Zheng Zha and Zhang Heng exchanged a glance, both feeling a rising sense of unease. Although Chu Xuan had masked it well, his descent into the heart-demon state was undeniably manifesting. Judging by his appearance, he was close to losing control, and they could only hope he wouldn't erupt at a critical moment, otherwise... the Central Continent Team might truly face annihilation here.

As the two harbored these heavy worries, the saucer was gradually ascending beyond Earth's atmosphere. Far out in the distance, a colossal sphere of absolute black hung silently. Even from the immense distance separating them from the saucer, its sheer scale was astonishing. Viewed from afar, pinpricks of light flickered intermittently across its obsidian surface, lending it an aura of profound and inscrutable mystery.

"The battle is about to commence. Now, I have two points to warn everyone about. First, our objective is not to cause wanton destruction within the alien headquarters. Our goal is to secure the two types of technology Xiao Honglü mentioned previously. Second, we must locate the main force of the West Sea Team that was left behind here. These two objectives are essential requirements we must fulfill. As for anything else..." Zheng Zha paused here before continuing, "Then it's about surviving... surviving together!" At this point, the saucer was extremely close to the alien headquarters, and the voices aboard gradually quieted down.

Everyone stared intently at the massive sphere. Seen from this close range, the alien headquarters resembled a colossal whale, and the saucer didn't even amount to a single hair on its body.

The disparity in size was so overwhelming that everyone on the saucer was utterly stunned by the alien structure. By the time they snapped back to reality, the saucer was already flying inward along the edge of the headquarters. A gargantuan breach gaped open—a fissure so vast that, from a distance, it wouldn't even register as a seam on the sphere. The alien headquarters was simply too immense, almost like a miniature planet unto itself.

(It’s truly too massive. To destroy this entire alien headquarters with a single nuclear bomb... it's unimaginable. This must be one of the plot deviations. Unless the energy reserve is hit directly, such a colossal alien base would, at best, be only one-tenth destroyed, perhaps even less of its volume... if they could truly approach and obliterate the energy core. If that were the case, a nuclear bomb wouldn't even be necessary to wreck the headquarters, rendering the bomb irrelevant... The real question is, how do we destroy this massive space fortress?) Zheng Zha felt a flicker of fear as he observed the unbelievable size of the alien base. While confident in his own power, obliterating a planet-sized structure with mere physical force wasn't something confidence alone could achieve. He needed power... power far exceeding his current capabilities of "explosion" or "destruction."

Something like the Magic Railgun... "Chu Xuan, give me the Magic Railgun. If a suitable opportunity arises after we complete the mission and secure control of the saucer, I will be responsible for destroying this alien headquarters with the Railgun... Chu Xuan?" Zheng Zha had been completely focused on the scene outside the window. As the saucer passed through the immense opening, the gap behind them slowly sealed shut, followed by layers of steel plating descending like isolation walls. Only after the saucer traversed a layer of white mist did they finally enter the fortress interior. Zheng Zha spoke precisely as the saucer emerged from the mist. When several calls went unanswered, he turned to look at Chu Xuan, only to discover that only four people remained inside the entire craft—Chu Xuan had vanished at some point.

"Are you kidding me? That’s outer space out there—no air, extreme cold, no pressure... Chu Xuan just disappeared? What kind of joke is this? He's not the real Doraemon; how could he vanish?" Zheng Zha was momentarily stunned. As he frantically searched the saucer for any sign of Chu Xuan, he abruptly recalled that it was structurally impossible for anyone to hide within the craft; its size and layout were completely transparent. If he couldn't see Chu Xuan, the only possibility was that Chu Xuan possessed invisibility, meaning he was no longer on the saucer.

The other three looked equally bewildered. Yang Xuelin quickly stated, "I, I don't know when he disappeared. I was watching the window the entire time and didn't notice anything..." Imhotep added immediately, "Don't ask me; I have no idea when he vanished either. Ever since he entered this horror movie world, the guy has barely had a presence. Even standing right next to you, he feels like thin air."

Zheng Zha immediately turned to Zhang Heng, who was shaking his head in astonishment. A living person disappearing without anyone nearby noticing—even accounting for a lack of presence or extreme distraction—was far too unusual.

Zheng Zha took a deep breath, said nothing more, and slowly began the process of unlocking the third stage of his genetic lock. Within seconds, he was simulating Xiao Honglü's thought patterns, his mind racing.

(Calm down. A living person cannot simply vanish. He must have used some form of illusion or specialized technique. That’s a secondary issue for now; the fact is he’s gone, and the method of his departure isn't the key. The real key is... why did Chu Xuan disappear?) Zheng Zha understood Chu Xuan intimately. This man would never waste effort on pointless actions. The idea of him doing something frivolous or based on a whim was utterly impossible for Chu Xuan. Firstly, he lacked emotion, and secondly, he had no "mood." In this man's calculus, completing missions, meeting conditions, or achieving specific metrics were his sole concerns. Therefore, his disappearance... could not be meaningless.

(Their actions, Chu Xuan’s and Xiao Honglü’s, were strange from the start. The two of them set up a scheme, one that seemed utterly inexplicable to me. First, planting a bizarre individual within our elite squad—even if she is a Guide, it doesn't explain their combined behavior. Second, the positioning of Xiao Honglü’s sub-team. If my deduction is correct, he was clearly waiting for the West Sea Team to show up... Are they confident enough to confront the West Sea Team? Even without me present? Or perhaps, my entire line of thinking from the beginning has been flawed?) Zheng Zha felt a headache coming on from trying to decipher it all. He couldn't explain Yang Xuelin's inclusion, the sub-team split suggested by Xiao Honglü was riddled with flaws, and now Chu Xuan's vanishing act. These three events felt baffling, yet they all seemed connected by some underlying thread. This connection point might be the core to unraveling the layout designed by Chu Xuan and Xiao Honglü. If he could just grasp that link, perhaps he could... "Damn it, it's utterly incomprehensible! What's this about Guides and Seekers? Even if she is... what does that have to do with Chu Xuan's vanishing act and Xiao Honglü's maneuvers? It makes absolutely no sense... Wait, wait. If she is a Guide, and Chu Xuan is currently in his heart-demon state, tying that in with Xiao Honglü's actions, this impossibly huge alien headquarters, and my earlier thoughts about how to destroy it... if all of this connects, doesn't that imply..." Zheng Zha suddenly roared out, frustrated by his inability to grasp their scheme. It was only when a snippet of memory surfaced unexpectedly that his heart lurched, and a new idea took root.

That memory fragment belonged to the former captain of the Central Continent Team, a tragic figure named Zhang Jie—a being that was half-human, half-Seeker. Zheng Zha suddenly recalled memories related to him. Following that thread of recollection, Zheng Zha finally managed to link the three disparate elements. But if this hypothesis held true, what Chu Xuan was planning was... "Impossible... This is too insane! Isn't this a massive gamble? But then again... this really sounds like his style. Forcing survival from the jaws of death..." Zheng Zha managed a bitter smile. He remembered hearing someone say that once speculation strips away the illusions, the remaining deduction, no matter how unbelievable or unreasonable, must be the truth. Zheng Zha was in that exact state now. He had reasoned his way to an incredible conclusion, and that conclusion was likely the truth... Chu Xuan intended to use the Magic Railgun to annihilate both the Central Continent Team and the West Sea Team, with Xiao Honglü acting as his accomplice...

"Fine. If this is a gamble, I can't afford to hold back now... Zhang Heng! Imhotep! Protect Yang Xuelin. If she truly is a Guide, her death will cause the 'Main God's' trial to fail, so she absolutely cannot die... Run for your lives! Once the saucer lands, our escape begins. I will try to cause as much disturbance as possible inside this fortress while you make your way toward cover..." Zheng Zha abruptly turned to Zhang Heng, speaking with solemn intensity. "You... you aren't going to run away again, are you? Perhaps you might become the next captain of the Central Continent Team..." With that, he turned, drew his Tiger Soul Blade, and the instant the saucer touched down, Zheng Zha slashed open the saucer's hull. In the next second, he shot out through the gash made by his blade.

Leaping to