All the Worthies Arrive

Everything seemed to change in that moment.

Everything also seemed to remain exactly the same.

Si Ming and Eve were still standing in the wilderness outside the manor villa, still within their personal space. But both of them knew clearly at this moment that everything around them had already become completely different.

This was now the Celestial Team.

This was no longer within the reincarnation space of the East Sea Team.

Si Ming closed his eyes gently, then opened them. He nodded at Eve, then immediately walked toward the exterior.

"Wait for me to return," he said.

He did not need a reply.

Eve watched him quietly from behind, gentle yet worried. She believed he could accomplish anything, but she also felt heartache for the hardships and pain he was about to face.

Taking a step forward, Si Ming's hand touched the portal of the personal space. He was certain he was fully prepared, so it was time to take this crucial step he was destined to walk.

The scene outside immediately entered his vision.

It was still a vast, clean, pure white plaza, and still a massive golden sphere of light. There were no extra furnishings or additional decorations. A sweep of his gaze revealed that, aside from the one behind Si Ming himself, four other massive, glowing portals were already activated.

Four portals.

Four people.

Four strangers who appeared threatening in Si Ming's perception, though not overwhelmingly powerful, appeared in his sight. Two men, two women; each person's stance and posture vaguely revealed their scrutiny and wariness of the others. It seemed his timing for joining the Celestial Team was just right.

"It seems I am the last one?" Si Ming revealed a smile, his gaze sweeping over the four strangers one by one. He was somewhat surprised to find that two of the four actually had black hair and black eyes, and at a glance, they were of Central Plains descent, rather than the special varieties from Nanyang or West Asia. "My name is Si Ming, and you all should be newcomers to the Celestial Team like me?"

A bold guess.

And this guess was immediately verified as correct.

"I didn't expect there to be so many countrymen in the Celestial Team. It seems I've finally run into some good luck."

The first to respond to him was a woman in simple attire. Her temperament appeared somewhat gentle, mixed with a hint of intellect. Like Si Ming, she came from the East, and among the four scrutinizing each other, her demeanor was the most relaxed.

She gently pressed her hand against her chest.

"I am Yu Zhiwei, from... well, the India Team. Where are you all from?"

India?

Coming from the year 2025, Si Ming, who already had a thorough understanding of that magical country, felt a flash of shock and pity in his eyes as he looked at this compatriot woman, whose physique and posture were both top-tier.

"Don't be so surprised, fellow countryman." Yu Zhiwei waved her hand and smiled. "Indians are actually quite easy to communicate with, it's just that I really couldn't stand having to personally kill a few ignorant newcomers and veterans every time. That's why I decided to bring my talent to the Celestial Team... well, there shouldn't be any rules against dwelling on the past here, right?"

There was indeed a faint scent of blood on her. Beneath her gentle and intellectual temperament, a biting murderous intent was indeed hidden. As a new member of the Celestial Team, she was certainly no pushover, and her response verified Si Ming's intuition.

Right now, it was very early.

This point in time was exactly at the inception of the Celestial Team.

"The locals are indeed a bit impolite." Si Ming decided to return the favor. "I come from the East Sea Team, a team primarily composed of Japanese. Before coming here, I also executed quite a few things that were both obstructive and eyesores."

"Japanese? Then that must have been hard for you."

"Likewise."

A scoff came from nearby.

"You Easterners have such heavy killing intent. Have you never thought of using other methods to solve problems?"

It was the other woman, dressed in hunting gear, with a cloak draped over one shoulder flowing with an unnatural light. Her pale golden hair was tied into a capable ponytail, her eyes sharp as she brazenly sized up her surroundings.

"Valentina, from the Forest Team. I had a falling out with the others during decision-making, so we parted on good terms. I left the Forest Team to a few veterans who were still capable, and I brought the captain's authority and Main God enhancements to the Celestial."

Si Ming vaguely remembered that the first-generation Forest Team was a farming team with two veterans. Rost and Nikayabin; the status of those two was indeed quite equal, and the levels of enhancements they purchased were roughly similar. In other words, neither of them had likely obtained the one-time-only captain's authority enhancement.

"Life always has different encounters." Si Ming shrugged. "Looking on the bright side, this at least means that when we encounter team battles against the East Sea Team or the India Team in the future, we can let loose and fight."

"...Team battles?" Valentina raised an eyebrow.

"A team battle is a mechanism that triggers only when the number of Gene Lock openers within a small team exceeds three. Different reincarnation teams will coexist in a designated world under the gaze of the Main God. Depending on the main mission, they might remain peaceful until their respective tasks are finished, or they might be forced to kill each other due to conflicting main missions. I had the fortune of experiencing one before I came here, and it was during that one that I became a captain."

The third person was a young man with Asia Minor features, a high nose and deep-set eyes, with flaxen hair draped behind him. He wore a simple white robe and always gave off the vibe of a certain main character from the New Testament.

"Jacob, from the Sandbar Team. I had some... differences in perspective on a religious level with those Jews, Arabs, and Egyptians. Unfortunately, even though I made concessions, I couldn't reach a consensus with the others. To avoid further escalation of casualties, I decided to leave the Sandbar."

It was easy to see.

And what did he mean by 'further escalation'?

Si Ming nodded, his gaze shifting away from the frowning Valentina. The last person was a cold-looking young man with black hair, his tips slightly tinged with brown, clearly indicating a certain degree of mixed heritage.

Si Ming already had a guess about his identity.

And the facts were indeed not far from what he had anticipated.

"Song Tian, from the Sea Team," he said coldly, his tone as stiff as a chilling blade. "Everyone in my team died in the horror movie world, and I didn't want to stay there any longer. So I came to the Celestial Team."

It was indeed him, the main force of the former Celestial Team and the strongest of the later Celestial Team.

And with him appearing here in this state, it verified that this was indeed the very early stage of the first generation. Perhaps at this point in time, even the Central Continent Team hadn't yet arrived at Resident Evil 1.

Excellent.

"It seems we have reached a certain level of mutual understanding. This is a good start." Si Ming was now certain of one thing: there was likely not a single person in the entire reincarnation world who had unlocked the third stage of the Gene Lock. The one with the greatest potential was likely Reinhardt of the Devil Team, while that assassin from the Zhao Clan, who had entered with a fourth-stage Gene Lock, was perhaps still playing hide-and-seek with his cousin in the real world.

Then...

"Would you mind introducing your respective specialties and reinforcement paths? It would be beneficial for our future interactions." Si Ming stated his position. "I can go first. My primary reinforcement path is a necromancer of the summoning school. Of course, I also possess some melee strength and techniques..."

"You seem to have appointed yourself the captain of the Celestial Team." Valentina cast a cold, sideways glance at him. "But everyone here possesses captain-level authority, don't they? The Main God has not stripped us of our captain privileges. Right now, each of us can obtain the qualifications for precise searching from the Main God, and we can also obtain general intelligence about the next world in advance."

"Not yet, actually." Yu Zhiwei held up a finger, stating a fact while simultaneously expressing her opposition. "A captain can only obtain intelligence three days before the next world opens, but I just asked the Main God, and today is still the first day in the Celestial Team's reincarnation space."

Valentina shut her mouth and slowly shifted her gaze toward her.

But Yu Zhiwei did not stop speaking.

"Although, according to the Guide, the number of people present at the time of arrival determines the difficulty of the current world. As the Celestial Team, which is slow to replenish its members, a five-person difficulty reincarnation world should be easily cleared without much preparation. However, a snake cannot function without a head. We are, after all, the same group; we need a unified attitude and a common mouthpiece."

"It sounds like you are very interested in becoming the captain of the Celestial Team, Ms. Yu Zhiwei. Perhaps you also possess some unknown trump card?" Jacob looked at her, offering a gentle but subtly sharp smile. On the other side, Song Tian, who appeared to be a man of few words, had already tensed his posture.

"I couldn't possibly." Yu Zhiwei waved her hand. "But I believe that to be a leader, aside from decision-making skills—which are hard to prove directly—strength itself is a vital element. Power is authority. If one of us can defeat all the others, then until proven otherwise, following their command would effectively reduce conflict and internal friction within our team. And unfortunately, aside from Mr. Si Ming..."

She glanced at the other three, a faint, mocking smile on her lips.

"...in my eyes, you are all nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs that would die at a single touch."

Wrong.

Si Ming's gaze sharpened instantly. He sensed the scent of someone stirring up trouble. This woman intended to push him out to take the heat!

"There is no need to set me up like this, fellow traveler." His tone deepened, his senses focused.

Yet, Yu Zhiwei merely pressed her palms together and flashed a cunning smile.

"I am simply stating a fact."

Invisible wind rose abruptly. Valentina, who had previously clashed with her, felt the hair on her body stand on end. She lunged backward, sliding ten meters away amidst a sonic boom. The moment she drew the rapier at her waist, a shallow bloodstain had already manifested silently on the side of her neck.

A golden shield suddenly appeared around Jacob and shattered, leaving a massive tear in his white robe. On the other side, Song Tian retreated rapidly with his blade, his arm covered in bloodstains as an invisible wall of air was severed by an unseen force.

In a single instant, all three were wounded.

"As for me, I was born a freak with psychokinesis. So, when I entered the India Team, I used it to crush the brains of those who stood in my way. And once I earned my first pot of gold and confirmed there were no companions to be found in the India Team, I chose the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception as my reinforcement."

She extended her hand, and a scepter and mage robe suddenly appeared on her body through rapid equipment swapping. Her gaze shifted to Si Ming.

"Therefore, anything I can see, anything I can perceive, I can kill in an instant. But on you, Mr. Si Ming, I cannot see a single line of death."

The scepter pointed in Si Ming's direction.

"So, let me give you a push. Mr. Si Ming, let us see if you, who dared to step forward first and reveal your determination to unify this team, truly possess the strength to match your ambition."

However, Si Ming only frowned as he looked at her.

"You mean to say that you think the Celestial Team needs a leader, and you think I am a capable fighter, so you intend to goad the others into a multi-on-one fight... is that your method?"

"Is this not the most effective means of integration? Does this not minimize internal friction to the greatest extent?" She beamed, the 'multi' in the multi-on-one clearly including herself.

What an interesting character.

Had his reaction not been timely, Si Ming might have truly been pinned to the wall. No matter how he responded afterward, it would have been an incredibly difficult situation.

But... but still.

"Authority comes not only from the fist, but also from recognition and obedience. Why do you assume everything will evolve exactly as you expect?"

Si Ming finally understood.

He understood why, even though Yu Zhiwei, the captain of the India Team, had defected to the Celestial Team, the captain of the India Team, Gan Tian, could still possess a second-stage Gene Lock that was clearly completely undeveloped during the first-generation Central Team battle.

Because Valentina had already vanished.

And the next moment, a layer of protective barrier on Yu Zhiwei's body exploded violently. A swift, ghostly shadow, accompanied by a sharp blade, descended to strike at her spine!