Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

[Resurrection process ongoing...]

'I cannot die!'

'I cannot die!'

In a pitch-dark world, a lone soul curled into itself as if residing in a womb, fists clenched, biting hard on the front teeth.

Of course, perhaps she wasn't alone.

In the nothingness surrounding her, it seemed as if countless chaotic tombstones stood tall, and she... might become the next addition in a moment's time.

Only a few memorable aspects of this experience would be passed on to the next host of this body.

Every former owner of this body had come to be in the same manner.

Unconscious birth, meaningless death.

It was as if only the brand imprinted on the soul itself was the true "soul" of this body.

It shouldn't be like this...

"It shouldn't be like this!"

No one lives like this, "I" shouldn't either.

Of course, perhaps "I" might no longer be able to see what true "freedom" is, but maybe I can spare the next "me" from the torment of this insubstantial life.

I might be the first to realize this.

The true end might need to begin with me.

Let me bear this lucid pain!

Let me bear the sin of hurting others!

Let me be the final end of this painful life!

And then, embrace rebirth!

"Boom!"

The stubbornness of the soul stirred up Spiritual Energy, and the remaining members of the two confrontational squads felt that spirit-level tempest, turning their gaze in its direction immediately.

White fluffy hair moved on its own, spreading as freely as if floating in water.

The petite body lazily floated in the air, supported by the Spiritual Energy she exuded.

The arms dangled unconsciously, as if she had not yet awakened from her "dream."

The interim squad leader and the little boy, who had been ready to surrender, were instantly invigorated and rushed over, "Captain!"

The people of Blackwater City are terrifying; without their own captain, how would they survive?

"Old Bai?" Rose looked towards Bai E, seeking guidance subconsciously.

The white-haired captain had already made a move against Bai E once, and someone who had shown their true colors was undoubtedly an unequivocal enemy.

While the other party had not fully revived, why not fire another volley?

Bai E with an intense gaze, took a moment before shaking his head, "Wait and see."

She had indeed acted, and even though her words conveyed regret, the earnest killing intent was anything but illusory.

Her apology was not really aimed at him but appeared more like redemption for herself.

It was as if... she was realizing her actions were wrong for the first time, but still had no choice, hence the mentality of owing the victim.

It wasn't her goodwill towards him; it was her goodwill toward herself.

It wasn't her apology to him, but rather an apology to every life lost at her hands.

Realizing this, Bai E had resolved to strike fatally, and considering the characteristic of the opponent changing personalities with each death, what kind of being was now presenting itself?

Since the opponent was no match for him, Bai E didn't mind waiting to see what new tricks were in store.

This world's secrets were still plenty...

The deputy captain and the little boy from Grey Iron City, who had approached closer, didn't dare to touch but also didn't dare to distance themselves and just kept calling from a steady gap, "Captain~ Captain?"

The body with all limbs hanging limply as if unresponsive, seemed to have heard the calls from the outside world.

The next moment, a pair of eyes clear as gems snapped open, and the body suspended in mid-air slowly straightened from its slanted position.

Those eyes met with Bai E's, a ravenous hunger to devour surfacing instinctively, overshadowing the original crystal-clear sky blue of the irises.

"Whoosh!" Seemingly relaxed and waiting, Bai E drew his bow, and an arrow launched almost instantaneously, embedding itself directly into the forehead of the white-haired figure before anyone could react.

The arrowhead halfway in, feathers sticking out.

Just the right strength, a perfect center hit.

"Crack!" The body that had just awakened and hung in mid-air once again crashed to the ground like a clump of mud, its head propped at an odd angle by the metal arrow sticking through it.

The two survivors from Grey Iron City stood dumbfounded beside, staring at their captain who had once again become a "corpse," disbelief written all over their faces.

The captain... had died again?

"..."

"..."

"?"

"?"

"?"

All eyes turned to Bai E at once, and in the eyes of the two surviving members of Grey Iron City, there was no longer much fear, only deep confusion—

Why would you wait for our captain to fully wake up before making your move if you can't stand to see her alive?

Bai E's fingers caressed the comfortable body of the compound bow twice, knowing that Rose was looking at him with confusion, so he explained without shifting his gaze.

"It's still her."

Yes, it was still that same personality... or perhaps, soul.

She wanted to attack him, so of course, he couldn't indulge her.

And Bai E was quite curious—if this phoenix-like ability could really allow her to resurrect without limit?

That would be way too overpowered.

He just didn't know if swapping souls after each death was a side effect of this ability, but the current soul hadn't changed even after several deaths, had it?

Bai E wasn't without the intention of using Bai Mao to test things out; after all, she couldn't die, so he could mess around as he pleased.

If this ability really was useful, couldn't he steal it for himself to have as a trump card?

"..."

"Drive your vehicle over here." While waiting for Bai Mao to come back to life, Bai E didn't forget to order the two surviving members of Grey Iron City.

"Ah?" The boy sounded as if he didn't understand and responded blankly.

He knew Bai E was talking to him, but he wasn't sure if he really was commanding him.

"You have a vehicle, drive it over." You had discovered this based on the tracks, discussing it privately with Bai E beforehand.

Even if the other party tried their best to disguise it, they couldn't escape the eyes of You, the master tracker.

"I..." The boy opened his mouth blankly, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but ended up saying nothing.

He just felt completely bewildered—

You killed our captain, twice!

And now you want to boss us around, as if it's the most natural thing?

What do you take us for? Traitors?

Although there's nothing wrong with being a traitor... after all, if our captain couldn't win and was still stubborn about it, under the circumstances of already revealed hostility, not surrendering would probably mean a certain death.

"Alrighty!" The acting captain responded more promptly, evidently much more aware of the situation.

She seemed incredibly cooperative and lacked any semblance of arrogance when not in a combat state.

"Don't think about escaping, we have companions nearby," Bai E casually reminded them.

Having had a conflict with the people of Grey Iron City, Bai E would have, of course, preferred to eliminate all witnesses if possible.

But if he could incorporate them into his own ranks, that wouldn't be bad either; there were plenty of grey figures in the world, and abducting a few for the rebirth of Li Ming didn't seem like a big problem.

The acting captain paused, her lips twitching before she reluctantly agreed, "...Yes."

Indeed, the people of Blackwater City never moved in such small groups.

But if you're already so damn strong, why do you need so many people?

"Go open the door," Bai E nodded to Zhou. Once the Minions had come out, the gate had closed again, requiring authorization or a key to open.

Zhou had an interest in technological stuff and had made an effort to understand it during his free time.

When they decided to split up, Bai E had used the goodwill he had recently garnered to con a key from a fellow communications and research officer.

One must always plan ahead for all eventualities; since they were going to separate, Bai E thought it was better to keep the key items in his own hands.

"Yes." Zhou, who had somewhat recovered from his bloodied eyes, immediately ran over cheerfully.

"Should we call those two squads over?" Rose leaned in close to Bai E's ear and asked quietly.

She knew Bai E had many secrets and sometimes needed to avoid the prying eyes of others.

"No need, we'll summon them after everything is settled."

With Bai Mao's case yet to reach a final conclusion, Bai E preferred not to let the military's spies know too many of his secrets for the time being.

As for the final treatment of Bai Mao, Bai E currently had two plans in mind—

If her ability really was impressive and he also found a way to kill her for sure, he could temporarily take her back and keep her safely, waiting until he had saved up enough for a lucky critical hit before executing her.

If her ability was not so great, or if there was no way to completely eliminate her, apart from killing her again and then running away, what other good plan could there be?

Perhaps, he could also see what personality she would end up with next time?

If there was no danger, maybe she could be persuaded to join their side?

Everything still depended on the upcoming tests...