Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

And Saito Kazuya did not let the worst-case scenario she had anticipated happen.

"You don't need to give anything in return. All you have to do is live as long as possible. The longer you live, the more useful you will be to me. As for what that usefulness is, you don't need to know too much."

The next moment, Saito pointed a finger at her forehead, and immediately afterward, a vast amount of knowledge and information flooded into her mind through the temporary channel formed by his finger!

She learned something.

The man before her had come here for her, not for her looks, nor for her body, but for her abilities and potential. She was of great use to him, and that use would soon become apparent.

The feeling of being needed filled her heart instantly.

The next moment, the overwhelming amount of knowledge dragged her into a dream world constructed of information.

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

Saito slowly withdrew his finger. His movements were light and slow, so that the finger that had been subjected to the force wouldn't dislocate prematurely. And his actions were clearly successful. After he slowly raised his index finger, which was now completely shattered inside, and then put it back in place with a 'click,' his serious expression relaxed slightly.

The martial arts technique he gifted to Zhu Wen was called "Xuanyuan Qi Observation Method," a prophetic martial art found in a novel world. It was an extraordinary martial art perfectly suited to someone as gifted as Zhu Wen, and it would also prove quite useful in this world.

Miss Alice should have arrived at the Great Library by now. Although it's unknown how long it will take her back, it shouldn't be long. By the time she returns, she'll likely have a better understanding of the current situation. She'll naturally know we need capable people who can both benefit and avoid harm. Therefore, she will definitely create another memory world… even if it consumes a lot of energy, she'll try to maintain Zhu Wen's basic combat strength. And as soon as Zhu Wen enters the memory world she creates, then…

He gently clenched his fist.

His time was running out, and the feeling of being a pawn in someone else's game was truly awful. Although it sounded a bit like hindsight, if he had a choice, he would still prefer to die in a way that suited his own desires.

Although he didn't have high hopes for it.

Author's Note:

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

4000 words. Just look at the update time to know what state I'm in today.

I plan to change the daily 2000-word sections to 4000-word sections from now on... because the length of the plot will make it difficult to write short chapters.

Section 36 - Legion

High in the sky, inside the main control tower of the Great Library...

"So that's how it is." Alice said, putting on her clothes scattered on the ground as she opened the light screen windows one by one, which she had previously closed. In the preceding... period of time, she had obtained everything she wanted to know from Patchouli. The side effect was that Patchouli was now slumped on the ground like a lump of mud, and without the use of other regenerative methods, the purple-toned witch was unlikely to regain consciousness until at least dawn.

"Destroy the world... Tsk, Patchouli, you've really done a 'good deed.' Using something like this to test the Supreme God is incredibly foolish. Is it a case of being blinded by concern?"

She shook her head slightly.

She obtained all the information from Patchouli about what happened while she was asleep in the world of Ju-on. She knew that Patchouli had tampered with the memory world to trap her inside, and that while she was trapped, Patchouli launched a massive war that swept across the entire Earth, turning that world's human civilization into a sea of ​​fire.

She wasn't overly worried about it.

Patchouli ultimately underestimated the situation. Destroying a mere, shallow civilization confined to a single planet might not seem appropriate in the eyes of the Supreme God, but it certainly didn't qualify as a mistake or a violation. Her understanding of the Supreme God's space was still somewhat superficial… no, it should be said that she hadn't actually participated in the war of the gods and demons like I had. If she had experienced it, perhaps she would have had different thoughts.

Alice's mind flashed back to the final minutes of the Mummy. The living, breathing Cairo, the sacred and majestic Apostolic Bodhisattva, and the pervasive spiritual pollution that nearly corrupted even her own thoughts. The collision between the floating Hamunaptra she controlled and the woman named Sesshouin Kiara destroyed almost a third of Egypt, yet this was merely the aftermath of their battle.

He himself was unable to achieve a qualitative leap due to the limitations of his magical system, while the woman, hindered by Zhang Jie, fell from the stage of qualitative transformation. In other words, both of them were merely at the limits of mortal beings at that time, not yet reaching complete transcendence. And even in that state, the impact on that world was still enormous.

Patchouli probably thought that the level of power transformation was the limit for reincarnators. After all, in the world of Gensokyo, the most powerful enemy that she and Patchouli had witnessed was only at the level of power transformation after meeting various conditions—the so-called ability to move mountains and seas. Later, Megatron, whom they encountered in Transformers, was even stronger, but because it was hindered by the Humanity Stars, it was unable to unleash... or rather, show much of its power.

This is a cognitive bias, something that immortal beings inevitably possess. The experience gained over a long period is certainly enough for witches to acquire the technical reserves to handle various situations. But these technologies, this knowledge… the framework they form also becomes a cognitive prison for the witches. Even knowing that the power of the supreme god is definitely not limited to this, past preconceived notions still lead them to make judgments that contradict reality.

Patchouli deduced the God's bias towards humanity by examining the God's enhancement system, the types of tasks issued by the God, and the God's reward and punishment mechanisms. Yes, this was correct; Alice could also draw the same conclusion from these arguments. However, while Patchouli obtained a feasible hypothesis, the experiment used to verify it was completely flawed.

Because—the Supreme God simply cannot hold the reincarnators accountable for the destruction of human civilization on the surface of a planet.

[Severing seas and dividing rivers, altering terrain with a single strike. This is indeed the limit of human capability in my world. After all, even those outside have only just completed colonizing the solar system and are cautiously exploring other star systems in the Centaurus Arm. Civilization has only developed to this level, and the power it can wield is naturally limited to this level. Even if the strange technologies of the mechanical side possess greater destructive power... the limitations are just as numerous.]

However, the cycle of reincarnation is different.

[Leaving aside the countless S-rank and SS-rank enhancements, just considering the mainstream gene locks in the reincarnation world, its potential far exceeds what I could have imagined before knowing this information... Ah, yes, I understand.]

[It was my fault. I only told Patty that the Gene Lock has five stages, with the fourth stage being equivalent to transcending the stagnation of information magic, achieving a qualitative leap. But I didn't explain in detail the power manifested after the fourth stage of the Gene Lock. Besides… Patty has never activated her Gene Lock. Since she hasn't activated it, she naturally wouldn't have an accurate understanding of this power.]

She covered her forehead in frustration, her worry and regret written all over her face. However, she knew that regret was pointless; the mistake had already been made, and all that was needed was to make amends. And the way to do that was definitely not by standing there in a daze.

She sighed softly.

According to the information obtained from Zhang Jie, the so-called "severing of the sea and dividing of rivers," the level at which life undergoes a qualitative change... is merely the initial stage of the fourth tier of the gene lock. However, within the fourth tier, there are many layers, each tens or even hundreds of times more powerful than the previous one.

In the initial stage of the fourth tier, the limit of power output is to destroy a city with a single blow, and even casual walking can trigger weather changes equivalent to a catastrophe.

The intermediate stage of the fourth tier limits the power output to destroying continental shelves and causing minor deformations of the planet. With sheer physical strength alone, one can continuously strike and damage the surface of a planet the size of Earth. Furthermore, if various enhancements are taken into account, the performance can surpass these limits even further.

The advanced fourth tier directly reaches the level of planetary destruction. Meteorites, asteroids, satellites, and giant planets alike—destroying them is only a matter of time. As the power at this level deepens and approaches the fifth tier, it even has the potential to directly destroy the sun.

The fourth rank and above are completely unnecessary to consider; reaching the fifth rank is equivalent to graduating from the cycle of reincarnation. However, if we reverse this statement, it means that there must be room for the fourth-rank power to be exerted within the Main God Space.

[Without a doubt, the battlefield back then was a vast starry sea...tsk, the destructive power of that level! If they encountered an evenly matched enemy, without deliberate suppression, the aftershocks destroying a rudimentary civilization still bound by gravity would be as commonplace as eating and drinking. Under such conditions, how could the Supreme God possibly hold the Reincarnation Team accountable for the destruction of a 'mere' planetary civilization?]

[Isn't that the same as having soldiers of this era shoot ghosts from inside glass houses while not allowing the houses to be damaged? That's utter nonsense!]

She glanced at the sleeping Patchouli, who, due to the earlier 'interrogation' that had been somewhat excessive, was now curled up like a baby. Her thumb was still between her lips, making her look no different from a sleepy eleven or twelve-year-old girl. Clearly, correcting her misconceptions now was unrealistic; she could only skip that step for now and examine how the current situation had come to this.

This is only the first day!

[Without a doubt, the problem doesn't lie with Patchouli... what she did isn't even worth mentioning. Therefore, the one who pushed the situation to this point must be Saito Hajime. Although I've erased the relevant memories, I still have to admit he did something quite remarkable.]

[Erase memories... Clearly, Saito Hajime is involved in an event at least two levels above ours. Tsk, at least a mid-to-high level fourth rank, possibly even involving the secrets behind the main god. Since I chose to forget back then, thinking about it further would only cause me trouble. So, all I can do now is temporarily ignore him and see if there's any way to forcefully break this deadlock...]

[The captain's authorization only activates when the horror movie ends or the chosen captain is about to die. It's a shame we can't just gamble by firing a shot down from the Great Library to trigger it directly. What if Zheng Zha isn't recognized as captain? That shot would wipe out the team… Wait, with only Patchouli and me, forming a new team might be more efficient.]

【………………】

Alice pressed hard on the back of her head. A dull, throbbing pain stimulated her nerves, but it quickly subsided, replaced by a sudden clarity of mind.

"The aftereffects of brain damage? My thinking is starting to become incomplete. I would never have thought of making such a foolish plan in the past. Income and expenditure are completely disproportionate, and all the previous investments have gone down the drain... This is not a very rational idea."

"Never mind that for now. If my earlier prediction is true, there will likely be a tough battle ahead, so before that, I need to figure out what cards I have in my hand... and see what Patty has been preparing while I was away."

She reached out, wanting to summon a light screen to directly view the layout of the grand library, but then thought better of it. Because…

While I was thinking, Patchouli had been lying on the ground for five minutes. As punishment for not valuing herself... that should be enough, right?

Alice thought to herself, but her body moved involuntarily to pick up Patchouli, who was lying on the ground. She could clearly feel Patchouli wriggle in her arms, almost instinctively adjusting her position to the most comfortable one. But her breathing and heartbeat remained unchanged.

[He's probably not pretending to be asleep...]

She activated the anti-gravity field and floated lightly up from the ground. The closed main control room door quietly opened, and the little devil, who had been waiting at the door, bowed slightly to her.

“Mistress Alice, the bedroom and bathroom are ready. Are you planning to go now?” Her gaze then shifted slightly downwards, lingering briefly on the sleeping Patchouli. “Or do you have other plans?”

“Take Patchouli back; she needs to rest for a while. Never mind… come with me first,” Alice replied. She had initially intended to hand the sleeping Patchouli to the Imp, but after thinking it over, decided to carry her herself. “I plan to check the production line later; I need to know how many troops the Great Library has now.”

“Approximately 26,000 basic units and 400 heavy units, Master Alice.” The imp floated lightly beside her and replied, “These are all supplies left over from Master Patchouli’s last operation. They are qualified weapons that have withstood the test of the battlefield, and whose AI has also grown in the war. If you need them, they can be deployed to the battlefield immediately.”

"Twenty-six thousand four hundred... Is that all? And the production line isn't even running?"

"Master Patchouli did not provide enough raw materials, so the production line could not operate. Furthermore, most of the troops that Master Patchouli preserved from the last operation are in a dormant state due to energy shortages. Now, the Great Library will draw solar wind directly to replenish its energy."

"The basic combat units aren't equipped with reactors?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "That's true. As long as production volume and external firepower are guaranteed, there's no need to overthink the endurance issue. So, what's the total number? Have my puppets been fully equipped?"

"A total of 120,000 basic combat units, Master Alice. Your combat dolls have also begun assembly, with twenty-three currently available for deployment." The little devil answered Alice's questions while guiding her through the corridors of the Great Library. Soon, the bedrooms belonging to the two witches came into view—she made a gesture, and the bedroom doors opened. The scent of fresh roses and lilies wafted out, clearly an extra arrangement the little devil had made without her permission when Alice entered the main control room. Having spent years with the two witches, she had obviously learned their habits.

"Twenty-three? That's barely enough to be of any use." Alice opened her arms, letting Patchouli float gently onto the soft plush mattress under the influence of gravity. Shanghai and Penglai, appearing from who-knows-where, immediately covered Patchouli with a blanket, drew the bed curtains, and lit incense. Then they obediently floated to Alice's side.

"Get 10,000 basic combat units ready, then prepare for an airdrop. Upon receiving my order, immediately launch a deep strike on the designated location." Alice gently clenched her fist, colorless puppet strings quietly wrapping around her fingertips.

"But before that, take me to see my battle dolls."

Section 37 Ehecoatl

Alice is a puppeteer. First a puppeteer, then a witch. In other words, she needs a suitable army of puppets as her weapons to unleash her full combat power—she did indeed have such an army serving her, but unfortunately, her clone returned to Gensokyo before her, taking the entire army with her. Therefore, until a new army is created, she can only rely on puppet strings and general ritual magic as her primary means of combat.

Fortunately, that guy at least left Shanghai and Penglai behind. Otherwise... tsk.

This is really going to give me a huge headache.

Alice thought to herself, following the little devil leading the way, and flew leisurely towards the manufacturing area of ​​the Great Library. Long before she planned to leave Gensokyo, she had ordered the little devil to begin the construction of battle dolls while the Great Library's resources were idle. After experiencing two worlds, plus ten days of rest in the Main God Space—a total of seventy days—the rebuilt doll army had finally taken on a basic framework.

The current total is twenty-three, which is barely enough to be of use. In fact, a large portion of the enormous reward points she obtained in the Main God Space were used as funds to strengthen the puppet army. With the help of the Main God, many processing plans that were quite powerful in conception but had to be shelved due to material shortages and immature techniques were able to be revived in this endless cycle of reincarnation. And after experiencing the world of Transformers, the Cybertronian technology and alien knowledge acquired from that world gave this rebuilt puppet army a much greater potential for development than the previous version.

Of course, as a trade-off, a significant decrease in manufacturing speed is to be expected. No matter how powerful magic is, creating artifacts still requires establishing an industrial machine. Otherwise, one can only learn from the ancient Eastern Qi cultivators, spending months or even years staring at a furnace while using incredibly expensive micro-management techniques to process the artifact's materials to the appropriate level—this strategy can indeed produce exceptionally high-performance, finely crafted products. But… Alice needs an army.

The formation of the legion is inseparable from the concept of mass production.

"Mistress Alice, we have arrived."

The little devil stopped, and before her, the gates representing the Great Library's manufacturing area slowly opened. The next moment, Alice's vision was filled with a vast, silvery sea.

If the rest of the Central Continent team were here, they would undoubtedly utter the words "Terminator." Because this silvery sea is so strikingly similar to the swarm of Terminator robots in the movies.

It's so similar, so incredibly similar.

The silvery ocean, once broken down into individual units, became thousands upon thousands of mechanical soldiers. They stood silently in neat square formations in the large plaza at the center of the manufacturing area. On both sides of the plaza, massive magical machines were operating continuously. Every five or six seconds, a new steel warrior would awaken from an unknown area, cross the conveyor belt, and swiftly and silently join the ranks of the mechanical legion.

They possessed a humanoid skeletal structure and walked on two legs, but unlike the robot army in the movie that resembled metal skeletons, this army in the Great Library undoubtedly possessed sophisticated external armor protection and significantly enhanced mobility. Their outer surfaces were covered with tightly sealed armor plates, and their backs and joints were equipped with heavily protected propulsion devices—Alice was familiar with these devices and knew their effectiveness. Even though these mechanical soldiers were currently just quietly stationed in the Great Library's manufacturing area, she could mentally simulate and deduce the terrifying mobility they would possess on the battlefield.

At least they can easily dodge machine gun fire while moving, just like in a typical gunfight movie. If we also consider their defensive capabilities, as long as their AI is only one-tenth the level of Shanghai or Penglai, then a single basic combat unit facing off against a light infantry company would be a one-sided battle.

No...maybe they could handle an armored company.

Alice shifted her gaze, glanced at the weapons the mechanical soldiers were equipped with, and then overturned her previous conclusion.

"What weapons are they equipped with? Plasma cannons? I remember they used to be equipped with railguns. Did Patchouli modify these weapons, which were originally only able to be equipped on heavy units, into individual soldier versions?" she asked, looking at Imp.

“Your guess is correct, Master Alice.” The little devil nodded slightly. She gestured, and a mechanical soldier standing on the outer edge of the formation raised a gun connected directly to his body via tubing and fired at a metal target about two hundred meters away. With a flash of light, the sixty-centimeter-thick metal target silently cracked open, leaving a hole the size of a washbasin. This shot even triggered a small portion of the protective barrier within the Great Library, and then the roaring wind swept in like a tidal wave.

A booming sound accompanied a warm breeze. Only then did the little devil begin to explain.

"The plasma cannon works on a similar principle and has similar effects to the plasma balls you usually use. Although its power and flexibility are not as good as when you cast the spell yourself, it is more than capable of dealing with armored targets on this planet. At present, the only human armored units that can withstand the plasma cannon at long range are large-tonnage cruisers and aircraft carriers. Apart from that, ordinary armored forces are no different from a piece of paper in front of it."

"We originally lacked the technology to miniaturize such heavy weapons, but the Cybertronian craftsmanship and the knowledge reserves within 'Screen One' have provided us with assistance. This allows Patchouli to mount plasma cannons onto basic combat units with an acceptable reduction in power. Of course, even with the power reduction, the energy demand has still increased significantly. In addition, because Patchouli focused too much on quantity in the last battle and failed to equip this batch of basic units with internal reactors, their continuous combat time will be quite short... at most twenty-four hours."

"enough."

“Twenty-four hours is enough for us to occupy the mining area, build a base, and restart the construction workshop.” Alice nodded, glancing at the machine formation that had already reached tens of thousands, before quickly shifting her gaze to the heavy units in the distance. Undoubtedly, Patchouli had also enhanced the combat capabilities of the heavy units. However, they weren't needed for this battle. Therefore, the inspection of the heavy units could be postponed for now.

Her gaze immediately returned to the little devil.

"Where are my battle dolls? Where are they now?"

“It’s over here, please follow me.” The little devil bowed slightly to her, and a passage opened beside him, leading Alice into another manufacturing workshop. It was a smaller but more refined and advanced workshop. Twenty-three dolls floated silently in the gravity field, breathing slowly like living beings, accompanied by the surging magical currents.

Alice rediscovered her old memories in the workshop.

“Orléans, France, Netherlands, Lucia, London, Tibet, Beijing, Goliath…” Her fingers traversed the gravitational field, running over the surface of each doll one by one. The smooth touch stirred her soul, as if she had returned to hundreds of years ago, to the time when she had personally pieced together the doll army from scratch.