Zheng Zha fell silent for a moment. This time, he refrained from simulating anyone, instead fixing his gaze on Chu Xuan. Given their current environment, he needed to conserve his physical energy for the impending battle, which meant he could no longer freely employ his simulation skills. Since Chu Xuan was right beside him, such a capable asset was naturally there to be utilized.

Chu Xuan was direct. "The hypothesis is confirmed. The opposition belongs to a powerful, individual-centric team that 'farms' newcomers. I must also revise my earlier deduction: the 'Main God' difficulty scales according to the strongest individual and the team's overall strength. However, this specific configuration is precisely what we hoped to avoid... individual powerhouses are the exact type we wished not to encounter right now."

Ba Wang quickly interjected, "Why? Shouldn't an individual, no matter how strong, be less formidable than Zheng Zha? Even if Zheng Zha were to attack the entire team alone, our coordinated combat tactics should be enough to eliminate such a powerhouse, unless they immediately deploy the 'Annihilation' skill."

Chu Xuan nodded. "That’s correct. In the idealized scenario, a strong individual encountering a team proficient in various skills is often taken down by the team’s varied methods—methods I also know. But not now... currently, we are at a disadvantage. This is the Zerg planet. We could be surrounded and attacked by massive swarms of insects at any moment. They have the home-field advantage. I imagine you’ve all seen action films depicting individual superiority, like a lone special forces soldier eliminating a squad of regular soldiers in a jungle. When the battle takes place on ground chosen by the powerful individual, that constitutes an absolute disadvantage for us!"

Zheng Zha lapsed into silence again. "What do you suggest we do next? Just sit here and wait for Team Sen Zhou to attack?"

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses. "That question... I am actually contemplating how many such powerful individuals the opposition possesses. One? Someone who wields mental control, sniping capabilities, and close-combat prowess? Such an individual might exist, but the probability of them being in Team Sen Zhou is exceedingly low. Otherwise, we would have been attacked when we were on the Zerg homeworld; the insect population there far surpasses that of this planet. If there are two, this battle becomes significantly easier. But I must state this plainly, Zheng Zha: do not hope that everyone will return from this horror film. Every one of us, including myself, has a mortality rate exceeding fifty percent, barring you."

Zheng Zha fell silent once more. After a long stretch, he looked at everyone and nodded. "I won't make the naive promise that I will definitely protect everyone, but I will exert my absolute best effort. I hope everyone can survive—to fight alongside me until the bitter end..."

"Very well," Chu Xuan interrupted him immediately, turning his attention to Zhan Lan and the little girl, Xue Ling’er. "The situation is critical. I ask, you answer. First question: you can no longer detect anything nearby. That is to say, we must assume they have shielded us. To use an analogy: if their mental power and skills surpass yours, could they expand the shielding range to encompass a large circle around us? And we are at the center of this circle, which is why we cannot detect anything outside it. Is that possibility there?"

The two girls, one large and one small, exchanged glances and both nodded. Zhan Lan stated, "If shielding were deployed like that, it could certainly be done, but we don't feel any sign of active shielding around us. So, is it truly shielded? Frankly, we don't know..."

Chu Xuan snapped his fingers. "Then let's accept it as a new psychic ability. That possibility is entirely plausible. The only remaining discussion is whether the enemy's mental controller can probe into our shielded space—whether they know what we are saying right now. Therefore, I will proceed under the assumption that they do know what we are saying. Zhan Lan, from this moment forward, all communication within our team will be conducted via Mental Link."

Zhan Lan and the little girl nodded again. Only then did Chu Xuan’s voice echo in everyone's minds. He said, "Based on the current situation, beyond mapping the surrounding terrain, we are utterly powerless to detect the distribution of insects. The likelihood of locating the Brain Bug is negligible. Therefore, although it appears we have two paths forward, in reality, we only have one viable route, and that path is extremely dangerous."

Zheng Zha pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket. "Tell us the path. I already stated my position before we emerged. Since we have already decided to meet Team Sen Zhou head-on, I am prepared to accept whatever danger arises. You don't need to hold back anything."

Chu Xuan nodded. "The matter is simple to explain, yet difficult to execute. The conventional wisdom dictates that splitting up at this juncture is suicide, as the strong individuals would pick us off one by one. However, trekking through the underground together doesn't present a significantly better outlook. First, we face an endless army of insects that could descend upon us at any moment. Second, we face potential sniping and attacks from the opposition. These are our twin predicaments. If we continue unified, the only thing we can do is wait out the twelve hours. But this completely contradicts our initial objective. If that’s the case, why didn't we just stay put in the final fortress and wait out the twelve hours? Why come to this dangerous place to get battered? I leave you to ponder that logic..."

"The second path is to divide—into two squads. One squad composed primarily of our elites, and the second squad composed primarily of the majority. For the first squad, I suggest Zheng Zha and Zero Point: one for close combat, one for ranged support. Your mission is to capture at least one of the enemy's strong individuals and extract information about Team Sen Zhou. If you can secure their mental controller, that would be ideal. The moment that happens, the shielding status is instantly lifted. You can not only find us, but you can also locate the other members of Team Sen Zhou. Rest assured, for a team that 'farms' newcomers like theirs, capturing even one member will cause their entire structure to falter. Such a team is strong, but simultaneously, they are very weak..."

"Then there's the rest of us. Our objective is to bait Team Sen Zhou into attacking Zheng Zha and Zero Point, giving them opportunities to encounter Sen Zhou personnel. This is easily understood: they are unaware of our strength distribution. Because we are not a newcomer-farming team, they might assume our strengths are relatively balanced. But they have failed to account for the crucial element of self-created skills. Therefore, the smaller squad is where our team’s greatest concentrated power lies. Our goal is to make them believe the small squad is an easy meal, enticing them to engage Zheng Zha and Zero Point... Secondly, we have another objective: drawing out the Brain Bug..."

Zheng Zha looked puzzled and murmured, "I understand the first part, but what about the second? Drawing out the Brain Bug. Can the larger squad draw out the Brain Bug?"

Chu Xuan shook his head and continued, "Aside from the Brain Bug being a major side-quest mission, the more critical issue is that we are currently deep within the insect hordes. As time passes, more and more insects will inevitably surround us. Add to that an ambush from Team Sen Zhou, and defeat will be certain. Therefore, while you are engaging Sen Zhou, our task is to lure out and annihilate the Brain Bug... The logic is simple, and anyone who has seen the film Starship Troopers can grasp it: Brain Bugs consume brains. If this many of us are encircled by insects, and the bugs perceive us as no longer a threat, the probability of a Brain Bug appearing rises to over seventy percent. This is why I say, apart from you, Zheng Zha, almost everyone else faces mortal danger. Once we commit to this plan, we must embrace the possibility of death. When the Brain Bug appears, someone among us might have their brain sucked out and die. That is the basic reality..."

Zheng Zha silently smoked, looking at every member—from Zhan Lan to the newest recruit, Luo Gandao, and even the temporary member, Xue Ling’er. He studied each one deeply several times before flicking away his cigarette. "We’ll do it this way... This might be our final farewell, but I am glad to have fought alongside all of you, partners... Fight hard to live. Trust me, I will definitely return to save you all. Trust me!"

No one spoke... well, except for the cartoon bear robot that kept muttering, "Moni, Moni." The rest were truly silent, everyone looking at Zheng Zha. Their eyes conveyed absolute trust—a trust given unconditionally, to share life and death, fighting side-by-side until death...

Meanwhile, in another cavern far from the group, the Caucasian man holding the silver metal bow remarked with curiosity, "They remained there for several minutes, and now they are moving again... But this is strange; they have split into two groups. The larger team continues deeper into the earth, while the other team, only two people, begins searching for an upward path... Rost, what should we do? Which group do we pursue?"

Rost took a drag from his cigar and laughed heartily. "How naive. The larger group is certainly trying to find us or the Brain Bug. The smaller group is likely attempting to reach the surface to call for reinforcements—their allies, the Earth Federation army. Oh well, let’s eliminate those two first. We can take down the larger team slowly, one by one, later. Hahahaha..."