Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Lightning struck the barrier.

As the mental storm summoned by Zhan Lan transformed into a dense barrage of lightning and crashed down, the spellcasters in the Celestial Team reacted almost simultaneously—a white mage raised an ornately decorated staff, and the light emanating from its tip expanded rapidly, instantly blocking all the lightning summoned by Zhan Lan.

[At midnight, immediately relocate after the sniping.]

The barrier held for half a second—and then, with a soft 'poof,' the entire shield of light was reduced to dust by a sniper bullet that had come from a great distance. With a scream that contained little pain, the white mage's multiple protective shields and a magical artifact he had used to save his life crumbled along with the shield—the sniper bullet had ultimately failed to kill him. Before he could react in time and cast another spell to protect himself, another Celestial Spellcaster erected another solid wall.

It was a barrier that blocked observation, and it was also specially designed to resist both elemental and physical attacks. Undoubtedly, the lightning falling from the sky was completely blocked by this barrier. And just as it shattered helplessly on the barrier's surface, the first round of attack and defense between the two teams was completed.

[Zhan Lan, protect yourself and move to another location.]

[Rogan said, "Be prepared."]

The mental storm abruptly subsided. Now that it was confirmed that the second, sturdy shell couldn't be dealt with in the short term, the first priority was to relocate those who had been exposed—there was no need to worry about Zero Point, but the urgent task was to deal with Zhan Lan's side.

—She stopped chanting almost the instant she received the signal, and several defensive spells swiftly and decisively wove a protective barrier around her!

'flutter--'

Like a bubble bursting, an assassin lurking in the darkness appeared beside her. The many defenses Zhan Lan had prepared were almost useless against a dagger with a devilish relief, and the next moment, the assassin's blade severed her head!

'crunch—'

The assassin's movements paused almost imperceptibly the instant he succeeded. The unusual feel, the strange sound, and the absent divine pronouncement unmistakably revealed one fact—Zhan Lan's form abruptly transformed into a pre-prepared substitute puppet the moment her head was severed. Immediately afterward, the air around the assassin thickened like glue!

Zhan Lan is the spellcaster, the key node, and also the key bait. As the one who initiated the ambush, she has the greatest possibility of being counterattacked. Therefore, Xiao Honglu, who planned this surprise attack, would naturally have taken this possibility of being counterattacked into his calculations.

Zhan Lan fulfilled her duties, both overtly and covertly.

Immediately following, a devastating shell arrived above the assassin's location!

That was a volcanic cannon, nuclear-powered. The explosive charge came from a fragment of the core of the Tango Ghost Star in the Star World. The conceptual trauma and physical destructive energy surge that the planet experienced before its death were magically contained within a perfectly sealed fragment. Whether in a world leaning towards materialism or idealism, this cannonball was equivalent to the planet's dying scream.

Undoubtedly, the cry was exceptionally loud. Accompanied by an explosion, flames, earthquake, and shockwave, the single-shot volcanic cannon fired by the massive Titan piloted by Logandao blasted the area where Zhan Lan had been standing into a massive, burning basin. This horrific result caused Logandao, sitting in the Titan's cockpit, to instinctively whistle. However, a long-range alarm that followed immediately sent a chill down Logandao's spine.

The power of the volcano cannon was undeniable, yet the main god hadn't sent any team battle scoring messages. Realizing this, Logan immediately followed the emergency plan and rapidly ascended into the air—the instant he and his giant robot left the ground, a massive amount of dark energy erupted from the entire area where they had been standing. Had he and his robot not reacted in time, that single burst would have taken a significant portion of his life.

[The operation mode has shifted to the backup plan – the enemy's counterattack is not resolute; they may be preparing something big, and we must interrupt their actions in advance.]

The offensive and defensive positions shifted again—Rogando slammed a large red button marked with a bang, and with a series of explosions, hundreds of missiles, calibrated to track specific energy reactions, were released from inside the Titan. They rained down on the Celestials' location like a storm. Two-thirds of them were shot down by the Celestials' ranged ability users, but the remaining third still reached their targets, turning several kilometers of grassland and hills into a sea of ​​fire.

While not as powerful as a volcanic cannon, these missiles serve a different purpose than mere destruction. When they explode, powerful energy interference, accompanied by flames that are essentially ineffective, spreads in all directions, unleashing chaotic energy storms in the areas they cover!

[Life forms that haven't reached the transcendental level, or are on the verge of transcendence, are unable to significantly mobilize energy within the area affected by the jamming missiles. It's time to bring out the Celestials' main combat force.]

Xiao Honglu, riding the red-eyed black dragon formed from the remains of Smaug, hid in the clouds about fifteen kilometers above the ground, silently observing the development of the battle on the ground. Ba Wang and Ming Yanwei had been poised on the dragon's back for some time, waiting only for the opportune moment to strike.

—The third strongest member of the Celestial Team is named Adam. As the team's captain, he undoubtedly possesses the energy to unlock at least the third-tier gene lock. Xiao Honglu, who is waiting here, has come with the aim of probing Adam's strength as much as possible while suppressing the Celestial Team. However, it is clear that the first goal is still far from being achieved.

[Strange, why hasn't Adam made a move yet... We can't afford to waste any more time with him.]

[Zhang Heng, use the elf's earth ritual.]

Xiao Honglu made a hand gesture, and while controlling the Red-Eyed Black Dragon to dive downwards, his will, accompanied by a brief command, reached a certain point on the ground. The next moment, the earth shook violently!

Surface disturbances have no effect on the underground, and if the Celestials notice this 'gap' and take action, then this elven ritual that summons an earthquake could give them an unexpected surprise. Even if they don't take the underground route, the destruction of their foothold would severely impact the barriers used to conceal their vision and provide defense!

The next moment, the defensive barrier that had blocked external observation was completely destroyed by the earth's fission and the dragon fire that descended from the sky! And then—!

Xiao Honglu's eyes widened.

Something unexpected happened, or rather, something completely beyond his comprehension.

—The Celestials ran away.

They abandoned two powerful individuals with fourth-tier combat strength and simply ran away.

No… to be precise, the Celestial Team's reincarnators didn't just run away 'directly'. When Xiao Honglu sensed something amiss and subconsciously looked up at the sky, he discovered the Celestial Team's actions before leaving—they summoned a giant meteorite ten kilometers in diameter before departing, and its final landing point, without much calculation, was precisely Rohan, hundreds of kilometers away!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Battle - The First Battle Ends

"You've chosen a good team, Luo Yinglong."

Witnessing the enormous meteor plummeting from the top of the sky, a rare glint of anger appeared in Zhang Jie's eyes. He knew he couldn't turn a blind eye to this man-made natural disaster, nor could he allow Zheng Zha to continue dealing with Song Tian of the Celestial Team in the spacetime storm without informing him of this.

His gaze shifted, fixing on the cultivator who, like himself, was battered and bruised, clearly suffering significant injuries. In the previous battle, the two had been evenly matched, locked in a stalemate, both sustaining considerable wounds. However, the local stalemate was influenced by the overall battle situation, and it was clear that the Central Continent team held the upper hand.

However, that advantage has vanished.

If failing to capture Song Tian and Luo Yinglong would have serious consequences, that would be one thing; Zhang Jie wasn't incapable of making the tough decision to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives in the story world for the safety of the Zhongzhou team members. However, the problem was that such serious consequences didn't exist yet. Adam had escaped, the strength of the Celestial Team had been ascertained, and they could be eliminated sooner or later. The battle between fourth-tier opponents was clearly not going to be easily decided. If Zheng Zha could defeat Song Tian, ​​he should have already ended the battle. Since the outcome was still undecided, it was clear that without external intervention, even fighting for several more hours wouldn't guarantee Song Tian's survival.

Ultimately, the Gene Lock system is a cultivation system that prioritizes survival. Compared to other extraordinary paths, those who reach the fourth-tier Gene Lock have a natural advantage in the area of ​​prolonging their lives. A powerful individual who has unlocked a high-level Gene Lock, as long as they don't fall in the first blow, can probably barely hold on until the thousandth blow arrives—Xiao Honglu's original strategy was to use superior forces to suppress the Celestial Team's combat power here, and then wait for the forces from other areas to complete their objectives before joining forces to completely suppress this opposing team. However, clearly, this path is no longer viable.

Since they can't win, a draw is the only option. Continuing to drag it out isn't out of the question, but then the Zhongzhou team will lose something important.

Zhang Jie shifted slightly, making way for Luo Yinglong within his Nightmare Domain, while simultaneously glancing at Luo Yinglong, whose face was ashen. The latter, though steadily suspended in the sky, trembled slightly with rage.

He was furious, and Zhang Jie could understand that anger.

"That Adam guy... he really knows how to do some pretty impressive things." Luo Yinglong covered half of his face, his single eye filled with undisguised violence and anger. He couldn't say anything more, couldn't do anything more. He simply reached into his pocket, took out a jade tablet, tossed it to Zhang Jie, and turned to leave without hesitation.

"I cannot tell you any information related to the Celestial Team, because that would also mean betrayal. Adam simply adopted the action strategy most advantageous to the Celestial Team, and I have no reason to accuse him..." He quickly departed, the light of the Azure Chain Sword carrying his form disappearing into the distance. In the instant his presence completely vanished, the words he had not finished saying at the beginning echoed in Zhang Jie's ears.

"...But I can't stand this kind of thing."

“I know your Central Plains team will take care of things, so I won’t stay and embarrass myself. That jade tablet contains some inheritances from the cultivation system that don’t involve my sect—if I’m not mistaken, the fourth-tier expert who fought Song Tian had a huge amount of alien true essence within him—this might be a self-taught method, or it might be a path he forged himself. But either way, it’s always good to have some orthodox information for reference.”

His voice gradually grew weaker and weaker until it became inaudible.

"...Next time, we'll settle this once and for all."

Luo Yinglong is gone.

As he disappeared and the meteor fell to an altitude of less than 100 kilometers above the ground, the spatial storm that had cut off all means of communication was cleaved open by Zheng Zha with a single strike after he was alerted by a trigger mechanism based on quantum entanglement. Almost simultaneously, he saw the falling meteor in the sky, and without a second thought, he abandoned the already battered and bruised Song Tian and propelled himself into the air, fueled by the energy surging around him.

Song Tian was sensible enough not to linger and try to gain an advantage—if he had tried, Zheng Zha would have been willing to turn the entire Kingdom of Rohan into scorched earth to kill him on the spot—he turned and left without hesitation after escaping the spatial storm. His escape speed was no less than that of Luo Yinglong, who was riding a flying sword.

The brief encounter with the Celestials has come to an end.

The Zhongzhou team gained an absolute advantage in the team battle with less than half their strength. However, they ultimately failed to achieve any victories. Their own strength and the resulting confidence filled the minds of the Zhongzhou team's reincarnators, giving them the confidence to fight against both good and evil without harming innocent lives. Perhaps this should be called arrogance, but when Zheng Zha, in his flying star form, soared into the sky and firmly caught the meteorite at the top of the heavens, then simply carried it and gently placed it on a low-lying area of ​​the ground, perhaps this arrogance could also be called composure.

perhaps.

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

Neos collapsed to the ground with a thud. All the energy in his body was completely locked by a special mechanism, his mind was suppressed, and all his spellcasting tools were stripped away. He had anticipated the worst outcome when he faced defeat, but this imprisonment still took him by surprise.

There were no jailers; he had been teleported here out of thin air. The Red-Eyed Black Dragon's breath dealt him a heavy blow, but after breaking through his magical defenses, it didn't kill him. The only thing he sensed before falling was a wave of darkness rushing towards him, a darkness that seemed similar to the spatial rift that had swallowed Gandalf.

The Central Plains team didn't kill him; instead, they imprisoned his power and threw him into a crystal-like cage. And not only him, but everyone else suffered the same fate—including the main characters, each imprisoned in a cylindrical solitary cell with a transparent barrier. The soles of their feet and the ceiling were made of an unknown, solid material, and the transparent barrier itself was clearly indestructible to the touch.

The strange barrier, though sturdy, allowed wind and sound to pass through. Perhaps it wasn't a completely material structure, and this discovery dissuaded Neos from continuing his exploration.

[...There was no message from the main god, and none of us were killed. I don't recall the Central Plains Team being such a merciful force, so...what's the point of doing this?]

"Are they trying to use us to blackmail the main characters...? Yes, the hobbits are indeed quite sentimental. We've helped them a lot, and they won't ignore us—if I had to give a reason, that would be it. If I were in their shoes, I really can't see why they'd need to spare their rival's life at this point."

[But if that's the case, why did they lock up the main characters as well? To let them experience firsthand just how impenetrable this cage is? No, it can't be that stupid. But if not, then what's going on?]

[Could it be... an experiment!? Hmm... my head is starting to hurt.]

His pupils contracted, and he forcibly suppressed the thoughts that kept overflowing from his mind by disabling his genetic lock. He wasn't sure if the Central Continent Team had installed a mind-reading device in this prison. Although his enhanced attributes were imprisoned, his talent level at the third-tier genetic lock still remained.

The third stage of the gene lock: brain control. Exercising this power requires paying a price in terms of energy or physical strength. That brief moment of contemplation alone had already depleted his already dwindling energy. A feeling of weakness immediately washed over him.

He looked around and, unsurprisingly, saw everyone he recognized. Except for the unfortunate soul killed by the shadow and Esdeath, the captain of the Southern Flame Continent team, all the other reincarnators or plot characters were imprisoned in these cages—clearly, the end of that raid was not far off. He discovered that, apart from himself and Richard, who had been beaten into a deep coma, everyone else was in a deep sleep induced by the mental shock.

No, there is still one person awake.

"Neos, over here." Accompanied by a familiar voice, Neos noticed the person who had fallen into the cage first. It was a wise sage in white robes. Even though he had lost his power and strength, and his once strong body had become as weak as a genuine old man, his eyes were still full of wisdom.

It was Gandalf, the first to be captured by the spatial rift. And he was also the only one besides Neos who remained conscious.

"It's rather awkward to reunite under these circumstances, Master Gandalf... Have you discovered anything?" Neos managed a weak smile. Ever since landing in this unknown region, he felt his mind was in a strange state of chaos. Not only was his thinking slow, but his perception of danger was also completely muddled—after deactivating the genetic lock that required a great deal of physical and energy, he felt every moment that he would die at any moment, yet when that moment passed, the undeniable fact of survival proved his foolishness.

He was no longer able to think properly... or rather, he began to doubt his own thinking abilities.

“This shouldn’t be Middle-earth, Mr. Neos. I can’t sense the power of Valinor here, and not just Valinor, but even the darkness of Mordor shows no trace of its presence.” Gandalf, supporting himself with his white staff, rose to his feet. Having lost all protection, the staff in his hand had truly become an old man’s cane. He looked around, and his gaze swept over Frodo with a slight sigh of relief.

The Ring was still on Frodo's person. Although the hobbit was asleep, the mithril chain hanging around his neck revealed a sliver of the Ring's gold edge. Gandalf wished he could go and wake Frodo himself or put the ring back on him, but it was clear that he, having lost all his power, was incapable of doing so.

"This should be a separate, enclosed space."

There must be a reason why they didn't kill us, and there must be a reason why they imprisoned the protagonist of the story... Hmm, thinking without unlocking the genetic lock is so difficult. So let's refrain from commenting on the Central Plains Team for now, and just share the intelligence we've discovered, and try to maintain the status quo as much as possible...

Neos reached out and touched the solid, semi-transparent barrier in front of him—he had already confirmed that this barrier was far beyond his current ability to destroy, and this repeated touch undoubtedly confirmed his guess a second time.

“This is a prop, a container. The Central Continent Team must have detached a space from the world and then turned it into a base. And we are now trapped in the cage of this base.” His fingertips lightly tapped the barrier before him, a strange sensation lingering in his heart. “These walls are probably a manifestation of spatial partitions. Wind can pass through, sound can pass through, and perhaps matter can also reach the inside from the outside—what prevents us from leaving is not a physical wall, but an insurmountable distance. The only way to leave is by relying on brute force strong enough to distort the spatial structure.”

"...How much force do you need, Neos?" Another voice rang out, and Neos turned his head, unsurprisingly seeing Aragorn staring intently at him. As the future King of Men, Aragorn already possessed power similar to his own, so it wasn't unexpected that he had awakened before the others.

“That’s not the kind of strength a human could muster.” Neos shook his head slightly with a wry smile. “You’d have to become as strong as an ancient dragon and concentrate the power of a full-force strike into a pinhead-sized area to even have a chance of doing that. But right now… we have no way to do that.”

"Gandalf?" Aragorn looked at the powerless white wizard with disbelief.

“He’s right, we’re helpless right now.” Gandalf shook his head. He suddenly sat down, leaning against the barrier like a useless old man. Just as he did so, a teleportation light shone outside the cage.

A group of people, whom Neos had not expected, appeared outside the cage.

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

Ah... that weird script is finally finished. My ship just keeps sinking.

Ultimately, I decided to abandon Shinji and use Sakura as the protagonist, fighting Shadowverse in a world of trashy characters. The book is titled "Daily Sakura Poems." Those interested can check it out and add it to their favorites!

Section 28. The Victors' Post-War Summary

Meanwhile, on the outside of the Tower of Babel world.

With the battle against the Celestials concluded, this assault operation launched by the Central Continent Team came to a less than satisfactory end. Having received the rendezvous signal, everyone assembled at the top of the Isengard Tower—when the last action team, carried by Xiao Honglu in his crimson-eyed black dragon, arrived at Isengard and took their seats in the conference hall. The post-battle debriefing and next steps for this assault operation then commenced.

"First of all..." Zheng Zha cleared his throat, about to give his usual celebratory opening remarks, when he suddenly sensed something was off. He coughed twice and then turned his gaze to Chu Xuan. "...First of all, I won't waste any more time with pleasantries. This wasn't exactly a major operation, and while it wasn't perfect, the basic objectives have been largely achieved. So, Chu Xuan, you can summarize it, and then we'll proceed with the next steps of the plan."

"It's alright, the current result is within the scope of the plan's adjustments." Chu Xuan pushed up his glasses, his gaze, as always, not touching Xiao Honglu, who looked dejected. "Although our combat strength is the strongest, it doesn't mean we can do whatever we want. The Celestial Team is an enemy that requires more combat power to ensure its annihilation. With our current strength, we are still somewhat overwhelmed in dealing with the main characters and four teams at the same time."

"Four teams? Including the East China Sea team—they've made their move?" Zheng Zha was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, that includes the East Blue Team. Or it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are more troublesome enemies than the Heavenly God Team. But it's not the right time to deal with them yet. So let's put this topic aside for now."

“But failure is still failure.” He tapped his finger lightly on the table.

Xiao Honglu suddenly raised his head, seemingly wanting to argue something. But in the end, he lowered his head again without uttering a word, his entire being enveloped in a visibly oppressive atmosphere. Undoubtedly, his attempt to seize control of the narrative in this horror movie would come to an end. At least until the next horror movie, he wouldn't challenge Chu Xuan's authority again.

His strength and wisdom would be channeled in the right direction, and Zheng Zha, having understood this intention, naturally chose to remain silent. This level of reprimand was far from enough to affect the internal unity of the Zhongzhou team or Xiao Honglu's mental health; at most, he would take some time after the meeting to have a life-changing talk with Xiao Honglu—something Zheng Zha had done many times before and was quite adept at.