Arrival

Everything before his eyes blurred.

Then it shifted.

The world of An Eternal Combat, Hong Kong Ghost World. They had arrived.

Before them were the Main God's protective barrier and five men and three women lying in a corner.

--[Main Mission: Survive in Hong Kong Ghost World for 7 days and kill the Fusang Ghost King.

Upon completion, the whole team will return and receive one B-rank side story, along with 4,000 reward points.]

Their arrival was announced.

At the same time, several half-veteran Reincarnators who had already experienced one trial turned their gazes toward him. They knew full well that, barring any surprises, only the captain could fight a Ghost King-level entity...

When they'd chosen their individual enhancements earlier, they had either underestimated the threat or been too optimistic.

After all, the films were limited by the technology of the time, and their portrayal had a hard time convincing a group of foreigners.

Fang Xiu understood.

The Ghost King was undoubtedly powerful, but there was no need to overestimate him without limit. Opening a gate through time and space and causing fluctuations spanning hundreds of years wasn't solely a matter of strength; celestial phenomena and formations were directly involved, too.

At the very least, Fang Xiu—who had a rudimentary Sage Body and the Mangekyō Sharingan—was confident he could stand against the Ghost King head-on.

--Compared with the Xenomorph scenario, which had taken place at the same stage as the original first-generation team, the Shazhou Team was in a much better position...

--Besides, with a few newcomers added, our team only has thirteen people this time. We should still be enjoying the benefits of a newly formed team, even if we've only caught the tail end of them.

As his thoughts turned, Fang Xiu nodded to the others, reassuring them. Then he shifted his gaze to the newcomers gradually waking up: two white men, one a young man with acne and the other looking like a boxer, with streamlined muscles and a championship belt around his waist.

The two Black men both looked rather timid, likely from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Then there were the members with Asian faces.

A man and two women, all dressed like office workers and East Asian in appearance.

And another Arab woman, covered in a long robe that revealed only her eyes.

The Sharingan's ability to see through their bodies and examine their chakra networks quietly unfolded.

In Fang Xiu's estimation, even if these newcomers banded together, they couldn't hurt him. But he needed to assess their talents in advance.

Perhaps one of them had an exceptional gift? The Shazhou Team desperately needed talent.

After all, if two more people unlocked the Gene Lock, they'd be placed in the team battle pool and forced to enter the Gu-raising mode!

Among them, the one with the strongest life force was undoubtedly the white boxer. But the woman with the strongest mental strength was one of the office workers; her relevant attributes were roughly seventy percent above the human average.

To have such an advantage in a completely natural state, without any enhancements, certainly made her exceptionally gifted!

Fang Xiu made a quiet note of her.

Meanwhile,

Ye Mei calmly surveyed her surroundings. She noticed a man in ancient armor, with a strange symbol on his back, gradually being surrounded by other people in bizarre cosplay outfits.

She immediately realized that he was the leader of this mysterious group.

Besides, these people's clothes didn't look cheap or shoddy. The metallic colors and futuristic elements looked far more realistic than anything in a science-fiction film.

As far as Fang Xiu could tell, the newcomers were no different from those before them. Not one of them had made a scene.

After realizing they were in an unfamiliar place, they'd quickly calmed down and carefully observed their surroundings, doing what any normal person would.

"Everyone."

"Welcome to the Infinite Reincarnation World. This is the Shazhou Team, and this world... Hong Kong Ghost World... is a collection of horror films set in Xiangjiang, with An Eternal Combat as its main focus."

For the sake of five hundred reward points, Fang Xiu gave them a thorough introduction, just as he had the first time. "Try to recall your memories, then call out the Main God's name."

Silence.

They waited.

"All right, I'm glad... Sorry, I can't bring myself to lie. I should say, it's an honor to become a member of the Shazhou... Reincarnation Team."

The first to speak to Fang Xiu was the white boxer. He had clearly recognized Fang Xiu's leadership in the group. "I'm John, a professional wrestler and actor from America."

At the same time, he looked Tang Tian up and down without hiding it.

It couldn't be helped. America was the birthplace of Marvel's heroes, and Spider-Man had always been a popular character.

A month ago, the corporate drone Tang Tian would probably have only caught a glimpse of an athlete of this caliber on television or in a documentary.

But now—

"As the captain of the Shazhou Team, I look forward to having you join us. Unfortunately, you won't officially become team members until we return."

"Now, let's get to the point."

"I think you've already formed a basic understanding of your situation.

"This world is full of dangers. You're still ordinary people, so once the protective barrier disappears, the first thing you should do is find somewhere to hide—a temple, a Taoist shrine, or a church."

As he spoke, he took several small gold bars from his clothes. "Use them as offerings to clear the way, and you'll definitely find somewhere to stay. Leave everything else to fate."

The newcomers, most of whom had just been chosen and hadn't even had the chance to introduce themselves, looked surprised.

Only those who had experienced the Xenomorph world with Fang Xiu had already prepared themselves for this. They stood coldly to the side and watched.

"Senior members, aren't you going to offer us even the most basic protection?" someone demanded loudly.

"Veterans aren't babysitters."

Emir, whose Werewolf Lineage made him imposing even when standing still, replied in a low voice, "Nobody can return without completing the main mission. Take a good look at yourselves. Can you kill a Ghost King? Even we can't. Only..."

He was interrupted.

"I'm the captain. With authority comes a certain amount of responsibility, but that only extends to helping complete the main mission and dealing with the greatest threat as much as possible. After all, that's beyond everyone else's abilities."

Fang Xiu picked up where Emir had left off and concluded, "As for the risk, everyone is bearing it."

"You're responsible for surviving."

"I'm responsible for the Ghost King."

He glanced at Tang Tian and the others. "They're responsible for surviving while exploring side missions according to their needs and abilities."

The wind began to blow.

The protective barrier vanished without a sound.

At that very moment, a pattern unlike the Three-Tomoe appeared in Fang Xiu's eyes.

Yin Release Chakra spread silently in a vortex, expanding in every direction...

In the Naruto World, the Second Hokage, Tobirama, had once used a powerful sensory ninjutsu to determine the number, distance, and strength of the Gold and Silver Brothers as he broke through their encirclement, creating an opportunity for his subordinates to escape their predicament.

Now, after specialized training, Fang Xiu could achieve something similar with a small amount of Yin Release Chakra channeled through his eyes.

However, his sensory ability still couldn't match the Byakugan. In an instant, a relatively simple map of the area appeared in his mind. Several patches of negative energy were present in the building. They were weak, strange clusters formed from a small amount of Yin Release Chakra mixed with hatred and resentment.

People called them ghosts!