Chapter 81: The Watchers Squad

“Are you ready?” Wang Ji asked, his affection for the earnest little chubby boy clearly high.

Long Shanhao nodded seriously. He had listened to Wang Ji and knew he had been unconscious for a long time; in his heart, he was eager to wake up.

With their minds in harmony, Wang Ji felt more confident about reviving him.

Then, with a single thought, Wang Ji withdrew his mental power from behind that barrier, swiftly pulling his palm from above Long Shanhao’s head, and called out sharply, “Wake up!”

Long Shanhao suddenly sat up in bed and shouted, “Brother-in-law~~~!”

Seeing this, Long Qianwen’s face lit up with delight. She rushed over and hugged Long Shanhao. At the same time, hearing what he said, her cheeks flushed and she gently tapped him on the head.

“You brat! Accepting a brother-in-law so quickly?”

Feeling the warmth of his sister’s embrace, Long Shanhao’s eyes reddened. “Sis! I’m so glad you’re all right.”

Long Qianwen’s eyes also glistened with tears. She released him and said, “You rascal, as long as you’re awake, that’s all that matters. From now on, with me here, no one will dare bully you again!”

Long Shanhao’s evolution had been an absolute success. Sensing the immense strength within his body, his old habit of showing off resurfaced.

“Haha! Sis, I feel like I could kill several bulls with a single punch. Don’t worry, no one can bully me now.”

Standing to the side, Wang Ji felt a surge of comfort as he witnessed this familial warmth.

“All right, Qianwen, since Shanhao’s fine, let’s get something to eat. I’m sure he must be starving,” Wang Ji said with a smile.

At Wang Ji’s words, Long Shanhao immediately felt a ravenous hunger and hurriedly stood up to change into the clothes Wang Ji had prepared for him earlier. The three of them made their way to the base’s cafeteria.

Once again, Long Shanhao showed off his prodigious appetite, polishing off enough food for twenty people and still eyeing the leftovers hungrily.

Wang Ji stopped him, saying, “You’ve just woken up—take it slow and don’t overload your stomach.”

“Yes, just a little for now,” Long Qianwen agreed, looking worriedly at the stack of empty plates.

A nearby group of staff stared, jaws nearly hitting the floor. He’d eaten more than a bull and was only half full?!

“Haha, all right, Sis, have you and Brother-in-law gotten married yet?” Long Shanhao asked, looking at the two of them with mischievous excitement.

Both Wang Ji and Long Qianwen blushed at the question.

“Hmph! What’s the rush? Besides, who said I’m marrying this guy?” Long Qianwen retorted, her words stubborn even though she now felt a bond with Wang Ji as strong as blood.

Smack!

Wang Ji couldn’t help giving Long Shanhao a light tap on the head.

“All right, you’ve just gotten your strength back and you’re already teasing your sister? Care to spar with me again?”

Long Shanhao shook his head vigorously. He couldn’t beat Wang Ji in the mental world, and during the meal, he’d acutely sensed Wang Ji’s terrifying power—like a mountain pressing down on his chest.

After his mutation, his mental strength was exceptional, but his physical power and speed were only slightly better than a first-star warrior. The intermediate gene serum Wang Ji had given him had merely raised his overall ability to the advanced level of a first-star warrior.

He was still far from his sister’s level—she was nearly at the two-star warlord standard. However, Long Shanhao’s mental power was extraordinary, already surpassing the two-star warlord mark. This was his advantage, and it would certainly allow him to progress faster than others in the future.

“Shanhao, I have a good sense of your strength now. Do you want to follow me from now on?” Wang Ji asked.

Long Qianwen also looked at Long Shanhao, her eyes full of a mischievous threat, as if daring him to refuse.

Feeling their gazes, Long Shanhao grinned awkwardly. “Sis, Brother-in-law, of course I’m with you guys!”

Wang Ji was delighted to hear this. Having Long Shanhao stay at the base was a given since his sister was here, but having him listen to orders was the key—he was, after all, a once-in-a-generation genius.

“Qianwen, remember I told you at the start of the apocalypse, I wanted to form a powerful combat team called the Hope Squad?”

Long Qianwen nodded solemnly. The entire base was named after hope, so naturally, the Hope Squad had to be its strongest unit.

“I want you to be the captain, with Shanhao helping you establish the core of the team. You’ll have priority access to all the base’s personnel and resources—no limits. I want to start building an invincible team now,” Wang Ji declared with pride. He had gene serums, a variety of weapons, and training methods at his disposal.

Once nuclear crystal mining was up and running, he’d start producing Gauss railguns and electromagnetic cannons, taking the base’s power to a whole new level.

“Brother Wang Ji... I’m afraid I can’t shoulder such a heavy responsibility,” Long Qianwen hesitated, though in truth she was more upset that being captain meant less time with Wang Ji.

Wang Ji gently took her hand and smiled. “It’s all right. I believe in you. Besides, I’ll be helping you.”

With Wang Ji’s support and her own desire to do more for him, Long Qianwen finally nodded earnestly.

“Ah, Sis, can’t you two show your affection after I’ve left the room? I’m still a kid!” Long Shanhao cried exaggeratedly, covering his eyes at the table.

Annoyed, Long Qianwen stood up and pretended to chase after him.

“Sis, Brother-in-law, help me! Look, she’s already taking your side before she’s even married you! Why not make me captain of the Hope Squad? Then I won’t be afraid of her!” Long Shanhao joked, hiding behind Wang Ji.

“All right, it’s settled. I’ll enter your identities and squad information into the server and notify the base leadership,” Wang Ji said, standing up in high spirits.

“Shanhao, don’t you like playing with blades? I’ll introduce you to a master and buy you a weapon,” Wang Ji remembered Luo Ji and his apprentice and wondered if they had settled in.

Long Qianwen paused and said, “Brother Wang Ji, do you mean Brother Luo and his team? I know where they are!”

“Great, let’s go together,” Wang Ji agreed. Led by Long Qianwen, the three soon arrived at the base’s commercial district and found Luo Ji’s weapon shop in a secluded corner.

“No-Haggle Weaponry!” Wang Ji read the sign with a laugh. That suited Luo Ji’s personality perfectly.

“Ah, Chief Wang! You’re here!” Xiao Yuan, the apprentice, came out in delight.

Wang Ji nodded and pointed to Long Shanhao. “My brother here wants a good weapon. Where’s Master Luo?”

“Master’s in the backyard forging weapons! I’ll fetch him right away,” Xiao Yuan replied gratefully. Thanks to Wang Ji, they’d secured this shop space at a low price, finally ending their wandering days. Xiao Yuan had been comfortable these past few days.

They walked through the shop to the back yard, immediately hearing the rhythmic clang of hammer on metal, as musical as it was powerful.

Beside a blazing forge, Luo Ji, clad in a work shirt and drenched in sweat, was hammering a block of raw iron. Under their watchful eyes, the lump shrank by half, turning into refined steel before their eyes.

“Brother Luo, you truly are a master,” Wang Ji applauded.

Luo Ji finally returned to his senses and saw them. “Ah, Brother Wang—no, I should say, Chief Wang. What brings you here today?” He wiped his hands and guided them to a shaded pavilion.

Working in such intense heat, forging weapons, only increased Wang Ji’s respect for Luo Ji.

“Brother Luo, just call me whatever you like; there’s no need for formality,” Wang Ji smiled as he sat.

Luo Ji took a long swig of cool water and let out a satisfied sigh. “Haha, that’s what I like about you, Brother Wang—straightforward.”

“By the way, Brother Luo, do you have any large blades here? My brother loves blades, but regular weapons can’t take his strength, so we’ve come to check your stock,” Wang Ji got straight to the point.

Hearing he had a customer, Luo Ji’s eyes lit up and he looked at the chubby Long Shanhao.

Long Shanhao grinned and greeted him, “Master Luo, nice to meet you! I’d like a long blade, heavy and as sharp as possible.”

Luo Ji frowned slightly. “Young man, I have two blades here. Why don’t you try them out?”

Long Shanhao eagerly agreed.

Luo Ji led them to a warehouse filled with top-quality weapons—blades, swords, spears, and staves of every kind.

“Wow! Master Luo, this is a treasure trove!” Long Shanhao exclaimed in awe.

Wang Ji nodded in satisfaction. “Shanhao, Brother Luo is a master smith from generations of forge masters. Every weapon he makes is top-notch. Your sister’s Dragon Spear was refined by him.”

“Haha, you’re too kind—just a matter of practice,” Luo Ji said modestly. He led them to the blades and pointed out two long knives. “See if either suits you!”

Long Shanhao saw two blades over a meter long, one a Tang sword, the other a willow-leaf saber, both of dark steel glimmering coldly.

Unimpressed with the nimble Tang sword, Long Shanhao picked up the willow-leaf saber and practiced a few moves.

The moment he began, it was clear he knew his craft. Brilliant arcs of blade light flashed around the warehouse, and even from several meters away, Luo Ji could feel the sting of the blade wind on his face.

“A true expert!” Luo Ji exclaimed, glancing at Wang Ji, once again amazed by the talent of this family.

After a few routines, Long Shanhao sheathed the blade and returned, saying, “Good blade, though a little light. Still, I’ll make do.”

Luo Ji was gratified, pleased that a true expert appreciated his work.

“If you like it, it’s yours,” Luo Ji said with a smile.

“That won’t do. Brother Luo, I have to pay you in crystal cores—personal friendship aside,” Wang Ji insisted, taking out a pouch of crystal cores.

Luo Ji refused. “No need. We’re here thanks to your help.”

After some back-and-forth, Wang Ji had to yield. In the end, they agreed that Wang Ji’s group would get a fifty-percent discount on future weapon purchases.

After a mutually satisfactory deal, an idea struck Wang Ji. “Brother Luo, I see you’re using regular iron ore for your weapons. If I can provide higher-grade materials, could you forge even better weapons?”

“Oh?”

Luo Ji’s eyes lit up as he looked at Wang Ji.