Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Zhu Wen flicked her eyelids.

“I know,” she said, lowering her hand.

Only then did Lu Chichuan realize what had happened and let out a terrified scream. She collapsed onto the table, crying and kicking her legs frantically. The fair-skinned young man next to her rushed over to comfort her, but she pushed him away haphazardly, a bitter smile on her face.

This isn't over yet.

There are... four people left here.

She glanced at Wang Xia, about to say something, when a powerful force suddenly shoved her to the ground! Before she could react, Wang Xia tackled her and pinned her to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wang Xia kick away the remains of Li Laoshi with his hind leg.

The corpse was swelling! Like an inflated balloon about to burst!

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

[Didn't Norrell not intend to kill everyone!?]

No, this is triggered logic. She simply can't proactively target the newcomers!

Zhu Wen's thoughts only had time to process those two ideas. The next moment, Li Laoshi, who had been kicked into the air, suddenly exploded, and the boiling blood mist, under some unknown force, transformed into a highly corrosive poisonous mist. She only felt her exposed hands lose all feeling in an instant, followed by excruciating pain from the edge of her senses!

She almost screamed.

However, the next moment, a muffled groan squeezed out of Wang Xia's nose made her freeze.

Wang Xia tackled her, shielding her from most of the poisonous fog. This man, who hadn't even flinched when Li Laoshi broke all his ribs in the earlier collision, now spoke. One can only imagine how much pain he had endured for her.

He will die after he dies, while the other two are probably already dead.

There must be a way! There must be a solution!

How could I let someone else... die in my place?!

She suddenly opened her eyes, and in her pale pupils she saw a human-shaped torch burning in the black mist!

"Aaaaaah—!!!" Her voice rose sharply, emitting a piercing scream. At the same time, multiple acupoints on her body simultaneously cracked with a series of popping sounds! Countless invisible streams of energy surged from her body, forming a protective barrier for the two of them!

The Emperor's Art of Observing Qi - I've finally mastered it.

Just as she crossed the threshold, in the center of the safe house, the device that resembled a satellite antenna emitted the sound of an automatic switch closing.

With a sharp crack, the electromagnetic pulse, capable of banishing angels and forcibly manifesting them, erupted violently from the instrument's center outwards. The unprecedented pulse intensity even dispersed the red blood mist and dissipated the deadly corrosive gas in the air.

And at that moment, the world was filled with light.

Author's Note:

....................................

Starting today, let's change 1*4000 to 2*3000 depending on the situation.

Of course, if time is tight, it might be possible to switch back...

Section 77 - Closing Work

Light filled their vision, then was quickly drawn deep underground by some unknown force—Zhu Wen didn't know how the veterans had done it, but she knew it was their doing. Because if that strange object could still remain in the base, then its next move would inevitably be to slaughter all the remaining newcomers present.

Was I saved by a veteran?

maybe.

Even so, the anger and hatred in her heart only subsided somewhat. Because she knew that before Li Laoshi was 'activated'... no, even before that, while the newcomers were still locked in the safe house, the murderous intent emanating from Patchouli Knowledge was real.

Norege truly wanted to kill all the newcomers, even if it meant violating the taboos of the Reincarnation Squad and even the Main God. If I had been a veteran at the time, I might have shown some dissatisfaction upon learning of this, but secretly I might have even approved of her actions. This is because her actions aligned with the interests of the veterans and subsequently yielded certain results.

She identified the destabilizing factor and defused the deeply buried time bomb. The price she paid was merely the death of a bunch of useless, unlucky souls.

Yes, just a loser.

Those who have fought side by side are comrades-in-arms, and what can be described as nothing more than unlucky newcomers like themselves who haven't been able to put up any use yet? The veterans might see their potential and offer some help when they can. But they would never risk a direct confrontation with Norrell for the sake of a newcomer like themselves.

After all, the world of reincarnation is full of endless opportunities, a conclusion that can be drawn simply by observing the veterans. No one knows if someone in these countless worlds might suddenly rise to the top... and it is precisely for this reason that if Noreki knew that I had grasped the whole story and still harbored hatred, she probably wouldn't mind arranging something extra to ensure my own complete demise.

Zhu Wen herself knew the principle of "kill the snake and nip the weeds in the bud," so it was impossible for that witch, who was clearly no ordinary person, not to understand it.

So……

[The real life-or-death crisis I'm about to face is... This is bad. Even though I didn't see anything unusual about Li Laoshi, knowing the information that 'the machine restarted' and 'Noreiki resurrected Li Laoshi', I can easily deduce the cause and effect with just a little thought...]

She's making it so obvious, it's hard for me to pretend I don't know anything!

Zhu Wen sighed and subconsciously checked Wang Xia's injuries—in fact, she didn't need to use her eyes. After mastering the Emperor's Qi Observation Technique, even with her eyes closed, she could feel the heartbeat of the man who had protected her in the blood mist, as well as his still strong life force.

Having been saved, it's impossible not to feel grateful. But Zhu Wen is a calm person; so calm that after escaping a life-or-death crisis, her first reaction was to assess the current situation rather than to check the extent of her and Wang Xia's injuries.

Then, she noticed something.

Before they knew it, their injuries had completely healed, leaving no trace behind.

This is an external force, and the most likely external force is the witch's magic.

Zhu Wen immediately raised her head and opened her eyes, and saw a girl with a light purple hue standing exactly three meters in front of her—it was her.

—Patchorie Knowledge, her form was as indistinct as a walking shadow.

Zhu Wen suddenly felt a wave of suffocation, because she saw nothing and felt nothing. The 'Emperor's Aura Observation Technique,' which had helped her so much just minutes before, had no effect whatsoever. It was as if... the figure standing before her wasn't a person, but some kind of puppet!

Like a puppet... Yes, the veterans are definitely fighting the creature that was pulled down in the lower levels of the cave. She's down there too, and there's no way she could have come up at this time. So, what's here must be an avatar. And since it's an avatar... then she's probably been watching from the very beginning.

She watched the newcomers fight amongst themselves, watched everyone die for no reason!

Having observed so much, Patchouli's attempts to conceal many things became meaningless. This calculated yet unintentional observation allowed Patchouli to discern the shifts in everyone's emotions and ultimately arrive at a highly authoritative answer—an answer that Zhu Wen might not be so happy to receive.

Zhu Wen instinctively opened her mouth, but just as she was about to say something, Patchouli's voice came out first, silencing her attempt to speak first.

“You hate me,” Patchouli said calmly, her tone certain. Her gaze swept over the unconscious Wang Xia before quickly shifting to Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen's mouth remained open, frozen in place, her tongue trembling slightly. After several seconds, she exhaled softly and answered slowly but firmly, "Yes."

"You saw through my plan."

"You didn't try to hide anything at all."

Patchouli took a small step forward. Zhu Wen's shoulders twitched, but her eyes widened, her pale pupils staring unblinkingly at the witch before her.

"Stubborn to the end." Patchouli's eyes remained unmoved. She had seen many people like this, who insisted on putting on airs even when facing death, and more than 70% of them thought that showing an indomitable spirit would change her mind—but without exception, she turned them all into dead men.

"Give me your reason," she asked calmly.

Zhu Wen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She felt she had gotten through this hurdle, because usually, when the other party said that, it meant they didn't intend to make a move. And subconsciously, she described that moment almost verbatim.

“The fact that you asked that question means you don’t intend to kill me,” Zhu Wen replied.

Patchouli nodded, then took a big step forward and punched Zhu Wen's upper body to pieces.

But in the next second, time seemed to reverse, flipping back to the past. The shattered, flying flesh and bones solidified in mid-air, then returned to where they should have been, following the same trajectory as before. The damaged body was reconstructed, the broken bones restored, and in the blink of an eye, the destroyed female body was completely repaired, revealing Zhu Wen's terrified, pale face!

Patchouli raised an eyebrow and raised her fist for the second time.

She didn't swing—because in her vision, the power that had repaired Zhu Wen's body still existed. And it could be triggered at least once more. Although even if it happened again, it would only be the time to throw one more punch, but…

“Saito values ​​you highly, even to the point of being my enemy… This would normally only be another reason for me to take action. But since this is the same world, then so be it.” Patchouli said calmly, shifting her gaze away from Zhu Wen.

Just as she was about to leave, Zhu Wen leaned against the wall and stood up. As she turned around, she whispered, "I will hate you for what happened today."

“That’s good.” Patchouli nodded—the other party seemed quite sensible. Since the word 'hate' had been used openly, it meant that if Zhu Wen wanted to survive in the team, she would have to act openly. At the same time, this was also a handle; just based on those words, Patchouli had a reason to curse Zhu Wen to death without any repercussions.

The current situation is good.

Patchouli had already indirectly killed a large number of new recruits; these last two weren't an exception, but they were still an extra two. The Central Continent Team had always been a relatively benevolent and law-abiding group. While her actions had brought tangible benefits to the team, such ruthless methods would inevitably lead most of the team members to re-evaluate their relationship with her. To kill again would be going too far.

She wasn't afraid of going too far; she simply made a more advantageous choice after weighing the pros and cons. Furthermore, due to the unique nature of the Final Destination world, Saito Hajime's stance was also a significant factor in her change of mind.

But that's not enough.

Patchouli paused, creating an undeniable aura of silence for about five seconds. Then, she gave Zhu Wen a slight smile.

"After this horror movie ends, I'll give you a chance to get revenge on me, just you and me. You can choose the time and the method, but you only get one chance," she said with a light laugh, a laugh that sent chills down Zhu Wen's spine.

However cold it was, opportunity was opportunity. Zhu Wen knew that if he continued to oppose the plan this time, there was a more than 90% chance he wouldn't be able to leave the base. But if he succeeded… then something would definitely happen afterward that would quickly cool him down.

She therefore chose to remain silent.

Only then did Zhu Wen breathe a small sigh of relief. She had finally overcome this hurdle...

At this moment, Patchouli's attention was completely shifted away from her, and she looked at the corpse lying dead in another corner at the edge of her vision, its remains already beginning to decompose.

The ground trembled slightly as the battle beneath continued.

“Wang Xiaoxiao,” Patchouli whispered. After the cognitive interference was broken, the blurry figure reappeared in her mind. And accompanying this figure was hatred and disgust.

She disliked the name because the person who owned it had looked at her with certain unseemly eyes, and at Alice with an even more discordant gaze. If that guy hadn't died, she would have spent time sending him to hell sooner or later… slowly, bit by bit. And it certainly wouldn't be like now, reaching the end of his life in a daze.

He died a clean and quick death; it was too easy for him.

[In the past, I would have spent dozens of hours showing this guy the true weight of life. But now… tsk, never mind. Not to mention the resurrection technique requires a long period of suffering. But now… let him be.]

Patchouli thought to herself, but her thoughts quickly drifted away from the name 'Wang Xiaoxiao' and turned to analyzing other key clues.

She could feel the ground throbbing, and she had a rough assessment of the angel who had fought to a standstill with the rest of the Central Continent team. Her conclusion was—mediocre, nothing special.

Without a doubt, the angel she forced out of Wang Xiaoxiao's body wasn't very strong. Its combat power... barely matched that of a team separated from its main combat members... roughly a 40/60 split. And if she wanted to, she could easily deal with someone of that level.

This level of combat power is incapable of performing advanced maneuvers like cognitive interference. Therefore, there must be others behind the scenes controlling Wang Xiaoxiao. And their motives... are unlikely to be entirely simple. At least, it's not just about robbery and sexual assault.

Patchouli fell into thought. Only when all the obstacles in her mind disappeared was she able to truly calm down and think about something.

Why do angels lurk within the ranks?

Why do angels interfere with everyone's perception?

Why is this last angel so weak...? No, it's not weak, it's just that it's the same level as the others, which made me expect it to be weaker.

Several random thoughts intertwined, and one conjecture after another was rapidly deduced in her mind, only to be quickly rejected. Finally, the most absurd yet perfectly reasonable conjecture emerged in her mind.

This lurking angel... is a mystery!

Its existence here is not for destruction, but to convey certain meaning through this puzzle.

So... what needs to be done now is—

She raised her hand, and a formless wind swept across the pile of remains on 'Wang Xiaoxiao'. It was a corrosive wind, and a scorching wind. And at the end of the wind was the flesh and blood on the remains... even the remains themselves. In just a dozen or twenty seconds, everything that belonged to the individual 'Wang Xiaoxiao' vanished from this world, not even a trace remained.

Yes, originally not even a single scrap would have been left behind.

The wind from this spell possesses extremely strong destructive power. It is the kind of power that can completely turn a pile of debris into ashes within tens of seconds.