Xiao Honglu watched the people before him in silence. They were not far from Lacon City, yet for some unknown reason, he had ordered them to land here instead of proceeding directly into the city.

Everyone listened quietly. They were comrades who had experienced countless life-or-death battles, fully aware of each other’s temperaments and capabilities. Though Xiao Honglu was still a child, he was the second strategist of the Zhongzhou Team, arguably one of the most brilliant minds in the entire Reincarnation World. At this critical juncture of the final battle, he would certainly not be engaged in anything futile.

“Earlier, I mentioned Chu Xuan’s arrangement. I cannot disclose the details of this plan, but we are all pawns in Chu Xuan’s game. More accurately, every single person in this final battle is a piece on the board—including both Zheng Zha and Chu Xuan themselves... So, if any of us fall from this point forward, I hope you can maintain your dignity in the moment of death, because what we are about to create is a myth: the myth of the strongest team in the entire Reincarnation World. I do not want anyone to tarnish the team's honor out of fear of death.”

Xiao Honglu deliberately glanced at the two newcomers.

“A myth?” The others were quite puzzled. They already understood the premise of the final battle: it was essentially king against king, soldier against soldier, ultimately defeating the Demon Squad to claim the title of the strongest in the Reincarnation World. But such an outcome didn't seem to warrant the term ‘myth.’

“I know you find this strange. Think about it: a small contingent from Zhongzhou not only annihilated the God Squad but also wiped out a small detachment of the Demon Squad. And the remaining members are likely to decide the outcome of this final confrontation. Isn’t an event like that mythical?” Xiao Honglu chuckled, plucked a strand of hair from his forehead, fiddled with it, and said, “Zhan Lan. Begin a full scan to pinpoint the God Squad’s location. Then I will assign everyone’s combat roles... Everyone, the probability that some of us will die here is very high. I only hope that I can still... Forget it. Take care, everyone. My plan is...” “Adam, for some reason, I have a bad feeling.”

Miyata Kuraki pondered for a long time before finally giving in to the urge to speak to Adam. Everyone was still situated on the outskirts of the city.

The various factions of the Angel Alliance had been waiting here for quite some time, but no one seemed impatient. After all, this was the final battle; there was no concern for earning Reward Points or pursuing side quests anymore. There was no need to consider the future; survival in the present moment was the only objective. Adam was already renowned throughout the Reincarnation World for many reasons, chief among them his leadership. Moreover, since entering this final battle, he hadn't used anyone as cannon fodder, choosing instead to wait quietly at the city's edge. This composure had reassured most of the members, allowing them to wait peacefully.

Of course, the teams that managed to survive to the final battle were not entirely comprised of simpletons. Several exceptionally astute individuals harbored their own suspicions, but Adam’s formidable reputation was daunting. None possessed the audacity to present their own strategies or plots to challenge him, so they held their peace until now. It was only Miyata Kuraki who finally broke under the strain of restraint to address Adam.

“En, the time should be close. If nothing unusual happens soon, I truly might start to worry myself...” Adam looked at Miyata Kuraki with a wry smile. He then inquired, “You have a bad premonition. Is it connected to your cultivation technique?”

“Uh? Yes. My technique primarily cultivates the spirit, guiding the sword with the mind. Thus, my sixth sense regarding danger is extremely acute. I already had my team use mental scanning to check our surroundings, but we found absolutely no anomalies. So, I don't know what specific danger is approaching, Adam. Do you?” Miyata Kuraki nodded.

“I can roughly imagine what kind of situation it might be, but putting it into explicit detail is somewhat difficult,” Adam stated with a smile.

“It’s nothing more than two separate small squads dispatched by the two Chus Xuan to attack us. Alternatively, maybe the Zhongzhou Team and the Demon Squad will clash first, or perhaps one of those teams will engage us, or maybe we’ll align with one team to fight the other. It’s hard to be certain, but one thing is definite: the fighting will begin momentarily.”

Adam spoke as if discussing a trivial matter, yet those around him froze in astonishment. Before Miyata Kuraki could respond, a large man standing nearby blurted out, “Hey! Adam! Why didn’t you tell us about the fighting sooner? We could have prepared! And with the opponents being the Zhongzhou Team and the Demon Squad, with our numbers, a surprise attack could lead to dire consequences...”

Adam waved his hand, smiling. He looked at the assembled crowd. “Do you know why I chose this location? We are situated in a cluster of buildings—the only structures here. A few hundred meters beyond this point, it’s all roads, open fields, and plains. Do you see? This location was chosen precisely because it was calculated. Several of you are mental controllers; even with constant scanning and concealment efforts, who could approach us silently? Furthermore, as they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy. If I had warned everyone in advance, you would have spent all this time worrying and growing suspicious. You might have lost half your combat effectiveness before any enemy even launched an attack. Isn't the current situation better?”

The others exchanged glances. Adam’s logic seemed sound. At least, so far, the long wait had not dulled their edge. Having rested and gathered their strength, they would be ready to meet any attacker—a case of ‘resting well to meet a foe who is tired.’ For a moment, everyone except a small skeptical minority believed Adam’s reasoning.

“And everyone shouldn't worry too much. Even if the attacking force likely includes members from both the Demon Squad and the Zhongzhou Team, it absolutely won't be their main body. Their primary forces are probably already arrayed against each other or engaged in battle. The approaching group will at best be just one of their smaller squads, and their strength will naturally be far inferior to ours. Moreover, our current position is easy to defend and hard to assault. Combined with the mental scanning and the snipers among you, I’m actually hoping they don’t show up,” Adam continued, smiling to the rest.

Finally, the flicker of doubt that had crossed the faces of the crowd vanished completely. Most people began to feel grateful they had joined the Angel Alliance, a team guided by a mind like Adam’s... (But is it really fine? Adam’s intellect is certainly high, but both the Zhongzhou Team and the Demon Squad have a Chu Xuan. And Adam... he seems to be concealing something...) Miyata Kuraki wanted to say more, but seeing the jubilant expressions of those around him, he could only sigh softly, his gaze drifting toward the distant reaches outside the entrance...

“...This place is not good for a sneak attack.”

In a desolate, abandoned field far from the Angel Alliance’s encampment, seven figures sat clustered together. They were all members of the Demon Squad. Their individual strengths varied, but having survived the Demon Squad, which operated strictly by the law of the jungle, their power far surpassed that of most other Reincarnation Team members.

Among these seven was one mental controller—though the Demon Squad was peculiar in that it somehow possessed two mental controllers. One of these controllers had achieved a rank among the top seven strongest in the entire squad. While perhaps inferior to monstrous entities like the duplicate Zheng Zha, Chu Xuan, or Zhao Zhuikong, this individual’s strength represented the peak among the rest of the Demon Squad members. He was not only a mental controller but also possessed the reinforcement attribute of a dual A-grade Metal Controller. Although the efficacy of skills and attributes varied based on individual usage, this person’s talent was exceptionally high; using Metal Control as a mental controller placed him among the foremost powerhouses in the entire Reincarnation World.

This man was the captain of this Demon Squad detachment, the primary combat force for this operation. He was ambitious, wishing to completely wipe out the Angel Alliance. However, he wasn’t foolishly overconfident enough to charge in alone and slaughter them all; the reputation of the God Squad, one of the three strongest in the Reincarnation World, preceded them. Adam’s wisdom was second only to Chu Xuan’s, marking him as the second most intelligent figure in the Reincarnation World. Seeing the Angel Alliance holding fast within their position, they had no choice but to wait here, searching for an opportunity.

“Damn it, do these guys have any pride as true powerhouses? They’re the God Squad, teams spoken of in the same breath as us, the Demon Squad, yet they hide so timidly,” sneered a tall Black youth. This man was close to two meters high, appearing to be around twenty years old, yet his attire was bizarrely elaborate. His black hair was entirely braided into tight twists, with countless braids cascading down his back. He sported earrings, or perhaps nose rings and eyelid rings, on his nose, ears, and even eyelids. In short, the man looked like a complete hippie.

“Shut up,” interrupted a fair-haired youth with a cold sneer. This man was the squad leader, the powerhouse combining Mental Control and Metal Control. He was also the longest-surviving veteran in the team before the arrival of the duplicate Zheng Zha, the only foreigner to survive Zheng Zha’s subsequent vengeance, and a participant in the first engagement between the Zhongzhou Team and the Demon Squad. His name was Tom.

The name sounded ordinary, but surviving in the Demon Squad—where the law of the jungle reigned supreme and the duplicate Zheng Zha held an intense hatred for foreigners—indicated that Tom possessed a certain level of intelligence and strength. Otherwise, he would have died long ago in the various horror movie worlds. The most crucial factor, however, was that he was a ‘Red Foreigner’—one of the rare foreigners who deeply revered Chinese culture (which is true; in Western developed nations and the US, there are a small number of foreigners who obsess over Chinese culture, sometimes viewing it as the world’s greatest. Conversely, China also has a substantial number of people who idolize foreign cultures, perhaps in greater proportion...). During the duplicate Zheng Zha’s agonizing arrival, Tom was the only one who voiced opposition and later provided Zheng Zha with material aid, allowing him to survive his initial weak phase and grow strong. Because of this, Tom evaded the subsequent crazed retribution from the duplicate Zheng Zha.

Tom glanced sideways at the Black youth and coldly stated, “Newcomer, you’ve only been through two horror worlds and you’re already spouting our Demon Squad’s motto? Shut your trap; it makes me sick. And do you even understand the pride of a strong man? If that pride means charging forward with a blade for a brawl, then every punk on the street like you is a powerhouse. Idiot.”

The Black youth chuckled, a hint of confusion and anger in his eyes, but he didn't press the issue. He clearly feared Tom deeply, or perhaps he had suffered a defeat before. It wasn't surprising; the animosity between Black and White races in America is profound, and while suppressed in the real world, it manifests in an extreme environment like the Reincarnation World—where the biggest fist reigns supreme. It seemed Tom was the current boss.

Tom continued to berate him for a few more lines before concluding, “Chu Xuan’s order is for us to hold this position until the Zhongzhou Team appears. If the Zhongzhou Team hasn't shown up within eight hours, then we attack with full force until Adam is killed. This isn't the first time I’ve led a detachment mission, but this is the most challenging. I don’t need anyone dragging me down. Remember, the opposition is the God Squad and a host of other Reincarnation Teams; their overall strength is indeed far superior to ours. Remember this! Our mission is a sneak attack! Not a suicide run!”

Everyone listened silently. After a long pause, a stout Asian man spoke up, “Tom, facing both the God Squad and the Zhongzhou Team simultaneously this time—how much confidence do we really have? Chu Xuan, can he... can he truly defeat his counterpart? After all, the Zhongzhou Team has another him as well...”

“It’s not just Chu Xuan, but also Zheng Zha...”