Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

There might be a third one, but that's not important to me right now... because I can't calculate the correct location of that third point. And... even if I did calculate it, it wouldn't matter.

There are two hours left until the Morizu team arrives.

The ground operations have actually taken a considerable amount of time. Cleaning up the mess, understanding the potential consequences, and setting up various plans all require substantial time and effort, and this effort cannot be spared. Now, it's essentially time to await the final outcome.

She slightly shifted her gaze, her eyes slowly sweeping over the cross-shaped machine in the command hall. Esdeath, suspended in the central container, had already repaired most of her body. Apart from the skin, eyeballs, hair, and other surface tissues, the flesh and bones within her body had been largely restored. Although she looked quite ferocious, if she were released from the container, the person releasing her would be surprised to find that she had regained most of her fighting strength.

Of course, this guy's life or death was irrelevant to Patchouli. And the other three terminals within the Cross Star—the sleeping Logandao, Overlord, and Cheng Xiao—were also irrelevant to her. She cared about only one person, and only one person. That was Alice, lying quietly in the last terminal of the Cross Star container, like a sleeping princess.

[If my calculations are correct, she should have already reached the stage of gathering strength. At most six days have passed, and she shouldn't have met the woman from Nan Yan Continent who was used as bait yet. When the Sen Zhou team arrives, that will be the time for them to make contact and for their pre-prepared plan to begin execution.]

She reached out, her fingertips slipping through the quietly opened protective shield of the container to touch Alice's cold cheek. Even knowing this was merely a common characteristic of a materialized manifestation of a lingering soul, the girl's lifeless body still sent a shiver down her spine.

“Alice, Alice, you always upset me,” she whispered, her fingertips tracing the sleeping girl’s cheek, across her nose, across her lips, across her chin, across her neck, and down her chest.

[Quiet Alice is so lovely.] she thought to herself.

[If Alice could be like this normally... well, Alice has a certain charm when she's awake.]

She was thinking, but her eyes were unconsciously glancing to both sides.

It was very quiet all around.

Perhaps because she had specifically instructed and arranged things, after the jump ended, everyone was busy with their assigned tasks. Whether they were reincarnators or crew members, they were all completely disoriented by her orders, and because of this, she now had space to be alone with her beloved.

Alice is mine.

【be mine.】

She repeated it to herself, then took a deep breath after repeatedly checking the quiet surroundings. She leaned slightly towards the sleeping girl—this intimacy, which she had long taken for granted, somehow became exceptionally alluring in the unusually quiet environment. And her heart was pounding for some reason.

[Sleeping Alice, quiet Alice, no matter what I do... Alice will not wake up at this time!]

A blush crept onto her cheeks, which hadn't blushed in many years. She felt as if she had returned to her innocent teenage years, to that distant era when a single glance or touch would make her blush and her heart race for a long time. She knew very well that this was just a slight loss of control caused by specific conditions and circumstances—she knew that she could completely suppress this out-of-control emotion with a single thought, but she had no intention of closing herself off at this moment.

[Since it's just her and me here, it's okay to be a little unrestrained, right?]

She pondered, and as she thought, her tongue unconsciously touched Alice's cold lips. The witch's characteristic meticulousness suddenly became useless. She indulged her rare emotional fluctuations, letting her love drive her instincts to take everything from Alice's slumbering lips.

It's a bit...exciting.

Several minutes passed before she managed to pull herself away from Alice's lips. She gently straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and her slightly rapid breathing before standing up. And then…

Want to try again?

Section 35: On the Eve of the Answer

The slightly hurried footsteps approaching from afar, along with the sudden surge in mental fluctuation readings on the monitoring equipment beside her, helped Patchouli make a decision. She quickly raised her hand and closed the protective hatch of the cross-shaped container in front of her. She shifted her footsteps slightly backward, swiftly casting a series of everyday cleaning spells such as dust removal and purification. By the time the command hall's lockdown was lifted and the sensor doors quietly opened upon recognizing the incoming signal, she had already returned to a normal state, not much different from usual.

"Patchouli! I've made a major discovery!"

The person who arrived was Zhang Jie. He walked quickly and looked so nervous that he even forgot about mental communication—or perhaps it was because Patchouli had blocked irrelevant communications earlier. He walked into the command hall with a heavy heart, his gaze sweeping over the cross-shaped machine and the many lit instruments. When his vision caught Patchouli operating the many light screens, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly moved even closer.

“A major discovery,” he emphasized.

Patchouli glanced at him. She then cast a calming spell with a simple gesture. She stretched out her hand, and a surging gravitational field drew a table and chairs, along with two glasses of lukewarm water, to be placed in front of Zhang Jie.

"No rush, sit down and talk slowly."

Zhang Jie didn't stand on ceremony. He simply sat down in his seat, picked up the glass of water, and gulped it down. Then he let out a long breath, glanced behind him, used his telekinesis to close the automatically opening command center door, and then opened his mouth.

“I examined the brain worm’s memories and found something in them.”

“…For example?” Patchouli tilted her head slightly. “You discovered their true home planet? The real region where the Insect God resides?”

“No, that’s not it.” He wiggled his fingers, seemingly struggling to organize his thoughts. “What I discovered wasn’t the area where the Insect God was, but something else… something far more serious.”

“These insects…” he paused. “Their memory areas seem to have some problems.”

Zhang Jie's brows furrowed deeply. "I examined the memory areas of this brain worm. The outermost layer was alright; it was just the daily record of a brain worm managing, maintaining, and correcting the swarms within its territory. Although some insect-specific memories are rather nauseating, this level wasn't a problem for me. However, when I traced its memories back to about a hundred years ago... I discovered a clear break in the line."

“That’s a very obvious gap. Before that, memory was no longer memory, but something like… a slideshow, a copy-and-paste thing.” Zhang Jie organized his thoughts and after a while, he managed to give an analogy. “For example, a normal person’s memory contains events and knowledge. When a person recalls knowledge, they also recall the learning process related to that knowledge. But in that brain worm’s memory… there was only knowledge.”

"It's as if it was created directly from a cultivation tank. It was made a hundred years ago, imbued with memories, and then released into this star system. And then..." He glanced at Patchouli, whose expression remained completely unsurprised, and his hurried tone suddenly faltered. "You... already knew?"

“It was just a general idea, not something I knew beforehand.” Patchouli shook her head slightly and removed the table, chairs, and water in front of her. “The Arachnids are too weak, and the Federation is too strong. And the Federation’s battle decisions are just too stupid. It was one thing at the beginning, but it’s still like this afterward… So I came to this conclusion.”

She looked at Zhang Jie, "Do you still remember why this hunting fleet beneath our feet was formed?"

“I remember,” Zhang Jie nodded. “The Federation’s intelligence network obtained information about the existence of high-ranking individuals among the Araqi insectoids… namely, the Brain Worms. So they decided to leave their main force in Kolendadu and have us lead this squadron to wipe out the surrounding star systems—now the Brain Worms are in our hands.”

“Yes, that’s true.” Patchouli reached out and pulled out a light screen beside her. “After we captured the brain worm of Tango Ghost Star, Chu Xuan reported this information to the expeditionary force’s command. Then he accepted the commendation and award from the Federation military on our behalf, and the corresponding promotion documents will be issued soon. However, apart from that… nothing has changed.”

"This is the current battle situation on the surface of the planet Korendadu."

Patchouli pointed to the light screen, and a cruel and bloody war scene appeared before Zhang Jie—he saw the Federation's interstellar marines charging towards the swarm of hard-shelled, clawed insects in a perilous environment without cover, heavy firepower, or even orbital strikes, just like in the original movie. They were quickly driven back and suffered a crushing defeat.

The warrior worms tore through their ranks, the flying worms destroyed their firing positions, and the long-range artillery fire from the tank and plasma worms was the fuse that ignited the Marines' complete rout. When this brief battle ended, only hundreds of soldiers' corpses and more than three times that number of wounded lay on the ground, cruelly torn apart bit by bit by the worms, left to struggle in agony and screams for over ten minutes before finally dying. The Marines' morale plummeted even further.

In the two days since the main force of the expeditionary fleet took over the battlefield in Kolenda, humanity's positions on the insectoid planet have shrunk by more than 70%. Apart from the forward outpost that Alice captured, all the other areas that she had previously controlled with bunkers, fortifications, and orbital support have fallen. As for the casualties... they are even more appalling.

"We captured the cerebrate, and our hunting force easily destroyed a planet at almost no cost... Even disregarding the ground offensive, the destruction of Ghost Tango was ultimately caused by the fleet," Patchouli said calmly. "However, the main force of the expeditionary force possesses a more powerful fleet, more advanced technology, and more comprehensive intelligence than us, yet it has ended up like this."

"With the brain worm already captured and Corendaldu no longer possessing strategic value, how did things come to this? What do you think that means?"

"...They did this on purpose." Zhang Jie narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of doubt in them. "The Federation created the Zerg? And this battlefield is just a training ground for them? But this is the interstellar age, the age of starships, power armor, and the suppressive weapons of the panplanetary system. Even in my real world, soldiers need to focus on improving their weapon handling and tactical skills, not going head-to-head with giant Zerg that are good at close combat using an old-fashioned gun."

“Who knows? Maybe they have other plans? They didn’t even send anyone to take the brain worm away.” Patchouli shrugged. “Or maybe the enemies they need to deal with can only be dealt with using these old-fashioned, broken guns?”

“Those soldiers are really pitiful.” Zhang Jie shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “It’s supposed to be the interstellar age, yet they have to use weapons from World War II and tactics from the 18th century to fight alien species. And they don’t even have a reliable suit of armor.”

He stood up and walked towards the door of the command hall.

"In short, whatever these federal high-ranking officials want or what they want to do, you've already predicted it in advance and made preparations, right?"

“Yes,” Patchouli nodded in reply. She glanced at Alice lying in the cross-shaped container. “This dream Alice had with the captain of the Southern Flame Continent team is also part of the plan. And we’ll soon be able to see its results—the newcomers are an extra bonus, but they might also play some unexpected roles.”

"I see..." Zhang Jie let out a soft breath, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. "So Chu Xuan is one too?"

"Yes, he's in charge of... the other side. It's almost time to wrap things up."

"It seems everything went according to your plan. Am I just being paranoid?" He took a deep drag on the cigarette he was holding, leaned slightly forward, and asked, "Can I tell Zheng Zha what I've guessed? What I just mentioned?"

"...If it's just those, no problem."

"Tsk, you clever people really like to keep things to yourself. Okay, I get it. Zheng Zha's personality is indeed a problem. He's not ready to know the whole truth yet... I'll keep this secret." He flicked his fingers, and the half-burnt cigarette butt tumbled through the air and landed in a nearby recycling container. He then turned and left, disappearing at the end of the passage.

“I’ll go and appease those unlucky guys from the Southern Flame Continent team. To prevent them from doing anything inappropriate at an inopportune time.” His voice carried clearly through the metal isolation door, penetrating Patchouli’s ears. “As for the rest, I’ll leave it to you and Chu Xuan.”

"Mmm," Patchouli nodded gently in response. She knew Zhang Jie could hear her, and she was speaking specifically for him.

When she said those words, the surroundings returned to their previous silence.

a long time.

Patchouli turned her head and continued to study the cluster of light screens that had appeared beside her. Dealing with some internal issues that might affect the overall situation did give her a slight sense of relief, but when she pulled her mind away from this brief moment of relief and focused on the real problems that needed to be addressed, worries once again surfaced in her mind.

[If only it were that simple... The Federation created the Zerg, trained its troops... If it were really just this level of inside information, I wouldn't be racking my brains here.] The girl sighed inwardly, but outwardly showed no sign of it—under her command, the entire hunting fleet began to move, preparing to warp to a pre-planned location. The Senzhou team would arrive soon, and now they had to prepare final countermeasures.

[If their landing point is above Korenda, I'll unleash an opening salvo. If they're on Earth or within the expeditionary fleet, even better, because that means their strength isn't yet sufficient to be included in the Zerg faction by the main gods to balance the forces. With our current momentum, we can annihilate them directly.]

However, I think... things are probably not that simple.

Patchouli sighed inwardly, and after checking herself to make sure there were no other omissions, she issued the jump command. And with the distorted feeling of spacetime stretching out, the final countermeasures were finally prepared.

She subconsciously turned her head to look at Alice, who was sleeping inside the Cross Star Machine.

Alice is the bait, and also the verifier. Now that the brain worm has taken the bait and invested its consciousness into the virtual world, she is only one final step away from completing the final verification, just like her final countermeasure against the Senzhou team.

The Mori team will arrive soon, and Alice will soon encounter those insects in the virtual world.

And soon, it will be time to reveal the secret.

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

Meanwhile, on Earth, in the highest capital of the Federation.

A secret meeting, unknown to outsiders, is reaching a crucial moment. Each participant possesses unimaginable power and wisdom; they are the highest-ranking officials of the Federation's various departments, not the low-IQ fools putting on a political show. They are the true rulers of this civilization, wielding real power. Even the most weakly grounded among them could orchestrate a complete purge of the Federation within three days—they are the hidden pawns behind the scenes. And their meeting will determine the future of this world.

"...The time is approaching. This is our first and last chance. Whether we can break through the blockade and gain true freedom depends on this battle. The preparations we have made over the long years should also come in handy."

The meeting's chairperson had a face as radiant as the sun; his voice was authoritative, and every movement exuded a commanding presence. The apparent federal speaker bore a similar appearance, but if the two stood side-by-side, the latter would appear like a shoeshine boy compared to him. His words carried weight, and when he spoke, the surroundings quickly fell silent.

Only one voice, like the turning of a machine, voice raised an objection.

"Our chances of winning are slim, Speaker." The voice came from a cluster of humanoid machines. A human figure could still be vaguely discerned from the machine's outline. Anyone familiar with the history of the Federation's manufacturing plants would recognize that this humanoid bore the same face as the first Industrial Commissioner when the Federation was founded hundreds of years ago.

“We have no way to use any of the high-tech weapons in the think tank in this war, and we have very little information about the enemy. We are outnumbered and our soldiers lack combat experience. We don’t even know if all our plans are already known to the enemy.”

“Our chances of winning are less than three in a thousand,” the humanoid machine said in a low voice. “Even if we win that three in a thousand bet, the number of people who can survive in the end may not exceed three in a thousand.”

It said so, and many people, or things that looked like people, echoed its words.

"We are not ready yet," it concluded at the end.

“But we don’t have any more time,” the first person to speak countered. “This is the only chance; if we miss it, we’ll never have another one.”

“Three hundred years ago, we didn’t even think we’d have this opportunity.” Another young man, who looked handsome but whose every organ was a clone created within the last thirty-six hours and whose true identity represented the Federation’s largest biopharmaceutical company, interrupted the first. “Since we’ve waited three hundred years for this opportunity, why not wait another three hundred? We can wait, and the Federation… can wait too!”

“No, we can’t wait, because there won’t be another three hundred years.” A look of regret appeared on the first man’s face. He raised his hand, stopping the commotion that was about to erupt in the hall. Just as his action drew everyone’s attention, a thin figure appeared beside him without anyone noticing.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the figure leaned forward slightly, and an indescribable solemn aura enveloped the entire venue.

"I am Chu Xuan." The man adjusted his glasses and nodded to the first person beside him.

"I will now chair the follow-up portion of this meeting."

Section Thirty-Six: The Main Meal

at the same time……

The starship de Chroy...

In a virtual world constructed by the Cross Star Machine...

"So, you thought I looked a lot like that guy named Arya, so you attacked me without even thinking?" Alice, carrying a huge black shadow scythe, glanced at the crack in the ground torn open by the collision of forces, then looked up at the blonde lioness who had been urgently pulled away by her companions.

Leone, a melee-type Devil Fruit user in the Night Raid Assassin Group, wields the Imperial Arms Lion King, which grants her temporary half-beast form, greatly enhancing her stamina and regenerative abilities. She hails from the slums surrounding the Imperial Capital and frequently visits the lower city of the capital to revive her old tricks of swindling and cheating...

Alice's fingers trembled slightly.

—Hundreds of slingshots emerged from behind walls, corners, and shadows after she blocked the first attack, carrying modified assault rifles and staring at the brutish killers. The killers, in turn, raised their hands at just the right moment, maintaining a slight wariness while indicating that they posed no threat.