Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

The fleet sprang into action.

They rearranged themselves in space, quickly forming a formation that allowed them to attack from any direction. Intelligence from the flagship indicated that the controlled hunting fleet's starships might attempt to disguise themselves as normal warships, rendezvous with the expeditionary main fleet, and launch a close-range attack. Therefore, delivering a decisive blow at this moment was a suitable strategy.

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

Inside the flagship store.

“Alright, we don’t need to do anything else.” Nigabin raised his hand, deactivating the fleet distribution and operational plans that had appeared in front of him as physical light—these things made his head throb and his reactions sluggish, even though understanding these diagrams wouldn’t have been difficult for him given his mental strength. He didn’t want to waste any more time on such things.

"The fleet has been rearranged according to my orders, and all the high-ranking commanders are under our control. All we need to do is wait, wait for the reincarnators of the Central Continent Team to launch an attack on us."

He spoke in a low, slow voice, like a demonic whisper rising from the depths of hell—in the command hall within his sight, dozens of expeditionary officers were operating the flagship's electronic systems as usual. Their eyes were unfocused, their faces contorted with fear and despair. Their movements were steady and orderly. Yet, black blood seeped slowly from their seven orifices.

Only their bodies remained here; their souls had long since been extracted one by one by Nijabin and filled into their own underworld, where they were tormented by karmic fire and cruel instruments of torture. The faceless cruel official wielded a long whip filled with sharp teeth, lashing these unfortunate souls who were suffering terribly, causing their souls to howl and scream in the underworld.

Nijabin liked this sound. Because the pain bursting forth from the souls of others could nourish his own heart, allowing him to find satisfaction in the fact that he still lived as a complete individual—the stark contrast between the silence in reality and the blood, tears, and scars in his heart was irresistible to him.

And that is precisely why he was so disgusted by Rost's crude aesthetic of making rooms filthy, with entrails and blood everywhere, especially when he was forced to share a room with him.

“Rost, next time you have to take down the captain of the Middle-earth team.” He glanced with disgust at the muscular man processing fresh furs on the other side of the hall. His gaze swept over the massive, bloody sculpture made up of a dozen humanoid chunks of flesh, and he couldn't help but feel nauseous—he could even hear faint groans and cries for death. So much so that he had to order the cruel officials of the underworld to increase their strength so that his favorite music could fill his mind.

“I would have done it even without you telling me.” Rost’s voice was deep and muffled, containing the displeasure of having his artistic expression interrupted. He glared angrily at Nijabin, the tacit understanding they had previously shared vanished with the confirmation of the Central State Team’s strength.

"They're not strong. The captain of the Central Continent team doesn't deserve even half a second of the Lord's attention. Last time, I almost killed him completely. If it weren't for the long-range teleportation talisman of the Main God embedded in his weapon, he would have died from the subsequent bomb explosion, even if I hadn't killed him." He said calmly, looking at his companions as if he were enemies. "On the contrary, Nijabin. You can't even defeat a weakling who hasn't even reached the fourth tier in a short time. If the Lord knew about this, he would definitely be very unhappy."

“No need for your trouble.” Niga Yabin snorted coldly. “I already severely injured his mentalist in the previous battle. Even if he’s still alive, he won’t have much fighting power now, and if he appears in front of me again, I can kill him in less than three seconds.”

“I hope so. But Nijabin, you may have forgotten that the Lord gave you the task of killing everyone except the captain of the Central Continent Team—and that woman who remained in the Central Continent Team didn’t lift a finger from beginning to end.” Rost’s mouth split open, and a terrifying smile squeezed out from between his ferocious teeth.

“You’d better be careful, Nijabin. If you make any mistakes in the battle later and the Lord’s penalty notice sounds, I won’t plead for you afterwards.”

“You too, Rost.” Nijabin narrowed his eyes, his gaze like that of a venomous snake biting at his teammate. “The captain of the Central Continent team has successfully entered the fourth tier. If he can maintain stability at this stage, you won’t be able to kill him. And then… hehehehehehe…”

He spoke each word carefully.

"I will preserve the wails you let out before your soul perishes as my most precious treasure."

Rost met his gaze without backing down.

“I’m also very much looking forward to seeing what shape your flesh and blood can sculpt, Nijabin.” He slowly tore off a skull with half a spine attached from the 'sculpture,' and his thick fingers gradually exerted force, kneading the sturdy bone artifact into a large, red, white, and gray blob. Thick blood dripped from between his fingers, splashing into crimson flowers on the soft leather ground beneath his feet.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and after about thirty seconds, they both chuckled softly and looked away. They were both confident in achieving their mission objectives. And it was precisely for this reason that they felt the need to vent their excess malice on their teammate.

because……

They're nothing but ants anyway, why not just crush them?

Since the ants are already doomed, the hands that are both ant hunters find each other somewhat of an eyesore.

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

If I don't update twice in the next few days, my perfect attendance record for the month will be in danger... Or should I write 5,000 words per section?

Section 54: Informal Contact

Then, they blew it up.

Yes, exactly what it says. They exploded.

The swarm of nanobots buried deep within the expeditionary flagship had been operating covertly, following the witch's pre-programmed procedures, ever since Patchouli killed Neos there. They modified the keel, corroded the bridge, and turned the entire ship's power plants into explosives, ensuring the resulting explosions evenly covered the entire hull. Then, at the opportune moment…

'—BOMM!'

The entire expeditionary force's command flagship exploded into a cosmic firework in an instant. As the flames engulfed it and the powerful shockwave swept in, Rost and Nicholas, inside the flagship's command center, hadn't even had time to react to what had happened!

Their instincts compelled them to deploy their defenses, but these formidable barriers crumbled in an instant. Even 'space' and 'power' could not protect their bodies in time before they were activated. A massive surge of energy slammed into them, destroying their limbs, withering their flesh, and sending their souls howling in agony!

"—Nicayabin!"

A fleeting pale purple light flashed and disappeared, and the next moment the two appeared in another pre-positioned starship. Before they could even gain a foothold, a second wave of explosions followed, pulverizing their second foothold into dust once more!

"What are you doing!" Rost roared angrily, stretching out his giant arms to protect his head and face. His body shattered repeatedly in the chaotic energy explosions, only to be rapidly restored by his enhanced bloodline and activated 'power'. And the next moment, an incomparably dazzling light enveloped his vision.

Those are naval cannons.

The dispersed starship formation provided the expeditionary fleet with excellent vantage points of attack while also ensuring that the location of every unit within the fleet was within firing range. And when Patchouli's detection system detected the message transmitted by Senju and his companion, the spies already embedded within the command system came into play.

It was just a fleeting moment!

Videos recording the hypnosis and brainwashing of the ship captains and commanders, along with footage of the numerous atrocities committed by Sen Zhou and his accomplice on the flagship, were sent to every display screen on every starship! Almost simultaneously, within a mere two seconds, the adjutants and military police in each ship's command center, as if pre-arranged, suddenly executed emergency procedures, stripping the captains and military commanders of their control!

Then the artillery fire, which had already been fully charged, followed.

Rost roared in defiance, and with that roar, the purple light enveloping the two of them blazed forth once more. They quickly appeared atop another starship. Explosions and artillery fire engulfed them once more.

"This can't go on!" Nijabin roared, unleashing a purple glow from his 'space' to shield the two. The battle with the Central Continent team just hours earlier seemed to be repeating itself.

"The 'space' has a limited lifespan! We can only hold on for five more minutes or launch seven more jumps before we lose the 'space's' ability to defend!" His words were filled with anger. The Zhongzhou team had previously dealt them a blow in this way, and this time, falling into the same trap drove them mad!

"Then find them just like before! Drag them into the same battlefield as us, just like you did before!" Rost roared, his tightly gripped Sword of Victory continuously unleashing its true name to deflect the ranged artillery fire beyond the purple light barrier. His wounds healed completely in this short time, but his slightly pale skin indicated that this was no easy feat.

Nijabin abruptly closed his eyes, then opened them again a few seconds later.

"...No!" His eyes blazed with a chilling, almost tangible fire. "I can't pinpoint the location of the Central Continent Team at all. They might not even be on these starships. And we haven't been able to verify the starships' timestamps one by one!"

He knew very well that the reason he and his companion had been able to sift through the Central Plains team's starships from the Hunting Fleet was because the Hunting Fleet itself only had about thirty starships. The area was small, the firepower was weak, and they had been the ones who initiated the attack. Finding the enemy wasn't difficult. However, the situation was different now. The Expeditionary Allied Fleet had hundreds of starships, hundreds of times more powerful, and it was simply impossible to find their flagship!

Because the flagship phone was destroyed from the very beginning!

"This won't do!" he screamed. "The 'space's' self-charging rate is far from enough! We must teleport to a safe place before the 'space's' energy runs out! Otherwise, we'll be worn down here sooner or later, with nowhere to escape!"

"And they hid as deep as burrowing rats!"

"Then do it!" Rost abruptly turned his head, his eyes flashing with a terrifying, bloodthirsty light. He abruptly stopped unleashing the Sword of Victory, and in a single stride, he tore through the void to Nigaabin's side, grabbing the man's shoulder firmly. "Now! Immediately!"

The moment his fingers touched Nijabin, they were obstructed by a layer of purplish-black light. In the blink of an eye, that light membrane, triggered by 'power,' spontaneously dissipated and cracked!

"You son of a bitch, get your hand off me! You almost shattered my Netherworld! Are you trying to kill us all here?!" Nijabin angrily shoved Rost's hand away. The purple light barrier surrounding the two suddenly contracted, transforming into a sphere that firmly sealed them both. The sphere's outline then became ethereal and indistinct, and with a flickering light, the two members of the Senzhou team vanished without a trace in an instant.

The wreckage of the warship where they had been standing was immediately engulfed by endless artillery fire. The endless light and heat instantly destroyed the fragments of the wreckage along with the spatial structure of that area, leaving not even a millimeter-sized piece of debris.

The noisy starry sky fell silent.

Just as the fleet ceased its bombardment and each starship reassigned new captains and battlefield commanders according to emergency protocols, all the videos playing the nauseating recordings suddenly switched, revealing Patchouli's half-body image.

"I am Patchouli, Patchouli Knowledge." The young female officer in the video spoke with a serious expression and slightly reddened eyes. "Here, I have some unfortunate news to share. Our hunting fleet has suffered an unexpected attack in outer space. A special kind of insectoid creature, parasitizing human survivors, attacked us, causing casualties on several starships..."

"That's right, the host organisms of those alien insectoids are the two white men shown in the video just now. According to the intelligence we obtained during our battle with them, we know that they possess at least mind control and long-distance teleportation abilities. Although we discovered them in time and inflicted some damage on them with heavy firepower, we ultimately failed to completely destroy them."

She held out her hand, and a meticulously edited video documenting the expeditionary fleet's 'heroic' battle against the alien species began playing in the lower right corner of the screen. Simultaneously, a list displaying the vague attributes of the two members of the Senzhou team rapidly expanded on the screen; those rows of terrifying numbers sent chills down one's spine!

The soldiers began to stir restlessly.

Some hidden information, lurking within the network and the light signals of the videos, influenced them, making them brave and fanatical. Even the most cautious veterans showed fear and hatred towards the alien insectoid race in their eyes. And then, a voice, spoken clearly but by an unknown voice, quietly rang in the soldiers' ears.

"We cannot allow this thing to get close to Earth!"

Almost instantly, a frenzied yet fear-filled roar swept through the entire expeditionary fleet. Anxiety about their homeland, combined with fear and hatred of the alien species, ultimately transformed into a sense of unwavering courage and mission. This sense of mission solidified their resolve to fight, but it also clouded their judgment, causing them to 'unconsciously' forget the minor incident just minutes earlier when their fleet's fire control system had been forcibly manipulated to destroy a friendly starship—a seemingly minor overreach.

A small group of perceptive individuals sensed something was amiss, but the will of the masses often easily overrides individual emotions. They were quickly swayed and infected, becoming part of the fanatical soldiers. Patchouli in the video quietly granted them several seconds of frenzied activity. Then, she gently raised her hand.

The soldiers immediately fell silent.

"I am saddened that the aliens attacked our fleet. I also grieve for the fallen soldiers. But grief is our sorrow, and we cannot waste the opportunity they gained for us. They have been repelled, and we must pursue them relentlessly, giving them no time to breathe!"

"This is not revenge!" she suddenly raised her voice. "This is our duty! This is our vow to protect humanity! The enemy is undoubtedly humanity's enemy, and we will surely wipe them out!"

"Our experts have calculated the direction of their jump. Everyone knows that place: Korenda, that insectoid planet, the beginning of all this nightmare and disaster. And now, it's time to end it all!"

The entire combined fleet remained silent for about three seconds.

then……

"End all of this!" a wounded veteran shouted.

"End all of this!" a group of passionate recruits shouted.

"End all of this!" The officers and the surviving mid-level generals all raised their clenched fists!

The sounds coalesced into a tangible will. This will propelled the entire combined fleet toward Kolenda, and all the large weapons began recharging.

They want to evacuate their comrades who are still on the insect planet, and then completely erase the planet from the universe!

Fifteen seconds later, everything that happened in the expeditionary fleet reached Earth—and its many federal colonies—through the delayed message transmission channels.

Chapter 55 The Curse of Immaturity

The purple light vanished abruptly, and the next moment, the two members of the Senzhou team appeared in a desolate wasteland on the planet Kolenda. Spatial rifts caused by the teleportation error were bursting around them, one of which grazed Rost's right arm, causing him to let out a low groan.

"Damn Zhongzhou Team, damned Federation Expeditionary Force! I will use the karmic fire of the underworld to burn your souls to ashes!" Nijabin clenched his fist in anger, his spiritual power spreading outwards without restraint, and a raging storm immediately swept across the vast wasteland.

He abruptly closed his eyes, and a faint purple light flashed briefly on his forehead.

“Damn it.” His anger grew even more pronounced. “The power of ‘space’ is completely overloaded. We won’t be able to use long-distance space-level teleportation for the next few hours. Damn it! We’ll have to hide on this damn planet for the next few hours!”

“This is so unlike you, Nijabin. I haven’t seen you so distraught in a long time.” Rost’s deep voice came from beside him. He turned around and saw that the wound on Rost’s right arm had healed rapidly under his will, leaving only a faint white line.

Rost's strength was greatly depleted. His 'strength' was also greatly depleted.

"Hmph." Nijabin realized his loss of composure and quickly calmed down, reverting to his original cold and serpentine demeanor.

"The losses were too great, and for a while, things got a little out of control," he explained.

"Is that so? I thought you were about to break through to the fourth tier and had your inner demons stirred up." Rost chuckled in a low voice, it was hard to tell how much mockery was in his smile. But Nijabin clearly didn't care much about this verbal provocation, it seemed he had truly calmed down.

Nijabin stretched out his hand and set up a temporary shield to block the two of them from the outside.

"The situation is very bad now." He quickly analyzed, "We underestimated the Zhongzhou team after all. The people that the captain values ​​are obviously not opponents we can easily defeat. Perhaps, we were in their scheme from the very beginning."

Rost frowned. He said in a muffled voice, "Tell me."

“Although we inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, we didn’t actually kill a single member.” Nijabin wasn’t angry. He calmly considered the situation, a deep, dark light flickering in his eyes. “From beginning to end, only two members of the enemy team fought against us. And obviously, a Reincarnation Squad couldn’t possibly have only a few main combat members.”

“Perhaps they fought to a standstill with the Nan Yan team,” Rost questioned. “We haven’t made contact with the Nan Yan team yet. It’s possible they have similar strength to the Zhongzhou team.”

“That is indeed possible, but we should think of the worst-case scenario.” Nijabin shook his head. “In any case, the Central Continent team is the weakest team in the God’s evaluation. Since they defeated the Southern Flame Continent team, which was rated higher than them, it means that they have a history of suppressing their evaluation – it is very unlikely that they are a breeding team like us, so it means that they have just experienced a total wipeout.”

"They resurrected the powerful, which explains why we can't find the other main combatants. But do you remember, the female spellcaster never attacked us from beginning to end. She only activated the teleportation when she detonated the superweapon at the end—using the method of activating the main god to provide the item. Therefore, I judge that they are hiding their strength."

"Hiding their strength?" Rost's furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. "Ha, it seems they still harbor the arrogance to defy the Lord. How...foolish! I can't wait to crush those arrogant heads of theirs."

"Don't get too cocky, Rost. The fact that they've been holding back their strength since engaging us means they're confident of victory. Of course, their confidence is nothing but dust under the Lord's true power, but for us, it might be a deadly threat."

Nijabin looked up at the sky.