Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"So what do you plan to do next? Our agreement is that I will prepare a favorable environment and related rituals for you to confront your inner demons before the twelfth day. In return, you will provide military support to fight against any enemies that are beyond my ability to handle. We both know that they will appear sooner or later, but given the current situation, it will not be today."

Alice looked at the sky, now tinged with crimson. Although it was late at night, the opposite of noon in Lop Nur, the stellar extraction tower, operating as a secondary container for the solar storm, was simultaneously scattering visible light across every corner of the earth. It was foreseeable that until the solar storm ended, the entire world would be plunged into a polar day lasting one and a quarter days.

In other words, before the solar storm ends, this massive energy surge originating from the star's interior will act as a protective shield for Earth. The solar wind, powerful enough to melt the planet's surface, will form a sealed energy shield around the atmosphere, before descending from the only transmission port above Lop Nur to fill the energy storage pool of the star's extraction tower. This solar wind-formed energy shield will also provide Earth with robust protection for one and a quarter days. Unless a being undergoes a fundamental leap in its life form, no enemy will be able to cross this solar wind wall.

She couldn't, and neither could the angels... at least the angels they had encountered before couldn't.

"I just ordered the Grand Library to examine the entire Earth and projected the specific electromagnetic waves that compel angels to manifest onto the land via numerous spy satellites. If the prediction is correct, no angelic beings or weapons of war will attack us within one and a quarter days. And apart from angels, there are no other enemies in this world for us."

“You have one and a quarter days of rest. And I think you'd better not waste it. You should be very clear by now that if you forcibly devour the alternate personality to advance, it will be a huge psychological weakness. When the fourth-level inner demon erupts, you will have absolutely no chance. Although I have prepared a specific ritual, rituals... the more prepared they are, the more useful they will be.”

“………………” Zhao Yingkong flicked her fingers lightly.

“What you said does have some merit,” she sighed softly and replied, “I’m not an unfeeling person. Since the alternate personality exists and possesses self-awareness, it is a being on the same level as me. It is an independent person, not simply an appendage of me. I can feel that as its consciousness becomes more complete, the connection between it and me weakens. Perhaps one day it will truly become completely independent from my soul, and at that time, whether I devour it or not will be an insignificant matter to me.”

"Unfortunately, reaching that level requires an extremely long time. And I... can't wait that long."

"So...?" Alice looked at her quietly, waiting for the main personality Zhao Yingkong to finish her sentence. "What do you plan to do?"

“I plan to have a serious talk with ‘her.’ Yes, I want to see her, to meet her in my mind. Then I will tell her everything about myself and everything I need. Then, I will probably temporarily hand over control of my body to her.”

“She is about to die… Unlike me, who has become less sensitive to the concept of time, her life in this world is far too short. So short that I can hardly bear to destroy her, whose mental age is like that of a child. Therefore, before the final ritual is carried out, I will transfer my authority and power to my other personality.”

She may be ruthless, but she'll still act. The dominant personality, Zhao Yingkong, possesses the unwavering resolve of a true assassin. Once she makes up her mind, she won't change it. At most, she'll offer some compensation, as she's saying now.

"Right here?" Alice asked.

“Of course not.” The assassin girl glanced at her, seemingly wondering why she would ask such a silly question, before answering slowly and deliberately. “This is between her and me. It’s a personal matter, and I absolutely do not want anyone interfering. Even if we are allies, it’s the same.”

She twisted her neck, and after casually waving her outstretched finger in the air, she pointed to a randomly selected direction.

“I’ve decided. I’ll go to the nearest city in that direction. Then, I’ll have a good talk with her there. If we can reach an agreement, I’ll return control of my body to her, allowing her to enjoy herself freely for a few days in the final days of her life—unless you need me to come to you to fulfill our promise. And if not… I’ll be back within half an hour.”

“Understood.” Alice shrugged. “You can go. I’ll stay in a city not far from you, and if needed, I’ll call you to fulfill the covenant immediately.”

"That's good..." Zhao Yingkong, the main personality, nodded in satisfaction. She looked at Alice, clearly pleased with the latter's understanding. Then... her gaze suddenly sharpened.

"This is... your true form? Not an avatar of a puppet?" Zhao Yingkong was slightly taken aback. She scrutinized Alice's aura, and then her astonishment quietly turned into surprise. "Your aura has become stronger... You've unlocked the second-tier gene lock? When?"

Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Just now... about ten minutes ago. I was stuck at the limit, and then I ate a peach, and it naturally unlocked the second level. It feels... well, my control over my body has improved. My close-combat ability... has increased by about three or four times. It's a pity it doesn't have much effect on spellcasting." There was an undisguised regret in her tone. However, in Zhao Yingkong's eyes, this regret turned into something as hateful as mockery.

"Just...ate a peach?" Zhao Yingkong 'gently' pressed her temples. She was completely unaware that her forehead had been poked by a fingertip.

“Very well, it seems the peaches in Italy are quite special. I’ll go find some too.” She said directly, her tone firm and her actions decisive. Without waiting for Alice to react, she floated up into the air and headed towards the direction she had pointed earlier.

She flew away.

Alice watched her retreating figure, shrugged, and offered no comment on the behavior.

This is Italy, Rome is beneath our feet, and the Apennine Peninsula lies at our feet. Even if you point in any direction, you're bound to find a city to rest in within hundreds of kilometers. And since it was Alice who brought up this topic, she naturally wouldn't care if Zhao Yingkong left without a word.

She simply adjusted the orientation and quickly determined the city Zhao Yingkong would arrive at.

[This direction... Florence? It's not too far from here. And it happens to be an area not covered by the Legion... Then I'll go to Pisa, which is adjacent to it. There's a geological exploration center there; I can make some arrangements there to improve the surveillance network in the Western world.]

With a thought, the gravitational field unfolded. She waited in place for several more minutes until her legion crossed the sea, seeping into the city of Rome like a silver-gray wave and taking control of the Awakened children, before she moved her feet—undoubtedly, no more angels would descend from the otherworld before the solar wind wall in space disappeared. And those originally stationed on the Earth's surface… were no match for her.

In other words, a day of free time? Maybe I should take this opportunity to go back to Lop Nur and meet up with Patchi... As for Zhao Yingkong, let her die. If I don't resolve things with Patchi soon, I'll be in real trouble!

But this won't work.

Alice sighed softly, dismissing the thought that had just surfaced in her mind—she knew Patchouli as well as she knew she had ten fingers and ten toes. If she abandoned her plans here and rushed back, she would inevitably face the terrifying prospect of the 'Great Library Slap'.

So she had no choice but to obediently fly in the direction she had originally planned. And a few minutes later, she arrived at the outskirts of Pisa.

She suddenly felt that something was wrong with the city in front of her.

Author's Note:

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

Starting a group buy at night is not a good idea _(:з」∠)_

Chapter 3: Death Arrives

—'I am Heaven, my Way is the Way of Heaven.'

While Alice arrived in Pisa and was deeply impressed by what she saw, Patchouli was in a cave at the bottom of the Lop Nur base, contemplating and adjusting the operating stellar extraction tower.

"Just how arrogant must someone be to utter such boastful words? 'My Way is the Way of Heaven'... I admit that this woman from the pseudo-fictional world, the Empress of the Netherworld, has already reached a very high position. If she were to go to our Gensokyo world, perhaps she could single-handedly suppress the mechanical civilization outside in a short time, slapping them back to the primitive era. But the Way of Heaven..."

"She's not qualified."

Patchouli gently pressed her chin, her beautiful brows furrowing with worry. From the memories shared with Alice, she knew that the Heavenly One was currently at the critical point of the fourth stage of the genetic lock, a formidable being capable of beating up a planet like a punching bag—very good, she was indeed very strong, but that was all she was strong to. Her power wasn't incomprehensible, and since it was comprehensible, she was far from deserving the title of 'Heaven'!

Is it really that powerful to destroy a planet with a single punch? Patchouli had seen the God's exchange list and knew that among the high-tech exchanges offered by the God was a weapon like the Retreat Cannon, capable of destroying a planet with a single blow. Although it was incredibly expensive, it wasn't impossible to acquire. In other words, she only needed to equip herself with a Retreat Cannon gauntlet and mount it with a Primal Engine—the resources required to purchase these items are another matter, but if she could do that—she too could destroy a planet with a single punch.

[Perhaps there is still knowledge within the fourth-tier genetic lock that I cannot yet comprehend. However, Alice, in cooperation with Zhao Yingkong (the main personality), had already obtained most of the parameters of the initial stage of the fourth-tier genetic lock with her help. As for the intermediate stage's "Light of the Mind"... although the information is limited, she has dabbled in it. However, no matter what formula is used to calculate it, the qualitative change caused by the advanced fourth-tier lock is insufficient to create a technological gap far exceeding that of the initial and intermediate stages. Moreover... there are five stages of the genetic lock.]

According to the rules of the Supreme Gods, those who reach the fifth tier are expelled from the cycle of reincarnation. In other words, the Supreme Gods must possess power equal to or exceeding the fifth tier of the genetic lock. Since even the Supreme Gods do not call themselves 'Heaven,' how can goddesses and emperors who have not reached the fifth tier of the genetic lock 'replace the Heavenly Way with their own'?

[Could it be that among the higher echelons and top powers of the cycle of reincarnation, the 'Heavenly Dao' is merely a very common force? If so, it's not incomprehensible that the Son of Heaven, who is clearly engaged in petty acts like reaping the spoils of inferior civilizations, yet still proclaims himself as Heaven.] Patchouli couldn't help but let her mind wander. She even subconsciously belittled her predicted Son of Heaven in an attempt to forcefully prove her deduction correct. However, she quickly realized that this was just a waste of time, and that underestimating her enemy was a rather foolish move.

[That possibility... is still too low. Based solely on the memories Alice shared, I can deduce that this emperor is an extremely self-centered and arrogant character. She wouldn't have spent six hundred million years trying to prove an inferior path. In other words, there's more to this than meets the eye.]

[Six hundred million years... With my limited thinking abilities, can I really fathom the true thoughts of an ancient monster who has lived for six hundred million years? I've only known and spent a little over five hundred years with Alice... Even if we include the time within the memory world, it certainly doesn't amount to ten thousand years.]

Her mind became restless, and her hands, which were operating the stellar extraction tower, subconsciously switched the system to the autonomous regulation option and stopped operating. Her gaze then fixed on the empty, desolate cavern, lost in thought.

That emperor…never forgot the Alice she knew even after six hundred million years. And me…how many millennia can I maintain this feeling in the real world?

The girl's thoughts involuntarily shifted; she stroked the peach in her sleeve, a hint of sorrow quietly creeping onto her brow.

Throwing away the peach was obviously just an angry outburst, and any talk of jealousy was nonsense. The reason she said that was simply because she felt a pang of unease after reviewing the memories Alice had transmitted—she knew the emotions surging within her were real, and she knew she would do everything in her power to preserve them. But how long would that take…?

do not know.

She was unaware, and did not understand… In her perception, eternal love was merely an empty phrase fabricated by mortals out of beautiful fantasies. Because in the mortal world, whether or not one could utter such a phrase, lifespan was only a hundred years. However, in the worldview of immortal beings, the theory that emotions gradually fade with the passage of time… had already been proven.

The vast future will crush the vast past; all the precious things and beautiful scenery of the past will eventually decay under the tide of time. Although the lifespan of the body can be extended, the aging of the soul is inevitable—she had never thought of such a thing in the past, but now the 'six hundred million years ago' described by the emperor had invaded her defenses, turning into a venomous snake that coiled around her heart.

Jealousy... why does this feeling even exist in my heart? Alice and I have already exchanged our longings, etched an indelible 'curse' upon each other... I shouldn't be having these thoughts.

Alice...you must find this strange too. Something that hasn't happened in a hundred years is now happening between us. This...this!

No, I need to explain this to her properly... But no, if I deliberately explain it, wouldn't that imply that I care too much about this kind of thing? Hmm... Why am I so anxious?

She couldn't help but feel agitated, and had to punch the back of her head twice to barely bring herself back to her senses.

"There's no use thinking about these things now. I should focus on the tasks at hand. Let's finish what we're doing first." She let out a heavy sigh and concentrated on the control panel in front of her. Then, her finger touched the main control button.

Her fingers froze in mid-air.

Half a second later, she slowly turned her head. Facing an empty room, with only herself and the roaring stellar extraction tower before her, her eyes twitched involuntarily.

Where did the person go?

Where did the Zhongzhou team members go?

Where did those Reincarnation Team members go, who watched her step onto the main control platform, volunteered to keep watch around her, and finally reached a consensus with her and were partially acknowledged by her?

In the distance, the elevator leading to the upper levels of the base operated silently. As her gaze fell upon the elevator entrance, the tightly closed iron door opened automatically with a 'ding'. The empty car was filled with a cold, eerie light, and a chill emanated from within, turning into a murky white mist in the light-filled area not far from the door.

A cold wind blew, and the automatically opening elevator car resembled the gaping maw of a monster.

"...What the hell?" Patchouli raised an eyebrow, lightly flexing her fingers. She was certain that all the magical defenses around her were functioning normally, and both the physical and mental trigger barriers were intact. Moreover, she had already separated a small part of her consciousness to ensure that even if her main mind wandered due to thinking, she would subconsciously monitor everything around her. And if her teammates were to leave unexpectedly, their actions would not escape her detection.

"Am I in a hallucination? No... no. I'm perfectly sane." She rubbed her temples, using a method unique to witches to confirm whether she was in a mentally unstable state. However, once she received a negative answer, the thought that surfaced in her mind changed from astonishment to decisiveness.

She would never go through that elevator door.

[Communication Link.]

Her mind suddenly connected to cyberspace, but the next moment, the sea of ​​information, which had been completely stirred up by the operation of the Stellar Extraction Tower, pulled her out of the network. All she could see were disordered characters and incomprehensible gibberish, and finding a complete signal from them was extremely difficult.

The charged particles released by the solar storm ultimately disrupted the communication environment above Earth. The independent communication channel with Alice was one thing, as it was special and had a carefully crafted information exchange mechanism. However, general-purpose network communication was rendered useless at this time.

The base's surveillance system remains under control, but it is unable to display accurate images. An unknown force is interfering with the sensors' operation, rendering direct network searches impossible.

This is troublesome...

Should we contact Alice?

Hmm... I don't really want to contact her directly right now. I'll send the information first, and then we can discuss it when she contacts me. But before that... perhaps I should check things out.

She hesitated for less than half a second before reaching out and pressing several key buttons on the panel of the Stellar Extraction Tower. With a tremendous roar, a tangible light shield unfolded around the tower—this would be a powerful protective shield directly linked to the solar storm, and unless the instantaneous energy output could exceed that of the solar wind, it would be absolutely impossible to break through.

The tower is now in a safe state. As long as nothing goes wrong here, the worst-case scenario won't occur. And she absolutely cannot leave the main control platform of the Stellar Extraction Tower at this time, because she must ensure that nothing unexpected happens here.

The team members may still be at the base, though the reason for their departure from the underground cavern is unknown. However, as long as they retain self-awareness, they will not leave the base. And even if they did leave for unknown reasons, they will undoubtedly try their best to return while they are still conscious.

I have to stay here, but I also have to get up there.

Therefore, we can only use the substitute doll that was placed on top before.

"Honestly... always causing me trouble." Patchouli took a deep breath, her consciousness immediately diving into the communication network connected to the Stellar Extraction Tower. The next moment, in the Lop Nur underground base thousands of meters above, a safely preserved doll began to operate.

She was near the safe house, right next to where she had recently dealt with the new recruits. When she connected to her surrogate body, she found herself in complete darkness—and after a brief self-check, she discovered it was because the doll's head had been bent 180 degrees backwards.

【What utter nonsense.】

She reached out in the darkness, twisted her jaw, and returned her head to its normal position. The blocked electronic circuits and sensors immediately reconnected, and a flood of information from her surroundings filled her consciousness.

[Restored sense of smell]

A strange, rusty aura was inhaled into the sensor at the tip of the doll's nose, and its composition was immediately analyzed. Without a doubt, it was organic matter, a mixed liquid, and the dense red blood cells that still had some activity made a direct conclusion—this was blood.

It's human blood, and not just from one person. Countless mortals were killed here, and their blood and essence mixed together to create this effect.

Hearing recovery

The surroundings weren't quiet; a ticking sound could be clearly heard. Considering the information gathered earlier, it wasn't hard to guess what the scene would be like when I opened my eyes.

The next moment, Patchouli's doll opened its eyes.

Visual restoration

"Ah... this is really..." Her eyes twitched involuntarily. Even though she was in the body of a puppet, the scene she caught in her field of vision was enough to shock her.

What appeared in her field of vision not far away was a group of dead people.

Ah, that's right. If it were just dead people, that wouldn't be anything special. Even if these guys had only died a few minutes ago, and their blood hadn't even clotted yet, it wouldn't surprise Patchouli. What she noticed was... the cause of their deaths.

Their deaths... were so obvious, so obvious that Patchouli could deduce the whole process with just one glance. Yet it was precisely for this reason that her heart was filled with disbelief.