, but he didn’t refuse the embrace.

The group walked further and further away. Once they crossed the cordon line, they could only be seen as tiny silhouettes.

At the very front of the squad, Liang Chong suddenly pressed the Bluetooth earpiece at his ear, likely receiving an order from You Li. He turned around and began assigning teams and operational zones.

Standing at the tail end of the line, Jiang Tianji looked toward Liang Chong’s position, his face entirely blank.

At a certain point, the person at the very front suddenly glanced backward. Upon locking eyes with Jiang Tianji, Liang Chong visibly faltered.

He stared toward the back of the line in a daze, lost in thought, until the person beside him leaned out to look back and tapped his arm. Only then did Liang Chong snap out of it, turning around somewhat hastily to resume assigning tasks.

A low chuckle suddenly came from the front. Jia Yun turned his head, his lips moving slightly.

“Are you primary schoolers?”

Jiang Tianji twitched the corner of his mouth, just about to speak, when the other man suddenly shoved a weathered slip of paper over. Bewildered, he unfolded it.

It was a photograph. Lacking any special protective coating, the photo had faded to an old, weathered yellow. It had been crumpled to pieces, leaving only the faint, blurred outlines of two small figures.

Jiang Tianji didn’t hesitate for a single second. He casually threw the photo onto the ground, grinding it beneath his black combat boot as the energy within the fissures corroded the paper away.

“I take back what I just said. You two do have something in common.”

Jia Yun watched Liang Chong, who was drawing closer and closer to them, and raised an eyebrow.

“When I first joined Z01, I heard there was someone very strong in the Ability Department, so I went to find trouble and happened to see him. When he pulled this thing out of his bag, he seemed quite surprised himself, looking like he’d just swallowed a fly.”

“You both discarded it with the exact same speed.”

Jiang Tianji sneered. “If you picked that up just to make out with him during the arena tournaments, you have my unconditional support.”