Chapter 3: The Land of Freedom
Upon seeing his own side's personnel, Su Xiao furrowed his brow tightly.
He had heard of people like Madam Ghost and the People's Teacher. They were members of the same adventure group, the Raging River Adventure Group.
The Raging River Adventure Group had a considerable reputation within the fourth rank. Alongside the Divine Emperor and Blood Gate, they were considered large-scale adventure groups, with similar fame but slightly weaker in raw strength compared to the other two.
Of the 400-plus contractors, more than half should be from Raging River. The remaining adventure groups were just a motley crew of a few cats and dogs. Raging River represented the adventure group faction this time.
As for the lone wolves, aside from Su Xiao, Gulu and Old Smoke had also appeared. If Old Smoke was here, then barring any surprises, Mizuki should also be in this war zone.
Whenever he thought of the name Mizuki, Su Xiao always felt like he had heard it somewhere before, giving off a strong sense of ambiguity.
Besides these people, there were many other lone wolves. Although Su Xiao didn't recognize who they were, none of them were weak.
Gulu and the People's Teacher were the two strongest contractors among those who had appeared so far. The People's Teacher temporarily represented the Raging River Adventure Group, as their leader seemed unwilling to show himself for now.
A wave of spatial fluctuations swept in, and another few hundred contractors were teleported into the Starry Sky Transit Station. As soon as they appeared, they drew the attention of both the Reincarnation Paradise and Apocalypse Paradise factions.
The last to arrive were the contractors from Sanctuary Paradise. For some reason, they were all uniformly dressed in black-and-gold robes.
"Those divine sticks are here."
Gulu muttered, her expression suggesting she was about to laugh.
"Gulu, do you know anything about Sanctuary Paradise?"
The People's Teacher pushed up his glasses. He had been expressionless the entire time, not because he was trying to act cool, but because he genuinely lacked emotional fluctuations. It was a condition that needed treatment—Bubu Wang specialized in curing expressionless faces.
"To sum it up, they're just a bunch of divine sticks."
Gulu shrugged. When she wasn't killing people, she was actually quite cute. As for when she was killing...
"Divine sticks?"
The People's Teacher clearly didn't quite understand what Gulu meant.
"What sect do they believe in?"
Madam Ghost looked at the hundreds of contractors standing in neat ranks, their gazes fixed on this side. She didn't need to think hard to know that these guys were definitely united to an extreme degree.
"Believe in what sect? Uh..."
Gulu had a candy in her mouth and couldn't answer the question right away.
It wasn't that Gulu had poor verbal skills—her venomous tongue was no less sharp than that of the Divine Emperor's deceased sister, Xila.
The situation with Sanctuary Paradise was a bit complicated. If Reincarnation Paradise contractors valued power, freedom, and unrestraint, then Sanctuary Paradise valued faith.
Don't think these contractors were all fanatical believers. They were clever. Sanctuary Paradise didn't worship a single deity; they 'believed' in any god as long as it gave them power. They were indiscriminate in their worship.
As for why Sanctuary Paradise was so united, the reason was simple: they were all members of the same sect. In Reincarnation Paradise, there were adventure groups; in Apocalypse Paradise, various organizations; and in Sanctuary Paradise, sects. In essence, all three were similar types of groups.
Sanctuary Paradise contractors were typical huskies among believers—they worshipped whichever sect was strongest. That said, don't underestimate their combat strength. Sanctuary Paradise's punishment mechanism was weaker than Reincarnation Paradise's but much stronger than Apocalypse Paradise's.
"Roar, roar, roar..."
A synchronized shout came from the Sanctuary Paradise side. Hearing this, the Apocalypse Paradise contractors exchanged glances, a bit bewildered. Their first thought was, "Is this some kind of cult?" The madmen from Reincarnation Paradise were already bad enough, and now this thing had shown up? The babies of Apocalypse Paradise felt deeply troubled.
"Surprisingly lame."
Gulu was laughing her head off. It was unclear what exactly about Sanctuary Paradise had struck her funny bone. The reason was simple: those shouts reminded her of square-dancing aunties.
"I completely fail to understand your train of thought."
Madam Ghost rubbed her forehead. She felt that those Sanctuary Paradise people wouldn't be easy to deal with. Their unity would absolutely crush Reincarnation Paradise.
Madam Ghost's gaze swept over her own side: a man covered in bloodlust who clearly looked like a thug, a little girl laughing heartily while killing without blinking, an old geezer preaching rebellion and recruiting 'revolutionary army members,' and the expressionless People's Teacher.
Suddenly, Madam Ghost felt a sense of foreboding about the future. These people's combat prowess was undeniable, but what they would do was anyone's guess. No, maybe even heaven didn't know.
At that moment, Madam Ghost suddenly felt that she was normal. This was the superiority of being among a group of madmen.
"Madam Ghost, I..."
The contractor who had torn open his own cheek spoke, his words slurred because of the hole in his mouth. Madam Ghost couldn't make out what he was saying, but her sense of 'superiority' at being a normal person grew even stronger.
However, in the eyes of the Apocalypse Paradise contractors, she was still a dangerous woman as venomous as a snake or scorpion.
[Announcement: Long-distance space teleportation preparation complete. Arriving at destination shortly.]
Su Xiao's vision went dark, and the familiar sensation of teleportation returned.
...
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal rang out. Su Xiao's eyes opened. He was lying on a bed, wearing a set of gray clothes. The short-sleeved shirt on his upper body had a few holes in it.
[Announcement: Food and fresh water supplies have been sealed.]
Before Su Xiao could even figure out where he was, a piece of bad news arrived. The food and fresh water he had stored in his inventory were sealed. Fortunately, everything else was usable, and he wasn't the only one affected—the announcement was public, meaning contractors from all three paradises were in the same boat.
Bubu Wang and Amu hadn't been teleported near Su Xiao. He didn't bother contacting them for now and instead observed his surroundings.
Su Xiao was in a single room. The room had an iron bed, its four legs embedded into the concrete floor. The space was only about ten square meters, with a rusty toilet in the corner that could still flush.
The entire room was somewhat old. Three of the walls were concrete, covered in countless carvings. The front wall was a barred iron door, firmly locked.
The room was filled with a faint musty smell, mixed with a hint of sweetness. This scent reminded Su Xiao of the unique smell of his middle school dormitory.
Su Xiao was all too familiar with this environment. It was a prison cell. From the furnishings and the texture of the metal, he could tell this world wasn't too backward.
[Entering World: Hailan Star (World Conquest Zone)]
World Difficulty: War World
World Source: Cannot obtain World Source in this world.
World Introduction: Steam and spiral steel. On this azure planet, human civilization continues to advance—electricity, firearms, old-fashioned aircraft, 'steel beasts' galloping across the plains. There is no right or wrong in human wars; it's all for the sake of limited resources.
Hailan Star: Medium-sized planet. Land area: 37%, Ocean area: 63%. Some regions are rich in resources. There are two major nations, one medium-sized nation, and over a hundred small nations.
Geya Alliance (also known as the Land of Freedom, allied faction): A multi-ethnic nation. In the eyes of other countries, the Geya Alliance is militaristic, bloodthirsty and barbaric, insatiable, vengeful, and unwilling to return without victory. But in the eyes of the Geya people, the Geya Alliance has an inclusiveness that no other country possesses. Here, talent is valued as long as one has ability. People's specialties and gifts are respected and given opportunities to develop, even if they are beggars. It is free and open.
Geya Alliance Capital Location: Hot City (Freedom City).
Sun Kingdom (Enemy Faction): The Sun Kingdom operates under a system of monarchy and theocracy. The country has only a single ethnicity, with blue eyes being their most prominent feature. The people of this nation are upright and meticulous, but they place great importance on birth. The country's punishments are severe; even petty theft can result in brutal penalties. The spotless streets cannot tolerate even a speck of dirt.
Sun Kingdom Capital: Dawnlight City.
The Geya Alliance and the Sun Kingdom went to war seven years ago, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides and countless cities being bombed. The war has been intermittent, and recently, conflicts have escalated again due to spiral steel mineral deposits.
White Gunpowder: Possesses several hundred times the kinetic energy of ordinary gunpowder. Can undergo deflagration in low-oxygen environments and hyper-deflagration in normal environments, unleashing terrifying kinetic energy.
Spiral Steel: A metal comparable in hardness to 'carbyne' (carbyne is 200 times harder than steel). When mixed with a dilute solution, spiral steel gains excellent plasticity and hardness, with a melting point of 1600°C.
Hunter's Location: Gakubak Prison.
Affiliated Faction: Geya Alliance, Second Legion, Third Division, Special Emergency Response and Strategic Elimination Unit (nicknamed the Killing Unit, primarily responsible for behind-enemy-lines assassinations of key figures, intelligence, demolition, disruption, and secret suppression of uprisings).
Position: Killing Unit, Private First Class (concurrently holding the rank of Second Lieutenant).
War Mission: World Core.
Hunting Mission: None (No violators in this world).
Warning: Do not mention anything about Reincarnation Paradise to any beings in this world. If the warning is ignored, execution will be carried out after verification.
Hint: Merit system activated. Killing enemy leaders/generals will grant 1–50 merit points. Killing enemy contractors will grant 3–5 merit points. If the war is won, rewards will be given based on merit points.