Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Alice suddenly opened her eyes and saw a golden sphere of light floating in the pure white square.

His body was suspended in the air. Except for one hand and foot which were mostly intact, almost all of his internal organs were destroyed, his bones were broken, and his muscles were torn. Even though his genetic lock was still active, he could only live for a few dozen seconds at most.

Full body repair? No, we don't have the time!

"God, missing person notice, angel dust, soul-suppressing solution. Exchange one of each!"

"Open the list of past worlds and redeem one day of time to return to the real world!"

The tens of thousands of reward points vanished instantly, and immediately afterward, a document and two syringes appeared before her. Along with them, a light screen appeared, displaying a line of text she could understand.

生化危机一

Alien 2

Ju-on 2

The Mummy

The Real World [Gensokyo]

Real world [███]

Alice's pupils contracted abruptly the moment she saw the last line.

【How is that possible!?】

No, I don't have time for that right now!

"God, I need to enter the 'real world [Gensokyo]' immediately!"

The scene before her eyes changed instantly, and a few milliseconds later, a feeling of loss swept over her entire body.

She fell onto a bed, blood gushing from the severed wounds on her hands and feet. Her still-functioning right hand gripped the angel dust syringe, about to plunge it into her carotid artery!

Her gaze swept past the clock hanging beside the bed...

[Only ten minutes have passed since I usually wake up... Wait, the maintenance system has been restarted? How could I possibly balance the curse if I'm not here!?]

Her brow twitched, and her right hand, gripping the syringe, immediately released its grip. The puppet strings wrapped throughout the room trembled slightly, and a powerful healing barrier was instantly activated. Blood loss stopped, damaged organs rapidly healed, and even the severed hand and empty eye sockets immediately sprouted granulation tissue, returning to a state of near-complete recovery in the blink of an eye.

Two little dolls dressed in princess dresses flew out of the cupboard, looking at her with concern as they showered her with light containing high energy.

"Shanghai, Penglai..."

Alice's eyes showed a look of doubt. According to her calculations, once she left Gensokyo, the mechanism maintaining the balance between her and Patchouli's respective curses would completely collapse within thirty seconds. The uncontrolled energy would be enough to raze the Dollhouse to the ground in an instant, and while Patchouli's side had the Scarlet Devil Mansion's barrier to resist the energy rampage, the unbalanced curse would also kill her very quickly.

That's why Alice obtained information about potions from the God's exchange list from Zhang Jie. After careful consideration, she decided to exchange for Angel Dust and Soul-Suppressing Solution—the former would allow her at least half an hour of activity time without the God's repair, while the latter could forcibly extend Patchouli's life by one day if she wasn't dead.

However, now...

"The system restarted within thirty seconds, and a replacement was installed. But how is that possible... No one but me could do that, not even Patchouli..."

"Even Patchouli couldn't do it, so I guess I'd say that now."

A mechanical, synthesized voice suddenly rang out beside her. She turned around abruptly, and a figure that made her gasp appeared before her.

That was... another version of her!

"No need to be surprised, I am Alice Margotroyd from the Demon Team. When I left the Legend of Gods and Demons, the Supreme God told me that it would copy the most promising people in the entire cycle of reincarnation into the Demon Team. Although I think it's a lie, I guess you can understand now. Me from the Central Continent Team."

Alice's gaze shifted downwards, and she noticed that faint light was projected from the two dolls from Shanghai and Penglai, and the light screen combined in the air to form a blurry image.

The image seemed to have been manipulated; she couldn't accurately discern the figure's form. But she knew it was herself, another version of herself, completely different from the one she was now.

Another version of herself was wearing a blood-red long dress.

"This is a recording; a conversation is impossible. Don't ask me how I bypassed the main god and teleported here before you, and don't ask me how I left behind this message that might reveal the cycle of reincarnation. You'll understand when you ask someone named Chu Xuan; explaining that is far too troublesome."

"In short, I returned to Gensokyo ten seconds after leaving, restarted the balancing mechanism, set up a barrier substitute, and left this recording for you. Don't worry about Patchouli, and don't worry about me taking her away, because the Demon Team can't recruit people this way. Just listen to what I have to say, then take Patchouli away and make her successfully unlock the lock on her own in the three [official] horror movies. That way, she will be copied into the Demon Team, saving me from being bothered here all day."

Alice stopped her hand, which was about to close the doll.

“We were originally one, just like how we used to operate the clone with multi-threaded thinking. Although our memories are different, our experiences are different, and our souls have become two separate parts, I have no interest in playing this boring game of ‘fighting for self’ with you. The Central Plains Team and the Demon Team will have a battle sooner or later, and if Patty hasn’t been copied into the Demon Team by then, let’s merge back into one.”

"But before that, I can tell you some information. When I arrived at the Demon Team, the Demon Team was on the verge of being wiped out due to an internal reshuffle. So their evaluation by the Main God was very low, and their time flow was slower compared to other teams. By the time you see this, I will have already experienced three more horror movies and unlocked my genetic lock to the third stage. Of course, there are also guys in the team who are stronger than me. You should be able to guess who it is."

"Zheng Zha...? And the one you just mentioned?"

"It's good that you can guess; there's no need to say it aloud. In short, as the price for leaving Patchi with you for the time being, I'll take the puppet army from Shanghai and Penglai, as well as the original text of the Apocalypse. I'm sure the remaining supplies will be enough for you."

"I will take over some of the unfinished experiments, and you will be responsible for the rest. In addition, I have three other requests that you need to handle."

"First, go save the world. You should know who issued the commission, and you should also know which world it is."

"Secondly, resurrect a person named Chu Xuan. This is the price I have to pay for obtaining the means to get here. You should be able to guess what that means, client."

“Third…” The other Alice hesitated for a moment. “This comes from a request I made. If you ever encounter a white-haired woman with six wings, don’t hesitate, beat her to a pulp.”

Section Two: May This Moment Last Forever

The projection, claiming to be a clone of Alice, dissipated after the playback ended. As she uttered her last word, the medical barrier within the dollhouse healed Alice's battered body to a great extent. The tiny doll Shanghai timely appeared beside her with a pile of nutrient solutions and considerately opened the lids for her.

"Thank you, Shanghai." She reached out and patted the doll's head, then took the highly concentrated nutrient solution and swallowed it in one gulp. Soon, her weak body was filled with strength again. Penglai also flew over, carrying a book with a black cover and a red cross crossed in the center.

The book is missing pages; at least half of the pages have been removed. This was undoubtedly the work of the clone Alice, since the book is of no use to any being other than [Alice Margotrovid].

This is her notebook, recording all the experimental projects she failed to complete. These were goals she could never achieve in her lifetime, but after coming into contact with the Supreme God and the cycle of reincarnation, everything will change.

The copy took half of it, and she had to deal with the remaining half. She turned to the first page, and a line of Old English that she had written herself hundreds of years ago appeared before her eyes.

“Item Three, the Genesis Project… Tsk, they actually dumped the most troublesome work on me. Enough already.” She shook her head slightly and closed the book.

[You took items one, two, four, and five. But you left item three... This kind of tactic of leaving things unsaid isn't my style. Is there something I can't say? Hmm... I see, the Genesis Project, the commission to save the world... So that's what it means.]

She closed her eyes and thought for a few seconds.

Now is not the time to think about these things.

"Hōrai, prepare the highest level of supplies for the trip within 24 hours. I'm leaving the Humanoid Pavilion to you."

"Shanghai, prepare an anti-gravity field for me. Set off for the Scarlet Devil Mansion immediately."

Her will was quickly carried out. Accompanied by a gentle breeze and a quietly spreading force field, the girl's body floated lightly out of the dollhouse, through the forest, over the dense canopy, and into view was a pure and vast blue sky.

The sun had just peeked out, and the cool morning breeze caressed the girl's face. Early birds fluttered their wings and chirped merrily in the woods, while wisps of smoke rose from the distant village.

This is Gensokyo.

A peaceful land where war and killing cease, where the air is forever pure and the water forever sweet. The final resting place for countless inhuman beings, a slumbering realm where they have relinquished all desire for struggle and simply await their destined end.

I no longer belong in this place.

Her gaze shifted, and her body moved with lightning speed toward the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Even though she deliberately suppressed the airflow, the atmosphere behind her was still violently pushed aside. The birds and small animals in the forest were startled by her movements and scattered in panic.

The killing intent she carried from the cycle of reincarnation still lingered within her. No matter how much she adjusted herself, her thought process, now in serious mode, couldn't be changed again in a short time. All she could do was try to get to the Scarlet Devil Mansion as soon as possible without disturbing others, and resolve this matter as soon as possible.

She passed through the forest and across the icy, misty lake—the fairies on the lake were still asleep at this time.

That's true. This is Gensokyo. Apart from those young and energetic guys, what reason would anyone else have to get up before ten o'clock?

She landed gently in front of the Scarlet Devil Mansion's gate. And just as she expected, the gatekeeper, Hong Meiling, was leaning against the wall, dozing off. Her red braids trembled rhythmically with her breathing, and she was hardly noticeable slacking off unless you looked closely.

Her name was always mispronounced, but Alice was not among those people.

"Meiling," Alice said softly, "Get up."

The next moment, the red-haired girl in green jumped three feet high as if she had been pricked by a needle, her eyes wide open like a pair of bells, her hands waving wildly in all sorts of incomprehensible and impressive gestures while she was shouting.

"Waaaaah! I didn't slack off, I just spaced out for a second! Don't dock my pay!"

"Calm down," Alice sighed softly. "It's me."

"Huh?" The gatekeeper froze in mid-air, striking a strange pose resembling a roc spreading its wings to peck at a shrimp. The confusion in his eyes didn't subside for a moment. "Is this Miss Alice? Are you here to see Lady Patchouli? But you don't usually only come on Saturdays..."

"This time is quite special."

“Alright.” The gatekeeper scratched his head and pushed open the gate. “This is the first time in decades, so something quite extraordinary must have happened. Should I inform the young lady…? Hmm? Why is your magic so weak…”

“It was just an accident, don’t worry about it,” Alice replied patiently. “I know Patchouli’s library much better than you do, so don’t worry about me getting into any trouble. However, informing Remilia is indeed necessary, so I’ll leave that to you.”

"Okay, then I won't interfere any further. But please don't come here after conducting dark magic experiments next time; your bloodlust is a bit too strong, and others won't like it."

Alice nodded, walked past the guard, and entered the Scarlet Devil Mansion's main hall.

She navigated the complex corridors and maze-like stairwells with practiced ease. Before long, she arrived at the main library, and as she reached out to push open the closed door, the door quietly opened before she could.

The library's familiar appeared before her.

“Lady Margot Lloyd.” The nameless imp bowed to her. “Lady Patchouli is still not awake. Should I go and wake her immediately?”

"No need, I can go by myself."

"Is that so? Then I won't disturb you two any longer." The little devil bowed respectfully. After leading Alice through the door, he flew outside and closed it. "Although I don't know why you would visit the library at an unscheduled time, there must be an important reason. I will wait outside, and please summon me immediately if needed."

"I understand," Alice replied, then ignored the little devil and went straight through the outer layer of the Great Library, heading in the direction her heart yearned to reach.

【finally……】

Her breathing became rapid, her heart pounded, and the composure she had managed to maintain crumbled quickly. But when she finally came into view of the beautiful woman sleeping soundly on the desk, she could no longer contain her emotions.

All the barriers and warning spells in the Great Library were ineffective against her. Patchouli never triggered any warning signals because of her arrival. Of course, the same applied to her and the Doll House.

She approached the desk quietly, gazing at the sleeping face. Perhaps due to a bad dream, the gentle young woman's brow was slightly furrowed even in her sleep. Her long, flowing purple hair spread across the desk, emitting an alluring fragrance. Her pale lips were gently pursed, as delicate as flower petals after a fresh rain.

Alice's mood quickly calmed down.

Everything I sacrificed was worth it.

She gently took the girl's slender hand in hers, and the moment their fingertips touched, the girl's furrowed brows relaxed, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips.

Those bright eyes opened, revealing a look of surprise.

"Alice..."

Section 3: Meeting is difficult, parting is even more difficult

That smile suddenly turned into panic in an instant.

"The scent on you... Are you injured? What happened to your magic furnace!?" The pale purple beauty grabbed Alice's hand in a panic, carelessly pushing aside the desk, her cherished magic books falling to the ground like trash. She instinctively activated all the magic circles in the entire Great Library, including the Scarlet Devil Mansion's magic supply; an immense amount of magic was mobilized, about to coalesce into a massive spell in the air.

"At least the curse should be placed on..."

Her movements froze.