“...They told me that to join the Demon Reincarnation Squad, one must possess the heart of a demon. They confiscated my storage ring and informed me that the reward points earned from each horror movie must be used to strengthen or redeem something for the core members. If it were only that, perhaps it would be fine, but...” “...They ** Lori right in front of me, and then killed her, dismembering her into several pieces. Those eleven Caucasians called the three of us—two Asians and one Black—walking pigs, capable of continuously providing them with reward points and side-quest experience. Only Zhao Zhuikong was too powerful, so they didn't dare provoke him... You idiot! Why did you create her! Do you know how much I hated you when I saw her crying and screaming while being **’d, and I was tied up, completely helpless, forced to watch her being killed? Do you know how much I hated you then? I swore, if I ever meet you, I will kill you, and all the team members you cherish, hahahaha...” Zheng Zha’s eyes gradually turned cold. He asked lightly, “Are you saying... they keep the newcomers like slaves, letting them become the source of their reward points and side-quest progression, killing or destroying them at will, forcing the newcomers to remain in the most miserable state, stripped of personality, dignity, and unable to even protect the ones they love most? Is that what you mean?” Chu Xuan gazed at the distant hills, completely unconcerned by the approaching bugs. He said calmly, “That’s exactly what I mean. You heard me correctly.”

Zheng Zha exhaled heavily, sneering, “Then I’m actually quite interested. I really want to see if the powerhouses of the Sen Zhou Team have also been replicated into the Demon Reincarnation Squad...” For some unknown reason, everyone around Zheng Zha felt a chill—an oppressive force emanating from their core. As Zheng Zha’s strength increased, he had unconsciously developed his own aura. Though vastly different from his copied self, this aura was one only possessed by the truly strong, born of confidence and sheer power.

Ba Wang, Wang Xia, and Zero Point exchanged glances.

Ba Wang was the first to aim his tubular pulse-shotgun at the endless stream of bugs appearing in the distance. As he pulled the trigger, Zero Point immediately aimed his Gauss sniper rifle at a fire-spitting beetle. With a deafening blast, a continuous hole was blown through the fire-spitting bug, from chest to back. Before its corpse even hit the ground, Ba Wang’s tubular pulse-shotgun roared to life, unleashing its immense power upon the horde. Instantly, several bugs at the forefront were torn into pieces... Zheng Zha watched the distant bugs fall, murmuring, “With the firepower of our weapons, as long as we aren't enveloped by massive swarms of flying bugs, we really don't need to fear being killed by them. The real problem now is: where is the Sen Zhou Team? What is their roster, and do they possess one or two supreme powerhouses...”

“At least their mental power controller is stronger than ours,” Chu Xuan stated flatly. “Firstly, they found us within the shielded domain, and we allowed them to approach closely without realizing it. If that silver light could possibly be a plot device, this mental power controller is definitely real... Let’s go underground! We move down.”

Zheng Zha, stirred by the rage from earlier, had activated his Gene Lock to simulate Xiao Honglu’s thought process. He rubbed his forehead, saying, “Understood. We go underground. We will not follow the path the enemy wants us to take. Since they shot us down here, they certainly want us to push into these hills, and they plan to force us forward by sending large numbers of bugs to attack from below. It seems their strength lies more in open spaces and concealed terrain... We won't walk where the enemy wants us to go, because they want us to go there. Underground it is. Zhan Lan, search for large congregations of bugs over the maximum range—look for places where large numbers of bugs are stationary. Xue Ling’er, shield all of us and scan the surrounding environment. We don’t need vast distances, but everything within ten thousand meters must be within our control. Can you manage that?” The little girl nodded obediently, simultaneously linking her ten-thousand-meter mental scan directly into Zheng Zha’s mind.

Having decided to move underground, Wang Xia stopped worrying about ammunition. He pulled out plasma grenades and tossed them toward the area. Luo Gandao, following Zheng Zha’s orders, began sweeping with standard Federation firearms to eliminate any solitary bugs nearby. As the plasma grenades detonated, the group sprinted toward the tunnel entrance.

Bugs were constantly emerging from the tunnel, but Zheng Zha stopped Wang Xia from throwing another grenade. He leaped down directly, wielding the Tiger Soul Blade. With a hiss, several subterranean bugs were cleaved in two. Having rested and recuperated for days, Zheng Zha was in peak condition. He didn't need "Explosion" or "Destruction" now; his physical capabilities, ten times that of an ordinary person, were enough to dispatch these bugs with ease. After dozens of cuts, he had already forced his way deep into the earth.

On the opposite side of the hilly region, four figures stood in silence. Two men with brown skin stood timidly behind two large white men. Of these two Caucasian giants, one held a massive silver metal bow, while the other held no weapon at all, merely smoking a cigar contentedly.

The man with the silver metal bow sighed, “They’ve gone into the tunnels. Good heavens, they actually thought of that tactic to avoid my sniping... What now, Rost? I can’t help you in close combat.”

The man named Rost shook the ash from his cigar and sneered, “It’s fine. I didn’t expect the Central Continent Team to have eight people. They seem evenly matched, relying on high-tech weaponry. Foolish hypocrites... Very well, we’ll just finish them in the tunnels. Same old rule: four for me, four for you... Wait, eight people? Those meat pigs have earned over ten thousand reward points, damn it. What kind of exchange trick is the ‘Main God’ pulling? We won't be able to spend all their reward points...”

The man with the silver metal bow fell silent, connecting his consciousness to Rost’s via a psychic chain, and sneered, “It doesn’t matter. One meat pig for us to redeem one item, then we kill them off. That prevents them from using extra reward points to strengthen themselves. If any mishap occurs at a critical moment, too many problems will arise... Speaking of which, are you really going to revive that chick who entered this horror movie? Once is enough, why bother?”

Rost grumbled, “Nijia Bing, don’t forget the rules. None of us interfere with the others. I f**ing* love watching the expressions of agony and struggle on people’s faces. What business is it of yours? Stop wasting time. Pinpoint their location firmly, then find a suitable terrain to kill them. Oh, connect your information link to the Brain Bugs and see how they plan to arrange the swarm to intercept these sanctimonious fools...”

Nijia Bing nodded, sounding slightly curious. “That’s not an issue, but I find it odd. When we scouted the Central Continent Team last time, we only counted seven people, and we even deliberately exposed our position to draw their attack. Why do they have eight this time? Did they hide one on the spaceship?”

Rost took a deep drag from his cigar and clapped Nijia Bing hard on the shoulder. “Stop overthinking it. Isn’t it better to kill one more person? That’s all reward points, hahahaha! After this horror movie ends, I can redeem that Double-A skill, Mirror Manifestation. Then my power will be...”

Meanwhile, Zheng Zha and the others continued plunging deeper into the tunnels from ground level. In this confined space, the bugs’ numerical advantage couldn’t be utilized, although it indirectly restricted the effectiveness of the team's high-tech weapons. In contrast, with Zheng Zha leading the charge, the group easily pushed back the bug swarms. By the time they regained their bearings, they were over fifty meters underground. Looking back, they could only vaguely see the circular opening remaining intact. Xue Ling’er quickly reported to Zheng Zha, “Big Brother, there are so many flying bugs behind us! At least several thousand are approaching us... Oh, and the ground ahead is starting to open up.”

Zheng Zha smiled faintly at the little girl, then instructed Wang Xia, “Wang Xia, blow up the passage behind us. This tunnel is too wide; the flying bugs from behind can follow us in. The terrain ahead is opening up again; we can’t let them get a chance to take flight!” Without hesitation, Wang Xia set timed plasma mines on the ground. After setting the timers, he paused briefly, then buried two more plasma mines before jogging a few steps to rejoin the team, helping Zheng Zha suppress the bugs ahead.

Bugs are not infinite; Chu Xuan had already put forth this theory. After several minutes of slaughter by Zheng Zha, when the area ahead suddenly opened up, he indeed found emptiness. The last subterranean bug fell under his blade, leaving behind countless corpses. When there were no more bugs to kill, Zheng Zha felt a strange sense of unease.

Zheng Zha asked Zhan Lan, “How is it? Did you find any areas where large numbers of bugs are gathered? Ones that are stationary.”

Zhan Lan shook her head. “No, I can’t find anything... Moreover, I can’t sense any bugs nearby.”

Xue Ling’er nodded suddenly. “Yes, Big Brother, I can’t sense any bugs around us, as if they’ve vanished... No, it’s like they’ve been shielded.”

Leaping...