Because this Ring mission required all five teams to assemble within Mordor, it inevitably led to a misunderstanding: did all members of the five teams need to enter Mordor, or was just one person from each of the five teams sufficient? This also forced the veterans of every team to bring along the newcomers, who were otherwise dead weight. Otherwise, in the vastness of the Ring world, simply dumping them in some unknown village would negate any threat from the other teams.

However, given the current situation, they had to worry about the safety of these rookies. According to the plot progression, they were required to pass through the Dwarven mines of Moria. That passage had already been overrun by Orcs; all the Dwarves there were dead. Furthermore, deep within those tunnels lay the slumbering Balrog, a powerful demon from ancient times.

For these reasons, the tunnels were effectively a death trap. The veterans were less concerned; firstly, they needed to protect the plot characters, and secondly, greater danger meant greater reward, so the veterans were certainly going to enter. The rookies, however, were different. If they entered those underground tunnels with them, those newcomers would have virtually no chance of survival—even a single Orc soldier could dispatch them.

...Because the Nazgûl only tracked the movements of the Ringbearer, and Saruman of Isengard would only ever attack the Ringbearer’s entourage, if we separated from the Fellowship of the Ring, we would, conversely, be in a safer position. Of course, the prerequisite was that we wouldn't encounter any of the other teams. But given how vast this world was, not running into another team shouldn't be too difficult. To guard against any potential Orc patrols we might encounter, I still hope each team can spare some veterans for us."

The one speaking was Haotian, who represented the majority of the rookies from three teams. He delivered these words to the veterans of the three teams, which gave each of the team captains pause to consider their options. After some discussion, the Northern Ice Continent team contributed one veteran, the Southern Flame Continent team offered the couple Manini and Luo Si, and the Central Continent team swept Zero Point, Wang Xia, Overlord, and Luogandao into the newcomer teams.

It wasn't that the Central Continent team was overwhelmingly powerful; rather, those four relied heavily on technological weaponry, which had little utility in this Ring world outside of team battles. Therefore, it was better to assign them to the rookie teams, which would also help guard against the possibility of encountering the other two teams.

And so, on the first day after leaving the Elven capital, the three (Reincarnation Squads) split into two factions. One was the powerful veteran team, which followed the Fellowship of the Ring onward toward the Misty Mountains. The other faction skirted wide, moving along the base of the mountains until they reached Rohan, where they would wait to rendezvous with the veterans from the three teams.

Thus, the Reincarnation Squad members, numbering over thirty, were streamlined down to fourteen: four from the Northern Ice Continent team, four from the Southern Flame Continent team, and six from the Central Continent team. These fourteen were all veterans who had survived multiple horror films, meaning they no longer had to worry about being dragged down by slower members in the tunnels; they were all capable of going on a rampage.

"That being said, the one who suggested splitting into two teams was Haotian. Why do I feel such a bad omen about it?" Zheng Zha looked at Chu Xuan with a strange expression. He was certain that Chu Xuan was secretly plotting something behind his back again.

Chu Xuan turned his head nonchalantly: "…A misapprehension."

"Fine, a misapprehension... I truly hope it is, otherwise I know I’ll be tricked by you again."

Regardless of Zheng Zha’s frustration, the others slowly arrived near the Misty Mountains. After separating from the newcomers, this team’s marching speed increased considerably. By the third day, they had moved from the plains into the hilly terrain.

Around noon, the Hobbits were cooking food for the group, while the others were either training combat skills or poring over maps, analyzing the route ahead. Just then, the large flock of crows from the original movie plot finally appeared on the horizon.

The first to spot the crows were Zheng Zha, who was patrolling a cliff face, and the Elven Prince Legolas, who was gazing from a high rock. They simultaneously alerted the others. Everyone naturally scrambled to find bushes or rock crevices to hide in on the mountainside. However, anyone familiar with the movie knew these crows had already detected their presence. The result was Gandalf being forced to attempt crossing the Redhorn Gate, only to be met by Saruman’s massive magical assault, compelling them to retreat into the Dwarven tunnels.

During a lull in hiding, the captain of the Northern Ice Continent team, Gangni'er, slipped into the same hollowed-out space as Zheng Zha. The space inside was relatively large; otherwise, it couldn't have accommodated Zheng Zha’s skeletal warhorse. Gangni'er shot the warhorse a few envious glances, knowing that even if he acquired such a mount, he probably couldn't ride it. So, he simply asked in a low voice, "Do you have any suggestions for this trip through the underground tunnels?" Zheng Zha blinked: "Uh? What suggestions?" Gangni'er coughed: "Intelligence obtained from the Southern Flame Continent team indicates that saving Gandalf earns a stone that negates three negative points. We are determined to secure that stone. But what about the other things? For example, the bodies of powerful monsters in this world often contain crystal cores, which are energy stones that can be exchanged at the 'Main God.' Before entering the tunnels, the giant octopus from the original plot would yield at least a C-class or even a double C-class energy stone. As for the Balrog in the tunnels, there will certainly be fire-elemental energy stones—whether they are B-class or double B-class, I'm not entirely sure."

Seeing Zheng Zha’s thoughtful expression, Gangni'er pressed his advantage: "You know as well as I do that as we delve deeper into understanding the 'Main God' space and these Reincarnation Worlds, we realize the importance of the magical knowledge hidden within these worlds. This knowledge is becoming more widespread, and energy stones and certain special minerals are growing more crucial. Arrays require energy stones, and creating rune structures requires mythril and other ores. So, why wouldn't you want to acquire these things in the Reincarnation World without spending reward points or subsidiary plot threads? I heard from the Dwarf Gloin that mythril and a metal called Aetherium are produced in those tunnels. I don't know what that metal is used for, but it’s always good to collect something..." Zheng Zha interrupted him: "What good is telling me all this? You don't actually think I plan to rob them, do you?" "Not rob, but acquire!" Gangni'er stated firmly. "Among the three teams, you and I are the most powerful. I can say that even if we abandoned all other veterans, you and I alone are enough to dominate this world of the Ring. I don't know the limit of your strength, but seeing you single-handedly challenge two high-level Nazgûl and kill them to seize a skeletal warhorse, I know your power is far from as weak as you project. And me... my self-created skill, 'Ice Age,' requires three Frost Energy Stones to unlock. I dare say I could even fight the Heavenly God Squad. I currently possess six Frost Energy Stones. I plan to use a full version of 'Ice Age' in those tunnels—first, to kill the Balrog, and second, so we don't have to rush out of the tunnels. You take half, and I take half—how about that? We secure all the mythril ore and Aetherium ore within. That is my true intention. What do you think?" This idea deeply tempted Zheng Zha. His Magic Storage Ring had more than multiplied his combat power. The extended duration of continuous combat meant he no longer needed to worry about how long he could sustain his "Explosion" state. If he had dozens of these storage rings, couldn't he remain in the "Explosion" state for the entire duration of a horror film? How many monsters or people could harm him in that state? The most expensive item used to create this ring was mythril, which required significant expenditure even when redeemed from the 'Main God.' If he could truly gain a large amount of mythril for free, it would certainly make the effort worthwhile. "…Alright, fifty-fifty split. As for the reward points and subsidiary plot threads from the Balrog, and that fire-elemental energy stone... whoever kills it gets it. You have no objection, right?" Zheng Zha said after a long silence. Gangni'er burst into delighted laughter: "Deal! Then let's cause chaos in the Mines of Moria!" The two slapped hands in agreement. Although the oath held little credibility, with both parties committed to the idea, they decided to wreak havoc in the Mines of Moria. Given their strength, they likely didn't fear much anyway.

At this moment, the dense flock of crows had vanished over the horizon. Gandalf, his face grim, concluded that Saruman was monitoring their location, forcing him to change the team’s itinerary and decide instead to traverse the Caradhras, a steep, snowy peak at least several thousand meters high.

In contrast, the Reincarnation Squad members were not overly nervous. After all, while technological items were ineffective against plot characters, they were very effective against the squad members themselves. If any danger arose on the mountain, they could simply use their respective team vehicles to return safely. With this mindset, only a few plot characters within the team voiced objections. However, under Gandalf's insistence, the team began climbing the slopes, gradually moving above the snow line.

Leaping up...

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