Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Only then did she casually create a silencing barrier and release Luo Gandao from his restraints.

“Do you have anything to say?” she asked, looking at Logan. “My restraint of your behavior just now wasn’t unfounded. In the identity arranged by the Supreme God, you are already an outstanding recruit. On the way here, those people remembered your face when they met me. Now, in the eyes of a small number of people on this warship, you have the image of a ‘serious, silent soldier.’ After a little success, I can naturally appoint you as a sergeant major, and you should know that such a position can increase your chances of survival in war.”

"..." Luo Gandao remained silent for a long while before saying with a wry smile, "Do I have any other choice?"

“Of course you do.” Alice sat down in her seat and casually made two cups of coffee for the two of them. “You can stay on the warship, but given your status, it’s impossible for you to enter the bridge command center during the landing operation. So when the insects’ plasma cannons fire, there’s a good chance you’ll die in an ‘accident’ caused by the shelling. Are you willing to entrust your life to probability? Or to the gun in your hand?”

"...I don't know how to fire a gun, and I haven't received any formal military training."

“It seems you’ve chosen the latter.” Alice smiled. Since the other party hadn’t noticed, or pretended not to notice, the loophole she had deliberately created in her words, it proved that he still had some sincerity in cooperating. So she raised her coffee cup and took a small sip.

"For me, turning ordinary people into warriors and warriors into heroes in a very short time is already a piece of cake. There are still a few hours before the battle begins, and I hope you can live up to the talent you have."

She said this, and an intricate magic circle quietly appeared in her hand.

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

Go watch Witch Wars! At least bookmark it; it's super embarrassing if nobody watches it!

Section 5 - A brief transition

Six hours later, the landing operation commenced precisely on schedule. As the expeditionary fleet arrived above the near-Earth orbit of Kolenda, and the swarm's anti-aircraft artillery arrays began to operate, the reincarnators assembled as instructed and entered the drop pods, forming groups of one hundred. The massive square landing pods fell from the sky like a shower of stars.

"I'll only say it once: follow me, obey my orders, kill all living creatures with more than two legs, and then we'll be able to return laden with glory and honor, understand?" Inside the landing pod, Alice, dressed in armor that didn't look much different from the other soldiers except for the shoulder insignia indicating their rank, gave her final mobilization. Her voice had a special frequency that could easily move people's hearts.

“Yes, sir!” her soldiers responded loudly.

"Are you mosquitoes? Speak louder!"

"Yes, sir!" her soldiers shouted.

"Very good, we will be the first soldiers to set foot on the land of the insect planet. Remember your honor as human beings!"

"Yes, sir!!!!!" her soldiers roared fervently.

Alice nodded in satisfaction. By assessing the feeling of weightlessness, she estimated that it would take approximately two minutes before the landing pod crashed to the ground. Those two minutes would be enough for her soldiers to reach peak physical and mental condition. Her fingertips trembled slightly; although they were now outside of human civilization, she still managed to send out a message to boost morale. She knew her recruits weren't lacking in initial courage, and this message would stimulate their brains, allowing them to maintain that courage for longer.

If things follow the original storyline, or if they simply follow the predicted course and, after landing, manage to fight their way out and join forces with the Sixth Assault Team, known as the "Hardcore Force," then there's nothing more to say; they can just fight their way through. However, the problem is that neither Chu Xuan nor the witches' ambitions are limited to rescuing a group of new recruits. Their goal is to turn the tide of the war while maintaining a balance between humans and insectoids. And to achieve this balance, the expeditionary force must at least occupy a piece of land in Korenda.

This is what is meant by territorial expansion. In the original story, the expeditionary force achieved nothing on Korendadu and had to flee in disgrace. One of the reasons for this was that the expeditionary force failed to establish a foothold on the insect planet. If the situation had changed, those idiotic strategists in the rear would certainly not have hesitated to invest more resources into the expeditionary force.

So, while Alice was giving Logandao intensive training using her memories, she wasn't idle either—she activated the background power granted to her by the identity arranged by the Supreme God to request permission to join the expeditionary force. She secured an opportunity before the operation began: her troops would be the first to land as the vanguard in the attack on the insectoid planet. A forward base would be established on the ground, and this base would become the key point for the expeditionary force to contain the insect swarm!

The planning has reached its limit; all that's left is to take action and fight.

And the time she was looking forward to arrived soon.

'boom--!!!'

With a heavy thud, the expeditionary landing craft slammed into the ground. The bolts securing the hatch to the outside burst open, revealing the dark landscape of Korendadu to the soldiers. Alice was the first human in the expeditionary force to set foot on the insectoid planet, and in her perception, the nearest swarm of insects was less than a few hundred meters away from her unit's location.

They march underground, and the nearest tunnel exit is just two hundred meters away.

Her gaze shifted slightly upward, witnessing the countless crimson starbursts falling from the dense clouds above the insectoid planet—these were the expeditionary landing craft and transport ships, which would soon reach the ground. At the same time, thousands upon thousands of eerie green plasma cannons shot into the sky from the far distance, disappearing after passing through the clouds.

"Get moving, recruits!" Alice's voice rang out simultaneously in the ears of every soldier in the landing pod. "The bugs are coming soon. Hold your positions. Machine gunners, move up. Heavy firepower, be ready. Engineers, build a temporary defensive line."

She commanded in this manner, methodically directing her soldiers to set up defensive lines using the expeditionary force's fortified bunkers, rather than treating the conquest of Korenda as a mere outing as depicted in the original film. Undeniably, her authority and magic were effective; her soldiers obeyed her commands completely.

War is imminent...

Alice found it incredibly difficult to assess the technology of humanity in this world—they were capable of launching expeditions across most of the galaxy, even broadcasting them live, yet the soldiers in the expeditionary force were still clad in semi-armored shells. Their weapons were primitive gunpowder firearms, and the protection on their warships was utterly nonexistent—no shields, no armor, not even structural resistance; they were practically giant bathtubs floating in space!

Even if Patchouli and the others try their best to intervene, the expeditionary force will inevitably pay a heavy price. However, she'll be fine; I just need to handle my own affairs.

Her eyebrows suddenly twitched, and the communication Zhang Jie used to announce a safe landing quietly resonated in her mind. She gave a casual reply and sent her coordinates. The next moment, every soldier present felt the ground tremble.

"They're here, sir!" several soldiers shouted, pointing into the distance. Two hundred meters away, the ground suddenly collapsed, and then a tidal wave of giant worms surged forth from it!

"What's the panic? Free fire."

Alice gave the order, and the next moment, a hail of bullets fired from behind makeshift cover brought the surging swarm of insects to a halt. The muzzle flashes and the blasts of bullets stimulated the nerves of every soldier, making their bodies increasingly excited.

Excitement meant loss of control, but Alice wouldn't allow that to happen. A portion of her computational power constantly monitored the state of her soldiers. Whenever someone's mind teetered on the edge of control, she would use a targeted sonic wave to bring them back to their senses from the hormonal imbalance. The other portion of her computational power remained external, used to command her army in battle.

"Their faces are weak points; don't waste ammunition on their armor." Alice's voice rang out clearly in every corner of the position. Standing at the forefront of the battle line, she used no cover, her mere spray of fire creating a bloodbath among the swarming insects. Even the most obtuse soldier could see that she had suppressed nearly a third of the insect horde's advance with just her standard-issue assault rifle, and this real-life example gave the soldiers confidence, urging them to fight even more fiercely.

In their eyes, the originally ferocious and terrifying insects became as weak as ordinary bugs, and the standard-issue firearms in their hands seemed to have transformed into highly effective insecticides. Although this was just an illusion, strategic contempt could indeed effectively enhance the soldiers' combat effectiveness.

Although their victories were largely achieved through dense barrages and the heavy firepower they had set up, victories are victories, and courage was paramount at that moment. For Alice, these slow units, lacking even ranged units and whose basic units could only fight with chitinous shells and bone blades, were hardly of any interest. She didn't even need to use her witch's magic to easily deal with them—after all, their chitinous shells only protected their torsos, leaving their faces completely exposed.

For a witch, if she can't even hit a slow-moving target the size of a fist from 200 meters away, then she might as well just drink some water and commit suicide. A witch who lacks even this level of control would be wasting resources by drinking poison to end her life!

Under Alice's command, the 12th Assault Team established a small position on the ground and held it firmly. As the battle intensified, an invisible yet tangible 'field' quietly emerged from beneath her feet, extending outwards and soon silently covering a large portion of the battlefield.

Her soldiers fought even more bravely.

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

Alice's voice rang out through the flames of war in the communicator on Logandao's body. For some unknown reason, the voice was not lost due to the sound quality on the battlefield, and was clearly heard by the squad of soldiers around him.

“Recruit Luo Gandao, I have a mission for you: immediately take the communication antenna from the landing pod and go to the high ground at the seven o’clock position to establish communication.”

Logandao instinctively gripped his gun tighter—before the operation, he had trained for a full month in the witch's illusion. Alice had thrown him directly into the heart of the Soviet-German front during World War II, leaving him to endure a third of the winter in Stalingrad.

When he awoke, he knew he had become a soldier. An elite soldier proficient in using most firearms, driving simple vehicles, and familiar with many infantry tactics. His body had also been enhanced, and in terms of physique alone, he was now only one shield away from Captain America.

He knew he could easily kill one or two, or even three or five insects. He also knew this was a cultivation task Alice had specifically assigned to him. Yet, even so, some instinct within him suppressed his body, preventing him from leaving this relatively safe territory.

Alice had promised him that he could become a sergeant major if he could achieve even a small merit. And she would absolutely keep her word, because she had no reason to break it. Once he became a sergeant major, he could command soldiers to fight for him, and his chances of survival would greatly increase.

Taking a risk now for future security. A good deal, isn't it? Logan felt he should be able to make this deal. But he couldn't stop the other thoughts from surfacing in his mind.

I don't want to leave... I don't want to leave this place.

Why make me risk my life when it's so safe behind cover?

He gritted his teeth, raised his standard-issue rifle, and unleashed a burst of fire at a soldier-like insect approaching the defensive line a hundred meters away, killing it instantly. It was as if killing a few more insects would give him a reason to stay in the bunker a few more minutes.

Ah, yes, it's that noisy on the battlefield. And with the battle so urgent, a few vague words are easily overlooked, aren't they? Although I'm a new recruit and need to abide by military law, I'm also a reincarnated soldier. The veterans, on the other hand, are hesitant to act rashly in this kind of team battle; they definitely won't let me die like this.

They won't let it go, but that doesn't mean they can guarantee my safety.

[As long as I don't actively seek out danger, the chances of danger actively seeking me out are very small.]

He thought to himself that although he heard Alice's order, he pretended not to hear it. Even when the soldiers around him cast questioning glances his way, he pretended not to notice anything and just kept firing his rifle from behind cover.

There were swarms of insects; killing one meant another would appear. Killing a swarm meant another would follow. As the forward positions were gradually established, heavy firepower that required time to set up began to be deployed. These included heavy machine guns, flamethrowers, rapid-fire cannons to effectively suppress large insects, and miniature nuclear bombs capable of wiping out large areas with a single strike. Gradually, the effectiveness of ordinary soldiers' assault rifles began to diminish, and the increasing number of landing points temporarily dispersed some of the insect swarm's forces.

Alice repeated her command through the intercom.

—But Roger Dow remained deaf to it.

Gunfire roared as several tank worms crawling out of the ground were instantly destroyed by three or four miniature nuclear bombs. The swirling winds and scorching air currents pounded the ground, temporarily repelling the swarm's attack while also obstructing the soldiers' field of vision. The soldiers at the forefront finally had a chance to catch their breath, to do other things, or to focus their attention on areas outside the main battlefield.

Alice did not issue a third order to Logan. This made him breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a slight sense of loss quietly rose in his heart.

However, just seconds later, accompanied by a 'bang' from beside Logandao, he suddenly realized that the communications antenna that had been placed in the landing pod had been placed on the bunker next to him by a tall, muscular black soldier.

“Sergeant, the officer wants you to set up the antenna. I’ll go with you.” The black soldier’s expression was serious, and his eyes were determined. Logan wanted to say something, but the words he was about to utter were swallowed back down under that serious gaze.

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

I received a notification from a senior developer that I should update more frequently...

shivering

Section 6: I will lead the charge!

Alice didn't care what Logandao was thinking, nor whether he would complete the task she casually issued according to her wishes—because he was just a minor character who couldn't access or influence the real big picture. Even if he might become powerful in the future, he was insignificant at this moment.

Perhaps it wasn't accidental that Chu Xuan abandoned him, as recorded in the records.

[That's true. For our team, unity is both a defining characteristic and a core principle. And I also hate uncontrollable variables. Three chances are enough. I'll give him two more. If he can't proactively integrate and truly become part of the team, then… perhaps I'll be the one to finish what Chu Xuan didn't do in this timeline.]

Alice took a deep breath and fired an empty magazine at a firefly that suddenly emerged from the ground a hundred meters away. Her hand was steady, and every bullet hit the delicate spot on the beetle's mouth. The first two-thirds of the dozens of bullets completely destroyed the beetle's mouthparts, while the rest pierced through the firefly's internal tissues and sparked a few bursts within its oily polymer reservoir.

'boom--!!!'

The giant fire-breathing worm exploded without serving any purpose, spraying scorching bio-plasma everywhere and melting a large crater in the ground like lava. Taking advantage of the fire and roar of the explosion, Alice extended her finger and subtly spun it in the air, sending out a gust of wind that triggered a chain reaction of chaotic air currents not far away, according to the rules of cellular automata.

Several plasma attacks from a great distance were prematurely detonated by the storm formed by the airflow. Heat was released from the extremely hot ion cloud, which transformed into a simple giant oven as the air flowed. Thousands of warrior bugs were evaporated within seconds, and the ion cloud gradually settled, forming a solid isolation wall in front of the assault team's lines.

The swarm's offensive was temporarily halted. Out of the corner of her eye, Alice saw Logandau finally join the other soldiers in carrying out the communication antenna to fulfill the task she had assigned him. Although this was hardly a merit for promotion now that things were temporarily safe, at least he had obeyed.

Well, although in a real army, someone like Luo Gandao would inevitably face punishment or even be shot, as a newcomer to the Central Plains Team, he would have more opportunities in this inactive army without even a political commissar. Alice only made a slight note of this in her mind before shifting her attention away from him and focusing on other important matters.

She re-established communication with Patchouli.

Alice: [Patch, I've almost established a foothold, but it will be difficult to hold it. The expeditionary force's heavy firepower is still stuck in the mid-to-late 20th century, and their anti-aircraft defense is very poor. Although the Zerg's air force is also garbage, my side will still be helpless against the dense long-range plasma bombardment.]

I plan to broadcast a rally call from my current position, attracting the remaining scattered soldiers to my location. This should temporarily delay the swarm's artillery barrage. The cerebrates will wait until I have enough troops before launching their attack.

Patchouli: [Understood. Things are going smoothly on my end too. Command of the de Chroy has been transferred. For the next two hours or so, Chu Xuan and I will focus on rescuing the expeditionary fleet and unifying them. During this time, you'll need to keep the battle going on your own. In two hours, I'll arrange for orbital artillery fire to clear the swarm's artillery positions.]

Alice: [Understood. For now, I'll focus on holding the line. As for Zheng Zha… if the de Chloe is still operational, perhaps we can provide some assistance. But the Grand Library needs to remain as secret as possible, unless the situation becomes dire.]

Patchouli: [Roger that. Alice, be careful.]

Alice cut off the communication, her toes lightly touching the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief after receiving confirmation that the soil within a kilometer's depth was solid. Although the insects had practically burrowed Corenda into a sponge-like shape, this didn't mean every patch of land had been excavated with tunnels. Since the base's underground was safe, the situation was much better than the worst-case scenario had anticipated.

So she waited quietly for a few minutes until the communication antenna was set up and her soldiers had barely adjusted to their positions, and then the next wave of Zerg attacked again.

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

Meanwhile, about thirty kilometers away from Alice's landing site.

Zheng Zha was panting heavily, surrounded by the remains of several tank bugs, shredded to pieces by the Destruction Blade. Just moments ago, he had entered the third stage of his explosive state, killing five heavily armored giant bugs that had suddenly emerged from the ground and nearly caught his troops off guard in a very short time!

His luck was bad; he landed instantly on a flat, undefended plain. To make matters worse, a swarm of over ten thousand insectoids was less than a kilometer from the landing craft. The reincarnators initially intended to hold back, avoiding using their superpowers of flight and teleportation—but in that moment of hesitation, the swarm utterly routed the commando's scattered formation. And when he finally realized what was happening, he found himself the highest-ranking officer in that area spanning several kilometers!

Damn! Who knew the quality of the expeditionary force's soldiers could be this bad! It really was just a few seconds, and in just a few seconds, nearly a third of the two hundred soldiers were lost. And it's one thing for them to die, soldiers are supposed to die on the battlefield—but even if they died, the damage they caused to the insects was less than a single digit!

What does it mean to have damage less than single digits? Well, it means it didn't even break zero, not a single one!

Zheng Zha and the others couldn't help but complain loudly, but complaints aside, the tasks still had to be done. At Zheng Zha's signal, Zhang Jie activated the cognitive interference mental domain before the losses could escalate further. And after that, it was time for the main combat members of the Zhongzhou team to display their prowess.

Zheng Zha was undoubtedly the strongest, single-handedly cutting down the most threatening giant insects. Whether it was the tank insects originally from the movie, or the heavily armored giant insects with individual energy shields after the difficulty was adjusted by the main god, they all died with a single strike, not to mention the other small fry. He charged towards the monsters like a hero from ancient legends, and those hideous behemoths fell to the ground under his blade.

Overlord then exchanged a portable 45mm rapid-fire cannon with unlimited ammunition from the Main God Space—of course, he could only lift it after equipping the Witch's Power Armor. After switching the shells to fragmentation rounds for use against living organisms, the rate of fire of one round per second killed nearly a quarter of the tens of thousands of warrior insects within half a minute.

Ming Yanwei was not to be outdone. She drew the Divine Bow that Alice had temporarily entrusted to her and unleashed a volley of arrows, blasting an entire squadron of flying insects into oblivion. The arrows she used were rune arrows loaded with cursed poison. As the insects died and their corpses and flesh scattered in the air, the disintegrating blood mist transformed into a poisonous cloud, which was then blown towards the remaining flying insects by a gust of wind from Zheng Zha's blade.

Clearly, the Araqi insectoids are neither the Flood nor the Tyranids; their basic units lacked an immediate countermeasure against this unfamiliar curse. And naturally, when the curse's effects wore off, all that remained for the Reincarnators and the terrified recruits was a clean sky.