When Fang Senyan and Aldaris found themselves together, there was an immediate sense of camaraderie, a mutual reliance. Meanwhile, both Aziza and Hedikuri were recovering with surprising speed after the internal threats were removed, having foreseen the potential for grievous injury and acquired a potion called 'Lizard's Might' which drastically accelerated the regrowth of lost limbs and organs.

After barely five hours of rest, Ronnie approached them, his face impassive, requesting their attendance at a makeshift meeting. Bokhan had already conjured a solid meeting hall, and sufficient guards were posted outside; though darkness had fallen, the risk of stealthy enemy approach had been neutralized.

By this time, Aziza’s arms had regrown under the influence of the Lizard's Might potion, though they were still like tender, new shoots, extremely fragile, and encased in plaster casts, giving her a peculiar appearance. They required a full twenty-four hours to return to normal, but under the relief of sleep and genuine rest, her spirits appeared significantly lifted.

Hedikuri’s eyes seemed to require less regeneration work and had already recovered, though he wore sunglasses, suggesting he was still sensitive to strong light. He carried himself with an undeniable air of formidable recovery.

This temporary team had suffered a disastrous start; less than twenty-four hours after landing, two core members had already been taken out. As everyone gathered, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension, no one daring to speak first.

Only Aldaris maintained his usual infuriating demeanor, leaning coolly against a wall, occasionally sending a long, crackling arc of electricity dancing from his fingertips—a posture dripping with insufferable arrogance.

Seeing the awkward silence linger, Hedikuri, leveraging his position as the primary Tank (MT), broke it coldly:

“Aldaris, why did you vanish less than ten minutes after the engagement began, only to reappear now, completely unscathed?”

Hedikuri was clearly implying that Aldaris had conserved his strength and fled preemptively. Aldaris could not tolerate such an accusation. He let out a sharp snort but remained silent, instead projecting a holographic video for everyone to see: it showed him single-handedly drawing away a full contingent of seven Horned Ant-Flies, his desperate, ragged flight clearly visible.

The onlookers fell silent. Aldaris’s performance made it impossible to accuse him of desertion in the face of battle. Yet, they were unaware that this man possessed the ability of 'Blood Escape,' making many seemingly perilous situations manageable for him. Fang Senyan watched this display, secretly marveling at the sheer caliber of Aldaris’s acting.

When the recording finished, Aldaris immediately counter-attacked with cold precision:

“I got back because I am not greedy and I am lucky. Too bad our two deceased companions trusted the wrong person and followed the wrong orders.”

This statement instantly turned Hedikuri’s face a deep, bruised purple. After all, the one who had been greedy for the Horned Ant-Flies’ bounty was none other than Hedikuri himself.

There had been dissenting opinions within the team then, suggesting they prioritize the mission; it was Hedikuri who insisted they hold their ground and wait for reinforcements—which was largely an elaborate excuse, simply meaning he hoped to kill a few more Ant-Flies.

Regrettably, what they encountered was not one or two, but the entire enraged swarm of the nest!

In those circumstances, never mind the team’s inadequate numbers; even if Fang Senyan had exposed his MT status and implemented the excessively luxurious Three-MT tactic, they would still have been forced into a rout. However, the redeeming factor was that Fang Senyan’s Virus Monarch was overwhelmingly powerful; even if they couldn't win the fight, they could certainly escape, thus avoiding the loss of two crucial members.

Seeing Hedikuri cornered, Ronnie immediately stepped in to smooth things over, booming loudly:

“We are all gathered at Mushroom Rock; what does this have to do with Hedi? This damn strategy was dictated by those bureaucrats back at the base! Moreover, Hedi didn’t force anyone to stay. We all agreed to remain. But you—if everyone had stuck to the original plan of heading directly to Mushroom Rock upon landing, perhaps the situation would have been completely rewritten.”

Aldaris gave Ronnie a detached glance, completely ignoring him, as if speaking to him was beneath his notice. He leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and resumed resting. Ronnie, enraged, nearly leaped up to fight him.

However, everyone present was shrewd. Aldaris surviving an encounter with seven Horned Ant-Flies demonstrated a level of skill far superior to Ronnie’s near-fatal experience being chased by a Raging Wolf-Badger. More crucially, that enigmatic Sailor also clearly stood aligned with Aldaris. Ronnie had no choice but to swallow his fury.

Yet, a cold smile soon touched his lips. Before this, Aziza had already communicated with Hedikuri, and they had discussed matters further. It could be said that the various factions had already reached a coordination of interests, with only the Sailor and Aldaris kept completely in the dark. Naturally, they had a method ready to slice the flesh slowly, knife-edge by knife-edge.

Aziza spoke with a calm air:

“Hedi and I have already held a preliminary discussion. We believe that debating the past events is futile. Since we are all in the same boat, the focus must be on the future. Until the mission is complete, we are one collective. What do you all think?”

Upon hearing Aziza’s opening remarks, Fang Senyan instantly suspected that his interests were about to be betrayed, and his mind immediately raced, searching for countermeasures. It wasn’t that Aldaris was less vigilant; it was simply that Fang Senyan, also an MT, naturally viewed issues from the MT perspective and immediately sensed something was amiss.

And indeed, Aziza continued:

“Therefore, Hedi’s and my proposal is that, aside from personal equipment, certain items must be classified as shared team assets—for example, food, water, the humanoid servant-drones we brought, and even the Pulverizing Refiner. Naturally, some individuals will incur certain losses, but I can vouch with my reputation: these losses will certainly be recouped during the subsequent adventure.”

“Just as I expected,” Fang Senyan sneered inwardly. Only he and Aldaris had brought three servant-drones each, while the others had only brought one. As for the Pulverizing Refiner, Fang Senyan had essentially commandeered Ronnie’s the moment he laid eyes on it, and Aldaris was no pushover—when Daldanian’s humanoid servant was destroyed by the Horned Ant-Flies’ claws, Aldaris had snatched the Refiner for himself.

Under Aziza’s proposed arrangement, the team would have a total of nine remaining servant-drones, meaning Fang Senyan and Aldaris would each have to contribute six! Fang Senyan knew clearly in his heart that this was merely the beginning, much like a scammer demanding an initial hundred dollars, only to follow up demanding two hundred later; if you regret the initial investment, you are forced to sink in even more capital...

Aziza kept her gaze locked on Fang Senyan as she spoke. This woman’s calculating depth was in no way inferior to Zi Lai’s; she was sharp and capable, but more importantly, she acted without moral constraint.

“Without constraint” meant that she wasn't just powerful in her own right; she excelled at leveraging a woman’s assets—first conquering men with the aura of a dominant queen, then compensating them with the vulnerability of a desperate woman!

Aziza was acutely aware of Fang Senyan’s immense value in strategic buffing; even a blind man could see the preciousness of the potions that granted +10% to all attributes. This was why she devised this 'slow boil' method. In her calculations, Fang Senyan would certainly ache over such a loss, but he would inevitably view this sacrifice as a token of loyalty—and thus be successfully recruited by her. Such was the height of her cunning.

Wait, does the above deduction seem confusing? Why would Fang Senyan, who is being disadvantaged, also be subtly co-opted?

It can be illustrated with a simple example: A low-level clerk loses several thousand yuan to a Deputy Director over a card game. He’s suffered a loss, right? But if that clerk later faces conflicts within his own department, who will he turn to first? Naturally, the Deputy Director who previously fleeced him.

Seeing that both Fang Senyan and Aldaris remained silent, Ronnie finally moved toward Fang Senyan’s Servant Unit Two, his hand grabbing for the backpack—he had long since spotted his heavily invested Pulverizing Refiner strapped to the unit’s back, a thorn in his side!

But at that precise moment, a snake of electric energy, tinged faintly white, leaped out and struck directly in front of Ronnie! With a sharp crack, it singed the ends of the hair on his forehead, curling them up! Aldaris spoke coldly:

“Next time, you won’t be so lucky.”

Ronnie gripped his dagger in response, slowly drawing it from his waist. The blade gleamed with a pale, eerie light, the sound of steel scraping against the sheath sending a chill down the spine. He enunciated every word:

“Are you going to defy the team’s resolution? Aldaris, didn’t you see the Sailor is still considering his stance?”

Fang Senyan suddenly stood up, breaking into a bright smile:

“I was actually considering how to refuse without losing face. Fortunately, I think Aldaris has already made my opinion abundantly clear.”

Aziza’s expression instantly darkened, but she was clearly not one to give up easily:

“It is a miracle you two have survived this long. In this cursed place, without the protection of our MTs, do you truly believe you can complete the mission?”

Fang Senyan narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly:

“The only fate for MTs without us is to be three corpses rotting in the woods.”

.RT