Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"Whether you choose to be a half-baked amateur is your own business, it has nothing to do with me." Chu Xuan's voice remained as indifferent as ever.

"Ahem, I just wanted to ask if there's any shortcut I can take..."

"You can choose to memorize it."

"Memorize it!?" Zheng Zha's eyes widened. "140,000 books, each with at least 30,000 lines, each line with at least a thousand different interpretations, and each interpretation containing at least a thousand possible combinations... and you want me to memorize it!?"

Is it difficult?

“Of course—” Zheng Zha suddenly deflated, becoming dejected. “…It’s not that difficult.”

"Good to know." Chu Xuan continued processing the large pile of experimental data in his hands without turning his head. "Once you unlock the fourth level of the gene lock, all the knowledge that can be mastered by rote memorization will be no challenge for you. The amount of data you can memorize with just a glance is far more than the amount of data that the most advanced supercomputers in our world could process 24 hours a day at full power. It's just that you're unwilling to use it."

"I do not have……"

"is it?"

"I'm not……"

"you sure?"

"Don't talk nonsense..." Zheng Zha opened his mouth, then sighed and ended the topic. "Okay, I admit I don't really like complicated thinking and calculations." He reached out and flipped through the thick book he was holding from the side he was looking at to the last page in one go, countless complex data flashing and intertwining in his eyes. Then, he casually put the thick book aside.

“You’re right… it really isn’t that difficult.” A faint energy rippled around him, and the energy radiation quickly manifested several different characteristics. From sharp to gentle, from gentle to nourishing, from nourishing to scorching, from scorching to heavy, it finally returned to its sharp form, from which countless tiny bolts of lightning were born.

The lightning vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed.

“It’s really not that difficult.” Zheng Zha watched the lightning disappear from his fingertips and repeated what he had already said. “If I’m willing, it’s really not difficult at all.”

"As long as you know."

“Yes, I understand.” Zheng Zha nodded and stood up from his seat. “But what good is it? Even if I master and apply all those books within five seconds of seeing them, so what? Chu Xuan, you deliberately left me here, didn’t you?”

“I thought you understood and accepted my plan.” Chu Xuan stopped what he was doing, turned his head, and adjusted his non-prescription glasses. “At the meeting in Isengard, I remember you fully understood and agreed with my action plan—the Central State Team doesn't tolerate idlers; everyone must play their part. And your role is to join the most important battlefield at the right time and directly play a decisive role—do you have any objections to this arrangement?”

“The Zhongzhou team doesn’t tolerate idlers.” Zheng Zha chewed on these words, nodding his chin heavily several times. “If ‘idlers’ refers to those newcomers, then I have no objection at all. But the problem is, the idlers you’re talking about aren’t just those rookies whose faces I don’t even remember!”

With a swift movement, he appeared before Chu Xuan.

“Don’t think I don’t know about the Celestials. Although those energy reactions were slight, I’m not completely oblivious. Plus, there’s what Margot Lloyd just told me—I’m absolutely certain the Celestials are in the valley right now, and Zhan Lan and the others are there too!”

“King against king, soldier against soldier. Given your style, it’s impossible for you to let Zhan Lan and the others retreat when the Celestial Team attacks. Margot Lloyd said that she and you together used the Tower of Babel world to control those fourth-tier members of the Celestial Team, but I bet you threw the rest of the Celestial Team members out there. And now Xiao Honglu and the others are going to face those Celestial Team Reincarnators who have at least unlocked their genetic locks to the second tier!”

"They don't need to take such a huge risk!" Zheng Zha became increasingly agitated, eventually grabbing Chu Xuan's hand and shouting, "They are my teammates, teammates I need to protect! They're not bystanders! Even if they are, as their captain, I should protect them instead of sitting here watching them fight against an enemy far stronger than themselves!"

"Then why don't you go?" Chu Xuan coldly slapped Zheng Zha's hand away. "You're the captain, you have your own legs. You can expand the 'power' you need at any time according to your own wishes, and then leave the mess you create to me to deal with. No one will, and no one can stop you, so why don't you leave?"

"I'm leaving now!" Zheng Zha roared, but his feet seemed to be rooted to the ground and he didn't move.

Chu Xuan just watched him quietly—and after two seconds, he looked away to continue processing the experimental data at hand.

And so, that manic guy gave up.

“Chu Xuan.” He took a deep breath. “I know there must be some reason behind your actions, and what I really want to know is why.”

A scene flashed through Chu Xuan's non-prescription glasses: Alice's conversation with Zheng Zha at the door, her tone of voice, and her subtle body language all came into view. He immediately understood the role Alice had played in this unpleasant exchange between the two parties. Then, just as he was about to end the video, Alice in the video suddenly made some movements she wouldn't make in real life—she bowed slightly in Chu Xuan's direction, making an apologetic and pleading gesture.

“Your teammates are very concerned about your mental health, Zheng Zha.”

"What?" Zheng Zha was completely confused, then immediately became alert. "You're not trying to distract me, are you, Chu Xuan! This time, I'm not someone you can just easily dismiss!"

"I didn't intend to distract you. Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you." Chu Xuan reached out and tapped a light screen beside him.

An audio recording then began to play… or rather, it wasn't audio at all, but rather a recording that had been converted into audio. Zheng Zha was able to clearly analyze the profound emotions contained within it, as well as the name of the person who expressed those emotions.

It was Cheng Xiao, and the target he was targeting was Xiao Honglu.

"...Our Central Continent 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 our dignity, and the freedom to bestow mercy."

We clearly have the ability and the right to pursue a perfect ending. At least in this world, we have that right!

Chu Xuan raised his hand from the light screen, and the audio recording abruptly stopped.

"How are you feeling?" Chu Xuan asked calmly.

"What do you mean, how?" Zheng Zha frowned at first, then after a long while answered somewhat uncertainly, "A bit... arrogant?"

"What if you judge from your own perspective?"

“I think he makes a lot of sense.” Zheng Zha gently stroked his chin. “Our Central Continent team is indeed very strong now. We easily defeated the Southern Flame Continent team, the East America team joined us, and the Celestial team only dares to fight three against one and they’re getting screwed over by you and Margot Lloyd. As for those plot characters, we’ve almost never cared about them… Although I used to admire Gandalf quite a bit… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his views. In this world, we do have the right to pursue a perfect ending… Any problems?”

“You have no problems, but others do.” Chu Xuan swiped a few times on another light screen, and immediately, a large analysis report appeared in Zheng Zha’s field of vision. Many things that looked complicated but could be understood with a little effort were scattered throughout the report. While he was frowning and trying to understand these messy things one by one, Chu Xuan began to explain them first.

“Now, apart from Ba Wang and Xiao Honglu, all the team members who haven’t unlocked the third-stage gene lock are thinking in this way. And even those two are gradually converging on this concept in their recent actions.”

"Uh...is there a problem with this?" Zheng Zha tilted his head in confusion. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

"...Use your third-tier gene lock's mind simulation ability to mimic the thought patterns of all members below the third-tier gene lock, excluding Ba Wang and Xiao Honglu, before watching those two horror movies." Chu Xuan's voice seemed even colder than usual. His eyes, reflected behind his non-prescription glasses, held an unsettling glint—he stared at Zheng Zha, watching this man, who in some ways was beyond redemption, complete the mind simulation he had ordered, and then successfully witness Zheng Zha's eyes widen in disbelief.

"No, that's not right!?" Zheng Zha almost jumped up. "Everyone's previous thoughts are completely different from now... wait, why are they the same now... could it be!?" He pointed at himself in disbelief.

"It's me—!?"

“That’s right, it’s you.” Chu Xuan pushed up his glasses indifferently. “The fourth stage of the gene lock, or as Alice and the others would describe it—all extraordinary life forms possess the instinct to autonomously modify the external world. Your spirit, your will, and your thoughts will constantly resonate in the places where you stay or live, and then subtly transform the people or things around you into things that are beneficial to you.”

"If you live in the Gobi Desert, even if that piece of land were thrown into outer space, it would produce water and plants that you might not need but would definitely benefit you for various reasons. If you live in a bustling city, even if you never go out or even show your face, the people in that city will become similar to you in their behavior patterns in a short period of time."

"You may not intend to change the world, but even if you do nothing, simply existing there will distort the surrounding environment into a shape suitable for your long-term stay. Unfortunately, any life form that has not enlightened its own path, reached the third stage of the genetic lock, or fully mastered an A-level enhanced life form falls into the category of being modified by you unconsciously."

"Wait, if that's the case, then Margot Royde and Sakura should also be..."

“They are different. Zhao Yingkong is not a typical fourth-tier, while Alice’s knowledge, dominance, and her obsessive soul form allow her to control this transformative instinct very well—this is an advantage brought by the composite system, something that cannot be reversed by talent or effort.”

"Do you understand, Zheng Zha? In the current Zhongzhou team, the older members you want to take care of, the more you try to help them, the more they become like you. Now, several of them are even about to reach the critical point of irreversible change. And if they don't undergo a complete spiritual transformation, when you start to touch the fourth level in this or the next horror movie, they will be eroded or influenced by your Dao and become a part of you in a broader sense."

“They will be subconsciously transformed by you into a component to enhance your power, and they will never have the chance to catch up with you or forge their own path. While I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, Alice has a different perspective.”

“She intends to give them a chance, and I think you can understand now why you were left here to read.” He stared at Zheng Zha, who was completely dumbfounded, and slowly said, word by word.

"Now, you have obtained the truth you needed."

Are you satisfied?

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

I'm considering making slight modifications to the original outline and adding a short, broken-world script. Just consider it writing another world...

If anyone supports this idea, please upvote it here...

Chapter 48. Zheng: Get one for me too!

Zheng Zha left the research hall looking dejected. Instead of going back to look at the cultivation materials that gave him a headache but weren't actually that difficult, he went straight to the central part of the research area.

The central hub, the core of the organization. Zheng Zha didn't know the exact size of this research institution, nor how many measures were in place within it. He only knew that even with his fourth-tier extraordinary perception at its maximum, he couldn't take in the entire research institution—he was only able to get here because of the teleportation belts that involved spatial manipulation. The reason he came here was because from the edge of the core area, he could see a large-scale surveillance projection covering the entire Tower of Babel world.

Chu Xuan had set up numerous permissions within the Tower of Babel world, but these were ineffective for the Zhongzhou team's reincarnators who had reached or were close to the fourth tier. Zheng Zha, while completely unaware of the effectiveness of approximately 99.999% of the measures implemented within this Tower of Babel world, was still able to approach the monitoring platform and investigate the footage he desired.

He first looked at the prison area—although he didn't know why Chu Xuan had locked up all the reincarnators of the Nan Yan Continent team together with the characters in the story without them getting hurt, Zheng obviously didn't need to seek clarification from Chu Xuan for such a trivial matter—even during the Star River Team era, he could easily defeat the entire Nan Yan Continent team single-handedly, let alone now that their combat power had become so vastly different.

[Perhaps Chu Xuan has some rather unusual plans. Perhaps he doesn't want the main god's death warning to awaken Esdeath, or maybe he still has them to use in the story? Hmm… if that's the case, why didn't he have Xiao Honglu and the others wipe out the entire Nan Yan Continent team from the start?]

Zheng Zha scratched his head, completely baffled. However, unlike most people who ask questions when they don't understand, Zheng Zha always just ignores what he doesn't know. After all, the Southern Flame Continent team and the characters in the storyline combined posed no threat to him. So, he didn't care.

He shifted his gaze from the Southern Flame Continent Reincarnators, who were content to remain in their force field cages. Then he looked at the story characters imprisoned with them—less than a day had passed since the Fellowship of the Ring was captured. These guys seemed to still have considerable energy.

He saw the hobbits trying to break down the force field barrier that imprisoned them with all sorts of things they carried with them—pots, apples, potatoes, shoes, and so on. Unfortunately, the one-way access force field barrier clearly couldn't be broken down by such simple physical interference. These energetic hobbits were obviously wasting their time, and they would probably give up after a while.

Because all the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring, except for the hobbits, had already given up—the dwarf Gimpulse sat on the ground, lost in thought. The elf Legolas gently blew a whistle that had probably fallen into his pocket by accident. The two humans from Gondor leaned against the edge of the wall, their eyes lowered, their heavy boots seemingly following the whistle's melody with appropriate or inappropriate rhythm—it seemed they hadn't given up yet.

"Using an elf's harmonica to attract attention, while the others exchange coded messages with subtle body language? That's something only movie protagonists would do." Zheng Zha glanced at the slight swaying of the boots on these guys' feet. The slight sway of the silent dwarf's beard seemed to acquire a new meaning—he knew these guys were communicating with some unique coded language. He also knew that with just a little computation, even a brute-force method, he could crack their carefully used code in seconds—but why should he do that? There was clearly no need to decipher it at all.

“They have no way of escaping,” Zheng Zha said softly. His gaze shifted again to Gandalf, who looked like a truly lonely old man, curled up in a ball with his cane, seemingly asleep—and a wave of emotion washed over him.

Gandalf... I used to really like this character.

Back when I was busy with work every day, dealing with those idiotic clients, I even dreamed of one day being able to travel to Middle-earth and the Lord of the Rings, help the venerable Maiar, fight alongside the Fellowship of the Ring against Sauron and the deepest evil, and finally settle down in Middle-earth in victory and glory. But now…

Time has passed, and everything is irreversible. This is truly...lonely.

His fingers trembled almost imperceptibly, then he immediately suppressed the spasm, which was permissible yet meaningless—he knew he could order the entire Fellowship of the Ring to go, to continue their mission or simply pack up and go home—but what good would that do? It wouldn't even give him any satisfaction; it would merely disrupt Chu Xuan's plans and increase the threat his own Reincarnation Squad would face in the future by a few percentage points.

I'm no longer the white-collar worker I used to be. All the desires and aspirations I once had have vanished like bubbles, leaving no trace. Now, all I want is to protect everyone in the Zhongzhou team, and while doing so, perhaps also to consider the innocent civilians. But why…?

Zheng Zha shook his head, no longer paying attention to the plot characters that might only further agitate him. He shifted his gaze from the prisoners of the Central Continent Team to something else—he then remembered that there were several newcomers in the Central Continent Team, who had been teleported away by Chu Xuan before they even introduced themselves or came to his attention. As a result, he, the captain of the Reincarnation Team, didn't even know their names, special skills, or qualifications.

Is it because I will corrupt them? Even if I do nothing and do nothing, as long as they are close enough to me and stay by my side for a while, they will be corrupted by my thoughts and will? Ha—this kind of joke is really not funny at all.

[...I remember Chu Xuan seemed to have arranged for them to be prison guards? But why don't I see them here? Hmm...Are you shy, newbie?]

Zheng Zha glanced at the complex icons on the screen, so intricate they made his head ache. He sighed and increased the usage of about one percent of his normally idle brainpower. The next second, he effortlessly used the research center's operating system to retrieve the new recruits' files and track their locations. After confirming they were all in the accommodations arranged by Chu Xuan, the analysis reports co-authored by Chu Xuan and Alice appeared before Zheng Zha's eyes.

For Zheng Zha, the captain of the Zhongzhou team, there were almost no secrets. However, Zheng had always been too lazy to look, listen, or understand them. He knew very well that he could obtain reports he could understand quickly and thoroughly without much effort simply by asking the smart people in the team. The only difference was whether he wanted to do it or not.

The brain is a good thing, so use it as little as possible—Zheng Zha has always followed this philosophy, only using the ornament around his neck during intense battles and when he feels like it.

And now is clearly the time when he has a sudden whim.

"Hmm... let me see the quality of these new recruits." He pursed his lips, forcing himself to read the files and analysis reports he had retrieved. He finished reading the first four of the five reports in a minute.

Without a doubt, the quality of these newcomers was truly subpar. At least in the first four chapters he had read, he hadn't seen a single highlight—these newcomers to the reincarnation world hadn't displayed any special talents or valuable abilities. And the task Chu Xuan had assigned them—to act as jailers—was easily forgotten… The absence of any newcomers with a saintly complex who wanted to release these reincarnators and the main characters was perhaps good news, but this level of good news was clearly not particularly valuable.

Alice's recommended solution for the first four characters was to send them to a peaceful modern world for reincarnation after the team battle. This was essentially a "back to square one" exchange—one that didn't cost reward points and didn't retain any enhancements. Alice had already verified the effectiveness of this technique in the Final Destination world, and this time, she would simply let them stay in the Tower of Babel world until the story ended.

It was a moderate strategy, neither radical nor conservative. Zheng Zha, who had already become a transcendent being, naturally wouldn't superficially believe that reincarnation meant killing. Having reached this level of consensus, he naturally accepted the arrangements and strategies proposed by Alice.

“No wonder Chu Xuan emphasized so many times that he wouldn’t support idlers…” Zheng Zha smiled bitterly, put aside the documents he had already read, and then turned his gaze to the fifth document, which had the same format as the previous four and perhaps not much different in content. However, before he could even turn the page to read the main text, he felt an energy fluctuation coming from not far behind him.

“Margot Lloyd.” Zheng Zha’s lips twitched slightly. He shifted his gaze and, unsurprisingly, saw a familiar face when he turned around. “I thought you would be resting now.”

“I am indeed resting.” Alice’s fingers lightly crossed. “I’m not working on any projects right now, so naturally I’m resting.” Her gaze passed over Zheng Zha’s shoulder and glanced at the screen behind him. “You’re really putting up with this. You came here to see the battle situation of Kampavsky and the others, but you’re forcing yourself to do things you don’t care about at all—don’t you find it boring?”

"No, that's not true. I'm very attentive to the newcomers." Zheng Zha casually turned off the light screen behind him. His fingers unconsciously rubbed together. "After all, Chu Xuan made it so clear: the more I pay attention to them, the more likely they are to be assimilated by me. So rather than regretting it later, it's better to let them... fight freely now."

He suddenly looked up and asked.

"You're not going to just leave them alone, are you?"

“Hmm.” Alice nodded slightly, her eyes flashing rapidly with real-time intelligence about the battle zone in Longlake Town. She clearly saw the other Reincarnators of the Celestial Team hiding in the shadows, quietly waiting for the Ringwraiths' attack to disrupt the formation of the Central Continent Team veterans—they were ready. However, Xiao Honglu, who had almost finished off the three Ringwraiths in the sky, and Luo Gandao and Zhan Lan, who were much higher than Xiao Honglu and had set up an orbital platform using the flying ability of the Knight Titans, were also ready.

The strategic advantage lies with Xiao Honglu, while the advantage in strength lies with the Celestial Team members. Alice estimates that the Celestial Team's reincarnators have an extremely low probability of winning, and Xiao Honglu's probability of winning is equally low. Thus, these two teams will fight evenly for some time on this battlefield where the flow of time has been adjusted. The battle will only conclude after Zhao Zhuikong's ritual is completed.

"Don't worry, they're just a group of Tier 3 Reincarnators who haven't reached their limit. Unless their power system is extremely unique, the lethal blows they unleash with all their might are just a minor surgery that I can handle in a little while. No one will die, and even if they do, I can revive them in this world. So there's no need to overthink it."

"Is...is that so?" Zheng Zha smiled somewhat awkwardly, seemingly relieved.

"If that's the case, then I'm relieved... Is it alright to leave those fourth-tier Celestials there unattended?"