Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Now that the apparent objective had been achieved, Chu Xuan naturally wouldn't waste any more time. He raised his hand, and a projection screen showing the imprisoned status of the main characters and the members of the Southern Flame Continent team appeared in the center of the conference hall. Including Esdeath, who was placed in a separate area, all the subtle changes of the imprisoned individuals were brought into the view of the Central Continent team members.

"First, we successfully captured the entire Southern Flame Legion and the Fellowship of the Ring in this raid, without causing any casualties. In the battle with Gandalf, I confirmed the truth that the Valinor gods cannot easily reach this world. Of course, if I had killed Gandalf directly, it might have triggered some unpredictable consequences."

“But we don’t need to kill Gandalf, do we?” Zheng Zha shrugged. He was actually quite satisfied with the current situation—a resounding victory without a single casualty. After all, the Central Continent team now held an absolute advantage. To defeat the other Reincarnation teams, all they needed was planning and time—and the Central Continent team had both.

After all, Zheng is someone who possesses a three-stage progressive thought process: 'I want to protect my teammates'—'I want to protect my allies'—'I want to protect the innocent people in the story world'. And the power he wields in this world is enough to support him in reaching the third stage. Since he has the right to be willful, the Zhongzhou team, under his leadership, will naturally follow his wishes.

"It's unnecessary." Chu Xuan glanced coldly at Zheng Zha—if it weren't for the premise that it wouldn't harm the main characters of the story, and that the East Sea Team might be lurking among the Fellowship of the Ring, this guy, whose righteousness was almost unlike that of a reincarnator, would never have agreed to launch an attack on the Fellowship of the Ring—"But that doesn't mean there won't be any accidents."

"I didn't take the Ring from Frodo of the Fellowship of the Ring in order to keep the East Blue Reincarnators, who are lurking among the main characters, tied up within the Fellowship. The best strategy would have been to take the Ring directly and wipe out the entire South Seas team and the entire Fellowship, so that whatever their plans would be thwarted. However, because of you, an idiot, and because the Valar in Valinor might also make a move, we have no choice but to adopt this gradual approach."

"Hehehe..." Zheng Zha chuckled and scratched his head, not finding anything shameful about it. "Anyway, I'm the captain, and you're the strategist. You can use my power as you please, but you must follow the operating manual when using it—anyway, thanks for your hard work, I believe you can handle it, Chu Xuan!"

"It would be even better if your instruction manual didn't change with the situation." Chu Xuan snapped his fingers, and all the light screens disappeared except for Esdeath, who was sealed off and enjoying a single room. "You are currently at the early stage of the fourth tier, about to reach the middle stage. Your mind is active, your will is flourishing, and although your willpower is stronger than before, the weaknesses and loopholes in your mind are also more pronounced than in the third tier. Encountering too many unpleasant things at this stage may indeed sway you towards the violent and dark side, so I won't make things difficult for you for now. We'll talk about the future later."

Zheng Zha had a "you know that" expression on his face.

"You just need to study the cultivation literature that Luo Yinglong gave you. It will take me some time to make an analysis report, so you'd better familiarize yourself with the original data before then." Chu Xuan rubbed his temples.

"In short, that's the end of the matter concerning the members of the Southern Flame Continent team. I will lock them all up in the cage of the Tower of Babel world, using them as bait to keep that infiltrator from the East Sea team in check. The new recruits have been assigned to the vicinity of the prison as a second layer of bait—don't rush to act crazy, they are unlikely to suffer any casualties in the Tower of Babel world. You wouldn't be planning to keep idle people in the Central Continent team, would you, Zheng Zha?"

"...Of course not." Zheng Zha's lips twitched. He really did have a plan to 'let the newcomers stay put, the veterans are enough to handle these problems.' But thinking about it, he knew it was nonsense—veterans have to work hard at the front, why should newcomers be able to sit back and reap the rewards? —He, Zheng, quickly realized that this thought was due to his emotional fluctuations and overflowing kindness, although he didn't feel there was anything wrong with it — well, he finally decided to let his head calm down.

So the noisy Zheng Zha quieted down.

"Regarding Esdeath, the captain of the Southern Flame Continent team, I remember you seemed to have some special plans for her use, Alice." Chu Xuan turned his head and glanced at Alice. "The research report you gave me earlier did have some feasibility. But you should also be well aware that you are currently in a similar fourth-order critical state to Zheng Zha—although your mind is much more stable than his, it is inevitable that there will be loopholes that you did not anticipate. I think you should be very clear about what you intend to do."

“I know exactly what I’m doing.” Alice’s ten fingers gently touched together. “It’s just an attempt to restore a body that has unlocked the fourth stage of the genetic lock while maintaining the obsessive soul of a Demon King.” A confident smile appeared on the girl’s lips.

“In the Gate World, I reached the fourth level using the identity of ‘Arya’ and the corresponding physical body. If I use that body, there is no issue of compatibility between spirit and body. Although I had to abandon that body at the end of the Gate World because I needed to deal with Ex, I still have a backup of the data of that body.”

"Using Esdeath's body and memories, I am absolutely confident that I can reproduce that body in the Tower of Babel world through repeated engineering. As for how to fuse the fourth-order body with the Demon Lord's soul after that, that is another topic I am still working on."

“Very good, then you will at least obtain a puppet humanoid that has unlocked the fourth stage of the gene lock.” Chu Xuan nodded. “I roughly understand your project steps. Completing this project does not require you to infiltrate another world as you did in the Gate World, so before your project reaches a critical point, I need you to do some other things—perhaps you have other travel plans?”

“No, that’s all.” Alice smiled slightly. “This project is the key objective I need to complete in this team battle. Without Esdeath as a reference, it would have been a bit difficult for me to recreate ‘Arya.’ Although I was a little disappointed that she didn’t reach the power level I had envisioned, since the Supreme God has given me this opportunity, I have no reason to ask for more.”

Chu Xuan nodded, flicked his fingers, and the last light screen disappeared. His gaze then shifted to Zhao Yingkong.

“I’m different from those two. Although I’m also at the fourth level of the limit, my situation is special. As long as I don’t actively touch it, there won’t be any problems.” Zhao Yingkong was clearly in a very good mood. “My brother’s situation has also been taken care of. He has agreed to join our Zhongzhou team, so I need to borrow someone to go to the Black Gate and ask those undead to help him cleanse his fourth-level gene lock, which has gone a bit astray.”

"To command the undead to reforge the Holy Sword of the Human Emperor, you need to go to Rivendell." Chu Xuan's gaze shifted slightly, and Patchouli responded before his eyes even touched the target he desired.

"Alice needs to complete her project and Chu Xuan's task, so I will handle the ceremony on Zhao Zhuikong's side. Going to Rivendell is also an option, but there is a possibility that this might anger the Celestials of Valinor."

"It's alright, just grab the sword and leave." Numerous documents appeared around Chu Xuan, presenting his reasoning evidence to everyone present. "The Valar's purpose is simply to ensure that the destiny they weave doesn't ultimately deviate too drastically. Sauron's defeat is the highest priority, followed by the unification of the King and the survival of the Maiar. Before Sauron's complete defeat, as long as we don't harm Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, and others, they will consider it a trial and test for the Fellowship of the Ring and won't interfere. And after Sauron's death, even the lives of these main characters will no longer be of concern to them."

"You will encounter obstacles on your journey to Rivendell, and it may be a difficult battle. But in the end, the King's sword will be reforged and you will take it away from the Elven capital—just as the One Ring longed to return to Sauron, the King's sword also longs for it and is destined to be guided by this world back to the King's hands."

“And until that sword returns to its ‘destined’ owner, we can use it as we please. Is that right?” Patchouli shrugged. “This level of rule application is still within my capabilities. And in this operation, Sirin from the East America team should be traveling with us.”

"It seems we'll need two names on Constantine's contract—no problem, I welcome this type of plan change. I'll prepare another action plan for you later." Chu Xuan clearly understood Patchouli's implied meaning. Some action plans originally intended for the East American team, to extract benefits and reward points, were quickly dismissed from his mind—scheming against opponents and allies were commonplace for him. Although the latter often required caution to protect someone's heart, which was more sensitive than usual due to the upcoming encounter with the fourth tier, including future teammates in the calculation was a pure waste of resources.

"Wait, wait! What are you talking about!? Why do I feel like what you're saying is important but I don't understand it!" One of the guys who always seems to miss the point started making a fuss again.

However, this time Chu Xuan simply ignored him.

“Alright, that’s the basic arrangement. Next, I need Chelsea to give me the intelligence that the others gathered from areas undetectable by satellite during the raid. I will then devise an action plan for the rest of them. The Celestials will not be leaving Mordor for some time, and we should meet again at the walls of Gondor or at the gates of Mordor. So there’s no need to worry.”

"Is there anything else you need to ask?"

"Wait, you haven't answered my question yet—"

"Please go and read those battle plans that you probably never read." Chu Xuan stood up and left his seat. "Then, meeting adjourned."

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

I'm going back to the countryside tomorrow to celebrate my grandpa's birthday...

Back in the countryside...looks like I'll be working myself to the bone until dawn...

Section 29

The meeting ended, and although Zheng Zha was still making a fuss, Chu Xuan completely ignored him and busied himself with organizing intelligence and assigning tasks and action plans to the others. After venting his anger for a while, Zheng finally decided to obediently go and read the documents Chu Xuan had given him beforehand. Naturally, as a supernatural being, he finished reading them in less than three seconds, although understanding them thoroughly took him a considerable amount of time. But it wasn't a huge amount.

Then... he realized that he didn't seem to have any reason to object.

Because he's already very strong, neither Zhao Zhuikong nor Xilin can defeat him unless they reach the middle of the fourth tier or possess some strange or unusual item. Moreover, based on their data analysis, there's probably little chance of conflict—Zhao Zhuikong will be completely overwhelmed by his only sister, Zhao Yingkong. And Xilin…

Zheng Zha felt that if he were still that white-collar worker with an office manager position, he would definitely hire as many hardworking, capable, and obedient employees as Xilin as possible. If it weren't for the fact that Patchouli had already taken over the task, he would have planned to poach players from the East American team himself—or rather, bring the East American team's walls back.

In short, Zheng Zha, having understood the reason, was very satisfied. Chu Xuan, who had gained some quiet time because Zheng Zha was busy reviewing reports, was also satisfied. Under his arrangement, the veterans all received tasks suitable for them. And once everything was arranged, the Central Continent Team quickly sprang into action.

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

Alice left Isengard.

The physical reconstruction project didn't require her full presence. The task Chu Xuan entrusted to her was simple—to reach Gondor, control and transform that area. After all, Chu Xuan had made it clear that the Celestials would return to Mordor and regroup there. And when they met again, it should be the time for this farce of the War of the Fellowship to come to an end.

Yes, that's right, it's a farce.

To the natives of this world, the Fellowship of the Ring might have been a clash of light and darkness, a battle between good and evil, filled with honor and sacrifice, blood and shouts. Regardless of victory or defeat, regardless of allegiance, any participant was worthy of being recorded in history and eternally remembered on the continent of Middle-earth. However, to Alice, it was nothing more than a large-scale, realistic puppet show.

The gods of Valinor watched this battle unfold, the victors and vanquished already predetermined in countless prophecies and divine revelations. These so-called gods were nothing more than the 'Princes of the Land of Death' from another world of death—as long as the fate of this world remained within their script, they would not spare a single glance.

However, compared to our role as mere pawns in the Final Destination world, we now... perhaps we can be considered the players.

[Tsk, a chess player who personally engages in hand-to-hand combat.]

Chu Xuan's probing of the Fellowship of the Ring had already given him a rough assessment of their strength—to imprison the Fellowship without harming them. He used the invaluable Tower of Babel world, but deliberately left some gaps revealing its power. If the gods of Valinor possessed combat strength comparable to the strongest members of the Reincarnation Squad—that is, those at the early fourth tier of the Gene Lock—then this level of interference would be seen as a provocation, and they would undoubtedly adopt a deterrent strategy. However, if their power was at the high fourth tier, or even the fifth tier or higher, the deliberately revealed traces of the Tower of Babel world would be enough to attract their attention.

—A very dangerous gamble. Alice didn't know what backup plans Chu Xuan had, which was why he dared to try to provoke an extremely powerful being that none of the existing reincarnation teams combined could possibly defeat. However, in the end, the gods turned a blind eye to everything that happened on Earth. After learning that their pawns had not been harmed, they allowed the reincarnation teams to continue to do as they pleased on Earth.

He guessed right, so the conclusion can be drawn.

The Valar's combat strength is no greater than that of a mid-fourth-tier warrior, or rather, they simply can't be bothered with the slightest changes in this world. Alice guessed that they might be using some kind of regulatory body to ensure that their own destiny isn't swayed. It's just that compared to the angels like the Celestials of the Commonwealth, who are intolerant of any change, the regulatory body set up by the gods of Valinor is much more lenient.

That's terrifying.

Alice floated into the clouds, using high-speed flight that would give her some time to think, rather than directly using her personal space bridge for teleportation, to rapidly approach Gondor's territory. She knew very well how strong she was, and she also knew very well how strong a fourth-tier being was. A mere early fourth-tier transcendent being was enough to completely suppress a civilization that had not colonized any star systems, or developed extradimensional machinery, magic, martial arts, or supernatural abilities, with its own will. And a being, or rather a group of transcendent beings, even stronger than that would absolutely not be hindered by this mere, insignificant Middle-earth.

Middle-earth might be useful to them, but it certainly wouldn't be as significant as Earth in Final Destination, where a Quasi-Saint is more important than a commoner emperor. And once this point is grasped, the possibility of provoking them, or rather, attracting them, becomes infinitesimally close to zero.

—Capturing Gandalf and the main characters wasn't just about containing the East Blue's spies. A more important purpose was to save their lives, preventing them from being killed by the desperate actions of the opposing Reincarnation Squad, thus avoiding the enraged Valar from their position as chess players in Valinor and causing a ruckus. While this method of protection might not be beneficial to their mental and physical well-being, how else could that powerful ape have been persuaded to agree to targeting these noble and righteous individuals?

So, the most powerful variable has been eliminated. The only remaining threats are Sauron, who might reach the fourth rank after reclaiming the Ring, and the two remaining Reincarnation squads that haven't been dealt with yet.

[The Celestial Team is nothing to worry about; their strength ceiling has already been determined. They might have a chance to deal with a mid-level fourth-tier opponent if they revealed their trump cards. The only additional factor increasing their chances is the presence of Haotian from the prediction records… Hmph, that unfortunate guy didn't even have time to introduce himself before Chu Xuan threw him into the Tower of Babel world, deliberately downplaying their existence. As a result, Zheng Zha and the others don't really care about them anymore… It seems they're determined to use them as bait and cannon fodder, basically considering them dead. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's still somewhat cruel for newcomers.]

She landed gently on a mountaintop, her gaze sweeping over the Gondor beacon tower a few kilometers away before she soared back into the air. She was not far from Gondor's capital; she would soon reach her destination.

[I'll try to give the newcomers a chance later. After all, we're a reincarnation team with some self-defense capabilities. Even if they ultimately can't prove themselves and become members of the Central Continent Team, I think I can at least give them a chance to reincarnate into another world with their memories and special abilities.]

[Forget it, I need to take care of myself first. The next task... might not be so easy to complete.]

Chelsea had already read the intelligence Chelsea had submitted to Chu Xuan. The Celestials had suffered a defeat, and the Fellowship of the Ring had vanished. Sauron, knowing even a part of this, would be enraged. He would dispatch his most powerful forces to launch a massive offensive, almost a full-scale attack, in conjunction with the Celestials. This might not be of much use to the Middle-earth forces, but it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for the human dynasties outside of Mordor.

—The air smelled of sulfur.

Alice slowed her pace slightly and, unsurprisingly, saw the deep, dark clouds sweeping in from the east—the evil power summoned by Sauron through his own will. With this dark force, comparable to the heavens, as their protection, the orc army in Mordor would unleash a power far greater than that of mortal elites.

We've brought the war to a head earlier than originally planned, making Gondor more vulnerable due to the lack of concentrated power. And Rohan's reinforcements... even if they arrive, will be delayed due to the natural disasters affecting the battle. Should we be held responsible for this?

[What a joke... But Zheng Zha might actually be getting stuck on this. So, did Chu Xuan send me here just to handle this? To help the mortal empire here, to help them resist Mordor's army without the many aids they had in the original story?]

Alice's gaze shifted downwards, and she faintly heard the sounds of battle. As her gaze fell, a massive fortress shrouded in mist, guarding a section of the riverbank at the exit of Mordor, came into view. She saw the orcish siege forces and Gondorian archers locked in combat across a narrow stretch of the riverbank, with small groups occasionally crossing the riverbed to fight amongst the ruins of buildings that had been reduced to rubble.

That was Osgilias, the old capital of Gondor, now the last defensive fortress of Miltistilis, the royal capital. In the original story, this fortified city would soon fall under the combined onslaught of the orcs and the Ringwraiths. What followed was the War of Gondor, which would determine the fate of the mortals of Middle-earth.

This is a good point of entry for the war... at least for Alice.

She understood perfectly why Chu Xuan had given her an extra task—a mission that didn't even need to be kept secret: 'go to Gondor, control and transform that region'. The reason was simple: there were two hidden messages within this task. One was more obvious, the other slightly more subtle.

The obvious reason is simple: since the commission is to be made privately without anyone else's knowledge, it means that what Chu Xuan needs her to do is likely to provoke resentment from others. Given the harmonious relationships within the team, and the fact that Alice doesn't need to consider the issues of allies and prisoners, the only thing that could potentially provoke resentment from others, especially Zheng Zha, is the harsh treatment of innocent people in the story's world.

Alice understood Zheng Zha; she knew that although he was kind, he wasn't a pedantic or overly saintly person. If any mortals in the story intentionally or unintentionally threatened the lives of his team members or even allies, he would kill them without hesitation. He might regret it afterward, but it would never shake his resolve. However, if she merely used bewitching or manipulation techniques to control these mortals, making them work and fight for the Central Continent Team, as long as she didn't go too far, most others would choose to turn a blind eye.

The Reincarnation Squad is, after all, the Reincarnation Squad. There's no reason for them to disregard the team's interests and become slaves to mortals. If he were to weigh saving the world against the loss of some, or even all, of the team's interests in the current world, perhaps Zheng would choose the latter without hesitation. However, if he were to compare saving the world against the deaths of team members, the outcome would certainly be vastly different.

In other words, unless I indiscriminately cut off these mortal lives like weeds when it's completely unnecessary, Zheng won't suddenly appear to assert his presence. So why does Chu Xuan expect me to do that?

[Hmph, is there even a need to think about this? It's just a simple logical substitution. The reason for not eliminating the characters from the Tower of Babel world, along with the members of the Southern Flame Continent team, is due to concerns about interference from the Valar and the captain's mental health. And ruthlessly modifying and controlling Gondor might also attract the Valar's attention and trigger that monstrous ape's temper—so, logical substitution. What benefits or threats would be gained from killing the main characters and the members of the Southern Flame Continent team?]

[Besides eliminating that annoying lurker from the East China Sea team, is there any greater benefit?]

She gazed at the battle-stricken city, her physical form suddenly vanishing from the material world. Her will, however, rapidly descended, quickly finding a suitable point of intervention.

The second layer of meaning in Chu Xuan's request was that 'the East Sea Team's infiltrators were not completely sealed within the Tower of Babel world. Only a portion of it, or one of them, was sealed there. And the remaining portion, or another member, is most likely currently in Gondor!'

The next moment, on the battlefield of Osgilis, a subtle change occurred in the eyes of a young general!

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

Damn, the internet in this rural area is down! After switching to a different hotspot, my browser crashed again, so I ended up having to type this out manually on my phone... Luckily, QQ can transfer files...

Chapter 30 - Xilin

The portal opened and closed, and after their forms stabilized, the two appeared in the black hill where the Gate of the Dead was located—clearly, even with ample manpower, the situation hadn't progressed to the point where multiple fourth-tier powerhouses needed to travel to Rivendell simultaneously. Therefore, after a brief discussion, the Zhao siblings traveled together to the Elven Royal Court. Patchouli, on the other hand, went to the Gate of the Dead alone to prepare for the ritual—well, not entirely alone.

“I admire the way your Central Continent team operates; it’s an effective strategy that yields immediate results, and I found it very pleasant to execute.” Sirin retracted the spherical objects composed of light bands that had appeared around her. According to her, those things, which she called the ‘Spear/Band of Subspace,’ were merely props she used to make herself appear less easily fooled. Now that a stable cooperative relationship had been established, there was no need to waste her own power and energy.

"It sounds like you've been through a lot in the past," Patchouli replied casually. Sirin hadn't directly expressed her desire to join the Central Continent Team, although she seemed quite conflicted after learning Zhao Zhuikong planned to switch teams. But clearly, she still retained some of her girlish reserve. The reason Patchouli accepted this mission and allowed the Zhao siblings to leave for their reunion was precisely because of this—she also bore the responsibility of getting this guy, who was almost certainly going to leave, to make a decision.

Clearly, recalling past hardships to appreciate present happiness is a simple and effective strategy.

“It wasn’t just ‘fierce suffering,’ it was a nightmare.” Sirin continued, wrinkling her nose in disdain as she followed Patchouli into the hill built by the dead. An invisible shockwave was released, dispelling all the surrounding dust and mist. The previously gloomy, dark cave instantly became much clearer under her influence, the murky air dissipated, and at her will, it connected with a distant grove of trees—the air immediately filled with the fragrance of flowers.

Patchouli made a gesture of listening attentively.

"Do you know how Zhao Zhuikong solves the puzzles in horror movies?" Her lips twitched, and without waiting for Patchouli's reply, she blurted out the answer. "His method is very simple, very brutal—kill everyone the gods haven't explicitly forbidden from killing, and destroy everything the gods haven't explicitly forbidden from destroying. That solves any puzzle. But what's worse, I have no reason to stop him!"

"The first world I entered when I arrived in the Reincarnation Space was Extreme Cold. The Supreme God's mission was to investigate the cause and effect behind the mutated deep-sea octopus—his strategy was to wipe out everything that could breathe in that area of ​​the sea. Then the American biological warfare unit was brought in—the Supreme God had outmaneuvered us."

"My second horror movie was Independence Day. The main god's mission was to hold out for seven days—his strategy was to storm the enemy's mothership and wipe out all the aliens with his fourth-tier strength. After we wiped out those aliens, we did nothing for several days. Then, on the last day, an alien support fleet that could fill half the solar system blasted Earth to smithereens. All the other team members were wiped out. Only I, along with that half-dead guy, was teleported to the center of the moon and spent more than ten hours in a rock before barely escaping back to the main god's space."

"The third horror movie, a team battle, a low-intensity zombie movie called 'The Walking Dead.' There weren't many side quests to explore, and the main quest wasn't worth much. The team we were fighting was the West Sea Team, a small breeding team with only two main combat members. I thought this one was a sure thing—" She sighed heavily. "But then, that idiot Zhao Zhuikong suddenly started spouting some nonsensical theory about 'testing our strength.' By the time I realized what was happening, he had already wiped out all the new recruits that the Main God had given us. Okay, fine, they wiped them out, but the West Sea Team's breeder, seeing that he couldn't beat us, immediately committed suicide and used a resurrection item to roll back into the Main God's space, not only denying us points but also ruining the main quest... The result was obvious: he and I, both fourth-tier, almost got our points deducted to death by the Main God!"

She grew angrier as she spoke, her golden, cross-shaped eyes almost blazing with light. Then, something nearby seemed to trigger her, causing her to raise her foot and kick sharply in that direction—

'boom--!!!!'

The earth shook violently, and large chunks of rock and dust tumbled down. Patchouli had to temporarily erect several protective barriers and reinforce the rock structure with swarms of nanobots to prevent the city of the dead from collapsing on the spot—facing the witch's disapproving gaze, Sirin stuck out her tongue somewhat embarrassedly.

"Okay, I'll be more careful next time."