As the atomic energy exploded upwards, a thick layer of dirt coated everyone present, with only Overlord and the cartoon bear robot remaining standing, firing at the distant bugs; everyone else had been knocked down. Upon closer inspection, Overlord’s physique seemed slightly larger, and his skin faintly revealed patches of long, dark fur.

“Turned into a werewolf?” Zheng Zha brushed the dirt off himself as he struggled up from the ground.

Behind them, the depression had completely transformed into a vast, deep, and wide crater. The dirt covering everyone originated from the dust cloud kicked up by the explosion, and not a single bug emerged from the pit.

Zheng Zha sprang up, and without a second thought, retrieved two Green Goblin Gliders from the dirt. He immediately tossed one to Chu Xuan and pulled the small zeppelin basket device out of his space bag, stating, “We’ll discuss everything else later, let's get the Green Goblin Gliders activated first!” As he spoke, the muzzle of Overlord’s gun began to gradually change color—the barrel was indeed overheating.

Chu Xuan wasted no words. He took the small zeppelin basket device and connected it to the Green Goblin Glider, then stepped onto the glider and floated up. Simultaneously, streaking lights, like a meteor shower, continually flashed from the top of the sky. However, these lights appeared far more brilliant, as if someone were setting off fireworks at the zenith, while blue laser light spheres continuously shot up from the ground toward the sky. Each blue laser sphere looked incredibly massive and potent…

Zheng Zha and Chu Xuan exchanged a glance; they knew the external combat fleet had been largely annihilated in this aerial engagement. The first descent for combat had utterly failed. Although the film didn't mention it, they could imagine the fate of the mobile task forces other than the Sixth. Within a few hours, casualties reached nearly 100,000—and that was only a preliminary estimate, bringing the total, including the fleet losses, to over 300,000…

“Everyone, into the zeppelin baskets! Overlord and Logan will take one basket, the remaining three take the other!” Zheng Zha roared in a low voice. He also stepped onto a Green Goblin Glider and began to float.

Wang Xia reacted the quickest. He took out a plasma time bomb and began setting the timer. He then threw it toward the area where Overlord and Logan were shooting at the bugs. A continuous series of blue lights flashed, and large blue plasma orbs continuously erupted from where the plasma bomb detonated. The bugs that came into contact with the plasma orbs were instantly vaporized, and those nearby immediately burst into flames. The ground within that several-dozen-meter radius seemed to dissolve and retreat as if doused in acid. Taking advantage of this, Overlord and Logan scrambled into the zeppelin basket beneath Chu Xuan, and only then did Chu Xuan powerfully ascend.

Zheng Zha floated up immediately after, activating his Green Goblin Glider. While airborne, he spoke to Zhan Lan beneath him: “Zhan Lan, link my consciousness with Chu Xuan. Also, watch out for any military forces nearby. If they see us, transmit their location to Zero’s consciousness…”

Zhan Lan responded with a firm acknowledgment. Zheng Zha then communicated mentally with Chu Xuan: “Chu Xuan, are the other two teams currently looking for us? If we rashly head toward the main protagonist’s location in the movie plot, I’m afraid we might run straight into the other two teams. Everyone knows the protagonist’s area will be safe. If those two teams also plan to wait for rescue there and unite against us, wouldn't running there be walking into a trap?”

“If that is the case, then I have one less thing to worry about…”

Chu Xuan’s consciousness replied calmly: “Because if they are all waiting for rescue there, it proves they haven't become high-ranking officials, nor have they grasped the military strength or authority of the Federal Army. Under those circumstances, purely based on combat power, our team has a seventy percent chance of winning. You must remember that your self-created skills, ‘Explosion’ and ‘Ruin,’ were not factored into the ‘Main God’ difficulty evaluation. Even without them, we are the strongest among the three teams. If you unleash ‘Explosion’ and ‘Ruin,’ our victory probability jumps to seventy percent…”

“The situation we truly need to worry about is if they are not near the movie protagonist. In that scenario, the relatively weaker teams possess ‘momentum’ in this horror world, much like what you did in Resident Evil 2 by utilizing the Umbrella Corporation—though your execution was foolish, but that’s a moot point for now. The ‘Main God’ allows certain teams to enter early precisely for this reason: to grant weaker teams the ‘momentum’ necessary to balance the power disparity. Therefore, you’d better pray they are right next to the movie protagonist. That way, they are either forced to exchange intelligence with us or be completely annihilated by us—there is no third option…”

Zheng Zha exhaled: “Understood… If that’s the case, then perhaps before we approach the Sixth Mobile Task Force, we should rescue some of their personnel. We can rely on Federal Army weaponry for the rescue, or integrate with them. That way, the seven of us won’t look too conspicuous, and it keeps those two teams from tracking us. What do you think?”

Chu Xuan paused, considered it for a moment, and replied: “That’s something I hadn't fully considered. Human nature is inherently curious. When they see the seven of us traverse such a long distance to reach the Sixth Task Force defense zone, they will certainly be very curious about how we managed it… Right, integrating into a unit that we've rescued—that must happen after we have ensured our safety, just as you said. Once the rescue ships appear, we can then begin using standard Federal weaponry for rescue and integration…”

Zheng Zha snapped back from the mental exchange and urgently addressed Zhan Lan: “Zhan Lan, pay attention to scanning the movements of the remaining soldiers of the Sixth Mobile Task Force, and also watch for rescue ships that might descend from the sky at any moment… Zhan Lan?”

Zhan Lan’s voice came from below him: “Zheng Zha, there are many flying creatures rapidly approaching us from a distance. Their speed is too great; they will reach us in one minute at most. Wait, I'm linking the psychic scan map to your consciousness!”

Zheng Zha blinked. Instantly, a psychic scan map flashed in his mind: hundreds of densely packed flying insects, their wings spread, accelerating toward the two Green Goblin Gliders. Their speed was astonishing, faster than the 700 km/h speed of the gliders. According to the scan, these insects were about three meters long, with wingspans exceeding six meters; they resembled giant dragonflies, but their limbs looked incredibly sharp, capable of tearing a person to shreds with ease. Their (ferocious/sinister) appearance was enough to strike terror.

Zhan Lan was quick-witted; she had already sent the same psychic scan map to Overlord and Logan. These two heavy-firepower specialists seemed momentarily stunned. Overlord reacted much faster, spinning his gun barrel and firing toward the direction indicated by the scan, seemingly unconcerned with confirming the situation there. Logan waited until Overlord started firing before raising his rifle to join in the barrage. The roar of their barrels sounded continuously. Zero, likewise, stabilized his Gauss sniper rifle and began taking shots in that direction. Soon, hundreds of massive flying insects appeared densely packed from that direction. They were too fast, and their reaction speed was instantaneous. A dozen insects flying head-on were pulverized by the bullets, and the rest immediately scattered to the sides. For a moment, this swarm of insects formed a net, enveloping the two Green Goblin Gliders from all directions. They would completely swallow the seven of them within a minute at most.

(What to do! Using the jet system could certainly shake off this swarm, but Chu Xuan and the other two wouldn't make it…)

“Land! Everyone, land on the ground! Zhan Lan, immediately scan for any sunken depressions on the ground! Hurry, once you find a location, transmit it to Wang Xia’s and my minds! Wang Xia, get the plasma time bomb ready now! Throw it from here so it lands and explodes precisely on the ground, sinking the surface to blow open the subterranean pit! Please! Hurry!”

Zheng Zha was sweating profusely from anxiety. If this swarm caught up, only he might escape with his life; everyone else was certainly doomed. They had underestimated the insectoid race; faced with terrifying numbers, they could only be buried by the swarm. Based on the time, they would be caught in less than forty seconds. Zheng Zha’s mind was screaming wildly.

On the other side, Chu Xuan saw Zheng Zha’s Green Goblin Glider dipping close to the ground and seemed to understand something, following suit by hugging the surface. As time passed, Zhan Lan remained silent, standing still with her eyes closed. When her body subtly moved, Wang Xia reacted. This man lightly tapped the timer bomb, then tossed the bomb onto the ground. At that moment, the Green Goblin Gliders were about twenty meters above the surface. True to Wang Xia’s skill, the bomb detonated with a roar the instant it contacted the ground. Blue plasma swept outwards in waves, and the ground slowly fractured and collapsed under this pulsation. Beneath the shattered surface, a depression indeed appeared, and a few insects inside were instantly reduced to ash by the plasma.

There were several dark, deep holes within this depression, but Zheng Zha disregarded everything else now. He steered his Green Goblin Glider straight into the crater on the ground, only managing to yell, “Hold tight!” before he, along with the glider, plunged violently into the dark hole. Chu Xuan and the other two followed closely behind. After the two gliders carrying the people plunged into the cavern, the dense swarm of insects from the sky dove toward the opening. The distance between them was barely a few dozen meters… Jumping to...