Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

She then added another sentence.

"At least this will allow for more communication and understanding between our two teams, and our cooperation will be even closer when we face the Senzhou team in the final."

Alice looked at her, her expression indifferent.

"Do you know?" the girl said softly, "I can make you disappear from this world forever with just one button."

"Then why don't you do it? You made the same threat half a minute ago."

"Then why don't you do it? You made the same threat half a minute ago." Esdeath glanced at the witch in front of her, her gaze flippant yet full of pressure.

Alice closed her eyes.

A few seconds later, she suddenly opened her eyes and reached out to place her finger on the large red button in the center of the control panel.

She gazed at Esdeath.

Esdeath was also watching her.

And so, ten seconds passed in this stalemate.

“Very good.” Alice nodded, removing her finger from the large red button. “You will get the battle you want, a direct, straightforward battle, without any unnecessary frills or external aids.”

"But the battlefield is my choice."

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

Ten minutes later, when the bargaining phase was over, Alice left her room, closed the door behind her, and shut down all the related sensors.

She turned her head and saw Patchouli leaning against the wall outside the door, waiting for her.

“Patch,” Alice nodded to her. “Are you done with things over there?”

“It’s over,” Patchouli replied. “Chu Xuan had a good time at the meeting. We’ve gained command of an independent hunting fleet. The De Croy will be the flagship, leading seven super-heavy ships and twenty-two first-class ships to sweep through the star system surrounding the insect planet. Annihilate and eliminate all planets inhabited by insects.”

"...Looks like they're sending us out to do the dirty and tiring work?"

“Yes,” Patchouli replied with a smile, “That’s right. After all, we’ve already established a solid forward base on Korenda. With space control in the hands of the fleet, it’s unlikely that we’ll make any mistakes in the upcoming battles. So more new recruits will replace us and fight alongside our veterans. And the officers who command them, and the factions behind the scenes, will probably also need some battle merits.”

"How realistic," Alice said, pursing her lips. "What about our awarding ceremony?"

"Let's put it on hold for now. Once the procedures on Earth are completed and the new awarding officer arrives, we'll distribute the medals along with our newly earned merits."

“A newly established achievement.” The girl murmured the words. “So, because the tide of battle was turned and the expeditionary force did not suffer a crushing defeat, there’s no need for overly famous war heroes to set an example?”

“That’s about it. And there’s something else. The Federation somehow got information that there are advanced Zerg like the Cerebrates in the swarm, and they believe that there are Cerebrates in Korenda. So…” Patchouli shrugged. “The recruits will suffer heavy losses. To ensure that the Cerebrates are captured, they probably won’t receive much firepower support in the upcoming battles.”

“It seems they really are training their troops.” Alice chuckled. “They’re just a bunch of arthropods that could be dealt with with orbital artillery, yet they’re trying every trick in the book to make our soldiers bleed more on this planet… Could the Federation government of this world be planning some kind of blood sacrifice? I remember there’s a Zerg god on Korenda, but unfortunately I’ve never been able to make contact with it before.”

"I don't know the answer to this kind of thing either. Besides, Chu Xuan has already taken over the investigation of the Earth Federation, so I can't afford to waste any more time on this... But there's one thing you're wrong about, Alice. There is no Insect God on Corendar. During the meeting, I saw the expeditionary force scanning the entire Insect Planet through shared vision. At the original location of the Insect God, there was only a huge hole, and that hole has existed for at least a million years."

"Perhaps it's because the movie versions are different. What we're supposed to do is just the mission from Starship Troopers 1, while the storyline of Starship Troopers 3 is probably irrelevant to us."

Patchouli said, straightening her back and rising from the wall. She went straight to Alice and hugged her.

"Alright, you've been asking me questions the whole time, now it's my turn." Her cheek gently rubbed against Alice's face. "What exactly did you and that beautiful captain of the Southern Flame Continent team do in that room for so long? Tell me the truth now."

"Don't make it sound so... weird!" Alice gently patted her.

"I was just discussing teamwork with a bunch of brain tissue weighing less than 200 grams. Then I pushed her to have a fight with me. A fair fight, no tricks, no external aids."

"The term 'external object' is a bit too broad, you know." Seemingly dissatisfied with the slap, Patchouli leaned out and bit the girl's neck. And a bunch of free energy bound by the obsessive soul gradually dissipated. "Strictly speaking, even the free energy in the atmosphere, the information waveforms, can all be considered external objects."

"...Are you a dog?!" Alice angrily tried to push the person in her arms away. However, her hands lost their momentum after touching the soft spot. So she had no choice but to let it go, sighed, and continued to explain her situation.

"Okay, actually I was only interested in her ability to manipulate spacetime. So I deliberately misled her with my words, making her think that we were at odds and that there was a possibility of seizing the initiative. As a result, she challenged me to a duel and let me choose the venue."

"Since she insists on not using external objects, then let's put the battlefield in her memory. I learned from the other members of the Southern Flame Continent team that she comes from a feudal fantasy world with a slightly bizarre technology tree. Then, before entering the reincarnation world, she obtained the ability to freeze regional spacetime—so I plan to use Imaging One to provide computing power, and then rely on her soul and memories to rewrite that era of that world. Then, during the battle with her, I can take the opportunity to infiltrate her memories and decipher her knowledge and skills of spacetime interference."

She shrugged.

"Anyway, there are still three days before the Senzhou team arrives, and we haven't spent enough time dealing with the Nanyanzhou team. We can find something to do next, and take the opportunity to mentor the newcomers under the guise of watching the game. Cheng Xiao is fine, but I mainly want to see if Luo Gandao still has a chance to be saved."

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

It's time to make the hero, let's see if Luo can carry the team.

Section 20: Do you want to understand the meaning of life?

It is now nighttime on Earth. There are about three days until the Mori team arrives on the battlefield, and about three days until the main god announces the true main storyline of the Starship Troopers world.

Time was more plentiful than expected, and therefore the choices were naturally more extensive than anticipated. With a fleet already at their disposal as a force to be reckoned with, the reincarnators would not encounter any troublesome problems before the arrival of the Senzhou team.

and so……

"That's the basic situation. Over the next three days, I will use the computing power provided by Display One to construct a fictional world based on the memories of Esdeath, the captain of the Southern Flame Continent Team. It will be an independent space that can accommodate combat power at the third-tier limit level at most. I will have a fairly long battle with her there. As the price for fairness, Esdeath agreed to let me bring a few new recruits to the battlefield."

Inside the conference hall of the De Chroy, Alice explained her plan to the other senior members while projecting a multitude of impressive-sounding but incomprehensible data charts onto the screen beside her. The charts and graphs were dizzying; even Zheng Zha, who had barely managed to recover from his drunkenness thanks to his superhuman physique, felt lightheaded and found it extremely difficult to think.

“My plan is to throw Cheng Xiao and Luo Gandao in—based on the information I have so far, Esdeath’s memories contain many strong individuals skilled in close combat, and the world she comes from is also a special world where machinery and superpowers coexist—the two of them have already gained a lot of experience fighting monsters in the previous insect swarm battle, and before the team battle begins, I think it is very necessary for them to acquire some skills in fighting supernatural humans.”

Alice said, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the veterans.

"It's your decision, you can decide for yourself... um." Zheng Zha patted his chest lightly, hiccuping. That ton of alcohol earlier had caused him considerable distress. Although he wasn't drunk, not being drunk didn't mean he felt better—his head and stomach ached terribly. And because it was a gamble, he couldn't force his body's recovery abilities to completely eliminate these discomforts and the chemical reactions behind them.

He was a man of his word, and a man of his word must pay the price for his words. And during this period of peace when he was paying the price, he didn't really want to use his brain to think about trivial things.

“I know,” Alice replied. “We have plenty of time over the next three days, which is why I’m asking this question here. I want to ask Ba Wang and Ming Yanwei if you two have any plans to participate in this trial? The intensity of this battlefield is enough to support you in pushing your current strength to the limit, or even beyond it.”

“I’ll pass.” Ming Yanwei shook her head. “The Ju-on incident alone is enough. I have no intention of staying in an ancient world in the Middle Ages for several years.”

“It won’t be that long,” Alice said, looking at her. “At most, this trial will be over in a month.”

“No, it’s not necessary.” Ming Yanwei shook her head again.

“I’m actually quite interested,” the Overlord said with a smile. “Since my resurrection, I haven’t really fought against any creature similar to a Reincarnator. That’s definitely one of my weaknesses, and now there’s a good chance to make up for it.”

“Very good.” Alice smiled back at him. “Then you can come with me when we open the memory world later.”

Her gaze swept over Zhang Jie, but before she could speak, Zhang Jie waved his hands repeatedly.

“I’m a psychic, so ordinary illusions can’t trap me. Besides, I don’t think I can gain anything from that… memory world.” He lit a cigarette. “I’m afraid I’d collapse the moment I entered your virtual space.”

“…I didn’t say you had to go.” Alice glanced at him.

Zhang Jie coughed twice and quietly stubbed out the cigarette between his fingers.

“I hope that while we are infiltrating the dream, you can protect the others outside… I don’t need to, but if anyone else shows any abnormal behavior, please remember to eject them from the illusion in time.” Alice explained, “The form of this battle is quite special. With the assistance of a giant computer, the illusion will be infinitely close to reality. If they suffer a fatal injury in the illusion, they will also suffer corresponding damage in reality.”

"Or you could say it's a genuine time travel to another world." She gently moved her fingers, making the limbs of her obsessive soul, which had no knuckles, make a 'click' sound. "The damage is real, the touch is real, and given sufficient resources and necessity, even characters from the world of memories can be recreated in reality. And I believe that in such a realistic environment, the weaker parts of the team will definitely be able to grow significantly."

She spoke earnestly and with absolute certainty.

Her confident tone aroused Zheng Zha's doubt.

"You mean this was a near-realistic battle? Injuries sustained in the illusion would also result in real-world injuries?" He struggled to stay conscious, asking with some doubt, "This isn't like you at all, Margot Lloyd. To initiate a battle that causes real damage in a battlefield you're unfamiliar with... how could you possibly take such a huge loss?"

“After all, I have some needs for that girl named Esdeath,” Alice shrugged. “She possesses a power that interferes with time, and after some rough analysis, I found that this power belongs to the category of bloodline abilities. So learning from her is impossible, and I can’t brainwash her either. The only way to acquire this ability is to personally analyze how it works. So I had to lure her into fighting me within her memories, and regardless of the outcome, I can gain enough operational data from the battle with her.”

“This battle was a sure thing for me from the very beginning. As long as she opens up her memory world, I will be able to obtain what I need. I will become stronger because of this, and the outcome of the battle and the growth of the newcomers are secondary goals—of course, I will also do my best to accomplish them, so that we can acquire new fighting power and completely subdue this arrogant and conceited guy.”

“I see.” Zheng Zha nodded. “I knew you wouldn’t fight a battle you weren’t prepared for. But… spacetime?” He gently rubbed his head. “That level of power… tsk, why do I always feel like we’re still so far from that level?”

"It's just your imagination." Alice shifted her gaze from Zheng Zha to Chu Xuan. "I will send you the relevant report after it is compiled."

Chu Xuan nodded without saying anything more.

well.

As a result, the plan gained unanimous support from the veterans.

So what needs to be done next... is to get the consent of the two newcomers who will definitely not refuse before taking action... and then, before this trial begins, to block out some of their memories.

After all, someone's poor performance in the virtual Stalingrad battlefield had already proven that this preparation was necessary. And she had no intention of giving that person any more chances.

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

Luo Gandao suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath. His vision was blurred, and his head was spinning. Every part of his body ached. He reached out, and the sound of restraint and the clanking of shackles rang clearly in his ears. The stench of decay and mold filled his nostrils.

Where am I?!

What's going on here?!

Am I having a nightmare?!

He bit his lower lip hard, the stinging pain and slight taste of blood bringing him back to consciousness from the agony. His mind suddenly cleared, and a jumble of memories flashed through his mind.

"I am Luo Gandao, an ordinary college graduate." He clutched his chest, trying hard to recall.

Fourteen days ago, I left my hometown and headed to Shanghai alone to seek entrepreneurial opportunities. Yesterday afternoon, my final job interview ended in failure. He tried to slow his breathing, while the darkness in his vision gradually faded with time.

He realized he was currently locked in a small iron cage. He was injured, and his hands and feet were bound by heavy shackles. Outside the cage was a dark cell... or rather, a warehouse. He could see at least a hundred cages of the same size!

A cold wind swept by...

I didn't want to go back, so I decided to try my luck in the trendy IT industry. I took the rest of my money and went to the nearest internet cafe. I planned to browse job websites and see if I could get lucky. But just then, a pop-up window appeared on the screen.

His pupils suddenly contracted!

In the dim light, he could clearly see several already decomposing corpses swaying in the cold wind. Their hands were firmly locked to the upper part of the ceiling by some kind of shackle. And their bodies were covered in wounds!

This is not just a prison cell, nor is it just a warehouse; this is a torture chamber!

He slowly turned his head, and right next to his cage, in another iron cage, a half-rotted skeleton was clearly visible. He saw white maggots crawling in the still-corroding flesh, making a disgusting sizzling sound—it was this sound that had just attracted him and made him turn his head.

Fear gripped his heart in an instant.

[Impossible! That's unreasonable! Shanghai is a civilized city, and I went to a legitimate internet cafe! This doesn't make sense! Absolutely not!]

Something's definitely wrong!

He instinctively raised his foot, intending to kick what looked like a door. However, the moment his feet were about to kick out, wariness and hesitation returned to him once again.

No, I can't be so reckless. What if there are sentries outside? What if there are surveillance cameras or something? No, I absolutely cannot act rashly. I mustn't make any noise before I'm sure of my own safety... I only have one life, I absolutely cannot die here!

He tried hard to control himself and calm himself down. In this calm state, he began to carefully observe and examine everything in front of him.

—That's a bit strange.

Strange patterns and characters were on the floor and walls. He didn't recognize them, but he knew they weren't any language he knew, certainly not one of the world's major language families. Of course, this wasn't surprising, since Luo Gandao was just a mediocre college graduate who couldn't even find a job; it wasn't unusual for him to be unfamiliar with many things.

However, as he stared at those strange characters, and after a few seconds a clear and distinct understanding surfaced in his mind, everything before him began to turn eerie.

'Arya's Playroom'—that's the idea that came to his mind.

He was certain he had never encountered this type of writing before, yet just now, its grammar, pronunciation, and even writing style had surfaced in his mind. It was as if he had undergone a memory implantation; this completely unfamiliar knowledge had gone from vague to clear in his mind.