Reinhardt's speed was blinding; to the ordinary bystanders, he was nothing more than a massive shadow flashing past, followed instantly by his appearance behind Zhao Yingkong. Even the members of the Central Squad only glimpsed countless bats flickering by, and just as quickly, Reinhardt materialized behind her. Before Zhao Yingkong could even turn around, he reached out, snatching at her shoulder. The gesture appeared almost tender, like a playful pat between lovers, but only Zhao Yingkong heard it: the sound of the incoming claw-wind was like a charging truck. If it had connected solidly, it would have pulverized her bones to dust.

Zhao Yingkong didn't turn, or rather, she simply had no time to. Reinhardt's speed was truly terrifying—at least twenty to thirty percent faster than her own. Observing his casual execution of the move, she suspected he hadn't even exerted his true power. On this basis alone, this Reinhardt was already stronger than her in her current state.

Zhao Yingkong lunged forward directly into the path of the strike, intercepting it where the one-eyed man and a middle-aged Caucasian stood. Both men appeared remarkably relaxed; even as Zhao Yingkong swung her sword, not the slightest change registered on their faces. The one-eyed man merely extended a single finger, as if preparing to parry the strike of the Sword of Victory and Oath.

How could ordinary flesh withstand the sharpness of the Sword of Victory and Oath? A direct collision—even Zheng Zha or the Zheng Zha clone couldn't have endured it. Thus, Zhao Yingkong didn't hesitate, driving her blade forward with a soft shing.

The sound of the Sword of Victory and Oath slicing through the air echoed, but the tip never touched the one-eyed man. Instead, it passed several centimeters in front of him. Zhao Yingkong stared, utterly bewildered. She could not believe her eyes. Such a master of combat technique as herself, to have a weapon swing entirely miss? And to happen right under her nose—she simply could not comprehend it! But there was no time for her to puzzle out the reason. A sharp, violent blow struck the back of her head, her vision went black, and she immediately passed out cold.

Behind her, Reinhardt had lightly slapped Zhao Yingkong, sending the young girl tumbling face-first onto the ground.

The surrounding observers, however, saw something entirely inexplicable.

They only saw Zhao Yingkong make a forward stepping motion, yet her body remained rooted to the spot. She mimicked the action of gripping and slashing with a sword, but the one-eyed man and the middle-aged man were more than two meters away from her—a distance impossible to bridge with a sword strike. Then, she was slapped unconscious by Reinhardt.

At this moment, Cheng Xiao charged forward. He stomped his foot hard and leaped up, soaring over Reinhardt's head like a bird in flight.

With a sharp hiss, Reinhardt once again dissolved into countless bats, scattering outwards. By the time he reformed into human shape, a gruesome gash was visible on the collar of his coat, looking as if a sharp weapon had slit both his neck and his collar in one go. Yet, his neck remained completely unharmed; only the collar was torn open entirely.

"Stop seeking death, idiot. I won't go easy on men." Reinhardt reformed directly behind Cheng Xiao. Without sparing him a glance, he lashed out with a kick from behind while speaking, "Stand down. I permit you to surrender, so stop testing my patience!" Cheng Xiao reacted bizarrely; he appeared to move forward to evade, but his entire body remained fixed in place. A crisp snap sounded—Cheng Xiao's thighbone was kicked, bending inward unnaturally. The man let out a low growl and tried to turn back to strike Reinhardt, but his hand, just like Zhao Yingkong’s attack earlier, only swept through empty air, as if he couldn't perceive the enemy’s true location. Reinhardt, now impatient, struck the back of Cheng Xiao's head with a heavy palm. The man immediately slumped over, unconscious.

(What just happened? Both Zhao Yingkong and Cheng Xiao seemed to face the exact same issue… A disorientation of spatial awareness? Or control by a psychic manipulator? Or perhaps a special skill unique to the Blood Race? Truly worthy of being a 'nurtured' reincarnation squad. I wonder how many Reward Points and Subplots were exchanged to acquire such overwhelming abilities...) Reinhardt sneered as he knocked Cheng Xiao down, and he considered stomping down on the man's face, but a strange sensation suddenly washed over him, causing him to instantly retract his foot and dart sideways with unseen speed, covering several meters. Simultaneously, the spot where he had just stood was engulfed in an explosion of fire.

(The Bat Transformation can negate physical damage, but energy attacks can still harm it. In that light, it seems somewhat useless...) Xiao Honglu watched the battle closely. Although he couldn't intervene directly, as the analyst, familiarizing himself with the enemy's combat skills and power levels would greatly aid their future strategy. Even if, based on the current situation, his group was clearly defeated, yet... the real fight was only just beginning, so he had to meticulously record everything unfolding before him.

Wang Xia stood silently about ten meters away from Reinhardt, with several inconspicuous, small bombs floating around his body. He addressed the three figures before him: "These three are micro-nuclear devices. I won't demonstrate their exact destructive power, but I can tell you this: once these three detonate, whether the three of you die or not, every member of the Central Squad present and all surrounding plot characters will certainly perish... Let me guess how many points you owe. If we start with equal numbers, and you now only have three survivors... if all of us Central Squad members die, will you be erased?" Reinhardt, who was just about to attack Wang Xia, froze completely.

He stupidly turned to look at the one-eyed man. The corner of the one-eyed man’s mouth twitched slightly, and he suddenly smiled, saying, "Then why not try it? Having experienced the Lord of the Rings horror movie world, you should know about the existence of that thing, right? If so... will we still fear the so-called erasure?"

"Whether I fear erasure or not, I don't know," Wang Xia said coldly. "But you certainly won't have an easy time. So... do you want to see a nuclear explosion?" With that, he raised one hand and slowly reached toward one of the micro-nuclear bombs hovering in mid-air.

"Wait, wait!" Reinhardt suddenly cried out, then roared at the one-eyed man, "Yulian, are you an idiot? Our protective gear is only A-grade. Can it withstand a nuclear attack? Even if it can, what about this UFO? How am I supposed to pursue the Central Squad Captain? Or do you want us to spend the remaining time hiding in the void, constantly fleeing?"

(Idiot...) (Idiot...) Both the one-eyed man and Xiao Honglu registered the same word simultaneously in their minds. However, their reactions were vastly different—one furious, one overjoyed.

(Yes, Wang Xia... you executed the task I assigned perfectly. Your tone of threat is just right. Now, it’s a gamble on the reaction of the West Sea Team. While I regret having to assign you this role, only you can threaten them with mutual annihilation... Everything is up to you now.) Wang Xia’s finger paused over the surface of a micro-nuclear bomb. He looked at the three men seriously and said, "Even the smallest ant clings to life. Who would choose death if they could live? Give me a way out, won't you?"

The one-eyed man was about to speak, but Reinhardt urgently cut in, "What kind of way out? Tell me what you propose."

Wang Xia let out a breath. A faint flush rose on his face, but being a dark-skinned man, no one noticed his anomaly. He stated, "The Central Squad naturally isn't just these few of us. There are four more people staying with the Captain, and several others currently dormant at the US base. I'll trade their lives for the safety of those of us here. Since we possess the Stones, we aren't afraid of being erased due to negative points. You also don't need to worry about us attacking you for Reward Points; you know our combat strength—even if we attacked, we’d just be killed... 'This is my way out: if we survive, you can deal with the rest of the Central Squad members as you please. How about it?'"

Reinhardt opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. He quickly looked back at the one-eyed man. After a brief moment of thought, the one-eyed man said, "How can I trust you? This could easily be a stalling tactic until your captain returns, at which point we’ll be powerless against you... Besides, aren't you afraid of our sneak attack? Taking advantage of your complacency to kill you, which would then allow us to easily dispatch the rest?"

Wang Xia shook his head. "Impossible. My ability is Bomb Dominator. As a Dominator, as long as my demonic energy resides on the bombs, I can easily control them. I set the sequence the moment your UFO landed: if I die, these micro-nuclear bombs detonate. Therefore, I am not afraid of your sneak attacks..."

The one-eyed man sank into contemplation again. After a long pause, he continued, "I can agree to your terms, but you and your companions must board the UFO, and we will pursue your captain together. Until then, you are not allowed to step foot off the ship. Furthermore, all your companions, except you, must be knocked unconscious by us. If you leave the UFO, you will be mercilessly killed. At that point, we won't care about your nuclear bombs or your captain; we'd rather lose some Reward Points and Subplots than lose our lives... Oh, and our destination is the Alien Headquarters. It's filled with immense danger there; the fate of those who leave the ship would likely be worse than death. What do you say? Do you accept my conditions?"

(...Success!) The moment the one-eyed man finished speaking, a sharp jolt hit Wang Xia and Xiao Honglu; they both realized the same thing simultaneously... The first stage of the plan had succeeded!