To enhance a Mind Link skill would be to intertwine one's consciousness with those of companions, allowing the view within her own mind to be transmitted directly into theirs. Furthermore, it could connect three individuals besides herself—a quartet, in effect—who could maintain their separate fields of vision while she could exert a degree of control over those with weaker mental fortitude. However, encountering an opponent with significantly superior mental power risked a severe backlash of psychic energy. This enhancement required one B-level side plot and yielded 5000 reward points.

This was what Zhan Lan desired to upgrade. As for the others, she intended to exchange for an item she had glimpsed long ago.

“Resurrection Holy Cross, requiring 7000 reward points and two B-level side plots. The holder of this item can revive five minutes after death, with physical injuries restored to half of their body's optimal state. Simultaneously, they can choose to exit the current horror movie, forfeiting the standard 1000 reward points for that scenario.”

This was what Zhan Lan wanted for Zheng Zha.

After surviving this horror movie, at the peak of her mental exhaustion, she had a sudden epiphany: truly loving someone did not necessitate possession. Allowing them happiness was also a profound expression of affection. She suddenly wished for Zheng Zha and Lolita to find happiness, especially after this ordeal made her realize how fragile human life truly was. Even someone as powerful as Zheng Zha could perish in an instant from a single blow—a fate she could not bear to witness.

Perhaps it was better said that she could not stand to see the one she cared for die before her eyes again. Therefore, after upgrading the Mind Link skill, she decided to exchange for the precious Resurrection Holy Cross. Even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance, she did not want him to die.

The night passed in silence. The next day, the refreshed group gathered in the plaza before the "Main God," smiles gracing every face. After all, returning alive from a horror movie, with every old companion intact, was cause for immense joy.

Moreover, the reward points and side plot counts each of them possessed were substantial. Once enhanced, everyone’s strength would significantly increase—this was the source of their greatest happiness.

Zhan Lan was the last to arrive at the plaza, offering everyone a mischievous smile.

Then, she simply closed her eyes.

Among the group, Zheng Zha, Zhang Heng, and Xiao Honglu initially froze, before a wave of ecstatic realization washed over them.

In their minds, the entire plaza came into full view—no, it wasn't merely visible; it was completely scanned. This was Zhan Lan’s unique psychic scanning ability, and she was now sharing what she knew directly into their consciousnesses. This was unmistakably the Mind Link skill they had discussed earlier, capable of sharing everything in her mind with those connected: the location of all enemies, detailed maps of the area, and potential monsters they might encounter. Truly, this was the skill a team needed most.

“Incredible!” Zheng Zha exclaimed, sweeping Zhan Lan up into an embrace, allowing her ample bosom to press against his chest as he spun around once before setting her gently down. He laughed heartily, “Fantastic! This skill is exactly what a team needs for coordinated combat! Now we won't have to fear the monsters in those horror movies anymore, ha ha ha!” Zhang Heng added excitedly, “Originally, with 'Shooting the Sirius with a Great Bow,' I could already shoot over vast distances. Adding the ‘Wind Arrow’ skill, hitting targets ten thousand meters away wouldn't be an exaggeration. But that bow lacks a scope, and seeing the gore up close… I probably wouldn't have the nerve to fire anyway. With this skill, if it can lock the target for me, I just need to loose the arrow. Isn't that just like a sniper rifle? Heh heh.”

While the two were caught up in their excitement, Cheng Xiao also burst into delighted laughter. He spread his arms wide, intending to hug Zhan Lan, but was swiftly kicked hard in the shin. Zhan Lan stood guardedly, foot raised, facing him. The man immediately crouched from the ground. Even with a footprint still visible on his face, he laughed again, “Come on, just one hug! Everyone’s so happy, I want to share in the joy too.”

“Save it. Go hug Sister Yingkong instead.”

Zhan Lan shook her head, teasing lightly.

Cheng Xiao immediately looked towards Zhao Yingkong. The young girl barely spoke; she merely drew her dagger out about halfway, which instantly halted Cheng Xiao’s open-armed gesture. The man scratched his head, chuckled twice, but dared not approach anyone else for an embrace.

His interruption somewhat dampened the group's excitement. Xiao Honglu, however, remained cheerful. “Regardless, this skill upgrade has significantly improved our entire team’s survivability. Heh heh, if we can master the environment and the locations of all enemies, we can pre-arrange conditions favorable to us, ensuring we won't face such a brutal fight as in the last horror movie. By the way, what’s the maximum range for your Mind Link?” Zhan Lan smiled slightly. “As long as they are within my psychic scan radius, my Mind Link can function. Currently, my scan range is about 70 kilometers, and the straight-line distance reach is 700 kilometers. Heh heh. If I continue to enhance my mental power, this distance will only increase.”

Zheng Zha let out a breath. “So, that means even if our team splits up to fight, it doesn't matter? As long as we are within your psychic surveillance range, we can fully maintain contact even while separated, without needing communicators that might expose our locations to outsiders. Is that correct?” Zhan Lan smiled and nodded. She then suddenly pulled a sachet from her clothes. “Heh heh, something I made myself. Thank you for saving me in the last horror movie. You’ve saved me several times before, and it’s only now I can give you something. Heh heh, you must keep it close to your body, understood?” Cheng Xiao immediately whistled and made exaggerated noises of approval. Zheng Zha felt a bit awkward, but Zhan Lan’s expression remained unchanged, her smile fixed on him. Her demeanor made it impossible for him to refuse, so he could only take the sachet and quickly stuff it into his spatial ring, muttering a hurried thank you.

Aside from this small interlude, it was time for Cheng Xiao to explain his background. When he revealed he was a military doctor from a special forces unit, especially when describing the thousands of people in the real world continuously hypnotized while sitting before computers—all these details made Zheng Zha smile wryly. He could not have imagined that one unintentional act of his had resulted in such a consequence. It was no wonder the previous horror movie featured military elites like Wang Xia, and this one presented military talent like Cheng Xiao.

“If only one person from a specialized field can enter at a time, then perhaps we could also have artillerymen, missile specialists, various machinery pilots... In short, our Central Continent Team must overwhelm all other teams and ultimately claim victory!” Cheng Xiao’s expression was quite serious when he made this declaration.

Zheng Zha replied with a wry smile, “If scouts or military doctors like you are useful, then what good are artillerymen and missile specialists? Do we need to drag a giant cannon with us into a horror movie? Or save up enough reward points to exchange for a Gundam for the mech pilots? Wait, how do you know about other teams? It seems we never mentioned that to you, did we?” Cheng Xiao shook his head. “It wasn't you who told me. Commander Chu Xuan’s data contained written records regarding this. I assume you must have heard Commander Chu Xuan mention it? Some unearthed ancient texts vaguely documented the existence of this space, but because the writing was undecipherable, we couldn't grasp its full reality. This situation changed after obtaining Commander Chu Xuan’s data; a large quantity of ancient texts was translated, and we learned about events from ancient times…” Zheng Zha and the others grew curious. Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan specifically remembered Chu Xuan mentioning aspects of this before, but even Chu Xuan couldn't explain it clearly then, so hearing Cheng Xiao bring it up now sparked intense curiosity.

“What happened back then?” Xiao Honglu asked curiously.

Cheng Xiao shrugged. “I don’t know the exact details, only the general idea: In ancient times, humanity saw the emergence of Gene Unlockers who led humanity against many terrifying creatures. These creatures were overwhelmingly powerful, causing human Gene Locks to continuously upgrade. Eventually, upon reaching the fifth level of the Gene Lock, humanity finally created numerous bloodlines, weapons, and skills, ultimately eradicating those beasts. They understood that the Gene Lock was the key to evolution, so they created the ‘Main God’ space and configured it to influence the minds of certain people once human society reached a certain level of progress, compelling them to create those horror movies. The gist is that the creatures in the horror movies likely battled our ancestors, and then selected individuals were pulled into the ‘Main God’ space to undergo the same evolutionary combat process as ancient humans. According to the ancient continental distribution, there were many ‘Main Gods,’ each representing a team, and every team would clash with others—roughly speaking, that’s the setup.”

“And the teams that survive will change the entirety of humanity.”