Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Xiao Honglu sat atop the back of the crimson-eyed black dragon, circling the enormous demonic dragon endlessly in the clouds atop Lonely Mountain—because the map had expanded and he needed to give the other reincarnators in the valley time to act, he had to linger here for a while. Although this action seemed reckless, it was necessary for him.

[Lonely Mountain... Iopazine.]

The dwarves will soon learn of the dragon scourge that has befallen the valley, and they will immediately prepare fortifications and organize a powerful force to confront my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Their king is a valiant warrior, and even if he doesn't lead the charge himself, he will certainly be at the forefront of the battle. This is far better than me having to go to Lonely Mountain to recruit people.

After all, my only goal is to abduct their king; the rest of their treasure and lives are meaningless to me. Furthermore, the fact that the Red-Eyed Black Dragon lacks any real vital points is also an advantage. As long as I show the desire to attack the Dwarf King when he goes into battle, even if my first attempt fails, he will inevitably use himself as bait to kill the dragon.

He softly chanted a spell, and the light surrounding him quickly distorted, while the air and wind naturally avoided the area where he stood. After he had neutralized the body's heat signals and various weak radiations, he entered a state of complete invisibility compared to the dwarves of Iopa.

He gently stepped on the dragon's back, and the ferocious red and black dragon obediently came to a stop. The dragon's wings flapped incessantly in mid-air, using its innate wind control and anti-gravity field to maintain a stable hovering state. From here, Xiao Honglu could clearly look down upon the entire Lonely Mountain.

He didn't see the dwarves, but he did see the spears and arrows protruding from the trenches and firing ports. He saw the tension and eagerness hidden behind the thick stone walls—the dwarves had long lifespans, and for them, the invasion of Éopold by the fire-breathing dragon Smaug and the slaying of the dragon by Bard the Dragonslayer were not distant events. Many of them had even participated in the War of the Five Armies to rebuild Éopold. And they had naturally gained considerable experience from their ancestors.

These experiences might be useful to the true dragons of this world. But for this imposter, the Red-Eyed Black Dragon, those experiences are better than nothing.

The black arrow, capable of piercing Smaug's scales and even destroying a dragon's heart in a single blow, is of little use against the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, a summoned familiar made from dragon remains. Exorcism and purification methods are also ineffective against this dragon, which may have once been an undead, but is now actually a large biological weapon. If war were to break out, the dwarves would face overwhelming disadvantage, because even now, they lack the ability to touch the sky.

[Fighting with an information gap is so easy... As long as I don't expose myself, the dwarves will inevitably mistake the Red-Eyes Black Dragon for a normal evil dragon or an undead dragon. But that would be a mistake. They will attack the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's non-existent weakness, desperately protecting something I don't need. And then... my victory will be assured.]

[But I have to seize this opportunity... I can't afford to destroy too many of the dwarves' forces, nor can I give them too much time to react. Taking action now isn't out of the question... but the others' progress in the valley might not be so promising...]

He stood high in the sky, silently gazing down at the world below. His heart was filled with ambition to transform the future into the direction he desired. Although his companions had reservations about his actions, he believed it was a worthwhile price to pay.

"One day, I will prove it..." he whispered, clenching his fist slightly.

Behind him, Alice, who was also concealed, was floating quietly on the dragon's back, watching him.

[What a hardworking child! Even I feel guilty for shattering such a naive and pure wish. So, before your plan proves to be a complete failure, I'll try my best to give you some sense of accomplishment.]

She subtly manipulated the surrounding airspace, causing the turbulent air currents, already stirred up by the flapping of her dragon wings, to become even more volatile. These turbulent air currents would trigger a whirlwind that would affect the outer region, and this whirlwind would serve as a prelude, allowing her to provide assistance to Xiao Honglu at the opportune moment.

Of course, that's a matter for the future. With Xiao Honglu's current abilities, he couldn't possibly access such distant matters. He didn't pay attention to the suddenly stronger airflow beneath his feet, but instead glanced at the rare God's Wristwatch that was functioning properly as a watch. After confirming the time, he nodded slightly.

“It’s about time.” He patted his forehead, connecting with Zhan Lan’s mental network and giving a reminder signal to the other members in the network.

"This is Xiao Honglu, gentlemen. I am about to launch an attack on the dwarves of Éop. I will try my best to capture the dwarf king Dane Ironfoot and bring him under my protection without weakening the dwarves' manpower. You need to speed up the current action as soon as possible and lead a force to Lonely Mountain as the first mortal support for Éop."

Cheng Xiao: "I have over three hundred people under my control, and we're currently treating patients at a fire site. If things go smoothly, I should be able to finish this within fifteen minutes and get them to come with me to Gushan. I will obey orders. But I don't think your plan is a good idea; such methods... are too despicable."

Overlord: "My situation is slightly better. Four large mercenary groups are temporarily willing to take my command. I also secretly knocked out their most influential leader and had Chelsea impersonate him. In addition, there are some scattered mercenaries who have banded together because of the strength I have shown. I can probably bring about six hundred men. But the problem of horses is not easy to solve."

Ming Yanwei: "My identity allows me access to a large stable. In urgent situations, providing you with horses is not a problem. However, the timing must be just right, otherwise it will be difficult for me to obtain so many horses without taking action. Zhang Heng is very willing to use force for me, but if it is not necessary, I think it is better not to let things escalate to that level."

Zhang Heng: "Wei...Mingyan has already made it very clear. I can help her with some things, and I also have control of the armory in Changhu Town. If necessary, I can also mobilize many citizens of Changhu Town to volunteer as a militia to aid our allies. But..."

"Is it really worth it? For such a simple, low-value side quest, are we going to dirty our hands and our hearts? We clearly don't need to drag these two factions into the war. We can simply help them fight as mercenaries and officers, assisting them in resisting the orc alliance, which would achieve the same goal of protecting these two kings from death. Although that might be a little more difficult... it would be safer, more secure, and there would be no possibility of being exposed, right? And it would also make us feel... better."

Ming Yanwei: "Hmph—this man may seem weak, but what he said does make some sense. Xiao Honglu, the captain entrusted you with arranging our operations here because he trusts you. The captain trusts you, and I trust the captain in return, so I will not disobey your battle plan. But I still want to know the reason."

"We clearly don't need to create more enemies, nor do we need to use such weak, third-rate villainous behavior to influence these plot forces that are actually irrelevant to us. Even if we control all the mortals and dwarves in the valley region, they can't provide us with much assistance—you should know just how strong fourth-tier transcendent beings are. Once this place is drawn into a fourth-tier battlefield, no matter how much combat power we have gathered before, it will all vanish in an instant."

“…I know,” Xiao Honglu replied.

Cheng Xiao: "Then please give us a reasonable answer... any reason will do. I used to be a soldier, and I can understand what it means to sacrifice the minority for the majority, or to sacrifice the individual for the greater good. But our Zhongzhou team is already very strong, extremely strong, strong enough to rank first among the five reincarnation teams in this team battle. We should have the right to be willful, the freedom to maintain dignity, and the freedom to show mercy."

“We clearly have the ability and the right to pursue a perfect ending. At least in this world, we have that right! But why… I hope you can give a reasonable explanation.”

Xiao Honglu pressed his temples hard.

"Do others think the same way? Zhang Heng? Ba Wang? Chelsea?"

Chelsea: "I'm glad to be included, but I don't care. I'm part of the Campovsky group, so I'll choose whichever he chooses."

Overlord: "I'm sorry, Xiao Honglu. I really do want to know."

Zhang Heng: "At least we still have a chance to salvage the situation before we finally execute this plan. Xiao Honglu, if you insist on not explaining, we will cooperate. After all, I can't just stand by and watch those innocent people die because of the disaster we caused. Even if they will soon die in the subsequent high-level war, at least for now..."

Xiao Honglu's throat bobbed. He looked around and, for some reason, suddenly felt the urge to yell loudly and destroy something. He took several deep breaths. Although he had been mentally prepared, he found that he wasn't so easy to calm down when the moment came.

"If..." For some reason, he subconsciously glanced behind him, and only after finding nothing there did he finish his sentence. "...If I hadn't made these arrangements for you, but Chu Xuan, wouldn't you have raised objections right before the plan was executed?"

Within the mental network, there was silence.

"What if it were Alice?"

There was silence.

"Where is Patchouli?"

A silence fell, an awkward atmosphere settling in.

After a long while, Ba Wang coughed lightly, breaking the awkward atmosphere. "But that's different, Xiao Honglu...they..."

"They are much stronger than me, aren't they? Whether it's intelligence or strength, they are far superior to me?" Xiao Honglu chuckled twice. "That's what you all think, isn't it?"

“Because Chu Xuan has never failed, while Alice and Patchouli, even if they fail halfway, are still able to guide the outcome toward success.” Ming Yanwei’s voice changed from its usual gentle and intellectual tone to a cold one. “But you have failed many, many, many times. Although your failures have not caused much loss to the team, they are still failures.”

"Then why don't they just make arrangements for you directly, instead of having me do it?"

"That's because Chu Xuan wants to train..."

"That's because you're all falling behind them too!" Xiao Honglu practically roared. "I've been failing all along? Yes, I have. I've consistently failed, never achieving my goals, just barely hanging on in the middle. But while I've failed, have any of you ever succeeded?"

"Alice and I entered the Main God Space in the same horror movie, while you all either entered earlier or later than me. Apart from Cheng Xiao, who is new, even now, with the power you currently possess, are you confident that you can defeat Alice, even in the world of Gods and Demons?"

"No, neither me nor any of you. We're not even useful on the main battlefields; we're only responsible for handling trivial details. Only Brother Zheng Zha and Sister Ying Kong get involved in the implementation of those complex plans, while the assignments we're capable of are always the utterly unskilled king-on-king and soldier-on-soldier! And do you know why that is!?"

Silence fell again during the communication. But this silence didn't last long before Xiao Honglu broke it.

"Because Alice gave us the opportunity. She wants us to grow into strong individuals with our own paths, instead of becoming just a cog in the giant machine that is the Central Continent Team, as Chu Xuan planned! Don't ask me how I know it was Alice's idea. It's because Brother Zheng couldn't have thought of these things, Chu Xuan wouldn't think that way, and as for Patchouli... I think you all know her personality better than I do."

"...Is what you're saying true?" someone asked in a low voice through the mental link.

"Hmph, just think about it. The current Central Continent Team, with Alice alone, can achieve what all of us here combined could not. And to make us play a greater role is simple: just make each of us extremely biased in one direction when arranging our enhancements, using massive resources to achieve extreme mastery in a single field. In this way, the Central Continent Team's combat power can be raised to another level, and none of you here will be as idle as you are now—but Alice intervenes almost every time we enhance our skills, arranging our enhancements to take into account all aspects, while also personally helping us fill in the gaps in each field. Isn't that proof enough?"

"We've already been dragging our feet significantly, and you're all still unaware? Do you really think that by just getting by with these mundane daily tasks, we can rely on the strength of the Central Continent Team to survive the final battle? We're already moving very slowly; if we want to move faster, we have to take risks. The fact that I haven't openly and honestly taken on the villainous role and started a war with both sides is already out of consideration for the overall situation and for your 'strongman pride'! And you still think this is unnecessary evil? How much time do you think we have left!?"

"From the moment they arrived in this world, Chu Xuan and Alice have been relentlessly trying to confirm the possibility of Vera's intervention—why do you think they're trying to confirm this? If it weren't to drag these gods into a suitable battlefield they've arranged, why would they repeatedly test Valinor's bottom line? Although I don't know what methods they have to force the gods to back down, I can say with certainty that this period won't be too long!"

He sighed softly.

"We don't have much time left. If we don't hone ourselves and grow enough before the real war arrives, we might even lose the right to be cogs in the machine. Don't you think so? Zhan Lan, Chu Xuan should already know everything I've said, and he doesn't intend to do anything, right?"

A few seconds later, a soft response came from the deepest part of the mental network.

"The members of the Celestial Team will launch an attack on the valley in about 140 seconds."

Section 43 - Opening Match

"The Celestial Team will launch their attack in 140 seconds," Xiao Honglu repeated Zhan Lan's announcement. "The Celestial Team, in 140 seconds, is attacking a group of Reincarnators here who aren't even generally at the third rank. This doesn't seem like a joke..."

"Zhan Lan, is this all the information you can reveal? What about the enemy's configuration? What kind of support do we have?"

[Sirin has been notified; she will arrive in Longlake Town soon via teleportation. There's no need to question her reliability, as she is now a member of our Central Continent Team. She will do her utmost to help you defend against the fourth-tier powerhouses of the Celestial Team.]

However, you will need to handle those below the fourth tier of combat power, as well as the external support that Sauron provides to the Celestials.

“Sauron’s reinforcements… the most powerful Angmar Witch-king among the Ringwraiths is probably not an enemy we can handle.” Xiao Honglu lightly stepped on the back of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The massive dragon head suddenly turned, switching from hovering to high-speed movement, heading towards Lake-town, expected to arrive at its destination in about 130 seconds.

Zhan Lan didn't stop him, and Chu Xuan didn't try to stop him through Zhan Lan either. It seemed that whether he stayed in the airspace above Lonely Mountain or returned to Long Lake Town, it wouldn't affect the Celestial Team's attack plan in any way. He wasn't sure if Chu Xuan had calculated that the Celestial Team would need 150 seconds to arrive at the battlefield, or if Chu Xuan had anticipated that the Celestial Team would adjust their attack plan to 150 seconds later because of his unexpected return from Lonely Mountain.

He didn't know, and he was too lazy to think about it.

[Don't worry, the Ringwraiths aren't coming out in full force for this operation. The Witch-King of Angmar and his lieutenant are currently in Mordor, gathering and commanding Sauron's evil army—they won't be present for this mission. You'll actually only need to deal with six Ringwraiths, one for each of you, and they're not the main attack force; they're merely supporting the Celestials in their offensive.]

Zhan Lan's voice rang out clearly in the mental network, then quickly fell silent. She let Zhang Heng, Cheng Xiao, and the others chatter on the mental network without replying. However, in her private mental link to Xiao Honglu, she sent him something extra.

[Xiao Honglu. 】

"I'm here." — Xiao Honglu erected a protective shield to suppress the chaotic atmospheric turbulence caused by the high-speed movement. He simultaneously projected his perception in all directions while controlling the dragon's trajectory.

[Rogandao and I have now entered your battlefield. We will send you the current coordinates shortly. If needed, I can provide you with thunderstorm bombardment capable of covering the entire Long Lake Town, as well as mental suppression and shielding. Rogandao can provide long-range artillery fire, but physical projectiles have at least a seven-second delay, and energy weapons are only effective on the first shot.]

"Thanks in advance. What about Zero? If I had his sniping skills for long-range support, I'd be much more confident. And the others... well, they're probably all very busy right now."

"You guessed right, everyone else is very busy right now. And Zero also has other important matters to attend to and will not be participating in this operation for the time being." Zhan Lan's voice paused, it was unclear whether she was hesitating or organizing her thoughts.

[Xiao Honglu, while I don't entirely agree with your point, you are absolutely right about one thing—the internal power imbalance within the Central Continent Team is now almost irreparable. This world is basically the last chance for you… and for many of us, including myself. To participate in the battlefield of fourth-tier transcendents, a third-tier limit gene lock level or complete AA-level enhancement is a must; otherwise, you can only abandon all-around development, specialize in an extreme area, and become a replaceable cog in the Central Continent Team machine.]

Zheng Zha is a sentimental person; he won't replace or abandon any member of the team who fought alongside him. However, he can only represent the Central Continent Team, not the power of the Supreme God. One day, he will encounter a predicament where he can't even take care of himself, and at that time, as a team caught in a crisis of equal magnitude, we can only rely on ourselves.

Can you rely on yourself, Xiao Honglu—in such a situation?

'That's why I'm standing here now.' His gaze pierced through the clouds, looking towards Long Lake Town, which was already beginning to appear in the distance. From his position, the town was just a tiny black dot, the size of a sesame seed. And that dot was rapidly growing larger.

He sensed nothing unusual, nor did any warning signs arise in his mind. The commotion in the mental network temporarily subsided; it seemed the others had also realized that wasting time on words was not very meaningful.

Zhan Lan's voice continued to echo in his heart.

[If I'm not mistaken, you'll deliberately leave some openings in this Dragon Quest game. Then you'll have your small squad facing Sauron's army alongside the combined forces of the Valley and Lonely Mountain. Caught in this predicament, you'll either grow stronger through this difficult trial, or you'll abandon your excess compassion and arrogance and become someone who sits on the side of the Middle-earth team instead of those plot characters you've never even met. Is that it?]

'...This will minimize the impact on the overall situation.'

Xiao Honglu lowered his eyes slightly, his lips tightening as he steered the red-eyed black dragon. This was indeed his thought—using this irrational and brutal strategy to abduct the two kings and then protecting them with a feigned death was a deliberate flaw he had left. It was all to place his small team in a sufficiently deep crisis in this remote location unrelated to the main plot—after all, the Supreme God hadn't assigned any faction to the Central Continent team from the beginning; good versus evil was ultimately irrelevant.

Besides, he can no longer decide whether the Central Continent Team is good or evil.

He knew perfectly well that he had no influence on the overall situation at this moment. Although he was unaware of Alice's actions in White City, he was well aware of the power possessed by the fourth-tier research expert in his team—even if he completely messed things up, slaughtered the entire valley, and burned Lonely Mountain to the ground, so what? The witches could completely reshape the razed land in an instant, erase the near-death memories of all the dead mortals, and reincarnate them on the spot—if necessary, they could even rewrite the time and memories they should have spent during their resurrection through the memory world. Ensuring everything was done flawlessly.

Everything can return to its original state; every molecule can return to its initial place. So, what difference is there between that and nothing ever happening?

Perhaps there is a difference, but it's not something he can perceive. At least not right now.

'I initially thought this was a very aggressive strategy, but I didn't expect Chu Xuan to be even more decisive than me. It seems he intends to trigger his plans right here… to bury the Celestial Team here, so the script will unfold as he desires?'

'So what about Zhao Zhuikong? He's probably still performing that ritual. And I remember clearly, in the Final Destination 2 world, Sakura's ritual lasted for quite a while. While I don't know what arrangements Chu Xuan made, I think he probably doesn't intend for all the Celestial Team's reincarnators to leave alive. Even if we really become very strong, extremely strong, it's not a good thing to not go all out when hunting a rabbit.'

The town of Changhu, the size of a sesame seed, gradually shrank to the size of a coin, and the coin rapidly transformed into a washbasin. The distance was still several tens of kilometers, and there were approximately thirty seconds left. At the current speed, it seemed they could barely make it.

"I'm not aware of what happened over there. Perhaps things aren't as Chu Xuan predicted. He's just a human, not a god, at least not yet. Although this operation was meticulously planned, even I can sense a slight rush in some aspects… Chu Xuan may have indeed arranged a battle with the Celestial Team here for you, but I don't think he planned for this time. After all, he predicted that the Celestial Team wouldn't launch a second operation immediately after suffering a defeat, so something unexpected must have happened."

"...You're right. Chu Xuan won't act now. Given his usual style, he'll only activate his plans when I've achieved my goals or my plans have failed. He would never abruptly interrupt my scheme like this, halfway through...if everything is part of his plan."

'It seems... he hasn't crossed that line yet.'

Chu Xuan hasn't reached the fourth tier yet, but he's probably very close to it. Xiao Honglu doesn't think the first three tiers of the gene lock pose any difficulty for someone as superhuman as Chu Xuan. Perhaps that man has already reached his limit, or even is just one step away.

He took a deep breath; Changhu Town, which connects to the great lake, was now almost in front of Xiao Honglu. However, until now, he had not sensed anything unusual or abnormal. There were less than ten seconds left until the agreed time, yet there was still no sign of any hostile targets in the area he could observe.

Just as he was looking around, searching for his target, a gentle breeze brushed past his ear and caught his attention.

He turned his head and immediately saw a tiny shadow flash across the edge of the sky.

The Celestials... no, it was Sauron's Ringwraiths who launched the first attack.

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