Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

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

Lin Xi suddenly opened her eyes, and what came into view was a ceiling that was unfamiliar to her, but which she vaguely remembered.

"You're awake. Do you still know where you are? Do you know who you are?" A voice sounded from the side. It sounded like a mature female voice. The air was filled with the scent of some unknown medicine.

"I am..." Lin Xi rubbed her head vigorously, trying to stand up. She subconsciously looked around, only to find strange instruments everywhere that she couldn't understand, yet vaguely remembered. "...I am Lin Xi."

"Very good, it seems you haven't completely lost your mind. So, do you remember where you are?" The voice seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and moved with light steps as if it were handling something.

Lin Xi frowned. A strong sense of unease filled her mind. She felt…

...Something seems off?

“This is…” she thought for a moment, but still uttered the answer that should have been correct: “…The Sixth Communications Building under the First Special Affairs Bureau…This should be the Special Affairs Bureau’s secondary sanatorium?”

The light steps suddenly stopped.

"Take back what you said earlier. It seems you really have a high fever." A figure in an off-the-shoulder top, clearly a medical professional, came into her view. Her delicate face was filled with confusion and seriousness. "This is the Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals main ship. Dr. Lin Xi, you suddenly collapsed with a high fever while communicating on this ship… You really don't remember anything?"

Lin Xi didn't answer. She just stared blankly at the medical staff member's light green hair and the feline ears perched on their head. She was certain it was a natural product, not some kind of genetic engineering. Even the most advanced genetic engineers in the world, those from the East Asians who invest heavily in biochemistry every year, could never create such a naturally healthy, stitched-together life!

"You are... an orc?"

“…Rare symptoms.” She saw the green-haired man frown. “It seems there are some problems with your memory and cognitive functions. It’s possible there’s been some unexpected change in the area where neural clusters converge in your brain…similar symptoms to Dr. Andromeda. Looks like you’ll have to stay here a while longer.”

“Andre…Lomodar?” Lin Xi said the name, which was probably from a mythological story, with some uncertainty.

“Yes, Dr. Andromeda. You suddenly fainted while you were discussing the Originium Variant structure with her.” The green-haired medical staff member nodded, reached out, and pressed a few buttons on the communicator on his collar.

"Notify Warfarin and Miss Ceylon to come to the Sixth Medical District. There's been a situation." She seemed to consider it for a moment before adding into the communicator, "And... also inform Dr. Andromeda."

Dr. Andromeda...

Andromeda... are you coming here?

Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat. She sensed... something was wrong.

No. What exactly is wrong? Is it related to Andromeda? Or something else...?

Something strange seemed to surface in her mind again, like some slumbering behemoth awakening, or some tangled shackles crumbling. She opened her mouth, as if to say something. But at that moment, everything around her began to blur and indistinct!

【Connection.】—That voice, which sounded exactly like her own, rang out for the third time. And this time, it was more decisive and resolute than the previous three times.

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

Lin Xi opened her eyes again. This time, what she saw was the familiar ceiling.

Ah, yes, it was familiar. She remembered the smell, the texture and material of the ceiling. She knew she was in the actual Special Affairs Bureau's secondary sanatorium. And everything here was familiar to her.

"Was that... a dream?" she muttered to herself uncertainly.

"It must have been a dream." She got out of bed and was somewhat surprised to find that she was the only one in the ward—she turned her gaze and saw a water glass that had fallen and slippery footprints near the closed door. Clearly, someone had been in a hurry to leave and almost tripped.

"Is something urgent?" Lin Xi shook her head and looked away. She carefully stepped over the puddle of water on the floor. Then, she pushed open the door to the treatment room.

Her breathing suddenly stopped.

Because right before her, the section of the corridor outside the sanatorium had been sliced ​​in two, as if cut by scissors. The shattered ruins and charred, bloody remains stretched from her feet to the very edge of the world. And above her, a blazing cloud hung in the sky!

No, that's not a cloud. That's... a circular starship covering the sky, descending against the atmosphere!

That is……

……independence Day!

It's the alien mothership that appears in the movie Independence Day!

The sounds of explosions and battle filled her vision and hearing!

She heard the howling wind, she saw the blazing clouds sweeping across the sky. She saw swarms of tiny flying machines descending with destructive fire. She saw countless beams of scorching light rise from the ground and pierce the heavens!

A catastrophe from another world... has appeared in the real world!

Section 40: Bringing up the sore spot

Lin Xi blinked and instinctively covered her mouth. She stared at the battlefield that wasn't far away, witnessing the cataclysmic disaster.

You can destroy them, like a scythe harvesting weeds...

A sound rang in her ear, but she didn't hear the sound dancing beside her. Her meager understanding had been completely swallowed up by this terrifying reality. All she could do was instinctively protect herself, scrambling into cover while keeping an eye on the battlefield outside.

Then, she saw a thin shield, and a protective force.

She saw mountains collapse, and burning stars fall like rain. The ground cracked and spread like a spider web, and large swathes of magma from the asthenosphere spewed out, freezing into frost the instant they touched the air.

This is war, a war between the other world and the present world.

The falling sparks are the barrage of fire from another world, while the frozen frost is the resistance of the present. The land that became the battleground is right before us, and it has long since become a wasteland. There is no more life, no more hope.

What happened? — She asked herself, seeking an answer she could never know.

Five minutes ago—the world was normal. The area where the Central Continent Light Sphere was located had clearly become the new world core. Thousands of airplanes and vehicles gathered and circled around it like flocks of birds, bringing prosperity and flourishing to this land that was just a wilderness a few months ago.

Everyone thought this was a tremendous opportunity. Everyone thought this was a wave of the times. Everyone thought the only enemy in this new era would be each other. Everyone thought what followed would be a battlefield between people.

Everyone thinks that way, but the future never follows human expectations.

Because disaster struck uninvited four minutes and fifty-nine seconds earlier, silently as shadowy clouds appeared in the sky.

Without warning, without any buffer or indication, the alien mothership from the Independence Day universe appeared abruptly in the azure sky. Then, the ground-based air defense systems and the mothership's suppressive artillery simultaneously found their targets. As countless stars shone upwards against the current, a beam of light, a hundred times thicker than before, descended directly upon them.

The Macro Cannon is a kinetic weapon with mass and speed as its core elements. It altered the terrain below with a single shot. However, while this ground-attack weapon is incredibly destructive, it lacks absolute lethality except for direct hits. It crashed to the ground, creating a shockwave that tore through the fortress and the surface, only to slam into the large, hastily acquired shield.

The counterattack began immediately, and the intensity of the war escalated to its maximum from the moment it broke out.

Then, the sky melted, and massive, dark, leaden clouds became as translucent as electrified sponges. Blue and purple lightning intertwined and swirled, only to be pierced by countless spears of radiant light rising from the ground. Concentric ripples bloomed layer upon layer on the surface of the alien creation in the sky, like a calm lake being washed by a light rain.

It was raining heavily. But even the heaviest rain couldn't break the surface of the lake.

At this moment, the power and enhancements that mortals possess are insufficient to counteract this level of power.

Lin Xi held her breath.

She felt no fear, nor did she know why, nor was she even aware that she should be afraid. She simply stared wide-eyed as the streaks of meteors hurtling against the invisible shield surrounding the giant ship, scattering tiny sparks.

They will die there, everyone will die there.

Because the alien fleet, resembling a swarm of bees, easily bypassed those retrograde meteors, leaving the rebels to make futile attempts, while focusing its firepower on many seemingly insignificant and remote locations.

Lin Xi didn't know what was there. But she could tell that the alien mothership held the initiative in its own hands. Its firepower was a test it posed to the people of the present world. And the resistance of the people of the present world was not an ideal solution.

"I have to do something..." she muttered unconsciously. She jumped down from the ruins of the building and saw the busy and panicked crowd outside the abandoned medical building and the scattered pieces of the ship that had fallen to the ground in the distance—the place where she was was right on the edge of the temporary shield that the special personnel stationed there had exchanged for, which was why the sanatorium where she was located had ended up in such a miserable state, with one side intact and the other broken.

Some screamed, some roared, and some tried to maintain order. Someone saw her.

"Lie down! Lie down!"

Lie down? Why should I lie down?

She instinctively turned her head to look at the cracked earth separated by the shield. And right in her field of vision, a burning alien spacecraft rapidly grew larger as it approached!

I can destroy them, like a scythe harvesting weeds...

A voice rang in her ear, and this time she clearly heard what the unknown person was saying.

Destruction? I can destroy?

I'm just an ordinary young woman, so why would I have such delusions at a time like this?

She watched the crashing spacecraft draw ever closer, noticing the cracks spreading across the transparent shield before her, and the fierce winds, alternating between hot and cold, whipping her hair. She saw the mouth of the person yelling at her move rapidly. She felt that immense presence descend upon her head!

She instinctively reached out her hand towards the alien mothership in the sky. An unusual word escaped her throat…

"Connection." Before losing consciousness, she felt that her voice was not the same as usual.

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

Lin Xi opened her eyes and was greeted by another unfamiliar ceiling.

Ah…it’s such a familiar scene. Though strange, it feels familiar. The air is thick with the smell of disinfectant, and the thin blanket I’m wearing has a peculiar material. An unknown machine beeps rhythmically beside my ear, while in the distance, I hear hurried footsteps, their sounds barely audible.

This is undoubtedly a hospital ward.

How many completely different hospital rooms did she visit in that short period of time?

She instinctively wanted to raise her hand and unplug the IV tubing and sensor connector from her arm. However, as she tried to do so, the shackles of soreness and weakness locked her will firmly deep within her body.

This is……

"These are temporary muscle weakness symptoms caused by a lack of exercise and energy replenishment. Don't be too alarmed." — She subconsciously tilted her head, following the rather unfamiliar voice to see a memorable silhouette.

It's Alice.

Alice Margot Royd.

The blonde, blue-eyed girl was sitting next to the hospital bed, a book on her lap, her hands holding a fruit knife and a fruit plate, peeling an apple.

"You're awake?" Alice's expression was as serene and elegant as ever, and her voice was soft yet clear.

“Miss Margot Lloyd…” Lin Xi opened her mouth, about to say something, but then the words caught in her throat. In the end, she only managed to squeeze out a few irrelevant words. “I’m sorry… I haven’t received that doll yet.”

“There’s no rush.” She heard Alice’s reply, but she didn’t detect much emotion in it—it was the same as always. “We have plenty of time. You can just find some time to bring it back for me.”

“Yes…” Lin Xi bit her lip, and the word 'time' inadvertently touched a nerve. She tried to lift her head, wanting to see the clock and perpetual calendar hanging on the wall.

However, Alice gave her the answer before she could even look up.

“You slept for four days, suffering from concussion and internal organ displacement. It’s not very serious, but it’s not a minor injury either,” Alice said. “The war is over. Last night, thirteen hours ago, the last alien mothership was successfully destroyed in the heart of Senzhou by six A-level enhanced users in conjunction with eleven armored divisions. The light sphere has given the message that ‘Independence Day’ has ended, and mortals have won the final victory.”

Her choice of words was unusual; she used "ordinary people" instead of "we." Lin Xi keenly noticed this.

But Lin Xi knew she shouldn't waste time on this topic—she still remembered the whisper that surfaced in her mind before she lost consciousness, and the word 'connection' that she uttered as she reached out to the sky.

What did I do at that time? — Perhaps.

What impact did my actions have? —Possibly.

However, if his actions had triggered a significant shift in direction, then he wouldn't be in an ordinary hospital ward. Instead, he would be in a completely enclosed cubicle, like a biochemical research site. The first person he would see upon opening his eyes wouldn't be Alice peeling an apple, but some unknown, secretive individual who possessed all the information about him.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but outwardly she still had to ask questions to show the curiosity that someone in her current position should have.

"How...did we win?" she asked.

"An unknown A-rank or S-rank enhanced holder intervened, connecting the protective shield of the ground exchange point with the protective shield of the mothership above the light sphere. As a result, the opponent's solid outer shell ceased to exist. The 'special personnel' present quickly organized an elite force to launch from the protective shield inside the light sphere and directly crash into the mothership. And after that, it was a rather pointless decapitation operation."

Lin Xi's breath hitched. The word 'connection' really stung her.

"You mean... an unknown A-rank? Haven't you found that person?"