Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

[133 seconds.]

The angel's blood was a white mist, and now the lava fields for dozens of miles around had turned pure white. Countless debris drifted along the white lake, heading towards Mount Buzhou. The barrier Alice used to protect Mount Buzhou suddenly activated, and a third of the angels immediately seized the opportunity, all turning away and rushing towards Mount Buzhou. The next moment, a massive thunderstorm covering several kilometers stopped them, but from that moment on, the first drop of crimson blood stained the snow-white lake.

[Seventy-seven seconds.]

Once there's a first time, there's a second; once there's a second, there's a third. When the eggshell cracks open for the first time, disintegration is only a matter of time. The energy surging within the girl remains powerful, her thoughts are still clear, and her wounds can still heal quickly. But her defeat has arrived, it has reached her side, it has… grasped her neck.

[Fifty-one seconds.]

First her legs, then an arm, and then her internal organs began to disappear, her ribs breaking one by one—she could still repair them, but she had no time to do so. The angels, with the 'Mount Buzhou' as their goal, were keeping her constantly on the move. She had no time to heal her wounds, and the longer she delayed, the worse her injuries became.

Not a second, not a millisecond, not a microsecond. Yet even with just one hand, she could tear the angels' wings apart.

The magic furnace can last for another twenty seconds, while Mount Buzhou needs eleven more.

Pain? Ah… pain is meaningless now. Her brain doesn't have the computational resources to waste on this useless information. She only knows that she must achieve her goal, and she is about to reach it.

[Mount Buzhou needs seven more seconds.]

She stretched out her hand, summoning a torrent of lightning to scatter the thousands of ancient angels. The price was that her remaining hand was missing three fingers. But she paid no heed, controlling the blood from the severed limb to transform it into sharp blades, easily severing the attacker's body.

Five more seconds needed.

More angels rushed forward, their necks already broken, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't protect everyone. The angels could already reach Mount Buzhou, but when she gave up resistance, the rule in the angels' operating program that prioritized the annihilation of living beings caused them to change their target once again.

She was torn apart, her body detached from her sternum below the sternum. A spear of light, summoned by hundreds of angels, pierced her eyes and the back of her head, pinning her to the top of Mount Buzhou.

It's almost time.

Countless massive energies reacted in the surrounding area, the Gate of the Dead opened, and countless ancient and powerful undead creatures surged out. The oppressive feeling, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, caused even Mount Buzhou to tremble and shake.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Where is Patchouli now?

She seemed to want to smile, but her face, now devoid of a jawbone, wasn't enough to accomplish this. So, she gently touched the main trunk of 'Mount Buzhou' with her remaining two fingers.

'Gonggong angrily struck Buzhou Mountain'

【Demon Manipulation: Return to Nothingness】

The light engulfed everything.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Death - Part Three

When Zheng Zha and the others were summoned and guided to the new command room in the base, they witnessed Patchouli injecting a syringe into her neck as they entered the door.

“Norege, you…” Zheng Zha asked instinctively. “…Are you alright?”

“No need to worry.” Patchouli’s voice was as indifferent and cold as ever. “I have suspended all emotional thinking in my brain and temporarily converted them into logical thinking. Don’t worry that my personal feelings will affect the subsequent implementation of the project.”

"Regarding Margot Royd, I..."

“There’s no need to waste time on dead bodies,” Patchouli interrupted him, and several light screens immediately appeared in their field of vision. “The survival of the team is the more important matter right now. Even if we gain a temporary respite, we will face even greater challenges ahead.”

Zheng Zha and the others exchanged bewildered glances. In the past, Zheng Zha might have punched someone who uttered such words at a time like this. But facing this aloof, icy, almost mechanical girl, he found that the only thing he could do was remain silent.

Saito Hajime is dead, but he doesn't feel it's real. Because he even feels that Saito Hajime might come back at any moment.

He was very saddened by Zhao Yingkong's death, but he had a premonition in his heart because he had talked with Zhao Yingkong before.

And Margot Lloyd… he couldn’t understand Margot Lloyd’s death. He had always thought that even if he died, these witches wouldn’t die. But now… his heart ached, but he could bear it, and he knew he had to.

Moreover... he also remembered that he possessed the Sun Sutra, which could resurrect the dead.

"The base is currently in outer space, on the surface of the moon, outside the Earth-Moon system. About 20,000 kilometers below us lies Oceanus Procellarum, the largest body of the moon. Based on the speed of the Dead Kingdom's movement, we have about two hours of safe time, enough for the base to recharge its energy and power the space bridge for a second teleportation. So we will leave then and reach a more distant place."

“The angels of the land of the dead will hunt us down because their goal is to exterminate all humankind on earth. We are outsiders and don’t count, but other mortals are their targets. So they will definitely come after us, catch us, and then we will escape.”

Patchouli drew diagrams to make it easier to explain and hung them in the air. She stretched out her hand and pointed out the details to the others.

"When they come, we teleport away, then they come again, and we run away again. The goal is to keep the main body of the Dead Kingdom outside the Earth. Once we've created enough distance, I'll perform the 'Nuwa Mending the Sky' ritual on my final return to Earth, thus keeping the entire Dead Kingdom and Seventh Horn outside the Earth. And in order to make them chase us with all their might instead of leaving most of them on Earth, we need to act as bait to lure them away."

"Why keep guiding them?" Zhang Heng asked, somewhat puzzled, oblivious to the complex look in Zheng Zha's eyes. "I know we eventually have to return to Earth, but if we keep getting attacked in outer space... won't our situation get really bad?"

"There are two reasons. First, I need time to perform the 'Nuwa Mending the Sky' ritual. If there are multiple ancient angels on the ground, it will be difficult to deal with them. I cannot use the Book of Revelation at the last moment. Also, the mythology of the Central Plains lacks high-intensity natural disasters. While maintaining my 'Nuwa' status and being unable to deviate from the mythological system, I can only use support-oriented spells such as creation, prosperity, and healing. If enemies appear during the ritual, then you will have to deal with them. And according to my calculations, once the number of ancient angels attacking exceeds thirty, your chances of survival will drop to a very unfavorable level."

"Secondly, if we don't block the Kingdom of the Dead outside Earth, we, as reincarnators, can naturally return directly to the Main God Space once the twelve-day deadline is reached. However, the mortals on this planet will be almost completely wiped out. I think none of you would want such an outcome."

Compared to before, her words were noticeably more direct and forceful, and her speech no longer offered the subtlety or leeway that had been present before. Her meaning was clear, and she had no intention of giving anyone a chance to refute her.

And the experienced individuals knew they had no grounds for rebuttal.

A few seconds later...

"What do we need to do?" Zheng Zha asked earnestly, staring into her eyes. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Consolidate your energy," Patchouli quickly gave him an answer. "Whether you go to sleep, exercise, eat, or fight with robots, you can do whatever you want for the next twenty-two hours. During this time, I will be responsible for controlling the base's flight. I will control the base's flight speed and any traces left behind. I will also handle the teleportation and artillery defense tasks. You only need to do one thing, which is to block or deal with those ancient angels left on Earth that will hinder the operation of the ritual when I return to Earth and begin conducting the ceremony."

"All you need to do is this."

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

The veterans returned to their lounges a few minutes later. Until the automatic doors behind him closed, the aura surrounding Zheng Zha became so heavy it seemed as if it would melt into ice water.

Others might think he would get angry, but those who know him well know that the surging emotions swirling in his heart at this moment are not anger.

“Brother Zheng, Miss Norrell, she actually…” Zhan Lan began. But she was interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

“I know,” Zheng Zha waved his hand.

“I was just thinking… if only we could be a little stronger.” He stretched out his fist, clenched it gently, then released it, and clenched it again. “Since the end of The Legend of the Gods and Demons, every battle has made me grow, and every growth has made me stronger than before. Every bit of strength has made me think that I can shoulder the future… at least the future of our team.”

"I thought I could do it, but when the real test came, I found myself so weak..."

“This isn’t your fault, Brother Zheng Zha,” Xiao Honglu’s voice broke in. “We simply encountered an enemy far too powerful too soon.” A strand of lifeless short hair was twirled between his fingertips, and a bitter smile played on his lips. “We carried an unbearably heavy burden, and so we must pay the price. Perhaps this is the test we must undergo in this cycle of reincarnation… the lives of hundreds of millions of people.”

Yes, the lives of hundreds of millions of people. This burden... is indeed far too heavy.

Although Patchouli had made it clear that completing the 'Nuwa Mending the Sky' ritual required the civilization comprised of hundreds of millions of people and the history and mythology that arose from that civilization as a catalyst—without them and their history and mythology, the seventh trumpet of Revelation would be a certain death sentence—Zheng Zha couldn't help but ponder deeply…

...If I hadn't cared about the lives of those natives from the beginning, and had ignored them, wouldn't we be in a better situation now? The angels' target was only the natives of this world; we reincarnators weren't their primary targets for elimination. And the so-called doomsday judgment...at least the first six steps were only aimed at the disaster on Earth. If we just abandoned the natives and escaped to outer space, wouldn't everything be fine?

Patchouli didn't tell him the Emperor's identity or the underlying reasons for her actions, but he gleaned some clues from the slightest hints. He knew that Seventh Horn was connected to him and his group, to Saito Hajime, and to the witches. But so what? They were a team, and mutual support was expected. But those natives… the deaths of his team members because of them… was it really worth it?

“It’s worth it.” Xiao Honglu’s voice suddenly came from beside him.

He looked up and saw Xiao Honglu gripping his taut wrist tightly. Xiao Honglu stared intently into his eyes and repeated, "It was worth it, Brother Zheng Zha."

"This at least proves that we are still normal people, that our blood has not cooled, and that we are still willing to fight for compassion and justice instead of becoming the kind of creatures that only care about their own interests and are willing to trample on all the good things in the world. It is worth it. Your choice was not wrong."

"...Your views were the opposite a few days ago." Zheng Zha's lips twitched. He still remembered what Xiao Honglu had said to him at noon on the tenth day. He remembered Xiao Honglu's righteous indignation and exasperated look. Thinking of this, a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips, and the shadow in his heart dissipated.

He knew exactly what Xiao Honglu was trying to express, and he also knew exactly what he should do.

Whether it was worth it or not is a thing of the past. Regardless of whether the price paid was commensurate with their efforts, it's all in the past. Since it's in the past, it cannot be undone. And for a leader, to regret it is the greatest betrayal of all the efforts and sacrifices made.

If I were to regret it, then all my efforts and sacrifices would have been in vain. The deaths of the dead would become meaningless, and the survival of the living would become worthless. As the captain, having made my choice, the only thing I should do is to carry out my will until the very end!

His eyes lit up once more, and his fighting spirit rekindled within his robust physique. He was the captain, the captain recognized by all the members, and for him at this moment, the most important things were perseverance and decisiveness.

“Let’s go,” he straightened his back. The barrier sealing the third-tier gene lock was incredibly fragile at this moment, as if it could be easily crushed with a mere hand. His mind also became clearer, and almost instantly, he understood Patchouli’s thoughts and what they should be doing now.

"Go down to the lower living quarters. We can't be of much help in the upcoming space chase. What we should do is help Norrell stabilize the hearts and minds of those hundreds of millions of people. Organize them, inspire them, help Norrell stabilize her concepts in the ritual, and at the same time, get those people in high spirits so that they can better help Norrell control this base."

“After all,” he gave himself a thumbs up, “we are now the protagonists of myths and legends, those ‘heroes’ destined to go down in history.”

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

PS1: There's one more segment coming up.

PS2: Yesterday, I deliberately typed Gaia as Gaia. I think it's better to use different terms to distinguish between the earth goddess and the planetary will in Greek mythology. Also, the ancient Greek mythology book I bought uses the translation Gaia.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Death, Part Four

The first transfer began precisely two hours later, followed by the second two hours later. Then came the third, and the fourth. Patchouli skillfully maintained a suitable distance from Earth and outer space coordinates during the space jumps, enticing the Dead Kingdom's actions without leaving them too far behind to cause them to give up.

The Dead Kingdom itself does not engage in spatial jumps. While it is indeed a massive portal floating in space, its immense mass and complex internal spatial structure prevent it from directly teleporting. Just as one cannot fit more spatial bags into a spatial bag, a complex spatial structure inevitably possesses a corresponding instability. This, in turn, provides Patchouli with the space to employ guerrilla tactics.

What she needs to be wary of are the ancient undead beings in the Dead Kingdom that have surpassed the limits of the third tier, reaching the extraordinary in certain areas but failing to complete the overall sublimation of their life level. If she cannot escape the Dead Kingdom's capture range in time, allowing them to catch up and strike the main body of the base... then this base, which was built in a very short time with a huge amount of manpower, whose internal structure is mostly imperfect, and which relies entirely on powerful energy shields and circulation measures to operate in outer space, will suffer a heavy blow.

She had encountered such a crisis six times. The most severe one even resulted in the base's main support shaft being struck. Thirteen percent of the base's mass was lost, and there were casualties... She obtained a specific figure, but she had no intention of revealing it to anyone else. Because it was a pointless act. And also because... this was also a deliberate act, bait prepared for the sake of the Kingdom of Death.

When fishing, the bait is destined to remain intact. Fish are not stupid creatures; if their continuous efforts yield no reward, these intelligent fish will do things that the fisherman doesn't expect.

The 'Dead Kingdom' is not a fish; it is smarter than a fish. And while Patchouli is not exactly an ordinary fisherman, that doesn't mean that the strategy of getting something for nothing will work in her hands.

A price must be paid; the key question is how much. She doesn't care how many mortals will hate her for this, because for her at this moment, such hatred is meaningless.

Moreover… Zheng Zha and his group's spontaneous action was actually quite effective. The fear that the base was attacked in outer space and everyone was in danger of perishing in the cosmic sea at any moment in turn strengthened the mortals' worship and yearning for 'heroes'. Perhaps when the decisive battle arrives, their own camp might gain one or two members who have unlocked their genetic locks.

She waited, she hoped.

Soon, the opportunity for the final teleportation was just around the corner.

Patchouli stepped down from the main control room, having arranged everything that needed to be done. All parameters were set, and all mechanisms were functioning as planned. The space bridge would complete its operation half an hour earlier than previous teleportations, allowing her to return to Earth. This time, the 'Dead Kingdom,' lured into outer space, would be unable to catch up with her.

The time is approaching, and everything is ready.

Now, even for her, all she can do is wait. Wait for the final moment of teleportation to arrive, wait for the faith and desires of all living beings to reach their peak, so that the 'Nuwa Mending the Sky' ritual can begin in the most perfect way.

She simply had to wait, and there were no restrictions on where she could stay while she waited.

So she stepped off the platform, out of the main control room, and emptied her mind and body, letting the faint inspiration from the depths of her soul guide her forward—she even closed her eyes, relying solely on the tactile sensation of her hands and feet to perceive the changes around her.

She knew exactly where she was going and where she would end up. Because her heart was as clear as crystal, she knew her own thoughts and desires, and she knew what kind of future she truly hoped for. And when she opened her eyes, she indeed saw the secret room she had anticipated.

"Sure enough, I've arrived here."

At the bottom of her field of vision was a sealed-off chamber, but one that offered no defense against her. Inside the chamber was a metal compartment resembling a coffin, and through the semi-transparent protective shield, she could clearly see the face of a human figure lying inside.

That face was Alice's face, and this was her spare body. Normally, when her physical body broke down due to an accident, her soul would be revived in this body. But now... this artificial body would never open its eyes again.

Alice's ordinary power was insufficient to stop the advance of the Kingdom of the Dead and complete the ritual at Buzhou Mountain. Therefore, she was destined to use power beyond the ordinary, which meant the annihilation of her soul and the complete death of her thought structure being dismantled into the smallest units.

Alice is dead, without a doubt.

The hatch in front of her slid open silently, and with the release of the frigid gases, that pretty, ashen face was now clearly visible. She reached out a finger and gently touched that cold face, then her finger slowly moved down to touch those equally cold lips.

The effects of the medication continued, and her mind remained calm. Aside from a slight malfunction under her eyes, resulting in a few drops of bright red blood, nothing unexpected happened.

She couldn't possibly cry, because Alice had said several times that she didn't like the way she looked when she cried. So, back when Alice last came to the control panel to see her, she had completely stopped her tear ducts from functioning. And now... it's probably some kind of accident caused by an abnormal cessation of bodily functions.

It was just an accident.