Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Is this a good thing? — It is a good thing.

This gives the ordinary combatants of the Central Continent Team something to do, and they might even improve their skills by a step or half a step in these battles. At the same time, it also serves as a safeguard, a filter—all reincarnators who haven't been able to touch the Light of the Soul will be completely eliminated here, because they cannot resist the corrective power from the past.

At the same time, this is also a sign that is not hidden.

The interference of a supreme god, the protection of a supreme god, the supreme god, and Pei Jiao, the supreme god's behind-the-scenes controller. Their power is showing signs of weakening or being diverted.

Perhaps Pei Jiao is about to die, or perhaps he is currently on some battlefield, in a desperate situation where he cannot spare even a fraction of his strength. Perhaps…

Perhaps many... Perhaps Pei Jiao has already achieved a stage victory and is so busy digesting the fruits of victory that he has no time to look at anything else, it's hard to say.

—It doesn't matter anymore.

Luo Ye shook her head. After spending a few seconds looking at the results of the battles of the Central Continent Team, she chose to look away from them. Since they were all victories and victories achieved after great effort, there was no need to look at the process. However, she only looked away and did not intend to leave the scene.

Why? Because the outcome is still uncertain, and she's unsure if an outsider might suddenly appear and launch a surprise attack on her lair. To prevent such a scenario, she decides to stay here until everything is decided. Then, her powers will linger around those source world lines, providing them with unchanging protection—unless the fall of the Holy Emperor on the outer edge triggers another chain of events.

—Since there's nothing else to do, I might as well kill some time here. Although killing time is meaningless to her, at least she can have the experience of slacking off before she deletes that period of time.

She likes to slack off.

There's no way around it; after all, slacking off inherently represents "not making any changes." That represents her. So it's only natural that she would be interested in this type of behavior.

Since the goal was to slack off, the mountaintop rock, which was perhaps more suitable for meditation (she had forgotten what Zen was but could still vaguely understand it), was clearly not the best place for her to sit in meditation. As her eyes flickered slightly, the scene around her changed drastically.

She appeared inside an exquisite Western-style mansion.

Of course, to be precise, it wasn't a mansion, but Resident Evil—the location she arrived at was the first Resident Evil movie. It was a science fiction world that wasn't heavily influenced by gods or immortals. The theme of this world was zombies, and these genetically engineered creatures wouldn't change much just because a group of gods were missing from the mythology.

—Even if there were any, it would simply be a transformation from the movie version to the game version. However, even if they transformed into super bosses in the game, they wouldn't pose any threat to Zhang Jie, who at that time already possessed AA-level enhancements and a third-tier gene lock enhanced by the main god. As for the other members—Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan—having already become transcendent species, they didn't need to pay attention to such minor changes that would be passively smoothed over.

In other words, this is the perfect place to slack off, since it doesn't matter how this place changes—it can't change anyway.

Luo Ye lay lazily on the sofa in the mansion's lobby, preparing fried chicken while pouring her favorite soda into her mouth. She also switched the TV in the living room to a live broadcast of other reincarnators so that she could control the situation from here.

She felt quite happy—it's not hard to define a 'happy' state for yourself.

As she stared at the television screen, she heard the sound of rushing water in the distance, followed by a scream and a fall.

—Clearly, this is the initial unfolding of the film's plot. With the virus leaking from the Hive, the master AI, the Red Queen, shuts down all controls and opens the floodgates and the release valves for the hypnotic gas. This would drown all the researchers in the underground Hive within the laboratory. The female protagonist, who also serves as the security director of an Umbrella Corporation branch in the mansion disguised as the entrance on the surface, is also affected—the hypnotic drugs put her to sleep, and she loses part of her memory until the plot unfolds appropriately.

And the female lead's name is—

Luo Ye shook her head. Strictly speaking, neither she nor Alice particularly enjoyed lingering in the Resident Evil world. Having the same name was incredibly annoying, both for them and for the higher-ups in the narrative. Fortunately, the situation had changed. Due to shifts in the original timeline, the Resident Evil universe, originally a trilogy, had expanded to a six-part series. And this female protagonist, sharing the same name as Alice, naturally now had a novel and fitting identity.

Alicia Marcus—the true administrator of Umbrella Corporation, and the true adaptor to the T-virus. The protagonist is actually a clone of this founder of Umbrella. Furthermore, at the end of the story, the old woman shares her memories with the protagonist, allowing her to inherit everything from the original—even though the protagonist dies at the end of the film.

But none of that matters. What matters is that the troubled Luo Ye and the troubled upper-level narrator can finally call the heroine who caused Alice the trouble of having the same name as someone else 'Alicia'—after all, for the transcendent species, there is no difference between the past, present, and future. Although the heroine did not acquire the name Alicia until many years into the future, that does not prevent Miss Luo Ye from bringing this step forward a little.

She gently touched this causal line that has a negligible impact on the world itself.

Thus, in this universe, all the carriers that recorded the heroine's original name—paper, crystals, memories—instantly changed the content marked on them to Alicia. And because the heroine was originally supposed to be called Alicia, the many source world lines that existed here did not change much.

She let out a satisfied sigh.

To describe how satisfied she was, it was like releasing three years' worth of pent-up frustration in one go—now she finally didn't have to think about the problem of having the same name as someone else that had troubled her at some point. And with this inner turmoil gone, even the fried chicken she was holding tasted much better.

She decided to order herself another hamburger and chicken wrap. And some fries too.

She then continued watching the multi-screen live broadcast on the television screen—everything was just as she had expected. Her fellow reincarnators were using their respective powers to beat up their enemies at different points in time, and without any special external interference, their battles were going quite smoothly… or rather, they were going very smoothly, though they looked extremely difficult.

Everything was going smoothly, but even so, she wasted several hours there. Until dusk fell, until the protagonist—Miss Alicia, whose name she no longer needed to hide—woke up with a soft moan. She didn't see anything else change.

She briefly diverted her attention to watching the pitifully sized Miss Alicia lean against the wall to stand up, change into her signature red dress and belt, and act as if this uninvited guest didn't exist at all.

—But she doesn’t actually exist.

If a transcendent being does not wish to be understood by mortals, then even the ultimate instrument capable of exploring the principles of the universe will not be able to glimpse her in the slightest—and just after Alicia finished putting on her equipment, a group of mercenaries from the story rushed into the mansion.

Just like in the original script, the mercenaries took Alice, who had suffered temporary amnesia due to the effects of the drugs, and along with some passersby whose faces were indistinct, they crammed them into the underground train leading to the Hive. Luo Ye picked up a handheld console from beside her, and the live broadcast on the television screen switched to her handheld. Then she casually got up and boarded the train with the mercenaries.

The car was fast, but it still took a few minutes to drive.

Luo Ye sat next to the few passersby whose faces were unclear, watching their expressions change little by little.

—Cold, shivering.

"—Not bad, you are the most well-mannered person among those who came this time."

Luo Ye sat next to Zhang Jie at this moment, finding it amusing to watch him and the inexperienced Zheng Zha. She even considered taking out a DV camera from her pocket to make a backup of this classic scene for her collection—

She saw Zheng Zha looking at her with a melancholy expression.

She saw the threatening smirk on Zhang Jie's face turn into a slightly comical embarrassment.

—'Pfft.' Miss Zhan Lan chuckled. At the same time, she subconsciously pressed her spirit ears, which shouldn't have turned pointed yet.

"Hoo hoo, sorry, should I... not be talking right now?" Zhan Lan suppressed a laugh while waving her hand, trying her best to regain her initial dreamlike state—it looked quite convincing at first glance, but considering her transcendent level of life, it just seemed exaggerated no matter how you looked at it!

The scene became extremely awkward.

The other newcomers, who were either already dead or close to death, looked at them warily, while the mercenaries on the other side of the carriage also cast probing glances in their direction.

— Zhan Lan's finger twitched slightly, and then they all went about their own business.

So--

"So..." Zhang Jie, being the shameless one, broke the silence first. "...Why?"

“I’m just bored.” Luo Ye shrugged. “Do you really expect us, who are no longer even mortal beings, to have any passion, fighting, effort, or struggle in the final battle? Although the current outcome is not very clear, in my opinion, it’s just a few possible developments… I’m bored.”

"So you're slacking off here." Zheng Zha glared at her defiantly.

"I did have my tasks," Luo Ye tilted his head, looking completely unconcerned. "Didn't you see I was keeping an eye on the other people's battles, just in case something unexpected happened to them?"

Zheng Zha's face twitched. He really wanted to say that his teammates wouldn't be stumped by such a small problem. But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and his captain's reserve (which he had just set) ultimately prevented him from speaking.

"And," Luo Ye's expression suddenly turned serious, his gaze towards Zheng Zha becoming grave, "I didn't detect your true form, but I saw an expanding trace of war—"

"--what happened?"

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Path of Destiny

"After encountering Adam, Chu Xuan told me to take a step to the left, and now we're running away."

Zheng Zha's summary was quick and concise.

While there is certainly an element of cryptic communication involved, this is clearly not a problem for Luo Ye and Zhang Jie Zhan Lan, who understand Zheng Zha and the team.

--I see.

Luo Ye nodded, not pressing further—since Chu Xuan had already provided a solution, there was no need for her to interfere further—she glanced at Zheng Zha's hand, where she could vaguely see the outline of a star clenched in his palm. But that star wasn't there; it had traveled far away with Zheng Zha's body.

It took a step to the left.

Luo Ye pondered for a few seconds—for her, those few seconds were more than enough time to run through the process of the universe's birth and death several times over—and after that subjectively lengthy but objectively brief period of thought, she reached a conclusion. Then, she looked at her companions.

"...Are you willing to accept this ending?"

"What ending?" Zheng Zha looked confused—which was normal, he always looked confused—while Luo Ye's gaze shifted slightly. Her eyes swept over Zhang Jie's equally bewildered face, and finally, she saw Zhan Lan nod with a smile.

—If the 'present' has not been corrected, then the 'future' should be an acceptance of this decision.

Luo Ye had already foreseen the outcome of this battle, the final war of the Reincarnators. And her companions seemed to have no intention of raising any objections.

It turned out to be the case.

It turned out to be the case.

When she asked that question, the two people, who had been confused, suddenly understood.

"This outcome isn't so bad." Zheng Zha chuckled, his confusion fading. He relaxed slightly and stretched. "Besides, not having to have a final, life-or-death battle with the Demon Team, isn't that a good thing?"

"Of course it counts." Luo Ye shook his head, casually abandoning a bunch of plans he had just finished targeting the Demon Team. With things having developed to this point, there were really only a few possible outcomes. And in the future that Luo Ye could foresee, there were several possible scenarios where he wouldn't be in a hostile relationship with the Demon Team.

after all--

—Is there an irreconcilable, absolute conflict between Team Central and Team Demon? No.

—Do the Central Continent Team and the Demon Team have a reason to eliminate each other? No.

Since there is no objective conflict or subjective hatred, why must we determine a life-or-death struggle?

For the right to use the Lord God?

Ha, first of all, let's not even talk about how the main god is destined to become a hot potato after this war—even if there hadn't been fighting outside, or if it hadn't turned out like this. Do the members of the Central Continent Team or the Demon Team really value such a treasure that once had a master? If they only want to advance, then they must have the confidence and information to take each step forward without needing any tools. But if they don't care about advancement—

—Then what use is this treasure, whose function is as important as its cause and effect?

Obviously not.

Transcending one's own limitations allows one to roam, expand, and practice one's own path across the multiverse—while having a supreme deity as an assistant certainly increases opportunities. But even without this assistance, one can still continue on their own path.

Moreover, the outer realm of Gaia is now clearly the place where all the saints have fallen. The immortal saints below the level of the Holy Emperor are probably all dead, and the greatest obstacle that once stood in the way of every transcendent being—the superior saints on the same path, and even the true saints—have all vanished without a trace.

The supreme deity is no longer important.

Or, to put it another way, if all the gods and saints on the outer side were to die, then regardless of whether any remainder survives, the troubles that the instrument of the chief god can bring will outweigh the benefits—perhaps only those arrogant and foolish people who do not understand what the phenomenon of erosion of the Dao is or what cause and effect is would disregard these risks without hesitation and swallow the benefits without hesitation when they appear before them.

Luo Ye sighed softly and said no more.

And so, time continues to flow.

The trio of people, already beyond the reach of time, didn't intend to interfere much with this distant past. They simply allowed that bygone era to proceed according to its original plot—the earliest Central Continent Team reincarnators got to know each other and made connections with Umbrella's mercenaries and the female protagonist, Alicia. Soon after, the group left the underground train.

—and arrive at the hive.

And just as had happened before, the first trial from the cycle of reincarnation—"If you're a man, go down one hundred levels"—this welcoming ceremony appeared before the Central Continent team. And according to the original script, two people, a chubby boy and a middle-aged woman, would be unable to keep up with the speed of the rapid descent team and thus escape the God's control, thereby incurring the God's annihilation.

The same thing happened in the same way.

However, in the instant before it happened, just as the two newcomers were about to be annihilated by the main god, Zheng Zha stopped the operation of time.

"You don't mind, do you?" He smiled at his companions. "I'd completely forgotten about it..."

Luo Ye simply waved his hand casually, while Zhang Jie shrugged and Zhan Lan looked at him with a smile.

So he nodded and, during the pause in time, walked over to the two newcomers whose names he hadn't even asked.

"I'm sorry I haven't noticed you before. But even so, you are actually members of our Central Continent team." He bowed slightly to the first two victims, then extended his finger and touched their foreheads in the stillness of time.

He returned to his original position, and as time flowed again, two bodies, identical to the original in both genes and concepts but with only blank souls in their minds, took the place of the two dying people, enduring the suffering of being obliterated by the main god. The original bodies and souls were then placed by Zheng Zha at the other end of the source world line, in the best place he had chosen for these two newcomers.

He read their minds and created two miniature universes for them, each like a bubble of a world. One was a traditional Western fantasy world, the other an ancient martial arts dynasty reminiscent of the East. Then, he casually placed these two roughly woven destinies upon them.

And so, the dream ends, and the dream reappears.

The chubby boy opened his eyes and found himself transported to another world, like a hero in a computer game. Needed by the world and admired by all—he was like an old-fashioned, true hero, making friends, experiencing adventures, uncovering schemes, overcoming crises, and ultimately moving from one victory to another—he enjoyed it all and was completely content. His brief experiences in the cycle of reincarnation were quickly left behind and gradually forgotten.