Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in the Eastern Continent...

In Lop Nur, deep within a karst cave thousands of meters below the surface, the Star Extraction Tower—which could be considered crucial to the salvation of this world's civilization and was intended to cope with the solar storm of the sixth day—had been largely set up. Patchouli had even tested it several times and obtained many reassuring results.

“Alright, that’s enough for this phase for now. We still have plenty of time to rest before completing the final assembly.” Patchouli looked at the Star Extraction Tower, which floated in the middle of the bottomless pit like a tiny floating city and was still slowly rotating. Her brow relaxed, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The plan is proceeding smoothly… perhaps even too smoothly. Approximately eight hours have passed since the construction of the Stellar Extraction Tower began, and during this time, the veterans in the lower crust have remained unharmed. Meanwhile, the newcomers housed in the relatively safe underground base in the upper crust have also escaped unscathed.

The bait failed to work; the enemy did not attempt to devour any of the teams on either side. For Patchouli Knowledge, the architect of this plan, this was hardly a damaging blow—it was merely a side effect; her primary objective in descending to the underground was the Stellar Extraction Tower.

and……

She blinked gently, sensing a certain activated spell.

My bait might not necessarily fail.

She immediately shifted her attention elsewhere.

“The Stellar Extraction Tower.” She looked at the results of her work over the past few hours and sighed softly.

After acquiring the technology and most of the core materials for the Star Extraction Tower from the Transformers universe, she spent a long time dealing with this intricate and complex technological creation. However, even now, she says she's only learned to adjust the tower's absorption power so that it doesn't extinguish the sun in the sky upon activation.

In other words, the only result she achieved after spending so much time on this was 'identifying the correct button among the fan speed settings'. Although its operation is far less complicated than that of ordinary appliances that people use today, in essence, there is no difference.

This is truly a frustrating feeling.

Patchouli thought to herself, and gently exhaled a small breath.

Around her, the other veterans who had received the 'rest' signal had already gathered in their own groups, resting in their own ways. After all, several hours of continuous mechanical assembly, almost equivalent to a third of a day, was quite exhausting for those who hadn't experienced the long and arduous ordeal that Patchouli had.

—Various consumption.

Physical strength and energy are both included.

Zhan Lan sat down against the edge of the cave and immediately closed her eyes—she and Xiao Honglu had contributed the most during the assembly process. Concentrating her mind and controlling her thoughts to assemble the components of the Stellar Extraction Tower was what she did most. Naturally, the energy expenditure was enormous. In less than two seconds, she quickly entered a state of light sleep, leaning against the cave wall. Then, the sleep transitioned into a light slumber.

She was like that, and so was Xiao Honglu. This child, whose relationship with Zhan Lan wasn't particularly good, seemed to have developed a certain tacit understanding with her during their previous collaboration—Zhan Lan was responsible for the more prominent main parts, while Xiao Honglu handled the details. Sure enough, their cooperation improved the assembly efficiency slightly. And it was precisely because of this that they were able to get a break during this tight schedule—he just leaned against Zhan Lan's knees, falling asleep like a little brother relying on his older sister.

Zhang Heng hadn't done much beforehand, but the focused vigilance had indeed drained a lot of his energy—he hadn't witnessed the expected attack, and his mood was inevitably a little down. Even as he sat cross-legged, maintaining a state of alertness while entering a dormant state, he couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.

'Wasn't it agreed that someone would come and demolish the tower during work hours? That's how it's supposed to be in the game...'

He thought this to himself, then quickly lowered his eyes, using his remaining energy to maintain vigilance while drifting into a light sleep. Judging from the slight upturn of his lips, it must have been a good dream.

So, aside from Zheng Zha, everyone else—oh, and Zero Point too. However, Zero Point's presence was so low that even Saito Hajime, who had almost calculated everyone in the team, subconsciously forgot about him. So… there wasn't much for him to say here. The others only needed to know that he would always be lurking in the most concealed position, and then, at the crucial moment, he would inevitably strike the decisive blow.

So this time, there really was no one else besides Zheng Zha.

His gaze fell upon Patchouli at that moment, his eyes gleaming with a flicker of uncertainty.

"Captain," Patchouli, her eyes lightly closed, suddenly asked. "Is there something you want to say to me as you look at me like that?"

Patchouli nodded slightly at him, a very small nod, almost imperceptible. However, this "imperceptible" nod clearly did not include Zheng Zha, and immediately, apart from turning his gaze to Patchouli, he stood up and walked towards the witch's direction.

He knew what she had done, and he knew what he should do now. Because, just now, he had once again felt a long-lost atmosphere within the Zhongzhou team—an atmosphere of unity.

He bowed deeply to Patchouli.

“Thank you for bringing everyone together again. I finally understand why you assigned so many tasks to everyone, to do these…tedious chores.” He said each word carefully, bowing so low it almost touched the ground. Patchouli accepted the bow without flinching.

"It was all part of the plan anyway, helping you is helping myself. And it's not difficult at all," she said casually, as if she didn't care at all.

“I understand you all. Because I understand you, I did something special when assembling the Stellar Extraction Tower. It’s not complicated at all. I’m just connecting everyone with a link.”

She said it casually, her tone as calm as ever.

“See, it’s not that difficult, is it?” She spread her hands and looked at Zheng Zha. “People are suspicious of each other because they lack trust and understanding. That’s why I specifically mobilized everyone and assigned tasks to ensure they had to work together. And once they’re in a group, it’s easy to tell whether someone is worth getting to know through close observation.”

"Fortunately, everyone present was someone I could get to know deeply. That's why my strategy was able to work."

From the very beginning, building the Stellar Extraction Tower didn't require so many people—she could do it all by herself. Even if it took much longer than this time, the result would inevitably be the same. And the reason she did this was simply to provide a platform, a platform to unify this nearly fragmented team and make it a powerful collective once again.

The first step is to build trust.

Through her previous probing and planning, especially based on information obtained from certain clandestine channels, she was certain that everyone present who had come underground with her was safe and sound. There was no mole, no ambitious individual, and the reason everyone was wary of each other and unwilling to open up was simply because almost everyone was aware of something amiss within the group, but no one could pinpoint who it was.

Patchouli, however, is different.

Although she couldn't be sure which person was the problem, she was certain who wasn't.

Therefore, she guided those whose innocence she had secretly verified to be innocent into this environment isolated from external interference. She prepared an oppressive environment, a tedious but necessary task, a reason for everyone to cooperate, and a large reassurance array hidden within the components of the stellar extraction tower—prepared since the parts were manufactured on the aircraft. When these elements were combined, a platform was established that allowed everyone present to rebuild trust.

Trust stems from understanding, and understanding requires a long period of time spent together and working together. Avoiding direct external pressure is to prevent loss of control and going too far, but the current approach is just right.

This is just laying the foundation for future integration; there are still other things to be done.

"That's all I can do to help you. You'll have to do the most crucial steps yourself." Patchouli looked at Zheng Zha and said slowly, "A team needs a leader, and a leader needs authority."

“I know.” Zheng Zha nodded. “But before that, there’s a question I’ve always wanted to ask… Why me? Not Margot Lloyd, not Saito Hajime, not Zhao Yingkong, not Norrie… Why me?”

Patchouli's calm expression suddenly froze, and her elegant and serene witch mask crumbled little by little.

Her expression turned fierce, and she looked at Zheng Zha as if he were a gorilla who had been hit on the head by a banana. After several seconds, she managed to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth.

"Because...you know nothing!" She jabbed her forehead forcefully, her fierce aura almost making Zheng Zha want to run away. "But we...know too much!"

"Gah—?" Someone's eyes widened in surprise.

At that moment, Patchouli had already looked away, no longer looking at him. The anger that had risen from this question was quickly suppressed, but the words that came out were still uttered through clenched teeth.

"...You need to establish your authority as a leader. And the most suitable way to do that is through a fierce battle. Since you lack confidence in yourself, prove yourself with strength. I will not participate in this battle; whether you can unify everything depends on your own abilities."

The next moment, deep within the cavern above their heads, a pure white light suddenly burst forth from a crevice in the rock!

Author's Note:

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Two quick clicks on the new pool, no points gained from Xianjiuyuan.

Today... I lost two hundred in revenue...

Chapter 74 Seeking One's Own Death

Rewind to about fifteen minutes earlier, when the assembly of the stellar extraction tower in the underground cavern was nearing completion, and all the veterans were showing signs of fatigue from the continuous work. In the underground base in Lop Nur, the newcomers were gathered in a circle, plotting something.

“We can’t go on like this, doing nothing and just staying in this safe house… I feel like a pig waiting to be slaughtered!” Yang Le suppressed his voice, waving his fists slightly. His face was flushed from the rush of blood, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“We have to do something!” he stressed, his voice low.

The newlyweds had been housed in this safe house for over eight hours. There was no internet, and they were forbidden from leaving. Even Huang Lilin, the most sociable white-collar worker, was met with silence when she tried to speak to the guards outside. And when the men rolled up their sleeves and tried to force their way out, the soldiers guarding the door responded with the cold butts of their rifles.

Yang Le was hit on the face, and his left eye socket turned completely bruised. Wang Xia and the other person were in slightly better condition, but they were still hit and felt a tightness in their chests.

The newlyweds are not fools.

Previously, no matter what plans the veterans devised or what action plans they took, even when the team's split was laid bare, they would always leave one or two people behind to ensure the safety of the newcomers and the main characters—they would rescue them in danger and help them in times of difficulty. Even if some accidents occurred and some people died or were injured, the newcomers could see the veterans' efforts, know that they were valued, and were not treated as cannon fodder or pawns that could be discarded at any time.

The experienced members value the newcomers, and the newcomers naturally follow their instructions. Furthermore, the experienced members have displayed extraordinary destructive power and the ever-present, lurking threat of death, like 'angels' hidden in the light. Naturally, the newcomers obey the seniors' every command, doing their utmost to carry out their orders. Even if they themselves cannot play a significant role, they must still act to avoid hindering the seniors.

It can be said that in the days leading up to eight hours, until the long-haul plane landed at the military base airport in Lop Nur, the interests of the veterans were the interests of the newcomers. Therefore, the newcomers resolutely supported all the decisions of the veterans, and even if there were internal divisions or even civil war, the newcomers would never interfere—whether they could interfere was one thing, but whether they had the will to do so was another.

However, the situation has now changed. From the moment the newcomers were placed in the safe house by the veterans without any guards and all the newcomers were forbidden from leaving, the thin bond of trust between the newcomers and the veterans was broken—because everyone present felt a sense of crisis that was different from before, a dangerous aura that could rush towards them at any moment and take the living to the death—everyone could clearly feel this feeling.

'The veterans plan to use us as bait or conduct experiments. They want to buy them time with our lives'—this thought, to some extent, crossed the minds of every newcomer.

He remained silent, not uttering a word, but at that moment, silence signified a stance of support.

“Those veterans definitely have ill intentions; locking us in this room is proof enough.” Yang Le nodded in agreement, glancing at the silent Wang Xia. He pointed to the safe house door, which was completely sealed off by the guards and couldn't be breached even with welding in a short time. “I admit they're very capable, but that doesn't mean we deserve to wait here to die!”

The door wasn't locked at first; it was simply ajar, easily pushed open for a quick exit. However, when the newlyweds tried to leave, the guards ruthlessly locked them all inside the safe house and activated all security measures.

"Didn't everyone feel it? That feeling of being surrounded by danger, wanting to grab a gun and start shooting everywhere? I once heard—the big shots in the underworld—say that it's an instinctive reaction of the human body when faced with a crisis, just like small animals running out of their burrows before a flood." Yang Le continued, and as time passed and the time spent locked in the safe house increased, this understanding gradually occupied a higher proportion of everyone's minds.

Even Wang Xia, who had always appeared the most composed, had tacitly approved of Huang Lilin's attempt to leave two hours earlier. However, his stance completely shifted after the base's guards refused Huang Lilin's request and forcibly suppressed the group trying to leave the safe house. He cautiously glanced around, as if some terrifying monster lurked in the shadows of the safe house, ready to leap out and wreak havoc at any moment.

“Yes, yes, Brother Yang is right.” Lu Chichuan chimed in. After several days, this young delinquent had removed her messy makeup, and her afro hairstyle had been transformed into smooth, long black hair. She actually did have a touch of quiet, girlish charm. And when she huddled up in fear, it naturally aroused the men’s protective instincts.

"I always feel so scared being alone. I don't even dare to go to the restroom by myself anymore." She looked pitifully at the men, then turned her gaze to the women who were on her side. She asked timidly, "Don't you guys feel the same way, Sister Huang, Sister Zhu... you feel the same way too, right?"

Huang Lilin nodded repeatedly, eagerly expressing her agreement. The pale-skinned young man echoed her sentiments.

However, Zhu Wen didn't jump to the same conclusion as the others. She kept her eyes closed as always, but frowned and voiced her disapproval. "I think...we'd better not jump to conclusions so easily. Only eight hours have passed; the veterans might not have given up on us yet, and we haven't been attacked, have we?"

She subconsciously glanced at Li Laoshi, who stood silently in the corner like a puppet—this honest middle-aged man had remained taciturn and huddled in the corner ever since Patchouli resurrected him with magic. He didn't talk to or interact with anyone, although he would occasionally show some reaction to external stimuli, uttering a few "ah" or "uh" sounds when spoken to, and his eating and drinking were normal. However, in Zhu Wen's eyes, knowing the additional information, this man seemed like a cold-blooded machine in human skin, sending a chill down her spine.

That person, that tool. That prop-like thing made by the witch... it's been disguising itself all along. But... ugh, can't we just expose it directly?

Her eyes could see souls, and thus she knew that the so-called 'Old Li Shi' had long been a tool of the witches. His purpose was unknown, his strength unknown, but based on the power Patchouli had displayed in that brief moment, she had no doubt that if she tried to resist the two witches, her only fate would be to be easily crushed like a mosquito.

She didn't want to die, so she had to take action. To expose the truth directly without preparing an escape route was tantamount to suicide. Therefore, she couldn't let the conversation continue on this topic.

So she opened her mouth and said instinctively, "I think what we need most right now is to stay united and calm down so we can think things through..."

“What we’re talking about now is unity!” Yang Le interrupted her rudely. “The veterans have no good intentions. Only by joining forces can we have a slim chance of getting them to come down to us and talk to us personally. We must help each other and unite closely.”

Zhu Wen remained silent.

Even without opening her eyes, she could clearly deduce what kind of person Yang Le was from his voice and behavior. And in subsequent interactions, she further confirmed her judgment—this guy in front of her was a power-hungry man.

She immediately abandoned her plan to persuade Yang Le. She knew very well that men obsessed with power were almost impossible to convince. The only thing that could make them back down was profit… present profit, or future profit. And either way, profit was something she lacked.

No, even if one craves power, such an irrational act is unacceptable. It's utterly foolish. In this perilous world, clinging to the powerful is the best survival strategy. Yet we act so irrationally, it's simply... simply...

[...it felt like I was being hypnotized!]

She gasped, about to say something, when a chill involuntarily ran through her. She suddenly felt a cold wind whistling past her ear, the wind howling as if telling her to shut up!

She felt her blood vessels throughout her body cool down. She was stiff, pale, and speechless. However, Yang Le, who had previously tried to persuade her, took this as a concession—he nodded in satisfaction and returned to his group of supporters.

“We must let the seniors know our importance! We must let them know that we also have a voice! Therefore, we must make our voices heard!” He waved his fist and shouted fervently like a leader in a youth movement.

“But what should we do? The veterans are all underground, supposedly several kilometers deep, and we can’t even get out of this safe house!” the fair-skinned newcomer asked, raising a fact that the others couldn’t ignore. “We can’t leave here at all, we have no weapons, and those soldiers won’t listen to us—they’ve even sealed off the door, and it would take at least five minutes to force it open from the outside. We can’t even pretend to be sick to get the guards to open the door while we try to sneak out.”

"After all, a five-minute opening time is long enough for an army to be mobilized to monitor and suppress us. We have no chance of winning in a direct confrontation."

“I know,” Yang Le said in a deep voice. “So we’ll use another method. And this method is theoretically more effective.”

He took a deep breath and pointed to the strange machine in the very center of the safe house, which rotated like a satellite dish and sent out electrical signals in all directions. "We can stop that."

The group of people immediately looked at him as if he were an idiot.

“Um… Brother Yang Le,” Lu Chichuan carefully chose his words, cautiously advising, “that witch named Norrell told us this is a tool used to exorcise angels… uh, death. As long as it’s working, we won’t be attacked. It’s best if we don’t touch this thing rashly…”

“I know exactly what it is, and I don’t intend to destroy it. I just plan to… shut it off for a minute or two.” Yang Le waved his hand and explained. “Listen to me first, and then you can see if what I’m saying makes sense.”