(Still... that would be nice, to see Chu Xuan occasionally slip up. Though the odds seemed slim, with Xiao Honglu's intellect, at least he might be able to throw up some minor obstacles? Constantly watching him steal the limelight was starting to grate on one's nerves...) Though Zheng Zha kept sending encouraging glances toward Xiao Honglu, the latter understood the situation perfectly. Instead of uttering a single provocative word, he merely chuckled and inquired about what events had transpired after the Resident Evil scenario. This particular exchange was rather lengthy, so the author will spare the reader the tedious details, as it would only serve to pad the narrative unnecessarily.

It must be noted that the group had spent three days inside the The Mummy world. Since this excursion held no pressing objective, and Jonathan's role was merely to relay information—with absolutely no mention of the Chinese secret treasure—such a tangent felt overly troublesome. After a brief discussion, everyone agreed to set it aside for now, perhaps a new turn of events would surface upon their return from the next horror movie world.

In short, these three days allowed everyone to properly rest and recharge. There was Chu Xuan demonstrating his peerless fishing skills, the group pooling resources to acquire and taste various fine wines, and Cheng Xiao fruitlessly searching for the Egyptian fire-breathing girls... In essence, everyone felt a lingering lassitude, a soft, boneless sensation, following the intense battle in the Lord of the Rings world.

Thus, this time was seized as an opportunity to recuperate and build up energy for the upcoming horror movie excursion.

During these three days, Zheng Zha, relying on his subtle sensory awareness, finally gained some insights into energy compression. Since they were outside the "Main God" space, he dared not run massive amounts of energy through compression exercises. Instead, he focused on condensing small quantities of energy within several specific loci inside his body. As these areas adapted genetically, the stored energy began to settle stably, showing no immediate signs of explosive instability.

Even so, compressing and holding this energy within himself gave Zheng Zha the perpetual feeling of carrying a live bomb, ready to shatter him into pieces should he lose focus for even a moment... He couldn't possibly maintain the fully unlocked state of the fourth level of the Genetic Lock indefinitely, could he? "Thinking about it, those two bat wings that sprouted from my back during the fiercest part of the battle... Could those possibly be genes from one of my ancient ancestors? Perhaps some form of giant bat or something related to absorbing blood?" Zheng Zha thought darkly, but then a stark realization hit him, immediately souring his expression.

He vividly remembered encountering his counterpart during Resident Evil. He recalled that his clone seemed to perpetually possess those bat wings. Could it be that his clone had permanently maintained the fourth level of the Genetic Lock, treating that heightened state as his normal operational mode? "If that’s truly the case, then his power level is astonishingly high. I truly wonder when I'll ever catch up to his pace... or perhaps, my own past pace."

Regardless, the three days passed swiftly.

The group soon found themselves back in the "Main God" space. Xiao Honglu immediately located his woman in the central plaza—a mature, stunning beauty significantly older than him. Upon seeing Xiao Honglu sweep her into an embrace, Cheng Xiao let out a loud, whistling cheer, which actually caused the woman to blush deeply.

Zheng Zha clapped Cheng Xiao on the shoulder and then laughed, "Now that we've resurrected Qi Tengyi, our team is essentially complete. Next... when we encounter that other team again, that will be the commencement of our revenge!"

"That's easy to say," Chu Xuan replied dismissively, ignoring him. He merely pulled out a small notebook. "This compiles all the skills of our team members, their most suitable enhancements, individual reward points, side-quest rewards, and the points they could potentially offer to others. This is what we truly need to focus on right now. As for revenge against the Devil Reincarnation Squad—we can talk about that once you’ve mastered energy compression."

Zheng Zha was momentarily speechless, but he accepted the notebook. After scanning the meticulously detailed data listed within for quite some time, he finally spoke, "It is written in great detail... but why are your own stats missing? Although I don't know your specific reward points structure, I get the feeling you haven't planned on making yourself significantly stronger, have you? That won't do. You must enhance some skills, no matter what. From the data you’ve provided, Yingkong alone can contribute an A-rank side-quest reward and ten thousand reward points. How about letting her exchange those for that specific skill for you?"

Chu Xuan paused, momentarily unable to grasp Zheng Zha's intention. He merely asked curiously, "That skill? Which skill?"

"In-Drive!" Zheng Zha stated firmly. "It's a device. The 'Main God' can integrate it directly into your brain, using your own brain cells as its structural matrix. It requires a type of energy called psychic power, supposedly generated by the strength of your conviction. The stronger your belief, the greater the force it can generate to drive the device. In simple terms: if you want to attack, you attack; if you want to defend, you defend."

Chu Xuan frowned. After thinking it over carefully, he stated, "That's illogical... In my experience, most forms of technology or magic encountered can be explained through scientific principles. But this device defies explanation... even analyzing it through quantum theory, it's practically..."

"Stop, stop right there," Zheng Zha quickly interrupted. "While I may not understand quantum theory, one thing is obvious: since the 'Main God' states it can be exchanged, then such a thing must exist. We’ve encountered something as ethereal as Cultivation, so why not a skill powered by sheer belief? Regardless, you must exchange for this skill. Even if not used for offense, it would be excellent for defense." He then turned to Zhao Yingkong. "Zhao Yingkong, if you please—one A-rank side-quest reward and 8,000 reward points to exchange for the In-Drive for Chu Xuan."

Just as Chu Xuan was about to protest, Zhao Yingkong seemed prepared. She stepped directly beneath the "Main God" platform and connected with it via consciousness. Seeing this, Chu Xuan simply stopped talking, his mouth slightly open, and stood there frankly.

(This skill is A-rank, after all. You've used us as test subjects before; it’s only fair you test the efficacy of this power first. It sounds incredibly potent. But integrating it into the brain... it sounds very unsettling...) Zheng Zha smiled faintly as he watched Chu Xuan. When Zhao Yingkong completed the exchange, a beam of light shot down from the "Main God," enveloping Chu Xuan. He slowly floated upward within the light until he reached several meters in the air, where the beams intensely irradiated his body, focusing particularly on his head. This lasted for nearly half a day before Chu Xuan slowly descended.

"How was it? Was the power tremendous?" Zheng Zha eagerly asked as soon as he landed, though he immediately realized how abrupt the question sounded. The skill had only just been acquired; how could anyone possibly gauge its power so quickly?

Chu Xuan glanced at him, then casually shook his arms and legs, making his Gauss pistol slide out of his sleeve and then back in—he repeated this several times. Finally, he silently turned and walked toward his own quarters. The others exchanged looks, then identically followed him toward his room.

Chu Xuan’s room was starkly clean... Not empty, mind you; there were specialized tools and small instruments scattered about the floor. However, all other decorations and furniture were practically nonexistent. It was only when Chu Xuan descended into the basement that the group saw the massive processing machine tools and other large equipment, making them wonder how many reward points he had sunk into such apparatus. It suddenly made sense why he hadn't prioritized enhancing his own attributes or skills.

"That reminds me, the two precious metals we obtained in Mordor are still here. We can forge quite a few rings with those, or perhaps other items. Heh, that’s pure reward points right there..." Zheng Zha mused as they walked, though he couldn't help but note that Chu Xuan truly lacked sentimentality, at least in terms of lifestyle—it was as bare as a blank slate.

The group accompanied Chu Xuan to one wall in the basement. The wall was constructed of incredibly thick white metal, marred by countless bullet holes and other signs of damage, clearly marking it as Chu Xuan’s weapons testing ground. Knowing he was likely eager to test his new ability, they watched as he produced a strange device, slipped it over his eyes, completely obscuring them. After several tens of seconds, he removed the apparatus, and his gaze was, unusually, sharp, as if touched by some fleeting emotion.

Before Zheng Zha could focus on that expression, Chu Xuan shook two Gauss pistols from his sleeves. The instant his fingers tightened on the triggers, Zheng Zha distinctly saw a faint, almost imperceptible energy wave shimmer around his hands and the muzzles of the guns. The Gauss bullets seemed to be momentarily halted by this wave, unable to discharge. This lasted only a split second before the bullets violently erupted with a deafening boom that made everyone’s ears ache and their vision swim with stars. When the group recovered, they saw that on the wall hundreds of meters away, a massive, deep crater—twenty meters deep and fifty meters in diameter—had been carved into the metal... A single, small Gauss pistol round had somehow inflicted catastrophic damage that even a high-explosive shell could not achieve.

"It's impossible to maintain that level of power constantly," Chu Xuan stated calmly, his sharp eyes returning to normal. "Only the very first shot after being hypnotized can sustain such immense conviction, which was enough to breach that wall. In fact, that was the true thickness of the steel layer; I engineered the room’s protective layer to be exactly thirty meters thick. So that first shot fully embodied my belief... but it was induced by hypnosis. Once that initial conviction was expended, the hypnosis instantly lifted, and I lost the sufficient belief required to wield that terrifying ability!"