“Finally, what I want to tell all of you is this: look again at our Nightmare Imprint, examine the exact wording of our mission: Protect the core engine of this Valkyrie vessel from destruction within three days! It is not to ensure the personal safety of the RD personnel for three days, nor is it to prevent the swarm from breaching the ship within three days! If we just give those beasts what they actually want, why would they waste their fangs, claws, and venom on this cold, lifeless metal giant devoid of blood and flesh?----That, damn it, is the only path to mission completion!”

“…………..”

The moment Fang Senyan’s words echoed in their minds, both Reef and Morgana felt a chill creep along their spines. They couldn't help but chew over the cryptic prompt given by the Nightmare Space: Therefore, the enemies you will face in the short term are only the beasts and the native inhabitants, and of course... your own people.

Previously, the two had interpreted "your own people" as referring to other Contractors. But now, it seemed that understanding was fatally flawed. While internal strife over the distribution of benefits was a possibility before the first mission was complete, elevating that threat to the level of an actual enemy seemed excessive—under the immense pressure of the vast sea of beasts, no one would entertain such petty schemes. The target indicated by this mission prompt: it must undoubtedly be those RD staff members hiding in the upper decks of the ship!

At this moment, Fang Senyan strode forward, his face radiating murderous intent, faint traces of blood marking the path behind his feet, stretching back into the darkness. In his hand, he gripped the silver-white metallic card, still dripping blood, which granted access to the upper levels.

The façade of low-key stoicism Fang Senyan had previously worn had completely shattered. He now exuded a primal ferocity, raw power, and an undeniable, sharp-edged arrogance! But just as Fang Senyan was about to swipe the card against the adjacent identification slot, his expression suddenly contorted. He abruptly thrust the identification card into Reef’s hand and murmured quietly into the team channel:

“Do exactly as I say.”

With that, Fang Senyan retreated half a step, positioning himself behind Reef, his gaze lowered, his features obscured by the gloom. His entire demeanor shifted in an uncanny manner; only his powerful silhouette and clenched fists were visible. In that instant, Reef was once again the core of the team.

However, barely ten seconds later, a group of people emerged from the far end of the ship’s corridor. They appeared profoundly exhausted, their bodies smeared with bloodstains, yet they advanced with a cohesive, pressurized aura that seemed to push the very air backward with every step they took.

A tall woman with long hair that appeared to flutter against a non-existent wind led the way. Though her face remained indistinct, one could sense a unique temperament radiating from her—as sharp as a blade, as capable as a blade, and as ethereal as a blade! Every step she took seemed to blend the swiftness of a sudden storm with the grace of shifting clouds. The Contractors around her formed a protective echelon, poised like ready claws and weapons, prepared to eliminate any obstacle.

Seeing this woman, Fang Senyan couldn't help but recall the Metal Mentor—that obsessive, tenacious, almost stubbornly insane woman! In the "Metal Digestive System" Demon Key Array, Fang Senyan had witnessed the shocking transformation of beauty into bone dust in an instant. Yet, hearing rumors of the Metal Mentor’s possible resurrection had filled him with a profound sense of threat and the pressure of a thorn digging into his back. Previously, Fang Senyan had gauged the Metal Mentor’s power level as significantly higher than Zi’s, but now, he suspected the order might need to be reversed.

Zi!! At this very moment, Zi had arrived, leading the core members and some regular affiliates of the Illuminati, right here! The number of Illuminati personnel infiltrated onto the ship was clearly much greater than Fang Senyan’s group, meaning the difficulty of maintaining stealth and evading the notice of others increased proportionately. Strictly speaking, Zi’s judgment and assessment of the current situation were in no way inferior to Fang Senyan’s; the only difference was the delay caused by the sheer size of her team.

This slight time difference, however, was enough to create a cascading divergence in strategy. For instance, while Zi’s team possessed an absolute advantage in overall strength over Fang Senyan’s group, that advantage came at the cost of arriving a step too late due to their larger scale.

Facing the hastily arriving core team of the Illuminati, Reef suddenly strode forward, stepping out from the shadows into the center of the corridor! His stride was broad and heavy, causing the hard soles of his boots to strike the metal floor with a sharp, resounding thud. In that moment, Reef’s appearance acted as a sudden, massive mountain range blocking the Illuminati’s path. This mountain might not have been jagged, but it conveyed an impression of limitless, eternal majesty, seemingly unable to collapse until the end of time. His abrupt emergence even caused the Illuminati members to halt simultaneously, experiencing a strange, poignant tightness in their chests, as if they had run headlong into an invisible wall.

“It’s you?” Zi exclaimed in surprise. The three rhomboid orbs spinning around her suddenly accelerated their rotation, betraying an inner agitation that belied her outward composure.

Reef, slightly bowing his head, suddenly raised his hand. The blood-dripping, silver-white card glittered between his fingers:

“I know what you’re thinking, Zi! But I also know what you’re looking for! Regrettably, you are late. This card is the only key to the upper deck access tunnels of the Valkyrie transport ship! Or perhaps you’d like to test whether I destroy this card first, or whether you kill me first to make it drop?”

Akaphiel took a large step forward, sneering coldly: “Reef, since you were lucky enough to claw your way back from annihilation, you should cherish that life instead of rushing headlong into death!”

Reef completely ignored him, addressing Zi directly: “You need to understand this clearly: the RD personnel on the upper decks could invalidate the permissions on this ID card at any moment. Every second of delay increases the risk exponentially!”

Zi took a deep breath, then responded with decisive clarity: “What do you want?”

Reef stated firmly: “Cooperation, naturally.”

Zi said coolly: “Cooperation? Very well! Then hand the card over, or you can open the door immediately.”

Reef looked at Zi with chilling coldness: “If you find these kinds of jokes amusing, I have no objection to wasting time right here with you—My condition is this: a team alliance for three days! The alliance must include a clause forbidding mutual harm, your side covers the cost, and all spoils gained during the alliance period are split fifty-fifty!”

Before Zi could speak, Sabel from the rear strode forward, roaring: “Dream on!”

But just as Sabel’s words fell, Zi agreed with remarkable decisiveness: “Fine! What is your new team name?”

Sabel turned back in shock, shouting in agitation: “Zi!”

Zi shook her head slowly, sighing faintly: “We were a step too late, and time waits for no one. In fact, we have no choice left. I cannot afford to gamble everyone’s lives away over a petty point of pride or a mere twenty thousand universal credits!”

Fang Senyan, watching from the shadows, couldn't help but admire Zi’s decisiveness. This woman acted without hesitation; she might concede on minor issues, but on major ones, her word was final, showing absolute resolution. This style of operation was like the Force she commanded—sharp, cutting, yet invisibly pervasive.

In less than ten seconds, both Fang Senyan and Morgana received a prompt from their Nightmare Imprints: “Your team has established a Temporary Alliance Contract (Advanced) with the Illuminati (Team), valid for seventy-two hours. During the duration of this alliance, mutual harm between allies is prohibited.”

Once the pact was concluded, it was notarized by the Nightmare Space, providing basic assurance. Reef grasped the silver-white ID card and slid it toward the electronic lock before him! With a distinct clack, the card was swallowed whole.

Immediately afterward, a spiral steel staircase descended slowly from above. Yaomeng, one of the Illuminati core members, suddenly dissolved into mist and shot upward. Though her speed appeared moderate, she effectively floated past everyone, even getting ahead of Reef, who was closest.

However, Yaomeng paused at the threshold of the stairs as an electronic synthesized warning blared nearby: It stated that this was a restricted zone, and persistent entry would result in the forfeiture of all RD Company battlefield contribution points and immediate targeting by all shipboard weaponry.

Having reached this point, Yaomeng had certainly cleared her RD contribution points beforehand, but the latter part of the warning was impossible to ignore! “Targeted by all shipboard weaponry!”

Fang Senyan quickly pushed forward, scoffing confidently in the team channel: “The Valkyrie transport ship was designed for interstellar hauling, not combat. Furthermore, what era is this? Are we expecting boarding actions like the Age of Sail? Even warships cannot install excessive weaponry internally. If weaponry systems are remotely possible on the exterior hull, the interior absolutely cannot accommodate much more. Most importantly, if that area were truly restricted, they wouldn't bother with warnings; they would have simply opened fire already!”

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