Superhumans of the Dome City

"What, what?! You make it sound like going out with me is a losing deal! After all, based purely on looks and figure, I'm still a top-notch beauty!"

"Hmph..." Gongsun Ce scoffed disdainfully, assessing his companion from the perspective of a healthy male rather than a superpower user.

Her figure was graceful, with a slender waist and long legs, her prominent chest slightly constrained by her tight hunting outfit, which paradoxically highlighted the beauty of a woman more than more revealing clothes would; her face was beautiful, yet bore no heavy traces of makeup, most likely because any makeup would fade during their travels, with only her eyebrows lightly drawn.

It was then that Gongsun Ce realized his companion was indeed a dazzling woman, her beauty not only in her appearance and physique but also in her straightforward demeanor. Alice had just fought at the docks, and although she had cleaned up, it was inevitable that dust still clung to her. Yet, the Hunter didn't mind at all and sat openly in the shop, sipping noodle soup, her every move possessing an ease not found in campus girls. Her blue hair was so long it almost fell into the bowl, so Alice casually tossed her hair back, inadvertently revealing a stretch of concealed skin at the back of her head.

Her neck was slightly reddened from exercise, still bearing beads of unevaporated sweat.

"..."

Gongsun Ce turned his gaze away, drawing a curious look from his companion, "?You, the sarcasm expert, aren't arguing with me?"

"...Miss Alice is indeed a top-notch beauty."

"Humph, it seems you've finally realized the charm of big sis—wait, what do you mean by deliberately leaving out 'young' from 'beautiful young lady'?!"

"If it weren't for that slight pity, you could truly be that kind of striking beauty," Gongsun Ce said earnestly.

"Annoying, if I could really do it, would I still be eating ramen with you right now!"

It seems you've realized it too...

Alice huffed as she ate her noodles. She ordered a hot, spicy noodle soup with a red broth, which was quite uncommon among people from the Country who weren't good at handling spicy food.

"So, Miss Alice..."

Gongsun Ce had finished most of his bowl of noodles and was about to discuss something serious. He was pondering how to use his abilities to create a sound barrier but gave up halfway through the thought.

Alice was dabbing her noodle soup with chopsticks on a napkin, drawing a strange symbol that looked like an inverted hook with a slanting line through the middle. Although the sound he heard hadn't changed, Gongsun Ce felt that the surroundings became "quiet."

"This is a basic rune of the Spiritual Image, using this will turn our conversation into noise, leaving no impression in ordinary people's memory. This won't work on Impermanence Law Enforcers or Mind System superpower users, but this ramen shop isn't exactly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, right?"

Spiritual Image... known for controlling the mind, creating illusions.

This is so convenient. Even this little trick amounts to a separate "superpower"; the experts truly are experts.

"Don't worry, the owner is a normal person. Now I can ask freely then, you know what I want to ask."

Alice sloppily took a few bites of her noodles, speaking unclearly, "That, well, the agent from the United States."

"Exactly, Mr. White's behavior was strange. You two seemed to be competing, yet chose to help each other when attacked. Now that information is needed, you don't plan to ask him—I must say, what exactly are you official experts up to?"

Alice said gloomily, "Haven't you already figured it out? The experts aren't all in agreement... The influence of the overall situation doesn't just apply to the visible society; the inner world is the same. The agent considers the interests of the United States, the passerby is loyal to the Empire, and I, as a Hunter, naturally work for the Country."

Hearing this, Gongsun Ce understood the experts' difficulty. What troubled them was the so-called issue of the "overall situation."

In today's world, a bipolar structure was basically presented. Dominating the South Continent and much of the Mimang Sea with its vast territory and ancient history, the "Yong Guang Empire"; and grounded in the North Continent, spreading like an eagle's wings across a wide expanse of land, the "Ustus Federation," were the two most formidable powers in the world.

Beneath these powers, there was the island nation in the southwest of the North Continent and the western part of the Mimang Sea, the "King Morton." Further down the line was Zero Island, a military-commercial joint government that was inferior in national power to the other three, yet still held a place on the international stage.

These four countries controlled more than 90% of the world's land. Beyond their sphere of influence, only the uninhabitable polar regions and scattered islands in the Mimang Sea remained. There were also some small countries located on those lands, but their influence on the overall situation was negligible.

"What do the major powers want to fight over? Do they view the dragon worshippers as a resource?" Gongsun Ce asked, frowning.

"It's a bit different from what you imagine. Let's say... when you think of the Empire, the Federation, and the Kingdom, what comes to mind?"

"The Vaulted Capital," Gongsun Ce answered without hesitation.

The establishment of the Vaulted Capital was an unprecedented international grand scheme. The Yong Guang Empire conceded the body of the Dragon of the Vaulted Sky, the Ustus Federation provided several core technologies needed for the construction of the Floating City, and King Morton contributed suppressant technology, allowing ordinary people to enter the gathering place of the superpowered without worrying about being disrupted by powers.

The three countries led the initiative, with the international community working together cooperatively, and the world's first Big Prison was finally built. The three countries that contributed the most in the initial phase naturally possessed the greatest authority over this city. The Governor of the Vaulted City was replaced every three years, appointed alternately by commissioners from the Three Great Countries.

"You should know that the Kingdom's power in the surface world is far inferior to Yong Guang and Ustus. The real reason that allows the Kingdom to control the Vaulted Capital lies in the substantial power we possess in the inner world," Alice said irritably, stirring her soup, "The Kingdom's Impermanence Law Enforcer contributed many necessary technologies... so we have a 'right' in this matter."

"The Kingdom's Impermanence Law Enforcer is very strong," Gongsun Ce agreed.

"Was very strong," Alice corrected. "Do you know how powerful we used to be? Our official roster had no less than four Creator Realm Mages, such magnificent beings that could influence the whole world alone! But everything changed after the Kingdom crumbled..."

Alice's voice sounded particularly bitter: "The great Her Majesty the Queen passed away, the shining head of the Knight Order fell, the Invincible Dawn Knight weakened after the war, and the wise chief Mage has been comatose ever since. We lost so many crucial forces, and in that disaster, countless Exhibitors died, Divine Communication is uncountable..."

The weakening of the Dawn Knights made Gongsun Ce's mood sink. He whispered, "...this is the Dragon Disaster."

The Colored Glaze Disaster, the Dragon Disaster. Twin calamities that struck in a single day and dealt an unprecedented blow to a once-powerful country. Many people he knew had died that day, and the grand cities of his memory had long since become ruins.

"Yes, that's the terrifying Dragon Disaster!" Alice chuckled helplessly, "And now, the dragon crazies we are tracking may possess the ability to summon giant dragons. Do you understand now what the experts are fighting over?"

Gongsun Ce completely understood this delicate situation.

The phenomenon of giant dragons held the power to destroy nations, a deterrent more terrifying than all modern weaponry combined. No power would not want this force under its control. The experts had a heavy responsibility; they could not allow the dragon worshippers to succeed, yet also could absolutely not let another country obtain this potential weapon of annihilation.

"Have they gone mad?" Gongsun Ce felt exceedingly anxious, "Those are dragons!"

"Ten years ago, we were fighting a war without gun smoke; you can't expect everyone to be clear-headed."

Alice acted more rational than he, the Hunter bowed his head to finish the last bite of ramen, gulped down the soup, and set down his chopsticks.

She turned her head, watching a competition broadcast on TV. The veteran on the field was continuously pressed by a newcomer, retreating step by step.

"Alright, Gongsun Ce," Alice said softly, "now that you know all this, it's also time for you to back out."