Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

The events unfolded exactly as Zheng Zha had planned: they boarded a vehicle, headed to the airport, seized the plane, and after all preparations were complete, a large passenger plane took off from the runway and, after a few minutes of acceleration, successfully ascended into the sky.

The group encountered no obstacles along the way; perhaps they did, but Patchouli dealt with them without the others' knowledge. Her mechanical army did not travel across the Pacific with the passenger plane—they remained behind and did things unknown to the others.

Because it was only the second day, their actions certainly had a wide-ranging impact. However, with limited communication and the solar storm still intensifying, it was difficult for their deeds to be known to the international community in such a short time. Even residents of the American mainland were unaware that a city had been razed to the ground by government forces, let alone the war between machines and angels taking place outside Boston.

The government's top brass might know, but they had to keep it a secret for the sake of domestic stability. And when the hurricane clouds over North America dissipated, and satellite network signals could directly reach the ground, the greatest asset this nation, lacking superhuman power and with technology limited to rudimentary nuclear fission, could rely on to seize power—its intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads—became nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. Patchouli could even detonate them in their silos before they even took off.

They are out of the game. They lost their bargaining power when they failed to deliver a fatal blow to the Central Plains team by taking advantage of the hurricane clouds and solar winds to the greatest extent to interfere with the information network.

Therefore, until the passenger plane left US airspace and entered the airspace over the Pacific Ocean, the entire team encountered no hindrance from the US military or any angels.

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

Night has fallen.

The newlyweds were seated in the passenger cabin of the plane.

As the aircraft entered the Pacific airspace, crossed the thin clouds, and reached a constant speed at an altitude of 10,000 meters, all the newlyweds couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The veterans had told them that once the aircraft could escape the low-altitude airspace where clouds might obscure it and enter airspace covered by satellite networks, it meant that the nations on the ground would have no way to affect the aircraft. And with the veterans present, even death could not affect the safety of the crew inside.

In other words, they are safe.

"The flight from the United States to Xinjiang is several thousand kilometers long, and even at maximum speed, it would take at least twenty hours, almost a whole day. We departed around 10 p.m., which means that we won't get off the plane until at least tomorrow night, or even the morning after tomorrow."

Perhaps because the atmosphere in the cabin was too dull, it was quite a while after the plane took off before Huang Lilin, the female white-collar worker among the newcomers, finally spoke up to try and start a conversation to pass the time during the boring journey.

It has to be said that her opening line was a bit awful, but even the worst opening line is better than being speechless. As soon as she finished speaking, the young delinquent Lu Chichuan quickly chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, I once traveled to the United States with my friends. We took an international flight, and it took almost two days to get there. Sister Huang, do you often fly? You seem to know a lot about it."

"Ha, it's just that I used to travel a lot for work." Huang Lilin smoothed her hair, a subtle, reserved smile playing on her lips. However, the smile quickly turned to helplessness. She sighed softly, somewhat self-pityingly saying, "But what's the use? How was I supposed to know that just clicking a window on the computer would send me to this... hellhole? I don't know how much longer I'll live. If I'm unlucky, maybe..." She shook her head sadly.

“Yeah, who knew a broken window could cause such a mess. If I had known earlier—damn it.” Yang Le, sitting behind the two women, chimed in, his tone filled with undisguised frustration. “I’m going to give that damn guy who fixed my computer a good beating when I get back. What the hell did that bastard put on my computer…”

“That has nothing to do with fixing computers, Yang Le.” Wang Xia, sitting in the front row, frowned, but still said in a calm tone, “This god is clearly a being beyond the world. We were just unlucky to be chosen. This kind of power, this kind of ability… countries are nothing but weeds and dust in front of it.”

"Ha, I know, just looking for an excuse to vent." Yang Le chuckled, subconsciously glancing up at the first-class seats. "Don't even mention that 'God,' even those veterans are terrifyingly powerful monsters. They can come and go as they please in such a vast country, manipulating armies, tanks, and airplanes at will. Even that 'Grim Reaper' was easily defeated. If it weren't for the fact that they seem to have some internal issues..."

He abruptly stopped speaking, refusing to utter another word. But the newcomers all understood the meaning behind his words. The rift between the veterans was obvious to almost anyone, but even if they could see it, so what? Those still alive weren't fools. After witnessing the power and cunning of the veterans, they wouldn't dare harbor any ulterior motives. They all became obedient children, doing whatever their superiors said, never daring to go west if told to go east.

After all, the brain-dead villains in comic books are rare in this world. China is so big, with over a billion people. While there may be hundreds of thousands, even millions, of idiots, there are far more ordinary people who can assess the situation and, at the very least, recognize the reality. Clearly, the newcomers here mostly belong to this category. And right now, they are only worried about one thing.

If the senior staff can't handle the internal problems, how will they be able to survive?

They had no answer, nor any way to find one. The only thing they could do now was to cautiously complete the tasks assigned to them by the senior members, hoping that when disaster struck, they could be pulled out of the way and gain a sliver of hope.

However, such a thing is still a long way off. As Huang Lilin said earlier, even if the plane flies as fast as it can, it will still take almost a day to fly from Boston to Lop Nur in Xinjiang. During this time, they are safe, and since they are safe and have not received any missions from the seniors, they have plenty of time to do other things besides sleeping to recharge.

Before long, the newlyweds, who had already started talking, began chatting animatedly. And in this increasingly lively conversation, time slipped away little by little.

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

Zhu Wen closed her eyes and leaned back in the recliner without saying a word.

She didn't speak, so the other newcomers naturally assumed she had fallen asleep due to exhaustion. Although they were chatting enthusiastically, they unconsciously lowered their voices slightly. This might be seen as concern for their companions, or it could be out of fear of the senior members, not daring to do anything that might cause conflict.

However, this doesn't really mean much to her.

Because she wasn't asleep; in fact, her mind was exceptionally focused at that moment. The reason preventing her from sleeping kept her on high alert.

In the early hours of the morning, a veteran named Saito Hajime gave her a fortuitous opportunity. A stream of information known as the 'Xuanyuan Qi Observation Method' was infused into her mind, merging with her innate ability to see death, thus granting her a new, promising, and continuously evolving power.

As a result, she can see things that she couldn't see before. For example, souls.

Indeed, at the moment Li Laoshi died after falling down the steps, and his soul left his body, she, as an observer, witnessed the entire process of this unfortunate fellow's soul leaving his body. And naturally, she also observed the moment afterward when the angel's body disintegrated and the turbulent energy flow penetrated the church's walls, destroying the unfortunate soul.

Li Laoshi is dead, utterly and completely dead. She knew this very well, and she knew even more clearly that Li Laoshi, who was later resurrected by Patchouli with magic, was actually just an empty shell.

If a person has no soul, can they still be considered a person?

That's nothing but a walking corpse. Like those patients who have undergone lobotomy, their bodies may be alive, but their spirits are dead; they're just a lump of flesh and blood... a tool.

She knew that the resurrected Li Laoshi was merely a tool of Patchouli. While everyone else cheered for the return of their unfortunate companion, her heart remained cold.

To seasoned veterans, newcomers are as insignificant as insects. Zhu Wen had no doubt that any one of the veterans could wipe out the newcomers in the blink of an eye. Even Wang Xia, the veteran with abundant blood energy, strong restraints, and extensive experience... it wouldn't take a single second for a veteran to kill him.

Because the veterans are simply too powerful, powerful enough to be thrown into a horror movie as monsters. And Patchouli is undoubtedly the strongest among the veterans. Therefore, there are only two possibilities for her leaving arrangements on this 'resurrected' Li Laoshi, making him her tool.

First, some of the new recruits have problems. And in this world of 'Final Destination,' the most likely problem is that they have been controlled by the angels known as Death and become their agents.

Secondly, she intends to use these newcomers to do something. Something that needs to be kept secret from others and could have serious consequences. Given the current near-divided state among the veterans, this could involve a power struggle among them… or worse, a civil war.

Both possibilities exist, and neither is good for the newcomers. It means that even if they diligently follow instructions, they could still be drawn into danger, greatly reducing their chances of survival.

Zhu Wen didn't want to die. Although she had lost hope in the real world, she hadn't despaired to the point of wanting to die. After entering the world of reincarnation and witnessing the power of the veterans—power that allowed her to control her own destiny—she wanted to live even more.

She knew she was weak. Although, due to her innate abilities and the 'Xuanyuan Qi Observation Technique,' she could see many things that ordinary people couldn't, being knowledgeable didn't equate to superior combat skills. Lacking experience and with her physical abilities not being up to par, she was powerless to do anything even if she wanted to.

Having the will but lacking the power does not mean there is nothing that can be done.

Zhu Wen's eyeballs trembled slightly beneath her eyelids. In her vision, the entire exterior of the aircraft was enveloped in concentric circles of ripples, like ocean waves. Countless patterns and lines, which she couldn't understand but could make out, flowed slowly within the fuselage. The convergence point of these fluids was at the front of the airliner, where the first-class cabin and cockpit were located—the place where the experienced crew made their adjustments.

She knew what it was… It was a witch's barrier, a mechanism used to protect the aircraft and prevent angels from intruding in their non-physical state. It also likely served as an internal surveillance system, which was why the veterans dared to leave the newcomers and main characters in the cabin without personally overseeing them; with this barrier, everything happening inside the aircraft would be transparent.

The person controlling this barrier must be the witch named Patchouli. This means that whatever they do is under Patchouli's surveillance. Therefore, until they are certain of the witch's intentions, she will absolutely not reveal the slightest abnormality.

Her gaze then shifted downwards.

The man whose name was Li Laoshi was sitting quietly at the very front of the cabin. He didn't move, and the others assumed he hadn't regained his senses yet.

I need to test the waters first, but I'd better not make the first move. I'm too weak; even if I did, it wouldn't make any difference.

But if I don't do it myself, who else can I ask for help?

Her gaze subtly swept over the other newcomers, lingering for a moment as she passed Wang Xia. But in the end, she sighed softly and shook her head inwardly.

No, we're all just ordinary people. If my guess is right, doing this would harm them... This won't do.

[So, the only option left is to try and get from the veterans...? I really don't want to take that risk. But...]

She slowly opened her eyes and gazed at the timer hanging above the cabin. On the delicate display screen, the time had jumped from 23:59 to 00:00.

I want to live.

Author's Note:

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

The bridal pool sank; as expected of me.

_(:з　∠)_

Chapter Sixty-Two: The Free Will

About two hours ago...

The message has been delivered; Patty should already know what to do.

Alice stood on the beach on the east coast of America, quietly watching the large passenger plane disappear into the distance above the clouds, fading into an indistinguishable dot. After a long while, she turned her gaze away and walked in a different direction from the plane's flight path.

Boston was indeed quite far from the church where the Eden Experiment took place, but her travel speed was clearly much faster than the car, which was slowed down due to the need to care for the newcomers and the main characters. Furthermore, it would take time for Patchouli to modify the large passenger plane carrying everyone and install a magic circle to ensure that angels could not intrude in their non-physical form. Therefore, before the plane took off, Alice contacted Patchouli and conveyed the information she needed.

She had no intention of meeting the rest of the team, as contacting them now would be of no benefit to them. When the crucial intelligence map obtained from the angel landed in her pocket, she knew the situation was spiraling into an abyss, and if that was the case, there was no need to drag others down with her.

[I hope they have a safe journey. If not... at least preserve one spark. Someone who can read the Book of the Sun... tsk, I really don't want them to end up like that. I don't want to entrust my life to anyone other than Patchouli.]

Do your best, and listen... no, this time we can't leave it to fate. We have to rely on ourselves.

She looked up at the night sky, where the clouds and mist had dispersed. A full moon hung silently in the distance, its pale light casting a thick, frosty glow over the vast American landscape.

Time was of the essence, and there was still much to be done. The Central Continent team, lacking space-jump technology, would have to rely on modern transportation to reach the East from the Americas—using the Great Library was one option. However, after learning so much information, Alice felt it best to keep others out of the Great Library at this time.

Someone in the team is acting strangely—and that's not all. Just now, when she was exchanging information with Patchouli, she also learned that everyone's perception, including her own, had been interfered with.

[Without external interference, I could easily identify the culprit, but this cognitive bias prevents me from making a judgment. Oh well, Patchouli is indeed more suited to handle this situation than I am. Since she's willing to take action, I shouldn't interfere too much... Saito Hajime has already left; excluding him, she'll eventually be able to uncover the lurking individual.]

[Tsk, cognitive interference. It's been so long since I've encountered something like this. Although it's a force I can't understand, the fact that it's using this roundabout method instead of acting directly means there's still an opportunity.]

She gently tapped her forehead. Naturally, she wouldn't interfere with Patchouli's planned activities, disregarding the division of labor. Since she was staying in America, she should carry out the tasks that were scheduled to be handled there. Besides, there was another reason.

[She has already noticed me, and knows that I am a reincarnator and have no way to escape even if I wanted to. Therefore, since she hasn't made a move yet, aside from not considering me an enemy, there's probably a small chance she wants to talk to me.]

[After all, they're 'acquaintances.' While they should be killed when necessary, sitting down for tea when there's no immediate need to act is probably fine.]

But before that... we need to find 'her' first. Even if the host is willing to offer a cup of tea, as a guest, I at least need to find my own seat.

She patted herself on the shoulder, and Shanghai and Penglai floated out of her shadow. The anti-gravity field for high-speed movement activated, and her feet left the ground, gradually accelerating. The surrounding sounds became noisy with the movement of the gravity field. After a few seconds, the noise became rapid, then sharp, and finally disappeared completely with a 'whoosh,' leaving everything silent.

Her first stop was New York. She spent twenty minutes flying 300 kilometers from Boston to downtown New York, then another forty seconds adjusting her speed to land safely atop a building of suitable height. Under the night sky, this world-renowned financial capital presented a scene even more bustling and vibrant than during the day. The dazzling lights, the decadent atmosphere, and the pervasive air of wealth and luxury were like a warm breeze. This warm breeze caressed the faces of everyone harboring dreams or fantasies, inviting them to participate, to become a part of it, or to be a part of it.

Alice was not among those invited; she was an uninvited guest, and her purpose in coming here was certainly not some pleasant or virtuous act—this was certainly not 'her' residence, and she did not expect to find 'her' on the first try, so she had other things to do after arriving in New York.

Wall Street

A peculiar nation has been established on the land of the Americas. Its government is powerful, and its military is equally formidable. But those who control the government and the military are conglomerates and financial tycoons who wield the purse strings. This nation, more accurately described as a massive corporation, has the conglomerates and tycoons at the top of the board of directors, and the president is merely a chief operating officer who changes every few years. The military serves as security personnel, while all other institutions, departments, and even the hundreds of millions of people on North America are simply important but readily disposable assets.

"So, to control this country, you have to control these conglomerates. Ah, really, I never intended to control this country. This is a last-minute plan, and I wonder how many loopholes it will have..."

"...Oh well. I'll just have to grit my teeth and go for it."

She leaped from the rooftop, drifting like a leaf carried by the night wind towards New York's financial district. There, many of the country's most prominent conglomerates had offices, and major stock exchanges were located. It was also a crucial channel through which powerful figures who controlled the nation with money exerted their influence over the country.

Naturally, the information concealed by the combined efforts of information networks and national governments—information unknown to the general public—had no need for secrecy for these powerful figures controlling the country behind the scenes. The city destroyed by artillery fire, the annihilated armies, the out-of-control missile bases and crashed planes, and all the detailed intelligence on the war breaking out in the suburbs of Boston would be compiled and placed on their desks immediately. The arrival of the Central State Team would also naturally come to their attention.

People in high positions of power are always afraid of death, because the only things in this world that can frighten them are birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Therefore, it's impossible for the heads of those conglomerates to be staying in those luxurious but poorly secured manor houses. Finding them through conventional means would require a long and arduous process of sifting through the entire American continent, identifying countless near-perfectly realistic disguises and doubles, exhausting all efforts, before they could finally be located in those secluded shelters hidden deep in the mountains or even underwater.

However, for information magicians, none of these problems exist. Because...

“You guys are way too connected to this street.”

She landed lightly at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street, and with a casual wave of her hand, a wave of information waves that interfered with the perception of ordinary people and caused a large secretion of specific hormones in their brains suddenly spread out and covered several square kilometers of land in a very short time.

【Technique: Expelling Idlers】

Weariness and homesickness instantly filled the hearts of all mortals covered by the message wave. Traffic on the road thinned out at a visible speed, and soon the surroundings quieted down. After Alice's message wave, sent from the sky via an orbiting satellite, halted the activities of the police station and many special response units, all her subsequent actions would be unimpeded for at least half an hour.

"Time is tight... Well, we have enough time in this phase. But it's still better to be economical."

“So first…” She turned her head to look at a building next to her. “Standard Oil… let’s start with Rockefeller.”

She lifted her toes and floated into the building. The staff inside, interfered with by the information waves, had long since lost their basic ability to make independent judgments. Even with the company's strict rules and regulations and their own future prospects as constraints, they still eagerly rushed out of the building's various entrances. Even the security personnel, who should have been loyal to the company, were the same; smiles appeared on their faces, their minds were on their families or loved ones, and the part of their thinking related to 'career' was minimized to the greatest extent. They were completely oblivious even as Alice walked into the building right in front of them, through the corridors, opened those strictly forbidden doors, and went straight in.

Because for them, there are more important things to do now.

"Poor people, poor mortals." Alice looked at the faces beaming with joyful smiles, feeling the gentle breeze stirred up as they walked away. She sighed softly in her heart.