Once they located their squad's lounge, Chu Xuan deliberately found an excuse to pull the trio aside, claiming he needed to review the operational manuals for the various mobile squad combat zones across the army, particularly those for the Fourth Mobile Force. Such basic military intelligence would naturally be distributed to every officer, and by happenstance, the squad leader's clearance allowed access to these very manuals.

"I kept it brief because I didn't know when they would return," Chu Xuan said, turning to the other six members. "The first issue is the timing of our arrival in this world... it's much earlier than I anticipated, and the location is safer than expected. Aren't you surprised? If three teams enter a horror movie world, the weakest team enters first, followed by the second based on a power comparison, and then the third, if present. Based on the current situation, we arrived precisely at the beginning of the first major invasion. Almost any point before that would have been relatively safe, certainly."

"If we had materialized in the city bombarded by the Zerg meteorites, that too could have been life-threatening, but the 'Main God' wouldn't place a team in a situation of certain death. Therefore, I surmise one of two things: either those other two teams are comparable to us in strength and entered just minutes before us, right before this initial drop-in operation; or the other possibility..." Zheng Zha, sensing a bad omen by this point, interrupted, "What is the other possibility?" Chu Xuan waved a hand dismissively. "The other possibility... is that they arrived in this horror world far ahead of us.

If that's the case, they could have accomplished a great deal, and if they truly did what I suspect, we could very well be at an absolute disadvantage in this scenario."

Ba Wang looked puzzled. "Such as? What could they do to put us at such a severe disadvantage? Cultivate martial arts or magic in this world, perhaps? If they entered this horror world ten years before us, that would certainly put us at a disadvantage..." Chu Xuan shook his head. "It doesn't require anything that extreme. They only needed to enter when the military was recruiting... What if they are officers of a much higher rank than us? If we encountered them on the battlefield,"

"They could directly order other soldiers to attack us, or even scan our locations and call in bomber strikes... In short, if the gap between our three factions is negligible, we negotiate peacefully and exchange intelligence. If it's the second possibility, it depends entirely on whether someone on their team thought of the possibility I just mentioned..." Zhan Lan asked curiously, "It seems unlikely they'd reach high-ranking officer status so quickly, right? I recall the movie's protagonist only became a Sergeant after several life-or-death encounters. If they aren't field-grade officers or higher, how could they mobilize large military units in such a short time? If it's only a small contingent, they shouldn't pose a threat to us, should they?" Chu Xuan was about to speak, but Zheng Zha cut in, "I think I understand Chu Xuan's point. Why specifically during military recruitment? Because that's when you choose your branch of service. Remember this world has psychics? How many times stronger is their psychic ability compared to those of you who have enhanced mental strength? If you joined the General Staff, with your sensory abilities and Psychic Lock, you might climb the ranks faster than the protagonist's psychic partner—who I recall is now a Lieutenant Colonel, I believe?" Chu Xuan nodded. "Precisely. That's what worries me. If the opposing team discovers our existence first, we might face unique dangers. For example, if someone from their team has already become a high-ranking staff officer,"

"They could simply issue an order to keep us confined to the battleship where the female protagonist is stationed. If we tried anything, like taking control of the ship to escape, they could immediately order surrounding vessels to destroy us. And if we stay put on that ship, according to the plot, our collective chance of survival is over ninety percent..." Zheng Zha let out a breath and sat on the edge of the bed. He casually picked up a drink from a cabinet, took a sip, and then stated, "I get your point. In other words, we cannot let anyone discover we are members of a Reincarnation Squad—is that it? But the moment we deploy for the first operation and draw our weapons, we'll instantly become the focus of attention. Are you suggesting we don't use our own weapons, but instead use the low-powered firearms assigned to the mobile troops, which have almost no significant destructive power against the Zerg?" Chu Xuan nodded. "Yes, that's one option we have. There is another option... but it might violate your sense of justice." At this, Chu Xuan allowed a faint, mocking smile to touch his lips.

Zheng Zha paused, then asked, puzzled, "A method that violates my sense of justice? Tell me about it..." Chu Xuan said with a cold laugh, "The drop-in operation involves teams of approximately three hundred personnel, and these three hundred are not clustered together; furthermore, given their advanced long-range weaponry, we could easily block it with the Dragon Crystal Necklace. Therefore... we should eliminate everyone who accompanies us... Do you know why I had them find the operational manual? Because we must locate the Sixth Mobile Force, which is the area where the movie's protagonist is stationed. Then, we follow the plot characters who survive the first drop-in operation and, upon encountering them, immediately stow our weapons back into our spatial pouches. That way, we can safely return here..." What a ruthless approach: kill the other two hundred-plus soldiers, then fight their way through, killing every bug and every person who witnesses them using their peculiar weapons. With the external fleet largely annihilated and the remainder focused on escape, it was highly unlikely anyone would notice their unusual methods. Moreover, Zhan Lan, having mastered Mental Whiplash, could block scans from enemy psychics, making them invisible even if detected. In the final phase, relying on their familiarity with the original plot, they could return to the starship alongside the story's surviving characters... almost perfect! Zheng Zha sat there, quietly sipping his drink. He finished it in one gulp, then lightly crushed the aluminum can into a flat sheet with one hand, before stating calmly, "I understand. Let's do it. All three hundred accompanying soldiers... we kill them all. If the Sixth Mobile Force isn't far from our deployment zone, we fight our way there..." "To survive... those are such heavy words, Chu Xuan. Do you remember the conflict between us? To survive, can one stain their hands? I can tell you now..." That day, the three soldiers returned with the operational manuals. According to the map locations indicated, the operational areas for the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Mobile Forces formed a triangle, meaning they were not far from the Sixth Mobile Force's position. With a little use of the Green Goblin Glider, reaching the Sixth Mobile Force's location would be quite easy.

Following this, after the others went to sleep, Zheng Zha asked Zhan Lan to link his and Chu Xuan's consciousnesses using the Psychic Lock.

"...My answer is this: you can stain your hands, but you must not stain your heart. I can slaughter anyone who stands in our way for the survival of my comrades and myself, but if this operation requires sacrificing one member of our team as bait, I will beat you soundly!" Zheng Zha lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, speaking quietly.

Chu Xuan responded with a non-committal hum, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. The man rolled over and drifted into a quiet sleep. After a long while, Zhan Lan finally sighed softly and also rolled over to sleep. For a time, only Zheng Zha lay awake, staring silently at the ceiling... The eight hours of sleep passed quickly. Following the broadcast order, all the soldiers awoke. After a round of washing and grooming, the soldiers flocked to the main hall's dining area for breakfast. Thus, time slowly ticked by. About three hours after the meal, the countdown for the combat order finally sounded. All squads gathered in several large halls. As they received their weapons, body armor, and helmets, the squads began moving toward their respective transport ships.

This included Zheng Zha and the other six. They were assigned to the same drop-ship as the other three soldiers. As the hatch closed, an officer walked in and coldly addressed them, "Remember: kill anything that does not walk on two legs! Kill hard! Fight to survive!" "Yes, Officer!" Except for the three regular soldiers, Zheng Zha's group remained silent. The officer was about to become enraged, but when his gaze fell upon them, he instantly shuddered and fell silent, because of the seven individuals, only the girl and one young man appeared normal; the other five radiated a murderous intent so potent it seemed directed squarely at him... A roaring sound shook the entire drop transport violently. As a deafening noise echoed from outside the hull, the entire drop transport finally began its descent toward the Zerg homeworld, Klendathu... Jump to

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