The speed at which Su Jin carried Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi was terrifyingly fast; in mere seconds, they were propelled into the vacuum of space. Then, like salt dissolving into water, the ship gradually faded away, leaving the two men suspended. Beneath their feet, an invisible, transparent barrier held them aloft, surrounded by the profound blackness of the cosmic void, mysterious nebulae swirling, and pinpricks of distant stars shining. Below them, filling the vast backdrop, hung the enormous, ochre-colored Planet B. Since they had been forcibly grouped into a temporary team upon entering this world, the post-mission debriefing naturally commenced right there.

Next came the summary of the engagement. The first sequence of flashes naturally depicted the trials faced by Jiao Shi’s contingent while completing the main storyline: resisting the Bugs at the Steel Whip Forward Outpost, encountering the Fireflies en route to Whiskey Base, then linking up with the Hard Man Corps, culminating in the deaths of Johnny Rig and several other key narrative figures.

Following this, the relevant scenes for Fang Senyan were noticeably fewer, clearly a direct consequence of his unconventional choice to abandon the mainline quest entirely. The first frozen frame showed him slaying a large Exploding Mosquito at the Steel Whip Outpost. The second cut directly to the scene of Johnny Rig and the others meeting their demise. The third, final freeze-frame captured the dramatic explosion of the colossal Spore Tower defending against aerial attack.

The combat summary concluded there, and the following information materialized in the air above them: Time: Galactic Calendar, Year of the Porridge, April 17th, 10:00 AM. Location: Planet P, Sector Six, Steel Whip Terran Base (43 degrees 19 minutes South Latitude, 91 degrees 2 minutes East Longitude). Scenario: Starship Troopers. Difficulty: Medium (C-Grade). Sensory Attenuation: 30%. Personal Ability Enhancement: 0%. Current Scenario Exploration Progress: 7.2%. Main Mission: Failed. Mission Theory Digging Progress: 41%. Mission Completion Rating: . (Main mission utterly failed, only achieving the most basic completion criteria for Lieutenant Colonel Bundy’s side task.) Notification: You possess 1 point of Legend. You will receive an additional bonus during the clearance reward phase. Scenario Completion Reward: 1 + 1 "Free Attribute Point" (Legend Bonus). You did not qualify to receive Universal Points or Potential Points. Your current remaining Free Attribute Points: 2 points. You may allocate these points at any time to your base attributes (Strength, Agility, etc.) to enhance your physique.

Viewing this barrage of prompts, Fang Senyan could only offer Jiao Shi a helpless shrug. Jiao Shi sighed, "A medium-difficulty scenario with such a daunting main mission… it was certainly too high a hurdle for our impromptu team. But if everyone had worked together, especially if you, Sailor, had leveraged your strategic planning abilities from the start, we might have navigated it successfully."

Fang Senyan shrugged again, serious now. "Never mind others. If I had started barking orders from the jump, would you have listened?"

Jiao Shi was momentarily stunned, then sighed again, shaking his head deeply with a bitter smile.

Fang Senyan clapped Jiao Shi on the shoulder. "Regardless, we survived, and that’s enough. What are your plans moving forward?"

Jiao Shi raised his eyes to meet Fang Senyan's, a faint challenge in his tone. "What? Are you trying to recruit me?"

Fang Senyan was upfront. "Yes. Whether I missed out on you, or you missed out on me, we would both regret it in the future."

Jiao Shi spoke with deep sincerity. "I have always held one core philosophy: principle, and fairness! Every individual deserves to be treated equally, whether they are a Contractor or a narrative character! I firmly believe that everyone harbors a spark of goodness within them. As long as we don't abandon them—if we trust them—then we will surely find true comrades in this world where justice and equity reside."

As he spoke, Jiao Shi’s voice grew passionate. Fang Senyan listened intently, then lowered his gaze. "All I can say is, I agree with some of your convictions."

Jiao Shi shook his head. "This world is steeped in evil, which is why we cannot be assimilated by it; we must cleanse it."

Fang Senyan suddenly inquired, "You must have been born into a noble family in the European part of the real world?"

Jiao Shi scoffed. "Correct! Are you about to lecture me on the idealistic delusions of chivalry?"

Fang Senyan replied earnestly, "No. What I mean is, the dead possess neither justice nor evil. Only by staying alive can one better purify wickedness. If you stand with me, at least you will live longer."

Jiao Shi looked somewhat disgruntled. "What if, at times, my adherence to my principles conflicts with your plans?"

Fang Senyan responded without hesitation. "If it only damages your interests, I will attempt to modify the plan… much like I did with Bairon this time."

Jiao Shi felt a strange sensation of being cornered. For someone with convictions as deeply rooted as his, questioning those beliefs often provoked a reflexive surge of anger. He was about to loudly argue with Fang Senyan and storm off, but in that precise moment, Jiao Shi involuntarily recalled that moment when he was betrayed by Tulips, forced into a desperate corner...

…when he was utterly isolated, helpless, and the despair was so profound that breathing seemed meaningless.

…the strong hand that reached out to him!

…that powerful figure descending from the heavens to shield him!

This memory brought immediate silence. It had to be acknowledged: Jiao Shi was not hard-hearted. Precisely because of this, any kindness shown to him was remembered, etched deep into his memory. Therefore, the words of severance poised on his lips were retracted. However, maintaining a stiff demeanor was mandatory: "Fine. If you are forming a team, count me in. But remember this: if it weren't for my intense curiosity to see what kind of team a formal Lieutenant can establish, I would absolutely refuse!"

Fang Senyan smiled faintly, reaching out to clap Jiao Shi on the shoulder. Then, casually, he continued, "You’ve made a wise choice. Just consider this—truly, just think about it—for the majority of Contractors, joining an established, successful MT team is already incredibly difficult. But we possess two powerful MTs. What kind of configuration is that? What kind of irresistible appeal does that offer? With such formidable capital, what difficulty in this vast world could we possibly fail to conquer?"

As Fang Senyan spoke, his eyes burned with ambition. To enhance his persuasiveness, he made a strong fist-clenching gesture. Behind him stretched the boundless, inky firmament, dotted with stars! He appeared as if he intended to seize the entire sea of stars within his palm, an image of irresistible force. Hearing those words, Jiao Shi felt a stirring, a sudden rush of blood—precisely because he himself was a rare MT, he understood how outrageously luxurious a team configuration featuring two standard MTs was at this stage! It was the kind of asset that countless others would flock to! Driven by this very thought, the faint starlight peeking between Fang Senyan’s fingers seemed to stab his eyes, forcing him to squint slightly, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart!

As time flowed, the scene before the two blurred and gradually receded into darkness once more. When their vision returned, they were separated, having reverted, as was customary, to their own private chambers.

Upon returning, Jin Kuang immediately began loudly declaring the discovery of immense commercial opportunities, returning to tinkering with his jars and pots, excitedly continuing his experiments. Who the next victim would be remained unknown. Fang Senyan was utterly resigned to this ancestor's antics, having no recourse but to stare at the smoke-scorched, ruined state of his walls and sigh… "Of course, I did it secretly, otherwise if Jin Kuang found out, he’d probably throw a fit and demand compensation for emotional distress or something."

At that moment, the Nightmare Imprint delivered a message from Jiao Shi: "Sailor, hurry over here and assemble. Let's get the team registration out of the way."

Fang Senyan’s spirits lifted immediately. He headed out towards the Nightmare Space. Unquestionably, applying to form a personal team required the same process as raising military rank: taking that 'elevator' to the top level of the space to finalize the registration. While waiting for Jiao Shi, Fang Senyan remembered he had forgotten to allocate the two base attribute points from earlier while he was busy convincing Jiao Shi. He was about to casually add them to Vitality when he noticed another of his stats.

That stat was Strength.

Currently, Fang Senyan's base Strength attribute, without any equipment bonuses (unarmored), had reached 18 points! (Abilities fed back by Servants were integrated into the base attribute points.)

For someone specialized in defense who needed to absorb damage on the front lines, blindly stacking Vitality wasn't always the wisest approach. In the world of Harry Potter, the Troll had delivered a harsh lesson with its incredibly sharp cudgel. Now, Fang Senyan learned through the Nightmare Imprint that the priority damage conferred by high Strength was also quite high, even bypassing the standard 40% damage reduction rule applied between Contractors during attacks.

Looking at it this way, investing precious base attribute points into Strength was certainly necessary, at least to avoid suffering crushing damage from an enemy. More importantly, adding these two "Free Attribute Points" to Strength would bring his unarmored total to 20 points!

Fang Senyan clearly recalled that when his unarmored Vitality hit 20 points, he had received the Nightmare Space’s bonus reward for reaching a base attribute threshold—a choice between two options. Logically, reaching 20 points in unarmored Strength should also trigger a similar reward!