Since entering the horror film reincarnation cycle, everyone had been constantly teetering on the edge of life and death, nearly dying several times, nearly being buried on several occasions. This situation never changed. Although they later learned this was due to Zhang Jie’s influence, that feeling still clung to the Zhongzhou Team. Both prior engagements with other teams saw the Zhongzhou Team enter the arena first, only for the other teams to follow in pursuit to hunt them down. Now, the situation had finally shifted...

“My feelings are complicated. It’s hard to describe what this feeling is like. It’s like a serf suddenly flipping the tables, though I know this is merely the ‘Main God’ assessing the strength of both sides. But to think about this assessment, damn it, it feels so damn satisfying.”

Zheng Zha spat out a curse.

For the remaining few days, while Chu Xuan remained tirelessly in his room prototyping various legendary magical items for everyone, the other five focused their training in the basement of Zheng Zha’s house. This routine had continued for four days. Each time they finished training and gathered for a meal, the same topic dominated their conversation: the Zhongzhou Team had finally been assessed as the stronger party in their first direct confrontation with another team.

“It’s not something to celebrate, really,” Zheng Zha said. “While we can be certain the other side is weaker than us, battlefield situations change in an instant. Nobody can be sure what will happen in the next second, especially in a world based on a sci-fi war film. Starship Troopers—that’s a planet teeming with Bugs. Millions, tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of Bugs attacking us. Several types of these Bugs possess immense attack power and destructive capabilities, backslide333. In short, this is a test of life and death!”

“Even so… your eyes are clearly smiling with pride,” Zhan Gang pointed to his eyes with a grin.

Zheng Zha coughed, then addressed Zhan Gang. “Contact Chu Xuan. Tell him we need to talk about something. He can’t just bury himself making things. Everyone still has Reward Points and Subplots left to use. We should discuss it once he arrives. After all, the next horror movie involves massive battle scenes, another team fight. He’s the strategist, not just a specialized technician; he has to be present for the discussion. Has it been four days already?”

Zhan Gang waved his hand dismissively. “We tried before. Mental scans can’t penetrate their individual rooms. The ‘Main God’ keeps those rooms extremely private. Naturally, the Mind Chain can’t connect either…”

“It’s fine, I’m here. Let’s discuss whatever it is.”

Just as Zheng Zha sighed, preparing to say something, Chu Xuan’s voice drifted from behind him. The man, sporting dark circles under his eyes, walked over and casually tossed two rings of ancient silver design towards them.

“These are Charged Mithril Rings. Each holds eight hundred and forty-six storage slots, capable of storing basically all your current internal energy, and several times that amount of Vampire energy. The crafting process for these rings was far too complex. The creation cost for both rings reached 1000 Reward Points each, and a large amount of Mithril was wasted. While it can be melted down and reused, that would require exchanging for another set of processing equipment, and the time investment is too significant—about two days per ring. Even with future mastery, it will take at least a day and a half. Therefore, I do not plan to manufacture any more rings before the next horror movie concludes,” Chu Xuan said, sitting down on an empty chair and taking an apple to eat.

Zheng Zha was immediately ecstatic upon receiving the rings. He channeled his internal energy into them, and no matter how much he poured in, the ring seemed inexhaustible. Only when his internal energy was almost depleted did the ring finally show a slight sense of fullness. With a thought, the energy flowed back into his body without any loss or discomfort. In essence, as long as he kept the ring fully charged, and his own internal energy recovered completely, he effectively possessed another full reserve of internal energy. The effect was even more pronounced with Vampire energy, backslide333.

“This is fantastic!” Zheng Zha jumped up excitedly, shouting to those around him. “I was wondering how we’d face the endless bugs. Everyone, did you forget I have the Death God Bracelet? As long as I have reserve Vampire energy, I can summon the Death God Legion. Based on my current Vampire energy reserves, I can summon about eight hundred Death God Legionnaires—that’s a substantial contingent of help! Moreover, with the Vampire energy stored in these rings, I can maintain my combat strength. ‘Explosion’ and ‘Destruction’ can still be used! This is incredible!”

Chu Xuan swallowed the apple in a few bites, rubbed his dark circles, and stated calmly, “That’s right. That’s precisely why I rushed to create these two Charged Mithril Rings for you. These are classified as Legendary Magic items. My hypothesis was correct: Legendary Magic items are also a form of science… Your ‘Destruction’ state currently lasts about ten seconds, correct? With these two rings, can you extend that to twenty seconds? If your body can endure it.”

Zheng Zha slipped one ring onto his left finger, preparing to store internal energy, and the other onto his right, for Vampire energy. He managed a wry smile. “For the ‘Explosion’ skill, I might be able to sustain it for a minute or even slightly longer, since I have significantly less Vampire energy than internal energy right now. If I have nearly equal amounts of internal energy and Vampire energy from the rings, ‘Explosion’ could last between a minute ten seconds to twenty seconds, backslide333. However, the ‘Destruction’ skill is completely different. It’s less about the sheer volume of energy and more about my body simply being unable to cope. Ten seconds is the absolute limit. Exceeding that limit causes my body to enter a state of semi-collapse, where the Vampire energy and internal energy become displaced. The violent collision between the two energies then dissipates… Do you foresee the next horror movie requiring me to use the ‘Destruction’ skill in many situations?”

“Better to be prepared for the worst… Forget it, we’ll discuss that further later. Wang Xia, try this timed bomb…” Chu Xuan tossed a timed detonator, about the size of two fingers, to Wang Xia.

Wang Xia picked up the device curiously. He could see the setting options on the bomb, but what puzzled him was that the core explosive material was a piece of black rock, covered in various symbols and inscriptions. Backslide333 Nearby this rock was a piece of silver metal the size of a pinky fingernail.

Chu Xuan explained, “Zheng Zha, input some internal energy into this timed bomb. If the rings represented your total internal energy capacity, this bomb requires about one-tenth of it. The material that converts the energy to electricity is Black Crystal Stone, which isn't expensive. However, the storage material requires Mithril, which is costly. So, we will only test this timed bomb once. If the explosion is effective, I’ll make more; if not, we’ll just exchange for Gravity High-Pressure Mines.”

Zheng Zha took the bomb carefully, realizing this might become a primary explosive weapon for the Zhongzhou Team. He couldn't afford to be careless. As his internal energy flowed into the silver metal, it indeed emitted a white glow, and just as Chu Xuan predicted, the metal absorbed roughly one-tenth of his total internal energy. Once the input was complete, Wang Xia solemnly took the device back.

The detonation site was a bunker fortification located a mile away from them. Wang Xia attached the bomb to the bunker's exterior, set the timer for three minutes, and quickly retreated. This caution stemmed from the trouble caused the first time they tested a Gravity High-Pressure Mine; since then, everyone treated unknown high-tech weaponry with extreme vigilance.

When Wang Xia reached the group, everyone focused intently on the bunker. The three minutes passed quickly. They all saw a faint blue light flash, and then, as if the bomb had simply fizzled out, nothing happened for several seconds. A collective sigh of relief escaped them. No one blamed Chu Xuan; after all, this bomb was effectively a legendary-tier magical weapon. Failure was almost the expected outcome, as Chu Xuan was no immortal being.

Just as everyone sighed and started walking towards the bunker, a sudden, deafening roar erupted, like a clap of thunder directly beside their ears, disorienting everyone. At the location where the bomb was placed, dozens of small blue light spheres spun wildly, exploding violently. Backslide333 Anything the blue spheres touched instantly melted or vaporized, even the alloy ground was not spared. This frenzy lasted for over ten seconds. When the area finally fell silent, the group stood frozen for several minutes, even Chu Xuan wore a stunned expression.

Chu Xuan pushed up his glasses, finally snapping out of his stupor. “Plasma phenomenon… terrifying. I never imagined such a small amount of internal energy, converted into electrical energy, could be this destructive… The divine beings in legends who could summon countless bolts of lightning to strike the ground—their might certainly wasn't exaggerated…”

“Besides these two items, I plan to manufacture three more things in the coming days. First, install anti-gravity stabilizers onto the Green Goblin Gliders. Second, create several charging units for the Gliders. Third… we should revive Luo Gandao. He has a knack for mechanics. We can pool money to exchange for a C-rank, small bear-appearance piloted robot for him. Then, I can modify that robot into a high-output electrical assault unit… High-intensity electrical attacks, coupled with a high-intensity electrical power source, if he proves worthy of such a machine, his combat ability won't be inferior to Wang or Zero Point’s!” (To be continued) Jump to