Chapter 452 The First Encounter
Sure enough, as soon as Steven and his crew stepped out of the car, the vibe got real tense.
The soldiers from Silverlake Base and Emberwick Base were giving them looks that could burn holes, but there was also a hint of nervousness.
After the Five Armies Battle, everyone knew Steven's team was no joke and not to be messed with.
Steven kept his hand in his pocket, gripping his gun, always ready for anything.
His presence made Lanny take a second look.
He'd heard some stuff about Steven.
They only dug up info on Steven after finding out he was coming to Starlight City.
But no matter how you slice it, this guy who went from a warehouse manager to taking on big forces with his elite team and becoming one of the top five powers in Starlight City, definitely deserved some attention!
Steven and his team got to the SC Central Building and saw the path Lanny had cleared.
Steven quickly figured out this was just a power move to show everyone how tough the envoy from Silvercrest District was.
Lanny's voice cut through the tension, "You must be Steven, right? You can come in alone; the rest stay outside."
Steven heard Lanny and flashed a harmless smile. "Alright, whatever you say!"
Seeing the soldiers from the two big bases lined up outside, Steven knew this was coming.
After all, it was a meeting with the big shots; no way they were letting a whole crew barge in.
Steven told Henry and the others to hang tight outside.
If they got cold, they could chill in the car.
He walked into the SC Central Building, taking his time.
Lanny's eyes were glued to him, not looking away for a second.
Steven felt a bit weird being stared at. No normal guy likes being eyeballed by another dude. He even wondered if Lanny might be into guys.
"Is there something on me?" Steven asked Lanny with a grin.
Lanny crossed his arms and smirked, "I heard you're pretty strong!"
Steven almost asked, in what way?
"Just average," Steven said, playing it cool.
"If you have time, let's spar sometime!" Lanny was persistent, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
Steven shivered; was this guy really into him?
"No, I don't swing that way." He forced a smile. "By the way, which room is it?"
Lanny looked disappointed.
As one of the top-ranked Psychics in Silvercrest District, it was his first mission to a neighboring city.
So naturally, he wanted to compare and spar with the local top Psychics.
"Fifth floor, third conference room on the left."
"Thanks!" Steven smiled and walked off, looking like just another young guy, no big deal.
Steven headed upstairs following Lanny's directions.
On the way, he saw other members of the investigation team.
Each one stood in an open spot in the building, ready to keep an eye on things and jump in if needed.
From them, Steven could sense an elite vibe.
A glance, a simple move, all different from regular folks.
Without years of hardcore training, you couldn't have that kind of presence.
Steven thought to himself, 'Yep, everyone from Silvercrest District is top-notch.'
But he wasn't sure how much help such a small team could really be.
With that on his mind, he reached the conference room Lanny had pointed out.
The door was open, so he just walked in.
The room was big, with a huge red table in the center.
As soon as Steven entered, all eyes were on him.
He recognized two faces—Megan and Leonard.
They frowned when they saw him, their eyes a mix of worry and anger.
But Steven was most curious about the middle-aged guy at the head of the table, wrapped in a black coat and sporting unusually big sunglasses.
'Is he blind?' Steven thought, amused.
Wearing sunglasses indoors seemed a bit much, but maybe the guy had his reasons.
Steven smiled and introduced himself, "I'm Steven. How should I address you, Mister...?"
Steven's politeness made Otha feel like he had to respond.
He put down his arms and said coldly, "Otha Soderberg, the guy in charge of investigating the zombie situation from Silvercrest District."
"So, Mr. Soderberg, nice to meet you!"
After the pleasantries, Steven found a seat and sat down, keeping quiet.
At a first meeting, it's best to keep things polite but cautious; Steven didn't even bother with a handshake.
In the big conference room, the four of them kept a good distance from each other.
Clearly, Steven, Megan, and Leonard were all on edge around each other.
Only Otha seemed relaxed, even pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up while waiting for the others.
No one said a word.
They weren't there to chit-chat; everyone had their own agenda.
But they had to wait for the folks from the other two bases to show up before they could start talking.
After a while, Sebastian from Frostwood Base walked in.
He greeted Otha with a smile and then sat down near Steven.
Steven noticed Megan and Leonard glaring at Sebastian like they wanted to tear him apart.
In the last Five Armies Battle, if Frostwood Base hadn't broken the agreement, they might not have lost.
The worst part was that after the battle, Sebastian looted a ton of their supplies!
They hated Sebastian's guts!
But Sebastian didn't care about their glares and started chatting with Steven.
"Steven, how's it been on your end? Those indestructible zombies and rats are a real pain," he whined with a click of his tongue.
Steven frowned, his voice dropping. "Don't even get me started. We have to deal with those things every day, it's driving me nuts!"
He leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. "If this keeps up, my shelter won't last much longer."
Hearing that Steven was also struggling, a flicker of satisfaction crossed the eyes of the three base leaders.
Even though they were all suffering, knowing everyone was in the same boat made them feel a bit better.
Steven felt that after he said this, Otha glanced over.
But with Otha wearing those sunglasses, it was impossible to see his eyes.
It might have just been his imagination.
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