Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Xiao Honglu didn't have any particular opinion about this person. He was just an ordinary nerd, not exactly irresponsible, but his lazy demeanor practically radiated from his face. Xiao Honglu felt there was no need to pay too much attention to this type of newcomer; he'd just let things take their course.

Hmm... something feels off. Is it just my imagination?

No, I shouldn't be having this kind of illusion right now. There must be something I've overlooked. But...where is it?

He pondered, but soon, the project to enhance the concept of Eden was nearly complete. According to the original text, Eden contained gold, pearls, jewels, and various rare flowers and trees. Four rivers flowed from within the garden to the land outside—although the reincarnators didn't possess the physical objects, finding suitable substitutes through the witches' remote instructions was not a problem.

He then gently tapped his forehead.

That's enough for now.

[Afterwards... I'll have to trouble Alice again. Once we're settled, I'll ask her to help me open that 'memory world' to train the new recruits. At least I need to discover their potential and test their reliability.]

Before that, I need to give them some hope, some hints, to let them know that I value them, to give them a sense of security, so that they don't do anything... that no one would want to see.

He let out a soft breath and then jumped down from his command post.

Then, he walked over.

He didn't notice that Wang Xiaoxiao glanced at him while he was thinking.

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

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers outside the church.

Aside from Zhao Yingkong, whose whereabouts are unknown, the others who went out are basically all located here. At this moment, a piece of land not far from them has been completely reduced to ruins. A massive artillery shell raining down from the sky destroyed the American command post and blasted that large plain into a basin. The mechanical legion that followed then cleared out the remaining American soldiers from the battlefield within ten minutes, ensuring the safety of Zheng Zha and the other two.

Just a few minutes ago, Zheng Zha almost thought he was going to die.

He had been shot several times, and his energy was almost completely depleted. Carrying Zhang Heng and dodging bullets was already extremely difficult; he was only holding on by sheer willpower, and once he stopped, that will all be gone.

With their energy depleted, they naturally lost their strength. However, at that moment, the meteor-like cannon had already struck, crashing into the ground and unleashing a shockwave that stretched for tens of kilometers. Those near the center were no exception—they were practically thrown into the air without any resistance, tumbling several times before barely landing. The shockwaves and infrasound emanating from the impact point caused Zheng Zha's blood to churn. The unconscious Zhang Heng vomited blood, his already weakened state further diminished by another seven or eight tenths.

If they were in such a state, the soldiers, snipers, and sergeants in tanks and armored vehicles were even worse off. Even with its firepower weakened, the macro cannon still had an absolute kill radius of over one kilometer for ordinary soldiers. The vast majority were instantly killed by the shockwave the moment the macro cannon struck. The remaining soldiers were rendered incapable of fighting due to the violent shockwave, disrupting the army's organization and destroying the command chain. Under the watchful eyes of the information mages, they were unable to use modern digital command systems, and it was precisely for this reason that Zheng Zha and his men, who had lost most of their fighting strength, were able to gain a brief respite.

—Because the American troops pursuing them no longer possessed any combat capability.

"As expected, I lack wide-range moves to clear out mobs. My defensive measures are also inadequate. And more importantly... I'm not strong enough." Zheng Zha looked at the dense airdrop pods descending from the sky like fiery clouds and shook his head with a touch of sadness.

He knew what it was; Alice had told him about it on the first night—she had also mentioned the Great Library, a floating fortress far stronger than the floating Hamunaptra. Zheng Zha hadn't initially been able to form a concrete image in his mind, but now, witnessing it firsthand, he finally understood just what kind of resources these witches he knew possessed.

He heard Zhan Lan's message in his ear, learning that everything was normal at the church and that his area was generally safe—the airdrop pods' first target was the American artillery positions, before they went to mop up the scattered armored soldiers. He saw those mechanical warriors, who looked like they'd stepped out of the Terminator movie next door, relentlessly chasing and attacking the stragglers with railguns and plasma weapons. However, to his surprise, he didn't feel much joy.

A narrow escape from death? Yes.

Are our allies powerful? Absolutely.

But what can I do in this situation?

"You are able to provide absolute destructive power at a single point."

A voice suddenly rang out from above behind him.

“Miss Norrie.” Zheng Zha turned his head, his gaze meeting Patchouli’s as she descended from the orbital plane. The latter casually formed a spell, and a healing radiance full of vitality emerged from her fingertips, rapidly healing the injuries in Zheng Zha and Zhang Heng’s bodies.

His gaze shifted slightly, and he saw Zero, who had come to his aid, on a small hill not far away. As he looked over, Zero nodded as a greeting.

“Margot Royd mentioned to me that you command such an army, and after seeing it, I know it truly lives up to its reputation.” Zheng Zha smiled and asked, “What do you mean by absolute destructive power in a single point? Commando?”

“It’s Alice and my army,” Patchouli corrected earnestly. “The enemy we’re dealing with is troublesome, especially resilient. Both Alice and I specialize in spells that emphasize range but lack concentrated burst damage on a single point. You’re better than us in that respect.”

Zheng Zha glanced at the basin blasted out by the Hongpao, where there was still uncooled lava at the bottom.

“The Macro Cannon is very powerful, but it can only be used from top to bottom, and it’s slow to adjust in a group. After spreading the destructive force to each small area, the damage it can provide is less than half of your ‘Explosion’ move,” Patchouli explained, a subtle smile on her lips.

Zheng Zha was taken aback. After a long while, he finally asked the question.

"What are my chances of winning against Margot Royd in a one-on-one situation?"

“Not a single cent,” Patchouli replied quickly. “Because no matter what, my legion and I will always stand by Alice’s side.”

"I meant to have a friendly exchange."

“I already said ‘whenever’.”

Zheng Zha shut his mouth, his gaze towards Patchouli slightly annoyed. However, the annoyance quickly turned into realization, and then into frustration.

Margot and Norrell will always stand together, no matter what; this is their shared bond.

But what about me? Why did I forget that I also have bonds with my companions? Why was I so focused on suppressing others, complaining about their lack of cooperation and their unilateral actions? I forgot that the strongest bond connecting people isn't self-interest or power, but friendship and camaraderie!

So... I've become arrogant too.

He shook his head with a wry smile, but the dejection in his eyes quickly faded. Soon, what remained was sincerity and genuineness. He lowered his head and bowed deeply to Patchouli.

"Thank you... and please lend me your power."

Patchouli nodded and accepted the bow without hesitation. She glanced at the location of the church and said in a calm but serious tone, "Commendable courage, Zheng Zha. But that's not enough."

"Now, I'll tell you all about our preparations for this horror film."

"Then, let's see if you have the capacity to take on this responsibility."

Chapter 54: The Witch's Perspective

About fifteen minutes later...

Patchouli explained the arrangements she and Alice had made to Zheng Zha while simultaneously casting spells to heal Zhang Heng's injuries. Not long after, the battered elven archer awoke from his deep coma—he was initially startled upon seeing Zheng Zha and the others, then a look of deep shame crossed his face. He finally realized the foolish things he had done. Without offering any explanation, he simply lowered his head, accepting his punishment.

However, Zheng Zha didn't do anything to him. He simply patted him heavily on the shoulder, then sighed deeply, deciding to take full responsibility for the matter. That's how communication between men is—no words are needed, everything is understood in unison.

—Let's drop this matter.

Patchouli quietly observed the interaction between the men. This was Zheng's chance to demonstrate his magnanimity, and she had no intention of interfering and causing any complications. She simply waited patiently for Zheng to continue questioning her about his plans.

She didn't have to wait long.

"...I understand the general situation." After dealing with Zhang Heng, Zheng Zha nodded slightly to Patchouli, apologizing for interrupting the conversation. He then gave a brief summary of the information he had gathered: "Death is an energy being called an angel. They control the course of history, deciding the fortune, misfortune, life, and death of everyone in this world. Their goal is to destroy the world through the sun in five days, and at the same time take away some chosen children... Is that right?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly it.” Patchouli nodded.

"Only electromagnetic waves of a certain frequency can forcibly materialize the energy that constitutes them, but they are still very mobile, and we can hardly stop them if they want to leave. They can only be kept by using the chosen children as hostages, or by restraining them with a specific spell—Alice has proven the former, and we can immediately prove the latter as soon as we return to the church."

"The church is a trap, isn't it?" Zheng Zha asked, glancing instinctively in the direction of the church. "Then everyone inside... are they all bait? You can't be sure that this 'Garden of Eden' will definitely work?"

His tone carried a slight hint of accusation. However, the witch remained unmoved.

“Victory always comes with sacrifice; you have to take risks when you have no clue what to do,” Patchouli replied calmly. “If you have any other opinions, feel free to speak them; I won’t deny anything I’ve done.”

“No, you did the right thing. If we could…” He shook his head vigorously, exhaled softly, and used the brief pause to reorganize his thoughts. “…It was valuable. Thanks to your and Margot Lloyd’s decision, we were able to gain this intelligence advantage.”

“A suitable battlefield, an opportunity that we can decide, and an enemy that we will eventually have to defeat. I must say that the angels really helped a lot, otherwise, if we had suddenly encountered them later on, who knows how many people would have died in the unexpected situation…” He clenched his fist slightly and waved it gently.

“We will stay here for twelve days, and today is only the second day—we haven’t suffered any substantial losses in combat yet, but we’ve already obtained so much intelligence. Next, we just need to conduct a specific assessment of the angels’ combat strength, and then we can determine our subsequent strategy.”

Zheng Zha suddenly looked at Patchouli.

“Margot Royd has already dealt with that angel on her side, right? So the church is the control group, right? To confirm their average combat strength and avoid errors?” Although he used a question, his tone was mostly confident.

Patchouli raised an eyebrow.

She didn't intend to evade the question, but answered directly and frankly: "That's true. I can't be sure if the Eden spell will really work on these energy beings with angelic appearances. Calling it a gamble wouldn't be an exaggeration. But at least for now, there haven't been any casualties in the church, so our chances of success are high. Anyone who tries to enter the church could activate the spell, forcing the angels lingering around the church to take the positions of 'Cherubim' guardians of Eden, thus forcing them to confront us head-on."

"This is a very important experiment. The comparison of combat power is one aspect. If we can prove that the Eden spell is effective against angels, or even directly restrain them, then we can develop corresponding methods to target angels. The chances of surviving this horror movie will greatly increase."

“Understood, then this battle is indeed necessary.” Zheng Zha flexed his fingers, noticing that his body had recovered remarkably well after the magical healing, and his lost energy had been quickly replenished by the potion provided by Patchouli. In the mere ten minutes or so spent talking, his physical condition had returned to near its peak. The genetic lock within him could also be easily reactivated, leaving him full of energy and ready to engage in battle at any moment.

He looked towards the slope not far away—the mechanical soldiers had completely cleared the battlefield, eliminating the remnants of the Americans. Having completed their mission, they stood in neat rows on the slope, motionless, only the indicator lights on their head sensors flashing incessantly, awaiting Patchouli's next command. Zero, who had quietly retreated since the two began their conversation, had somehow appeared beside the array, intently examining the weapons in the mechanical soldiers' hands.

He was very interested in firearms, especially those he had never handled before—Alice had indeed modified his Gauss sniper rifle, giving it a comprehensive upgrade. But that didn't mean he didn't have his own preferences, because for a sniper, a familiar weapon is more reliable than a high-performance one—unless the performance difference is too great.

Mechanical soldiers, firearms, army.

An idea suddenly popped into Zheng Zha's mind. He opened his mouth and asked in a slightly relaxed tone, "What about America? We're already at war with them, aren't we? The chances of a truce are probably slim... How do you plan to handle this? Deploy one of those... macro cannons in their capital?"

His tone was deliberately relaxed, especially when he used the word "Hongpao," which he said in a joking manner.

He felt a little uneasy.

“There’s no need for that,” Patchouli rejected his idea. However, just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the witch’s next words made him frown.

"The local government is no threat. To me, it doesn't matter how many of these ordinary soldiers who know nothing about magic come. The clouds in the sky are about to dissipate, and then I can use the satellite network to locate all their high-ranking officials and curse them to death. A country without command is naturally vulnerable, and we can leave easily."

Zheng Zha stopped in his tracks.

“Let’s try another method.” He looked at Patchouli, his tone serious, his expression more earnest than ever before. “You are destroying a country, Miss Norrie. Do you know what you are doing? Killing all the high-ranking government officials will inevitably plunge this country into civil war. The end is nigh, and all of their lives will be cut off… We don’t need to kill so many people!”

“But they will die in five days anyway,” Patchouli replied calmly. “The U.S. government has indeed prepared shelters, but the shelters have limited capacity and cannot hold many people. According to my estimates, at least 300 million Americans will die from the solar storm in five days, and the remaining millions will not live for more than a few days before being killed or injured in the subsequent disaster. They will all die, and I have only brought this process forward by a few days.”

"This is the simplest, most feasible, and most forgiving solution. If Alice cooperates with me to cast the spell later, it will be foolproof. If you want other strategies—yes, I do have them. But that would lower our survival rate. Do you think that's okay? Is it okay to increase the team's risk for a group of people you don't know, have no connection to, and who will soon be wiped out?"

"I hope you can provide a solid argument, rather than seeking self-satisfaction through mere 'Mother Mary syndrome'... I think you should know what 'Mother Mary syndrome' means. I hope that symptom doesn't appear in you."

Patchouli gazed at him silently, her pale purple eyes devoid of any emotion discernible to humans. The words uttered from her thin lips were flat and emotionless, but to Zheng Zha at that moment, the voice seemed to emanate from a dark abyss, utterly terrifying.

Zheng Zha took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said each word carefully.

"We can get our hands dirty to survive. But we can't get our hearts dirty! At least I can't do that, and I don't want to be able to."

“It seems your understanding of the concept of ‘survival’ differs somewhat from mine,” Patchouli shook her head slightly. “But it’s still a reason. So, with the strategy changed, we can no longer stay in this country.”

"This world is five days away from destruction. Once the subsequent experiments are successfully verified, I can ensure that the next four days will be a relatively stable period. It's hard to say what will happen if newcomers are disobedient, but veterans should be fine. Of course, I'm referring to the kind of problem where they die 'due to some accidental coincidence.' If we continue to fight the military, I can't be sure whether there will be any accidents. Although I control the satellite network and can disrupt the operating systems of missiles, fighter jets, and giant machines at any time through information interference, if a 460mm cannon shot comes directly at us, there will inevitably be casualties if we are caught off guard. So before that, we must deal with the authorities' military."

“If you’re not willing to take action, then you’ll have to leave. Canada or Mexico are good options, but if you want to make up for the decline in survival rates caused by this action, then my advice is to cross the Pacific and go to the East Coast.”

"...Thank you." Zheng Zha managed to squeeze out those two words after a long pause. Having once been an office worker, he knew how frustrating it was to prepare a large-scale project and then have to completely scrap it and start over because of the partner's wishes. But even so... he still wouldn't do something he couldn't do.

"Why the East?" he tried to change the subject. "Isn't the plot of Final Destination set in the United States? And if we take public transportation there... won't something happen?"

Patchouli opened her spellbook and unleashed an anti-gravity magic circle. A distorted force field enveloped the three men present, with herself at its center. After a few maneuvers, the group was lifted into the air by the spell, rapidly drifting towards the church.

“There’s no apocalypse in the movie Final Destination. As for crossing the Pacific, I’ll arrange that, so you don’t need to worry too much. There won’t be any problems.” She paused.

"Due to certain... professional reasons, Alice and I find it difficult to use powerful ritual magic in this land of papal faith. We originally wanted to use the suffering in the Americas to awaken those ancient civilizations that were wiped out by the Americans to serve as fighting forces. But since you oppose my proposal, then we have no choice but to give up."

"Since the Americas are unsuitable for magic due to the Papacy, the same applies to Western Europe and Central Asia. Egypt would have been a good choice, but its national strength is too weak and its mineral resources are somewhat lacking. So we'll skip that too. Then, the only remaining options are the Eastern Continent, India, and South Asia."

"My legion needs resources to expand, and it needs a lot of heavy metals and various chemical products as raw materials. Therefore, South Asia is out of the question, and India is too idealistic. I really don't want to go there unless necessary... So the only remaining option is the Eastern Continent."

"We'll head straight there, our base will be Lop Nur in Xinjiang Province. It's rich in resources, and it's also where the Eastern Continent people built their underground shelters. They've prepared a massive underground base using natural caves, so surviving solar storms won't be a problem. Our first objective is to reach that place, and then..."

"Should we grab a spot first?" Zheng Zha asked.

“No, we can find a location whenever we want. What we really need to do is go deep into that cave called ‘Ear of the Earth.’ I need to set something up there… specifically, a magic circle. Once it’s successfully set up, our subsequent battles will… be much easier,” she explained.