Once the colossal dragon's head crashed to the ground, Chu Xuan had already sped over on his glider, shouting hoarsely, "Wang Xia, check the blasted-open sections! Overlord... shoot down all those irritating aircraft!" Upon receiving the command, Overlord hefted his tubular pulse-blast gun and aimed it toward the planes overhead. How terrifying was the raw power of this weapon? Its immense force tore through the two fighter jets charging head-on, causing them to detonate mid-air before they could even fall. Overlord, already seething with rage, roared and vented his fury, unleashing the full potential of his pulse-blast gun. As he fired relentlessly, several jet fighters were violently blown apart.

Wang Xia hurried toward the heap of shattered dragon flesh, but the remains were already mangled beyond recognition by the explosion. How could he possibly discern even the faintest trace of a humanoid shape now? Zheng Zha... Zheng Zha was truly dead.

Seeing this, Chu Xuan fell silent as well.

This place could not be lingered in; the surrounding warships were closing in. If they didn't leave now, they would never leave. Just as Chu Xuan prepared to step onto the Green Goblin glider, he unexpectedly noticed that the majority of the massive dragon head remained intact on the deck. A thought sparked in his mind, and he swiftly commanded Overlord, "Overlord, fire at that dragon head and test it!" Overlord didn't hesitate.

He raised his weapon and fired toward the head. But as the pa-pa-pa of the gunshots rang out, a translucent protective layer shimmered across the dragon's surface. This layer, however, was rapidly fading, appearing on the verge of complete dissipation.

Chu Xuan quickly yelled out, "Wang Xia, use your dagger and dig into the dragon's skull! If this is a legendary magical dragon, there must be a Dragon Crystal hidden in its forehead... I suspect that very item grants it defense against high-tech ranged weapons!" Wang Xia paused for a beat. As a soldier—a soldier among soldiers, a special forces operative—his habit of obeying orders was nearly instinctual. Without a second thought, he drew his military dagger.

He ran directly up to the colossal beast's enormous eye. Then, without hesitation, he began to dig in right there. Even though the dragon's blood was at least fifty or sixty degrees Celsius, he didn't flinch or retreat, driving his entire body inside, burrowing toward the dragon's forehead.

After about ten seconds, Wang Xia coughed violently and scrambled out from within. As soon as he emerged, he shouted, "Hurry up and get over here! Damn it, wash off this dragon blood! 'Main God' just prompted me: Cellular vitality, neural reaction speed, muscle tissue strength, and immunity strength—all four parameters increased by one hundred points! But my whole body is itching terribly, like the blood is drilling right through my skin!" Chu Xuan and Overlord stared, then rushed over together—though Overlord backed toward the spot. Chu Xuan handed two ancient books to Wang Xia, saying gravely, "Hold these carefully; do not lose them... Resurrecting Zheng Zha depends entirely on these two items!" With that, he dove directly into the gaping eye socket of the dragon.

Overlord fired a few more rounds at the sky, then hefted his gun and charged in after them. A short while later, two blood-soaked figures staggered out, gasping for air. Overlord laughed heartily, "Damn, we even got a dragon blood bath! This stuff is truly excellent!" Chu Xuan frowned slightly. "What a pity. If Zheng Zha were here, using his Nascent Soul Ring or Spatial Pouch, who knows how much of this dragon blood we could store... And if it truly is a legendary magical dragon, beyond the blood, the meat, bones, and tendons are all treasures. What a terrible waste..." Before he finished speaking, Wang Xia pulled out an irregularly shaped jade fragment emitting a strange light. The fragment was about the size of half a palm, continuously radiating a soft white glow. Chu Xuan instinctively took the piece, and the solemn voice of 'Main God' immediately sounded.

"Item acquired: Dragon Crystal from a Legendary Magical Creature. Inputting energy allows defense against high-tech ranged weapons and perception of energy fluctuations. Energy fluctuations threatening the holder's life will cause the Dragon Crystal to become hot. Usable energies include: Internal Energy, Vampire Energy, Spiritual Energy, Magic Power, Telekinesis, True Essence Force, Immortal Spirit Power..." Chu Xuan recited every word of what he heard. This revelation startled Overlord and Wang Xia, but they had no time to dwell on it; they followed Chu Xuan as he ran toward the Green Goblin glider.

By the time the three reached the glider, they mounted it at maximum speed and shot into the sky. Simultaneously, more than a dozen ship-based helicopters were closing in. Chu Xuan glanced at them coldly, then told Overlord, "Overlord, provide me with fire support. The priority is to shoot down every missile aimed at us. Now then... Hold tight!" With that, he kicked off the glider and shot forward.

The glider's speed naturally couldn't match that of jet aircraft, but the planes dared not approach too closely. The astonishing power of Overlord's weapon meant that any slight proximity resulted in immediate explosion, and even missiles fired at them were shredded into dust. This level of destructive capability was truly terrifying. Furthermore, the crucial factor was that these three could also fly underwater. After a few evasive maneuvers, the pursuit aircraft finally lost track of them near a small island. Forced to retreat, they flew back toward the aircraft carrier... assuming the heavily damaged carrier could even accommodate aircraft anymore.

Once they had shaken off their pursuers, the three fell into a heavy silence. After a long while, Overlord finally roared, "Damn it, Chu Xuan, say something! I can overlook other things—those rookies weren't part of our team! But what about Zheng Zha? I will absolutely not accept you as the team captain; my captain can only ever be him! Damn it, if necessary, I'll go solo. If we have to die, so be it, but if we don't even try to resurrect someone who sacrificed himself for the team, my conscience will never rest!" Chu Xuan spoke quietly, "Does this even require discussion or a decision? Of course... of course we must resurrect him! Only with him present does the Central Team deserve the name Central Team... Why do you think he handed these two ancient books to us before fighting so desperately? Because that is his only hope for resurrection. 'Main God' just prompted us that we've gained one C-grade branch plot achievement, netting 4000 reward points. Combined, we now possess one B-grade branch plot achievement and 9000 reward points. Add this third branch plot achievement, and we have a very strong chance of bringing him back."

Overlord and Wang Xia were stunned. Wang Xia murmured, "But didn't Zheng Zha say to give this third branch plot achievement to Luo Gandao? If you do this..." Chu Xuan said coldly, "That was simply undue sentimentality. If one of us had survived the completion of the second branch plot achievement without dying, giving the third to Luo Gandao would have been fine; he has excellent aptitude and could become an important team member later. But to uphold such sentimentality after he is already dead—do you think I would act that way? Our utmost priority now is to resurrect Zheng Zha immediately, at the very least before the next horror movie begins... Therefore, I need to acquire at least 2500 more reward points and one D-grade branch plot achievement to ensure his revival without fail."

Overlord thought for a moment and asked, "What is the cost to resurrect one person?" Chu Xuan replied, "If resurrected within the 'Main God' space, it costs double the accumulated reward points and branch plot achievements he previously earned. This is undoubtedly impossible for us, as he had accumulated an enormous amount, almost exceeding our sustainable limit. However, resurrection within the 'Main God' space allows the cost to be averaged among us three. In other words, each of us contributing one C-grade branch plot achievement provides the B-grade requirement for resurrection. But to resurrect Zheng Zha, we must go to the altar in the Gods and Monsters world, where it costs one B-grade branch plot achievement and 8000 reward points."

"And opening access to that world requires one D-grade branch plot achievement. Considering the travel time from Cairo City to the altar and back, ten days is a safe buffer. Currently, I have 9000 reward points and one B-grade plot achievement. Thus, I need a minimum of 2500 additional reward points and one D-grade plot achievement because I cannot guarantee that outside the 'Main God' system, the consumed points and achievements can be distributed among many people. If that fails, then one of us must bear the full cost of resurrecting him."

Chu Xuan paused here, bit his finger lightly, and then stated impassively, "So, it doesn't matter if those newcomers die, because they haven't completed a single horror movie yet; resurrecting them consumes no reward points or plot achievements, only one resurrection chance. We shouldn't be too concerned; this effectively counts as their opportunity... Until Zheng Zha is revived, those newcomers can only be erased. I will complete this third branch plot achievement myself!"