The afternoon sun was beginning to dip, casting long shadows over the base. The usual chatter filled the air as survivors carried on with their daily routines. But even as the residents moved about, many still threw glances toward Atlas, who was now casually walking around the base pretending to inspect the base.
He had passed the entire noon pretending to be a benevolent lord and made her follow him like a lackey.
Liora did not have any choice as she followed him silently, arms crossed, watching as he greeted every passing person with his signature annoying grin.
"How long do you plan to keep this up?" she finally asked, unable to hold it in anymore.
Atlas turned his head slightly, flashing her an innocent smile. "Keep what up? I’m simply bonding with my people."
"They’re my people," Liora muttered under her breath.
"Oh, but my dear Liora, you only think they are yours. Right now, they seem to see as their mighty lord," he teased, his voice dripping with amusent. "You’re the one who handed the crown, rember?"
Liora groaned, already regretting the mont she had blad him to avoid questions about her system. But before she could retort, a sudden commotion rose near the front gates.
Shouts.
Excited voices.
People were running toward the entrance as the heavy gate slowly creaked open.
Liora’s brows knitted together. "What’s going on now?"
Atlas glanced toward the entrance too. "Hmm... another visitor? Your base is becoming quite popular, my dear."
Liora shot him a glare and walked forward, curiosity growing with each step. As they neared the gates, the crowd parted automatically, allowing her to see what had caused the sudden stir.
A group of survivors stood at the gate, but they weren’t the cause of the excitent.
It was not a visitor.
It was Xu Kai returning.
The tall man stood at the front, his military coat flapping gently as the wind passed through. Behind him, Chen Wei, Shen Haoran, Zhao Ren, and several other survivors followed, dragging behind them nearly a dozen mutated beasts they had hunted from the Misty Forest. So were large enough that several people had to pull them together with ropes.
The residents cheered loudly, their eyes shining with excitent at the sight of so much at.
Liora’s steps slowed. She hadn’t seen Xu Kai for a few days since he had gone on a continuous hunting mission. And now, as usual, he had returned victorious.
Xu Kai’s sharp eyes imdiately landed on Liora as if sensing her presence.
He nodded. "Liora."
His voice was calm, steady, and simple as always.
Liora smiled slightly. "You ca back safely."
"I always do." His eyes then swept over the crowd, noticing the odd atmosphere.
It was only after a mont that Xu Kai’s gaze shifted slightly and landed on Atlas. His brows furrowed faintly as he carefully examined the man standing casually beside Liora with his usual arrogant grin.
For a brief second, their eyes t.
The air thickened.
Liora could feel the shift instantly.
Atlas raised his brows, studying Xu Kai with mild curiosity. "And who might you be?" he asked, voice calm yet laced with playfulness.
Before Xu Kai could respond, one of the residents eagerly answered for him.
"That’s Commander Xu! He’s part of our base too, Lord Atlas. He led today’s hunting team and brought back so many beasts!"
Atlas let out a small ’ah’ as if finally enlightened. "I see. So you’re the famous Commander Xu I’ve heard whispers about."
Xu Kai’s eyes narrowed just a bit. "And you must be... the Lord of the base."
Atlas chuckled lightly, his gaze never leaving Xu Kai’s. "So the title has reached your ears as well. Yes, I’ve been... overseeing things here for quite so ti." He then lazily added with a glance toward Liora, "Of course, with so help from my very capable subordinate."
Liora nearly tripped over her own foot. Subordinate? Again?
Xu Kai’s sharp gaze flickered briefly toward her, catching the subtle irritation on her face. He noticed everything.
"I see," Xu Kai said calmly. "I have long been curious to et the person capable of building such advanced structures in the apocalypse. The buildings, the energy systems, even the defense lines... I must admit, your base is far ahead of others."
Atlas smiled, his eyes gleaming with a faint amusent. "You flatter , Commander. Though most of the heavy lifting was done by these loyal people you see around us. I rely guided them from the shadows."
The residents around them nodded eagerly.
"Yes, Lord Atlas guided us!"
"He protected us!"
"He built this base into what it is today!"
Atlas pretended to act humble but basked shalessly in the praises.
Xu Kai’s gaze sharpened ever so slightly. "Leadership requires more than sitting behind walls."
"Oh?" Atlas chuckled, "Is that a challenge, Commander?"
The air between the two n subtly shifted, becoming heavier as an invisible current swirled. The surrounding residents, still smiling, were blissfully unaware of the quiet competition blooming right before them.
Liora, however, stood between them, feeling every ounce of the tension.
Xu Kai’s voice remained calm, but each word was dipped in quiet dominance. "The Misty Forest is expanding. More powerful beasts are erging. This base will need true strength to survive."
Atlas’s eyes twinkled like he was amused. "Fortunately, we have strength, don’t we? You, the capable commander, and , the Lord." He glanced at Liora again with a teasing grin. "And, of course, our lovely leader here who sohow manages to keep both of us in check."
Liora could no longer keep her poker face. She coughed lightly and pretended not to hear the hidden anings in both their words.
Xu Kai glanced at Atlas once more, his jaw tightening ever so slightly, as if ntally adding this man to his list of future problems.
Atlas, on the other hand, simply enjoyed the entire scene like it was entertainnt prepared just for him.
’Oh,’ Atlas thought with amusent, ’this base is far more interesting than I expected.’
And poor Liora, trapped between two different kinds of disasters, could only sigh silently.
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