The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

And so, on one of the most delicate afternoons in the history of Earth, the five forces, amidst a complex mix of suspicion, fear, anger, and helplessness, forged an extremely fragile alliance.

It is fragile because every participant knows that the bond of this alliance is not trust, but fear.

Fear of Gu Xu, fear of the rise of Shenxia, ​​and fear of being abandoned by the times.

The day the fear disappears, this alliance will crumble instantly.

But at least for now, fear is enough.

With the framework of the alliance finalized, the next step is to discuss the specific plans.

This part was mainly led by Adam.

It must be said that the United States is indeed very experienced in carrying out international conspiracies. Just like no one knows how to launch a sneak attack better than Japan, the speed at which they come up with their plans is as fast as if they had written a script in advance.

"A three-step strategy." Adam held up three fingers.

"Phase One - Blockade and Censorship of Public Opinion"

"Effective immediately, the five forces will jointly impose restrictions on Shenxia. All trade channels for rare resources and items will be cut off, and the circulation of high-end monster materials will be blocked."

"At the same time, we launched a targeted crackdown on Shenxia in the global public opinion arena, characterizing the East China Sea War as an 'excessive use of force by Shenxia' and portraying the Forbidden Water Tribe as a 'maritime civilization forced to defend itself'."

"Simply put—first, make Sherlock Holmes isolated on the international stage."

Few people objected to this step because it had the lowest cost and the least risk.

Anyone is willing to do something that involves just talking and signing a few documents.

"Phase Two - Gathering Strategic Items"

Adam's expression turned serious.

"Each of our five parties will contribute one forbidden-level strategic item. These five items will serve as the core weapons for the final operation."

"Forbidden level?"

Ivan's eyebrow twitched. "Lord Adam, you know what forbidden items mean. Each one is our most prized possession. You want us to bring out our most prized possessions..."

"I know."

Adam's tone was uncompromising. "But if you're not even willing to bring out your trump card, then this alliance is just a joke. Do you think you can kill Gu Xu using conventional methods?"

Ivan remained silent.

Of course he knew he couldn't kill him.

If conventional methods worked, the grass on Gu Xu's grave would be long enough to braid.

"Finally—the third stage."

Adam lowered his voice slightly, as if he were telling a secret that could not be heard by a sixth person.

"The global SSS-level secret realm 'Twilight Temple' will open in one month."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone present took a deep breath.

The Temple of Twilight—this name is practically synonymous with "battleground" among the superhumans of Earth.

It is one of the very few known SSS-level high-dimensional secret realms on Earth and even in countless other planes.

It opens once every ten years and lasts for seven days.

The number of slots for entering the secret realm is extremely limited.

But the opportunities and resources contained within are also at an insane level.

However, the most unique aspect of the Twilight Temple, and the core reason why Adam chose it as the node of action, is that within the Twilight Temple, demigod-level and source-level combat forces are not subject to any external restrictions.

In other words, demigods and source-level beings who are usually unable to unleash their full power due to various rules and constraints.

Once inside the Temple of Twilight, you can unleash your full potential.

"The Temple of Twilight is a closed space; once inside, one cannot leave for seven days."

Adam's fingers traced lightly across the table: "Moreover, according to the rules of the secret realm, there is no external communication inside, nor is there any possibility of rescue."

"Gu Xu will definitely get in."

Adam said firmly, "Given his character and developmental needs, he would never let go of such an opportunity to enter a top-tier secret realm."

"What we need to do is to use the combined elite forces of the five parties, along with five forbidden strategic items, to surround and kill Gu Xu inside the secret realm."

"In that confined space, no Night's Watch will come to his rescue, and no Sherlock legion will come to his aid."

"He will face our five most powerful forces alone."

"And this time—we will not give him any chance to turn things around."

After Adam finished speaking, the entire conference room fell into a long, silent silence.

Then, one by one, the representatives of the five parties expressed their views.

Celestial Monk: "...South India, agreed."

Ivan: "The Northern Alliance is involved. But I need to reconsider the forbidden item issue."

The Archbishop said, "The Papacy will send its most devout paladins. The glory of the Lord will surely shine upon the Temple of Twilight."

Yamamoto Furukawa nodded with his eyes closed, which was taken as tacit agreement.

The five parties unanimously agreed.

Thus, the three-step plan to eliminate Gu Xu and Shenxia was officially completed.

It sounds simple, but everyone present knew that from today onwards, the landscape of Earth would enter a completely new and even more dangerous phase.

The alliance was formed, but the infighting within it probably began from that moment on.

The last few minutes of the meeting contained almost no substantial content.

It's nothing more than exchanging a couple of polite phrases like "pleasant to cooperate" and then agreeing on the time and method for the next contact.

As for how sincere these polite words were, just look at the expressions on the faces of the representatives when they disconnected.

Yamamoto Furukawa's projection was the first to disappear.

The old man disconnected extremely quickly, as if he was afraid that if he stayed even a second longer, someone would find out his secrets.

The second monk to leave was Tianxing, who gave Adam a meaningful look before he left.

That look in his eyes was complex, containing both sincerity for cooperation and a calculating intent that made one feel uncomfortable from the bottom of their heart.

Ivan left the most abruptly, slamming the projector off without even saying goodbye.

The archbishop made a cross at the end, muttered something inaudible, and then disappeared.

Finally, in the vast virtual conference room, only Adam's projection remained.

He did not disconnect immediately.

The first knight of the beacon nation sat quietly at the empty conference table, his hands clasped, his gaze fixed on the other four projection nodes in front of him that had been extinguished.

His expression was calm, as if he were asleep.

But if someone were to look closely into his eyes, they would discover that something very complex was churning within them.

It's not fear.

It's not anger.

It's more like some kind of unfathomable contemplation.

What is he thinking?

At least at this moment, no one knows.

Two full minutes later, Adam's lips twitched slightly.

The curve was extremely small, resembling both a smile and a sigh.