Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

About seven hours earlier, around 9 a.m. Washington time, Alice had an indirect encounter with the so-called angel in Boston. She then spent six hours writing a research report.

It is now confirmed that the angels want to restart the world, and based on the story of Noah's Ark, they will take some young boys and girls away from the apocalypse and allow them to continue to live in the new world.

[The apocalyptic abilities are speculated to be a side effect of the angels' selection of survivors. This selection process likely began many years ago, and whether chosen or not, the children may gain the ability to communicate with angels and receive revelation. In other words, all the chosen children are apocalyptic beings.]

The angels need these chosen children, so they'll be concerned for their safety. It's speculated that there are multiple chosen ones in this world, therefore the number of angels should also be multiple—attacking the chosen ones could force the angels out of their hiding places. Although a direct confrontation ultimately didn't occur, analyzing the remaining energy yielded an interesting answer.

The energy used by the angels is a white-spectrum energy aggregate. Under the interference of a specific strong magnetic field, it exists stably as a volume of light with a radius of about two centimeters. Its formation method is currently unknown, but its stability is guaranteed. The energy within it can be released stably, and the sphere will disintegrate and disappear after its energy is completely consumed.

[If so, it can be inferred that the angels are some kind of energy-based life form. They can freely generate quantum tunneling effects to directly penetrate physical barriers. However, energy shields should be effective against them. Their individual combat strength is currently uncertain. Therefore, a second probe is necessary.]

I've located the boy who was the Awakened. Currently, there's a high probability that once I begin pursuit, he won't maintain his passive, conservative stance and will retaliate, making a major battle inevitable. Therefore, I need your support.

I need at least one thousand basic combat units equipped with various electromagnetic weapons to assist me in battle. And, due to the urgency of the situation, this needs to be carried out immediately.

Alice's report ended there. Although Patchouli hadn't read it aloud word for word, the brief descriptions were enough for her to understand the current situation. She took a deep breath and looked at the Imp.

"I think you should have made sufficient preparations for Alice?"

“Yes, my mistress.” The little devil maintained her flawless, beautiful face. “Three thousand basic combat units equipped with electromagnetic weapons have been deployed. I can now arrange a deep-orbit strike. Should it be carried out immediately?”

"Yes, immediately. I want them to get to Alice as quickly as possible."

“Understood.” The little devil nodded slightly, and an invisible wave of information was immediately projected, taking effect within seconds. She then looked at Patchouli and asked.

"There's one more thing."

"Some changes have occurred among the other members of the Central Continent team at the church. More than one person has now left the protection zone of 'Eden'. Shall I tell you in detail?"

Section 48. Caution Against Falling Objects from Heights

"What exactly is the situation? Tell me the general outline." Patchouli got out of bed and, with the help of the imp, put on her usual light purple robes while checking the various operating parameters in the Great Library. She slightly tilted her ear to listen to the imp's explanation of the current situation.

I slept for too long.

—And it's all Alice's fault!

For information magicians, staying up all night is a basic skill. Going a week or two without sleep isn't a big deal. If one deliberately strengthens their brain, artificially adjusting the operating time of different brain regions to keep the brain in a 'partially awake' state like a dolphin, then years of sleep deprivation are possible. As for Patchouli's situation… it can only be described as a side effect of their telepathic connection.

The unease caused by being overly concerned about Alice's thoughts resulted in a far greater mental strain than anticipated. Like a taut string that, once released, required ample rest to return to its original state.

The common way that surviving old fogies maintain their mental vigor is by placing all their emotions on a single individual. The downside is that when that person is emotionally unstable, their own emotions are also affected. Therefore, this relationship is usually reciprocal.

In the East, practitioners of Qi cultivation refer to this relationship as a "Daoist partnership." The process of establishing this bond is called "joint cultivation," where the two become a community of shared destiny, sharing joys and sorrows—a field in which Easterners have studied far more deeply than those in the West. Therefore, Alice and Patchouli also adopted the Eastern approach.

She gently rubbed her neck.

[Oh dear, Alice's throwing a tantrum, that's rare... Is this some kind of novel dorm room fun? I'll have to look up some newer, more up-to-date erotic content later. I'm always lacking in creativity in this area; I need to keep up with the times.]

She thought to herself, and quickly put on her coat and jumped out of bed. As her feet touched the ground, a familiar feeling of exhaustion washed over her.

But she quickly succumbed to exhaustion. Magic was activated, and restorative magical power rapidly filled her entire body.

I'll teach her a lesson next time I get the chance.

Patchouli stretched her body, nodding in satisfaction after hearing the crisp cracking sounds from her joints. Her strength had returned; she was back to her prime, ready to fight at any moment. At that moment, Imp began her narration.

"Alice arrived in Boston around 8:20. She stopped briefly at a coffee shop, then followed an astronomy professor named John Kessler for a while. After that, she left for the suburbs, where she discovered some messages in the old house of the Enlightened One Lucinda and began to clash with Death."

"At 9:16 a.m., archer Zhang Heng left the church. I'm sorry that due to electromagnetic waves and cloud interference, I wasn't able to notice his actions immediately. I have no idea what exactly happened at that time."

Patchouli left her bedroom, walked down the corridor, and headed first to the main control room, where she checked the energy reserves of the Great Library and the progress of solar wind extraction. She nodded slightly after seeing that the 'Combat Unit Awakening Progress' had reached ninety percent. She then issued several orders, and after the force Alice needed landed, she ordered preparations for a second orbital drop. The corresponding resource mobilization should be completed in no time.

She continued listening to the little devil's story, her gaze then sweeping across the storage area of ​​the Great Library. She raised an eyebrow slightly after seeing Alice move all the battle dolls away.

"At 9:23 a.m., the rest of the Zhongzhou team noticed Zhang Heng's departure. They held a short meeting and tried to contact Zhang Heng without success. I also have a record here of Alice sending the information about 'Angels are Death' to the assassin Zhao Yingkong. But she doesn't seem to have shared this information with anyone else."

"At 9:40 a.m., Alice made her second contact with Death at William Dawes Elementary School. She confirmed the nature of Death and obtained a portion of its residual energy. She then collected a sample and left the city center before the exorcism spell expired. Meanwhile, archer Zhang Heng was struck by misfortune; he was attacked but was not killed."

"At 10:05 AM, Zhan Lan attempted to contact Zhang Heng for the second time, but failed again. It was speculated that her mental communication had been interfered with by angels. Ten minutes later, the meeting inside the church ended in discord. Meanwhile, Zhang Heng was still being pursued by unexpected events caused by misfortune."

--Angel.

According to the information provided by Alice, Patchouli has learned their form of existence and methods of attack. Normally, they exist as energy aggregates, hidden within the world, appearing as an integral part of nature without revealing their presence. They do not directly interfere with reality, but rather use certain methods—a certain wave, a certain energy transformation, a certain string vibration—to influence minute details of matter. This creates unexpected events to bury the enemies that need to be dealt with.

Their destructive power ceiling depends on the complexity of the surrounding environment. Of course, this is assuming they don't attack directly, but rather remain hidden and launch attacks indirectly. Once they reveal their form and truly begin to fight, the energy bodies that constitute their bodies will provide them with tremendous power. How strong exactly is difficult to determine… but at least, it won't be much weaker than the average level of seasoned veterans.

Clearly, their pursuit of Zhang Heng was not particularly intense.

[A bait? Hmm... or perhaps a diversionary tactic, a siege to ambush reinforcements? Tsk, these kinds of Eastern terms are really hard to use. Zhang Heng doesn't possess any particularly special abilities; his chances of survival when alone should be low. But since he's still alive...]

Either he possesses hidden potential that I haven't noticed, or the angels hope to use him as bait to lure out the other team members and then surround and kill them. In any case, neither possibility is a good thing.

Patchouli glanced at the little devil, who immediately understood and, after omitting some irrelevant details, began to focus on the important events that followed.

"At 11:00, Xiao Honglu spoke with Zhao Yingkong and took over her network resources six minutes later. He located Zhang Heng's position by accessing the satellite network. However, he still failed to contact him using electrical signals."

At 11:30, Zheng Zha left the church, attempting to reunite with Zhang Heng. However, due to a series of unexpected events, the two were unable to meet. Furthermore, the angels did not block communication between Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan. Meanwhile, the others remained in the church, without making any significant moves.

At 1:07 PM, Zhao Yingkong left the church and her whereabouts are unknown.

Patchouli raised an eyebrow, and the little devil immediately stopped talking.

She learned from Alice that another powerful personality was sealed deep within Zhao Yingkong's soul. Its upper limit was unknown, but it wouldn't exceed the transcendent level after a qualitative transformation. Its lower limit, however, should be the peak of the third stage of the gene lock, equivalent to her maximum output at her peak, including the enhancement from the main god.

This personality must have voluntarily fallen into dormancy, making the very existence of Zhao Yingkong quite questionable… But that's not important. What's important is the possibility that this personality could revive as the embers of the embers strengthen it. When Alice gave Zhao Yingkong this strengthening plan, she clearly told her that the embers would burn away the impurities in her soul, and the other personality would eventually be burned away, becoming her sustenance. However, at the same time, the other personality might also awaken due to the stimulation of the embers. And at that time, what awaits her is an internal battle within her mind.

One dies, one lives, or... they merge into one.

It's too early...it shouldn't be this time.

She's far from being strong enough to overwhelm the other side, which is terrible. The instability has increased once again. Hopefully, the timing of this bombshell detonation will be... well, never mind.

Patchouli gently tapped her forehead. She raised her hand, signaling the little devil to continue his explanation.

"At 1:20 PM, the temporary research site where Alice was located was attacked by an unexpected disaster, which delayed the research progress. However, the samples were not damaged."

"At 3:30 p.m., Zheng Zha and Zhang Heng met on a wasteland 130 kilometers northeast of the church. At the same time, due to unforeseen circumstances, the US military launched more than 100 units of long-range artillery fire into the area. Zheng Zha was slightly injured, while Zhang Heng was seriously injured. The US military later noticed them for unknown reasons and dispatched troops to encircle and annihilate them."

"Following Alice's orders before she left, all the missiles were intercepted remotely. The US military's communication system was also forcibly cut off. But they still managed to locate Zheng Zha and Zhang Heng half an hour later and began firing. Under the current circumstances, they should still be able to hold out."

"At 4:20, we left the church to support Zheng Zha and the others."

"At 4:55, Alice analyzed the residual energy of the angels and uploaded the data to the Great Library. You were awakened at 5:00."

"That's all. Is there anything you'd like to know more about, my mistress?" The little devil bowed slightly to her and asked.

“No need, I understand the current situation.” She let out a soft breath. She asked, “Aside from the basic facilities, how are the weapons systems in the Great Library prepared? Alice must have made some arrangements before she left.”

“Yes, Mistress,” the imp replied, raising her hand and a light screen unfolding. “When Mistress Alice left the Great Library, she prepared a deep strike involving ten thousand basic combat units. However, because they are not equipped with electromagnetic weapons, they are currently idle but ready for combat at any time. In addition, a mimicry macro cannon is ready and you can use it at any time.”

“Very good.” Patchouli nodded and then gave the order.

"Adjust the intensity of the macro cannons to suppress their destructive power to below the level of penetrating the earth's crust. Mark the coordinates of the force besieging Zheng Zha and his men, and at the same time, locate all large industrial zones suitable for establishing production lines. Once Alice begins her operation, arrange for the troops to begin descent operations."

“The nature of angels has been deciphered, so there is no need for them to lie dormant. Staying in orbit will not increase our power; we must expand. We must deploy our legions before the world is destroyed.”

"Then, total war."

Her gaze traveled across the one-way transparent floor of the main control hall, looking down at the dissipating clouds on the ground. Her attention then focused on a particular spot.

The point of war.

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

Zheng Zha felt like he was going crazy, no, he didn't even have time to go crazy. The sound of artillery fire and shrapnel filled his ears. Even though he pushed his blood energy and true qi to the limit, the feeling of death still followed him like a shadow, like a ghostly woman floating behind him, breathing cold air on his neck.

He was fleeing, carrying the unconscious Zhang Heng as fast as he could. The engagement with the American forces had occurred half an hour earlier; he had wiped out nearly an entire armored regiment, but more enemies were closing in—he was impervious to small-caliber shrapnel, and the slow-moving grenades and rockets were no match for him. But when the sniper found him, he finally understood just how necessary Alice's optical shielding and anti-gravity field, which she always kept on whenever she went out, truly were.

"Watch out! There's a bullet hole to your left!"—Zhan Lan's telepathic communication suddenly rang in his ear. Without thinking, he lunged forward to his right. The distance of dozens of meters was covered in an instant, and the corrosive blood enveloped his ankles the moment he stepped out. Sure enough, right where he landed on his right, there was a sharp piece of shrapnel hidden under the dust!

'boom--!'

A shell suddenly exploded about seventy meters to his left, the powerful shockwave nearly knocking him over. Had the shrapnel not been dissolved by his blood energy, he likely wouldn't have been able to stand. The next moment, two sniper bullets grazed his arm, one after the other, and even with his innate true energy protecting him, a bruise immediately appeared beneath his skin!

He grunted, but his feet didn't falter. He suddenly exerted force with both feet, and huge cracks appeared all over the ground beneath his feet.

—It cannot take off, cannot relay in the air, and is too difficult to maneuver.

—You can't go in a straight line, because if you go in a straight line, it will be difficult to avoid because the lead time has been calculated.

The price he paid for learning these two principles was six shrapnel fragments, one of which is still lodged in the muscle of his left arm. Although the wounds in other parts of his body have mostly healed, the blood still stains his outer clothing crimson.

Perhaps I shouldn't have gone to save Zhang Heng.

He thought to himself, but he didn't loosen his grip on Zhang Heng's shoulders at all. Although this guy was disobedient, acted on his own, lacked responsibility, and wasn't very good at fighting, he was still a member of the Zhongzhou team. Since he was a comrade-in-arms, he was a brother, and since he was a brother, he couldn't abandon him.

He took a deep breath.

[After being relentlessly chased by this group for nearly an hour, I still have 20% of my health left, and less than 15% of my true energy. Furthermore, the gene lock cannot be reactivated anytime soon.]

Are you unable to even fight to the death? No, there's still a way...

He made a decision.

The next moment, a terrified voice suddenly rang out from the depths of his heart.

'Heavens! Heavens!'

A meteorite has hit the ground!

Chapter 49: The Start of War

Rewind a few minutes, and Alice is quietly examining a white energy sphere in her hand inside a large house on a detached farm in the suburbs of Boston.

This was the residual energy of the angel, originally formless and shapeless, but Alice eventually deciphered its operational properties after testing and analysis. After being irradiated with electromagnetic waves of a specific frequency, it finally revealed its shape and mass, transforming into a physical light capable of existing in the world.

“If we can observe, we can analyze; if we can analyze, we can make contact. But with the current conditions… we can only go as far as contact.” She said calmly, her mind racing.

She had just sent the request for support to the Great Library in the heavens. However, due to the need to equip combat units with specific electromagnetic weapons, the arrival of reinforcements would take some time.

In other words, this is the last period of peace before the great battle.

She had located the boy named Gallo Kessler using satellite networks and divination rituals. Angels protected him, orchestrating various accidents to reunite him with his father, an astronomer professor, and then guiding them back to their home, where they hid in a closed room in an attempt to prevent Alice's detection. Unfortunately, it was all in vain.

From the very beginning, the angels focused solely on the boy, protecting him meticulously. The father was completely outside their consideration; barring unforeseen circumstances, when the apocalypse arrived, the boy would be forcibly separated from his father by the angels, forever apart. Therefore, Alice's act of tagging the middle-aged man in the café around 8 a.m. naturally went uninterrupted.

“Angel, a pure energy being.” Alice clenched her fingers, gripping the tiny white sphere tightly. She could feel the sphere deforming into strange shapes in her palm due to uneven external forces. At the same time, she could sense the light and heat contained within the sphere, knowing that if she released them completely, the resulting explosive impact would be enough to level the farm where she was.

What abilities do they possess?

She wasn't worried about the angels overhearing her words, because she had already created a protective aura around herself that continuously emitted specific electromagnetic waves. As long as the angels' energy forms dared to approach within a hundred meters of her, she would detect their presence. And it was precisely for this reason that she no longer needed to worry about the Grim Reaper's attacks in this world.

Death's greatest advantage—stealth—had vanished from her grasp. She no longer needed to keep everything bottled up inside. While she wasn't usually a talkative person, choosing not to speak and being forced to shut up were two different things. Of course, that wasn't important; all her energy was now focused on assessing the angels' fighting strength, and as her analysis deepened, her anxiety grew.