It seemed that everything changed in that moment.
And yet it also seemed that nothing had changed at all.
Si Ming and Eve were still standing in the wilderness outside the manor villa, still inside their personal space. But in that moment, they both knew clearly that everything around them had become entirely different.
This was now the Celestial Team.
This was no longer the East Sea Team's Reincarnation Space.
Si Ming gently closed his eyes, then opened them again. He nodded to Eve and headed for the exit.
"Wait for me," he said.
He didn't need an answer.
Eve watched him quietly from behind, her gaze gentle and worried. She believed he could accomplish anything, but she also felt for him, knowing the hardships and pain he was about to face.
Taking a step forward, Si Ming touched the doorway to his personal space. He was certain he was fully prepared. It was time to take this crucial step, one he was destined to make.
The scene outside immediately came into view.
It was still a vast, pristine white plaza, with the same enormous golden orb. There was no unnecessary furniture or extra decoration. A glance around revealed four other enormous, radiant portals already activated, apart from the one behind Si Ming.
Four portals.
Four people.
Four strangers appeared before him. He sensed that they posed a threat, but none was overwhelmingly powerful. Two men and two women, each standing in a way that subtly revealed their scrutiny and wariness of the others. It seemed he had joined the Celestial Team at just the right time.
"Looks like I'm the last one?" Si Ming smiled, his gaze sweeping over the four strangers in turn. To his surprise, two of them had black hair and eyes, and clearly came from the Central Plains rather than being some distinctive Southeast Asian or West Asian variety. "My name is Si Ming. Are all of you, like me, newcomers to the Celestial Team?"
It was a bold guess.
And it was immediately confirmed.
"I didn't expect so many people from my country to be in the Celestial Team. Looks like my luck's finally turned."
The first to answer was a woman dressed simply. She seemed gentle, with a hint of intellectual refinement. Like Si Ming, she came from the East, and among the four who had been sizing one another up, she seemed the most relaxed.
She gently pressed a hand to her chest.
"I'm Yu Zhiwei, from... well, the India Team. Where are all of you from?"
India? The India Team?
Having been born in 2025, Si Ming already knew plenty about that remarkable country. As he looked at this compatriot, a woman with a superb figure and bearing, shock and pity flashed in his eyes.
"Don't look so surprised, compatriot." Yu Zhiwei waved a hand and smiled. "Indians are actually pretty easy to get along with. I just couldn't stand having to personally kill a few ungrateful newbies and veterans every time. That's why I decided to bring my talent to the Celestial Team... Well, there's no rule against digging up the past here, is there?"
She did have a faint scent of blood about her. Beneath her gentle, intellectual air, there was indeed a murderous edge. As a new member of the Celestial Team, she was clearly no pushover. Her response had also confirmed Si Ming's suspicions.
It was still early.
This was precisely the Celestial Team's founding period.
"The locals really can be a little impolite." Si Ming returned the favor. "I'm from the East Sea Team, where most of the members are Japanese. Before I came here, I also dealt with plenty of pests who were both in the way and an eyesore."
"Japanese, huh? That must have been rough."
"Likewise."
A scoff came from nearby.
"You people from the East really are murderous. Have you never thought of solving things another way?"
It was another woman, dressed in hunting gear. The cloak draped over one shoulder shimmered with an unnatural light. Her pale blond hair was tied back in a practical ponytail, and her sharp eyes brazenly sized up everyone around her.
"Valentina, from the Forest Team. The others and I couldn't agree on a decision, so we parted on good terms. I left the Forest Team with a few veterans who had some ability, and brought my captain privileges and Main God enhancements to the Celestial Team."
Si Ming vaguely remembered that the first-generation Forest Team was a two-veteran farming team: Rost and Nigayabin. The two had indeed been more or less equal in standing, and their enhancement levels were roughly the same. In other words, neither had probably obtained the captain-only enhancement, which could only be taken once.
"Life takes us all down different paths." Si Ming shrugged. "Look on the bright side. At least this means that when we face the East Sea Team or the India Team in a team battle, we'll be able to fight without holding back."
"...Team battle?" Valentina raised an eyebrow.
"A team battle is triggered when a team has more than three Gene Lock users. Different Reincarnation Teams are placed together in a designated world under the Main God's watch. Depending on the main mission, they might remain at peace until their respective missions are over, or they might be forced to fight one another because their missions conflict. I was lucky enough to experience one before coming here. That's also how I became captain."
The third person was a young man with features from Asia Minor: a prominent nose, deep-set eyes, and flaxen hair falling across his back. He wore a simple white robe, and gave off the impression of a certain leading man from the New Testament.
"Jacob, from the Sandbar Team. I had some... differences of opinion about faith with the Jews, Arabs, and Egyptians. Unfortunately, even when I tried to compromise, I couldn't reach an understanding with the others. To prevent further casualties, I decided to leave the Sandbar Team."
That much was clear.
And what did he mean by "further" casualties?
Si Ming nodded and looked away from Valentina, who had furrowed her brow. The last person was a cold-faced young man with black hair and slightly brown tips, clearly of mixed ancestry to some degree.
Si Ming already had a guess as to who he was.
And the truth wasn't far off from what he expected.
"Song Tian, from the Sea Team," he said coldly, his voice stiff as a frigid blade. "Everyone else on my team died in a horror-movie world. I didn't want to stay there, so I came to the Celestial Team."
So it really was him: a mainstay of the Celestial Team in its early days, and its strongest fighter later on.
His presence here confirmed that this really was the earliest period of the first generation. Perhaps the Central Continent Team hadn't even reached Resident Evil 1 yet.
Excellent.
"It seems we've learned a little about one another. That's a good start." Si Ming had confirmed one thing: there probably wasn't a single person in the entire Reincarnation World who had unlocked the third stage yet. The most promising one was probably still Reinhardt of the Devil Team, while the Zhao Clan assassin who entered with the fourth-stage Gene Lock might still be playing hide-and-seek with his cousin in the real world.
In that case...
"Would you mind introducing your specialties and enhancement paths? It'll help us get along later." Si Ming made his position clear. "I can start. My main path is summoning, as a necromancer. Of course, I also have some abilities and skills for close combat..."
"You seem to have decided you're the Celestial Team's captain." Valentina shot him a cold look. "But everyone here has captain privileges, don't they? The Main God hasn't taken our captain privileges away. Each of us can now get access to precise searches from the Main God, as well as general information about the next world in advance."
"Not yet." Yu Zhiwei raised a finger. She was stating a fact, but also making her opposition clear. "Captains can only get information during the three days before the next world begins. But I just asked the Main God, and this is still the first day in the Celestial Team's Reincarnation Space."
Valentina shut her mouth and slowly turned to look at her.
But Yu Zhiwei had more to say.
"According to the guide, the number of people who arrive determines the difficulty of the current world. And since the Celestial Team takes a while to fill up, we should be able to breeze through a five-person world without much preparation. But a snake without a head won't get far. We're still one group, and we need a united position and a common voice."
"Sounds like you're interested in becoming the Celestial Team's captain too, Ms. Yu Zhiwei. Perhaps you have some secret leverage?" Jacob looked at her with a warm smile that nevertheless held a subtle edge. On the other side, Song Tian, who seemed not to be one for words, had already straightened his back.
"I'm not suited for it." Yu Zhiwei waved a hand. "But I think that to become a leader, in addition to decision-making ability—which is hard to prove directly—strength is also an important factor. Power is authority. If someone among us can defeat everyone else, then until that person proves they lack the ability to make decisions, following their lead will effectively reduce conflict and infighting within the team. Unfortunately, apart from Mr. Si Ming..."
She glanced at the other three, smiling faintly.
"...in my eyes, you're all weaklings who'd die at a touch."
No.
Si Ming's gaze sharpened. He sensed that she was stirring things up. She was planning to push him forward as the scapegoat!
"No need to set me up like this, my compatriot." His tone grew heavier, and his senses focused.
But Yu Zhiwei merely pressed her palms together and gave him a sly smile.
"I'm just stating a fact."
An invisible gust suddenly rose. Valentina, who had clashed with her earlier, felt every hair on her body stand on end. She abruptly slid backward, shooting more than ten meters away with a sonic boom. She had barely drawn the rapier at her waist when a faint bloodstain silently appeared along her neck.
The golden shield that suddenly appeared around Jacob exploded, and a huge gash opened in his white robe. On the other side, Song Tian retreated with his blade, blood streaking the arm that held it. The invisible wall of air had been cut apart by an unseen force.
In a single instant, all three were wounded.
"I was born a freak with telekinesis. So when I joined the India Team, I used it to crush the brains of a few troublesome people. After I earned my first fortune and confirmed I had no allies in the India Team, I chose the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception as my enhancement."
She held out a hand. A staff and robe appeared on her in a flash, as if she had changed clothes in an instant. Then she turned her gaze toward Si Ming.
"So, anyone I can see and sense, I can kill in an instant. But on you, Mr. Si Ming, I can't see a single death line."
She pointed her staff toward Si Ming.
"Then let me give you a push. Mr. Si Ming, let's see whether you really have the strength to match your ambition, now that you've been bold enough to step forward first and show your determination to unite this team."
But Si Ming merely frowned at her.
"You think the Celestial Team needs a leader, and you think I'm strong, so you want to get the others to gang up on me... and you're doing it this way?"
"Isn't this the most effective way to bring everyone together? Won't it minimize infighting?" She smiled brightly. She was clearly included in the "everyone" who would be ganging up on him.
What an interesting person.
If he hadn't reacted quickly, Si Ming might really have been put on the spot. No matter how he responded afterward, it would have been a real mess.
But... but still.
"Power comes not only from fists, but from recognition and obedience. What makes you think things will unfold the way you want?"
Si Ming understood now.
He understood why, even though Yu Zhiwei, the India Team's captain, had defected to the Celestial Team, the India Team's captain Gan Tian still had that clearly undeveloped second-stage Gene Lock during the first-generation Central Continent Team battle.
Because Valentina had vanished.
And in the next moment, a defensive barrier around Yu Zhiwei suddenly exploded. A swift shadow and a keen blade were already stabbing toward her back!
Before you continue