Chapter 63: Zhan Lan: Why Do You Think You Have Broken Free From My Illusion?

Unquestionably, although the newcomers this time were far from ordinary, in terms of sheer physical fitness and life-form level, they still could not possibly compare to the veteran members who all possessed B-tier enhancements. Even Zhao Yingkong, whose essence was the fourth-stage genetic restriction, was no exception.

After all, a blank-slate Tier 4 initial-stage with a dormant personality, no matter how formidable its inherent nature, could never defeat someone with a B-tier bloodline who had unlocked the first stage.

"Oh! There are only five newcomers this time? That means a twelve-person difficulty. Has the God of Main Stream grown merciful?"

Glancing at the number of figures on the ground, Zheng Zha said with mild astonishment, catching the attention of the other veterans.

Wu Xian, however, rolled his eyes upon hearing this, thinking to himself that these five newcomers were all Crouching Dragons and Fledgling Phoenixes (in a non-derogatory sense), each one more formidable than the other five combined.

If the God of Main Stream calculated difficulty based on combat prowess, this trial was likely even more perilous than a standard twenty-person difficulty.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Zhan Lan let out a soft exclamation. Looking down at Zhao Yingkong and Cheng Xiao lying on the floor, she smiled and said, "This young lady and that dyed-hair man have already woken up, and neither of them seems ordinary..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhao Yingkong, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly vanished.

The next second, a faint sound of tearing air rang out, and Zhao Yingkong's petite figure materialized directly in front of Zhan Lan. She reached out with five fingers, clawing straight for Zhan Lan's throat as if intending to capture her and use her as a hostage.

Undoubtedly, as an exceptional assassin, Zhao Yingkong was exceedingly fast; to the eyes of ordinary people, it was no different from teleportation.

Pity for her, what she had encountered was the China Team. Any random veteran here could have intercepted her before she succeeded.

Yet none of them made a move. They merely watched the scene unfold quietly, amusement dancing in their eyes as if waiting for a good show.

Sure enough, just as Zhao Yingkong thought she was about to successfully capture Zhan Lan, the world before her eyes abruptly plunged into pitch-black darkness, as though she had been cast into a fathomless abyss where one could not even see their own fingers. Simultaneously, her senses of sight, hearing, and smell vanished entirely, striking a profound sense of panic into her heart.

*Wrong! This is an illusion!*

Being a rigorously trained assassin after all, Zhao Yingkong quickly realized what was happening to her. The moment she regained her composure, the eyes in the real world went vacant, plunging her directly into the state of the first-stage genetic restriction.

The pitch-black world shattered with a deafening crash, revealing Zhan Lan's face of utter disbelief right before her.

Without hesitation, Zhao Yingkong locked her fingers around Zhan Lan's throat and pulled her into her embrace. Then, shifting like a ghost, she retreated with Zhan Lan, putting a safe distance between herself and the members of the China Team before speaking with an icy expression:

"Who are you people? What is this place, and how did you bring me here?"

No one answered. Everyone stared at her with peculiar expressions. Zheng Zha even had a twitch at the corner of his mouth, wearing the look of someone thinking, *I've undergone professional training; normally I won't laugh out loud.* This reaction caused Zhao Yingkong to frown deeply, and the fingers clamped around Zhan Lan's throat began to tighten slightly.

"Answer my question honestly, or else I won't mind harming your companion."

"Is that so?"

A man's voice rang out from directly behind her, shocking Zhao Yingkong to the core. By the time she reacted, a strong palm had already pressed down upon her shoulder.

"Before you go around threatening people, you should first take a good look at what it is you're actually holding hostage."

Zhao Yingkong's body trembled slightly—not out of fear, but because when she tried to wrench herself away from the hand on her shoulder, she discovered that her body refused to obey. Even when she drove the first-stage genetic restriction to its absolute limits, it had zero effect.

The sensation was akin to a tiny insect trapped inside a block of amber, with immense pressure bearing down upon her from all directions, binding her tightly without leaving an inch of space to resist.

At the same time, upon hearing those words, she cast her gaze toward her own arms, causing her pupils to violently contract.

What she was gripping in her hands was no Zhan Lan at all; it was clearly nothing more than a blue pillow. The real Zhan Lan was still standing precisely where she had been before, the index and middle fingers of her right hand pressed against her temple as she offered a faint smile.

As it turned out, she had never once broken free from the illusion...

"Calm down, little lady. No one here harbors any malice toward you. Otherwise, your little stunt just now would have given me enough reason to rip up your ticket ten thousand times over."

Wu Xian chuckled softly, though he showed no intention of lifting his hand from the young girl's shoulder.

After all, she was a stealth bomb capable of triggering the fourth stage at any moment. Even if she was currently a blank slate, exercising a bit of caution never hurt.

"Who... exactly are you people?"

"No rush. We'll talk once everyone is awake. Besides, if you search your memories carefully, your brain should be starting to recall a few things by now."

As Wu Xian said this, his gaze drifted toward Cheng Xiao, who was still playing dead on the floor. A hint of playful mockery laced his voice: "Get up, kid. The act's been exposed, yet you're still forcing it. What, are you hoping we'll help knock some sense into you?"

Hearing this, Zheng Zha and the others instantly caught on. Almost simultaneously, they drew their weapons from their spatial pouches and aimed the pitch-black muzzle of a gun directly at the dyed-hair youth lying on the ground, as if ready to blast him into a pile of pixelated dust the very next second!

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't shoot! We're on the same side!!"

Right at that moment, the dyed-hair youth's body gave a slight quiver, wriggling and sliding across the floor with the flexibility of an eel.

Then, under the astonished gazes of Zheng Zha and the others, the youth dropped to his knees with a motion as smooth as flowing water, raised both hands, and struck a standard French military salute—a gesture that looked entirely too practiced.

On the other side, the looks Zheng Zha and the others directed at the youth shifted slightly.

Admittedly, the scene just had a comedic flair, but one had to concede that the fluid, effortless movements and instantaneous reaction speed demonstrated that this young man was far from ordinary. It inevitably brought to mind the kung fu masters from martial arts films... though admittedly, of the more comedic, slapstick variety.

"Cheng Xiao, twenty-five years old, from an ancient martial arts lineage—the young patriarch of the Cheng family. Born with all a hundred meridians unblocked, he has mastered what you recognize as internal qi ever since birth.

Aside from having a father who is a martial arts alliance leader, his mother happens to be the reigning generation's Miao border poison monarch. The two of them subjected him to all sorts of rigorous training and medicinal broth baths from childhood, giving him quite formidable strength.

If this were still the previous horror film, aside from Wu Xian and Zheng Zha, no one else in the China Team would have had any certainty of defeating him."

A calm and detached voice rang out flatly. It was Chu Xuan explaining Cheng Xiao's identity. The revelations within his words surprised everyone present, making their gazes toward Cheng Xiao grow even more curious.

Conversely, upon hearing that familiar voice, the ingratiating smile on Cheng Xiao's face instantly froze. When he turned his head to look at Chu Xuan, his expression was a complex blend of awe and deep resentment.

"Colonel Chu, I took the risk of a lifetime just to get here, and you just sold me out like that—and so thoroughly, too."

"No need for concealment; everyone here is on our own side. Besides, in this place, there's no need to mind external identities. Just call me Chu Xuan."

With those words, Chu Xuan proceeded to explain the ins and outs of the situation to the rest of the group.

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First of all, Happy New Year's Day!

Secondly, to the friends reading this far, if you enjoy the story, please be sure to flip a couple more pages to reach the active-reading interface (it doesn't show past rank 100, but it still counts). That is tremendously important for a new book. Please and thank you!