"They merely needed an excuse for a banquet, and we just happened to be that excuse, hehe..." Wang Xia remarked to the others.

Since the day was uneventful, in the end, Chu Xuan, Zhan Lan, and even Zero Point gathered in the square. It was convenient to eat here anyway, and with the Necronomicon put away, it wouldn't matter if everything here were stolen; it had nothing to do with them.

Overlord was gnawing on an entire roasted chicken, clearly having no concept of decorum. As he ate, he gulped down vodka, completely unconcerned with the judgmental stares of the surrounding dignitaries. Instead, his eating became even more robust. Munching away, he declared, "These guys are hilarious. If they want a party, let them host it. Now this whole exhibition has become theirs, hahaha! Come on, everyone, eat up... this roast chicken is quite good."

As he spoke, he placed a large, fatty steak onto his plate and began tearing into it, devouring it in huge mouthfuls.

Zheng Zha felt full just watching him eat. With a sigh, he scooped some fruit salad onto his plate. After a few bites, he remarked, "I'm not that interested in Western food; I still prefer the taste of Chinese cuisine. Especially Sichuan food, the spicier the better."

Zhan Lan giggled beside him, "Let's have hot pot when we get back. I have a friend in Sichuan who showed me how to make it. I'll cook the best hot pot for everyone when we return..." The atmosphere among them was relaxed, even Chu Xuan was quietly eating half a steamed fish.

Occasionally, he'd pull a fish bone from his mouth. This man seemed completely inept at eating fish, which was quite inconsistent with the wisdom he usually displayed. At this moment, he looked like a child utterly absorbed in picking bones. Especially the constant probing for bones.

Zheng Zha was about to grab a drink, but before he took more than a few steps, he suddenly stomped his feet and planted himself firmly in front of the group. Present were Chu Xuan, Wang Xia, Overlord, and Zero Point. Aside from Zhan Lan, who was just an ordinary person, the other four had all experienced life-or-death situations and had fought alongside Zheng Zha before.

So, when Zheng Zha made that move, the four simultaneously shielded Zhan Lan in the center. Wang Xia and Chu Xuan even drew their submachine guns and handguns, respectively.

"What is it? Are there enemies around?" Chu Xuan coldly scanned the surroundings, asking Zheng Zha simultaneously.

The surrounding waiters paused, and a few immediately screamed loudly, fleeing into the distance. But then, from far away in one direction, someone else screamed loudly—no, from three different distant spots, screams erupted. In an instant, the entire banquet hall descended into chaos. Men and women rushed toward the square's exit, countless people undoubtedly being knocked down and trampled underfoot in the crush.

"Blood. Such a thick scent of blood... Zhan Lan, scan over there and tell me what's happening?" Zheng Zha remained shielding the group, shouting to Zhan Lan while blocking them.

Zhan Lan hummed in acknowledgment and closed her eyes. A moment later, she muttered strangely, "Impossible. I can't sense anything over there... there's no one there, or rather, the biological entities over there have no life signs."

As she spoke, the areas from which the screams originated had been cleared by the fleeing crowd. In those spots, three hulking brutes were crouched down. Heavens, these three giants were tearing at several corpses on the ground. Judging by their attire, they were the dignitaries who had been laughing and drinking at the banquet moments before—men and women alike—now shredded into pieces. The ground was slick with blood and viscera.

Then, one of the brutes stood up and looked toward Zheng Zha's group. This person's facial structure was completely distorted, resembling an abstract, carved face. The nose, eyes, and ears were utterly displaced, while the mouth had become monstrously huge, consuming almost a third of the face. The entire mouth was filled with exposed fangs, each one stained with blood and scraps of flesh and bone. The sight was both hideous and terrifying.

Without hesitation, Zheng Zha pulled the tubular pulse launcher and the Gauss sniper rifle from his Nascent Ring. He quietly instructed those behind him, "They should be the life forms that wore the golden masks. But I haven't received any prompts from the 'Main God' regarding sub-plots, so the golden masks probably aren't a sub-plot. Since we don't know how many allies they have, try to avoid conflict if possible. Overlord, Zero Point, escort Zhan Lan and Chu Xuan back to the hotel first. Wang Xia, follow behind me and clear our path. If necessary, I'll signal you to deploy the bombs..."

As he spoke, the standing brute began walking toward them. Simultaneously, panic erupted from the main entrance of the square. A handsome man with long brown hair stood there, holding a sleeping toddler, perhaps one or two years old, in his arms. His long brown hair seemed alive, constantly waving, and every person it touched instantly collapsed. Soon, these fallen people stood up. Regardless of their previous builds, their muscles began to swell, and their height rapidly increased. When the transformation ceased, each one stood nearly two meters tall, their muscles bulging like iron. However, their facial features began to distort violently, turning them into the same grotesque, terrifying monsters as the previous three.

"The Mummy World Hidden Sub-Plot: Kill the high-level life form Imhotep, ensure Alex remains alive and does not turn into a zombie. Killing Imhotep grants a B-rank sub-plot and 5000 reward points. Other members of the Central Continent Team receive a C-rank sub-plot and 4000 reward points. If Alex dies or turns into a zombie, all members will be deducted 10000 reward points, no time limit..."

Zheng Zha and the others exchanged glances. Their hearts tightened. Especially the four who had fought the dragon; they felt a chill deep in their bones. This brown-haired man, who looked almost like an ordinary person, was actually a terrifying entity whose power rivaled that of the dragon. Even accounting for the difficulty of protecting a stranger, his threat level was not much lower than the dragon's. The penalty of deducting 10000 points was particularly devastating—it meant that if the stranger died, they would only have a few dozen days left in this world, facing certain doom whether they returned to the 'Main God' space or not.

"Who is Alex? Who is this person named Alex?! Damn it, where did this stranger come from!" Overlord started cursing, aiming his tubular pulse launcher at the brown-haired man.

But before he could pull the trigger, Chu Xuan violently shoved the barrel upward toward the sky. Chu Xuan rubbed his temples. "Alex, Alex... we are in The Mummy world. Temporally speaking, the First World War has ended, placing us just before the start of the Second World War. This time aligns roughly with when the Vampire Mask arrived in America in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Inferring from the main characters of those two stories... Alex is the son of O'Connell and Evie! He should be about one year old now!"

Everyone turned their gaze to the little boy sleeping soundly in the brown-haired youth's arms. He appeared to be a Caucasian child... Once they saw this clearly, everyone let out a massive breath of relief. Overlord was drenched in a cold sweat; if he had truly fired in that instant, the result would have been singular—the sheer power of the tubular pulse launcher would have torn the child to shreds, and they would all have been wiped out along with him—a penalty of minus 10000 reward points.

Zheng Zha exhaled. "Fine, let's resolve this sub-plot right here. Although these monsters appeared rather abruptly, facing them head-on is better than being ambushed by him... Zhan Lan, record this person's mental fluctuations and be ready to lock onto his position at any time. We absolutely cannot let him escape. Overlord, feel free to shoot those zombies, but remember to protect Chu Xuan and Zhan Lan. Zero Point, see if you can find a sniper perch nearby? I need your precise aim—use spirit bullets to take out this high-level life form, Imhotep, in one shot, ensuring Alex's life is safe... Alright, everyone, let's move!"

As Zheng Zha finished speaking, everyone began to act according to their roles. Overlord shielded Chu Xuan and Zhan Lan, rushing toward the square exit. Meanwhile, Zhan Lan scanned the plaza's layout and used her Psychic Chain to link the consciousnesses of Zheng Zha, Zero Point, and Chu Xuan. Just like the giant zombies, she was unable to lock onto or scan the brown-haired youth using mental force—it was as if he were already dead, showing no trace of mental energy fluctuations.

The first giant zombie charging toward Zheng Zha was already close. Its speed wasn't incredible, but its strength was terrifying. Each step it took pressed a shallow indentation into the cement ground. Then, it leaped more than three meters, soaring through the air to tackle Zheng Zha. This zombie might be terrifying to unarmed civilians—its strength alone could rip a person limb from limb—but its speed and power were no match for Zheng Zha. Tested through countless life-and-death battles, constantly teetering on the brink of death, constantly exchanging for greater power from the 'Main God,' augmented by the Dragon Cells doubling his strength, how could Zheng Zha fear such a mere zombie?

When the zombie was still a meter away, a golden light pierced through its skull, easily puncturing its head. Zheng Zha held the Spear of Judgment in his hand. Even without channeling inner strength or vampire energy, the spear was incredibly sharp. With Zheng Zha's strength, a single forceful swing lifted the massive zombie entirely and hurled it far toward the brown-haired youth.

The brown-haired youth, who was walking toward Zheng Zha, saw the giant zombie flying at him but didn't dodge. He continued walking forward, extending one hand to meet the charging zombie. He grasped its skull, and whatever he did, the giant zombie began to freeze from the head down, turning into an ice sculpture within seconds. The youth then tossed the zombie ice sculpture gently to the ground, where it shattered into pieces.

The brown-haired youth walked silently toward Zheng Zha. He stopped when he was about ten meters away, coldly staring at Zheng Zha. "Give me the Golden Fragment. I smell its scent on you. I won't concern myself with anything else, and I guarantee your companions won't be killed..."

Zheng Zha smiled faintly. "Do you think my companions are so easily killed? Do you think these mutated zombies can manage it? Don't joke; what are these zombies compared to a Tyrannosaurus Rex? They can't even defend against high-tech ranged weapons, and their strength is only three to four times that of an average person, with little speed increase. It’s a pity killing them doesn't grant reward points, otherwise, they’d be excellent mobile rewards..."

The brown-haired youth listened, somewhat confused, but he grasped Zheng Zha's meaning: refusal, scorn. This made the youth frown. He took another step toward Zheng Zha, and his brown hair began to writhe like living snakes, ready to strike as soon as it got close.

Zheng Zha stood his ground, not moving—partly due to confidence born from high skill, and partly due to a special message transmitted via the Psychic Chain: Stay right there. Just one more step forward for the brown-haired youth...

"BOOM!" A deafening sound echoed as an almost invisible, slender bullet tore through the brown-haired youth's head the instant the shot rang out. The impact was so immense that it instantly pulverized the youth’s skull. That wasn't all; the bullet continued its trajectory, smashing straight through a street lamp pole before burrowing deep into the ground, leaving behind a deep crater.

The sound of the Gauss sniper rifle had finally returned.