"I despise you all! You'd abandon your brothers just for a woman? I was wrong about you, you..." Cheng Xiao muttered incessantly. Just as he was getting into his rhythm, the girl next door suddenly ran up to him. A flicker of tenderness instantly crossed Cheng Xiao's eyes: "Little girl, don't wander off. Go on ahead; I'll be right there as soon as I finish cleaning these mushrooms."

The girl next door gently plucked a few grass strands from him and, as he began to grumble again, gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before skipping off toward the others. Cheng Xiao stopped his muttering, a smile spreading across his face as he began diligently counting the mushrooms to string them onto skewers, then evenly coating them with spices and various seasonings before placing them near the fire pit to roast slowly. Over another fire, a large pot simmered with mushroom and fresh fish soup, and even before it was fully cooked, the aroma wafted out, causing everyone to involuntarily swallow.

Once the beautiful woman served a small dish of the fish soup and tasted it, she nodded softly. A cheer erupted from the crowd, and they immediately rushed to grab bowls, each filling one to the brim. The fish, the mushrooms, and the milky-white broth—though the flavor was somewhat light, it was brimming with natural freshness. This inherent flavor was rarer and more precious than any artificial seasoning, certainly something people in the severely polluted cities could never taste.

After savoring the soup and then eating the fresh fish, everyone engaged in lively conversation, laughing and chatting. For that moment, it seemed as though everyone had forgotten the world of horror movies, forgotten the team battle they were about to face, and forgotten the death that might await them. In that moment, every face was wreathed in smiles.

They enjoyed this rare moment of ease.

The entire afternoon passed lazily, with no one wanting to move, so they slept soundly on the grassy hillside. When they finally awoke, the sky was fully saturated with stars. Except for Tian, the others burst into laughter and ran toward something, even the usually aloof Zhao Yingkong showing a face full of interest, while the four men lay there, watching them in silence.

Zhang Heng murmured, "When I was with her before, when we visited my mother-in-law's place in the countryside, I took her there too. She said she adored fireflies—those tiny pinpricks of light, continuously blinking, looked just like a lover’s eyes. Haha! I was the sinner who destroyed that lover's gaze."

Zheng Zha sighed. Through several conversations, he had unintentionally learned that Zhang Heng's lover was the woman who had died in Ju-On (The Grudge). To think that woman, who had seemed so beautiful, had fallen into depravity because Zhang Heng had fled in fear, leading to her being… But who could he really blame? Zhang Heng was fundamentally kind-hearted, but his ingrained cowardice had brought suffering to himself and the woman he loved. No wonder he looked so utterly broken after strengthening his mental focus—he must hate himself to the point of wanting death. Zheng Zha spoke with a trace of bitterness, "Why not create a replica of her? Exactly like her?"

Zhang Heng immediately replied, "No, that wouldn't be her. I understand the principle of creation—it's manufactured from the image of the person you desire. The version of her I desire is the one who hates me. If I truly created that one, I wouldn't dare face her. Let her live quietly in the real world. I hope she can forget all of this, forget me, and I hope she finds happiness."

"Happiness?"

Is it happiness? Zheng Zha wondered if the serenity of death was perhaps a form of happiness for that couple who suffered together. As he thought this, he unintentionally noticed Xiao Honglü sigh and turn over, appearing somewhat despondent. Zheng Zha asked curiously, "Xiao Honglü, what's wrong? Why the sudden bad mood?"

Xiao Honglü laughed it off casually, "Nothing at all. How could I suddenly be in a bad mood?"

Zheng Zha patted Xiao Honglü's head. "How can a little kid have worries? Is it because you didn't get to eat bugs today?"

Xiao Honglü slapped his hand away. "Don't talk nonsense. Who says kids aren't allowed to have worries? What's the point of speaking them aloud anyway? The person lost is gone forever, and I know the created ones are fake—no, not fake, exactly, but they aren't the real person you knew. It’s all just self-deception. I'm such a fool."

"I was an orphan from birth. Apparently, when I was born, there was a split in the center of my forehead with sores that looked like eyes growing out of it. I never knew what my parents looked like; they abandoned me at the hospital. Heh, I know you pity me, but pity for what? I’m the one who should feel pity. They truly pitied themselves by abandoning a genius child, by abandoning their own son."

"Later, doctors examined it and found it wasn't a sore, but an external growth of tissue caused by the mutation and development of my cranial nerves. It was supposed to recede into my body as I aged. Since this case was rare globally, coupled with my consistently high intelligence, I was ultimately placed in a research institute, and a young nurse was assigned to look after me. She was barely twenty-two then; I was only six."

"Everything was fine until a fire broke out at the Neuro-Cranial Research Institute years later. The blaze reached my room. The first person to rush in was her."

"She smiled gently, holding an oxygen tank. Then, she immediately knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I was in a hospital."

"The fire was reportedly intense. The path out of my room was almost completely blocked by flames. I was on the eighth floor—jumping was impossible. Even the stairwell was engulfed. She found an oxygen tank, one that was already half-used, though the storage for oxygen wasn't on that floor. She knocked me out, placed the mask over my face, and she suffocated to death from the toxic medical smoke. Yes, she gave up her chance to live and gave the oxygen to me! I hate it! Why was I just a child? Why didn't I have the power to save her? Letting a woman fall into danger—what kind of man is that! I..." Xiao Honglü doubled over, weeping continuously. The other three men didn't know what to say and could only offer comfort. None of them had expected such a gifted young man to have such a childhood history. He was a man with a story. This was far more profound than the experiences of many ordinary people, most of whom live their entire lives without such an internal narrative, yet this story was heartbreakingly poignant.

Zheng Zha sighed. "It’s all over now. It’s all in the past. Here, you are our family. We are all your kin. We live and die together; we depend on each other! I don't want to say anything more. Just live on well, along with the happiness you have now!"

Xiao Honglü slowly stopped crying, his gaze drifting toward the beautiful woman in the distance. Her smile seemed incredibly radiant at that moment.

The following days saw everyone occupied with their own pursuits. For instance, Zhang Heng, who used to love online gaming, specifically exchanged for a virtual intelligent computer from the "Main God." The games inside were run by the computer's own virtual personalities, making interaction feel almost like dealing with real people. It was even rumored that Zhang Heng had become quite close with one of the female virtual personalities.

Zhao Yingkong’s interest lay in reading—vast quantities of books, whether world classics, various novels, scientific magazines, or purely literary essays devoid of explicit content—she devoured them all with relish. Not only that, but she enjoyed sitting alone in the plaza, softly reciting poetry—tender, heroic, moving, lyrical—countless verses flowed from her small mouth. If one didn't know her, they would mistake this little girl for a quiet and refined young lady, never guessing she was an assassin.

Xiao Honglü and Cheng Xiao began researching insect cuisine. Some methods of preparation were utterly baffling, such as eating termites raw, wrapping maggots in raw lettuce, or consuming raw vegetable worms. These preparations would horrify ordinary people, yet judging by the expressions on their faces, the two seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. During his spare time, Xiao Honglü continued to study various weapon blueprints, though his existing knowledge base was insufficient, forcing him to simultaneously self-teach foundational and advanced concepts—a learning process that couldn't be completed in just a day or two.

Finally, there was Zheng Zha. Aside from daily walks with the loli on the grass, he began training silently during his free time, provided he wasn't overly fatigued. After all, he needed formidable combat power to face the battles ahead. Others might afford to relax, but as the team captain, he had no reason or right to remain idle, whether out of responsibility to himself or to his teammates. He was, after all, the strongest member of the Mid-Continent Team.

Time moved forward day by day until that moment arrived, when everyone stood once again in the "Main God" Plaza, silently awaiting the appearance of the light pillar.

"Enter the light pillar within thirty seconds. Target lock transferred. Xenomorphs beginning teleportation."