Chapter 2074

Four hours and seventeen minutes later.

In the silent high-altitude orbital layer above Earth's near-Earth orbit, fifteen figures stood side by side on both sides of Lin An, like motionless statues, silently gazing at the blue planet beneath their feet.

After receiving the news of Lin An's assembly, the fifteen gathered here, waiting for Lin An's next order.

Many of them were flying out of Earth for the first time, looking down at the world they depended on for survival in a complete, bird's-eye view.

The cloud layers drifted slowly; the Central Continent, forcibly reshaped by Lin An, resembled a giant leaf, leaving those familiar with Earth's images feeling somewhat dazed.

Confused, tense, excited, nostalgic..

Various emotions surged in their hearts.

Aside from the core high-level of the Faction: Long An knowing about this Starlight War, the survivors on Earth were completely unaware.

On the ground, some people were still fighting for survival, some were building new cities, some were scrambling for food, and some were spreading faith..

This seemed like an unchanging, same-old day, but for everyone in the team, it might be the first time Earth's survivors formally contacted the outside world, and also the first genuine major battle they faced since the Apocalypse.

Their opponents were no longer fellow humans on Earth, nor were they limited to monsters and disasters confined to Earth.

But rather top-tier powerhouses who emerged from countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood within the Apocalypse universe backdrop.

"Pi Ke Yao Jing, I.. am a bit nervous...."

"I also feel somewhat enlightened... as if I understood something...."

On the far right beside Lin An's left hand, a black man wearing fist spikes, a Fourth Stage, spoke softly, looking at the blonde girl beside him, his gaze furtively flicking toward Lin An.

He is an Awakened Ones from the African theater, known as Ci Bao, with mid-level Fourth Stage strength, possessing a combat talent highly similar to Lin An's.

Not skilled in any elemental rules, his path leans toward the Body System, which is why he was selected to compete.

As for the girl beside him, she is Qiao Li; due to the rule being a rather special fantasy summoning that can combine fairy combat, the survivors of the original North American theater call her Pi Ke Yao Jing.

It can be said that, aside from Zhang Tie and others, everyone selected for the team possesses special potential as Fourth Stage.

Of course, Zhang Tie and his group are even more special.

"Shh.."

"Don't be nervous, you didn't choose the virtual mode, did you? When the time comes I'll give you a buff; Lord Lin An didn't say he would arrange people to bring us."

"Look at that big bear dog; it looks very safe~"

Qiao Li blinked her eyes with a mischievous charm; perhaps since the Apocalypse outbreak her strength has been quite good, so during this Apocalypse she rarely still retains her 'innocence'.

Though the psychic tremor's sound was faint, before Ci Bao could even change expression, wanting to cover the fairy's mouth, the next second Xiong Hanzi standing beside Lin An grinned at him, not minding the girl calling him a big bear dog.

Seeing this, the others also burst into laughter, and for a moment the tense atmosphere eased.

On Lin An's right, Gao Tian looked at him and quietly reported the situation:

"Lin Dui, everyone has assembled."

"The participants for this Starlight War include us, plus Luo En, Tai Er, Ci Bao, Sa Man, Tuo'ersi Lei, Jiang Haochen, Pi Ke Yao Jing.."

"Among those, the numbers for virtual mode and real mode are exactly 8:8."

"As for team assignments, I and Zhang Tie will take six, Jiang Haochen and Tai Er will take three, leaving Wen Ya, Mo Ling, and Lin An you as a team."

"With this distribution, each team will have a main attacker and can complement each other."

Gao Tian, meticulous in thought, after speaking exchanged a glance with Jiang Haochen, both nodding to indicate to Lin An that he was confident in leading the team well. Unlike other Fourth Stage members who still didn't grasp the meaning of Fifth Stage, their two-person battle configuration, discussed afterward, was calculated based on the entire team opposing Fifth Stage.

Although several of them had guessed Lin An's strength was extremely strong, Gao Tian also wanted to truly test himself with real swords and spears.

However, just after the assignments were made, before Lin An could say anything, Mo Ling beside him suddenly looked at Wen Ya.

"No need, I'll just take Wen Ya."

"Let Lin An act on his own; he can be a team by himself, it'll be more convenient."

As soon as the words fell, Gao Tian and the others were all stunned, especially Wen Ya, who never expected Mo Ling to suggest taking her along.

But soon everyone reacted, giving Lin An a strange look.

Lin An blinked, then looked at Mo Ling's calm face, gave a wry smile in his heart, and also roughly guessed Mo Ling's little thought.

If nothing unexpected happens, Mo Ling intends to "protect" Wen Ya, then use his strength to tell Wen Ya that some things cannot be snatched.

After a slight hesitation, Lin An also did not refuse Mo Ling's proposal.

He knows Mo Ling's strength; even without the virtual mode, Wen Ya would be fine, and Mo Ling's strength alone is enough.

He wanted to cut through the Star Brilliance's dispatch, but bringing Wen Ya would indeed tie his hands and feet.

"Mo Ling, can you really handle taking Wen Ya? You two little girls are as fragile as shrimp; you'd better follow Old Zhang, otherwise one punch from those battle stars will flatten you!"

"By then, our Lin Dui will feel sorry for you!"

As the only one in the team who hadn't reacted, Xiong Hanzi at that moment exaggeratedly showed off his muscles, wiggling his eyebrows.

In his view, Mo Ling was still stuck at summoning zombies, and Wen Ya was a support so weak she couldn't be weaker; forming a team with such strength— isn't that a joke?

Just as Xiong Hanzi was smugly wanting to say something more, the next second Mo Ling suddenly gave a cold smile and stared at him.

"Stinky bear, if you keep making noise, once I go in I'll smash you into a little biscuit!"

Although Mo Ling's expression and raised little fist had no intimidation, for some reason, after Mo Ling gave a few cold laughs, Zhang Tie's neck suddenly turned cold, and his hairs stood on end.

Seeing the noisy crowd, Lin An gave a wry smile, shook his head, then spoke up to put an end to the farce.

"Alright, let's arrange it like this."

"In this Star Brilliance battle, those who enter and choose real mode should, as much as possible, focus on self-preservation, try to find others, or wait for me to find you and regroup."

"Of course, if we start together, that's best."

"Before entering, there are two points everyone must follow."

"First, we enter under the identity of the Creator Alliance, so we must absolutely not reveal our true identities; especially in address, just call me Lin Dui."

"Second, after entering, do not trust any survivors from other civilizations; if there are any problems, dump them all onto the Creator!"

As the words fell, everyone simultaneously wiped the expressions from their faces and nodded solemnly.

They looked at the materials Lin An provided; although different from Gao Tian and the others, who had already deeply realized that under the apocalypse, other civilizations claiming to be fellow survivors were in fact more ruthless enemies.

Those who could be selected to participate in the Stellar Glory all knew the seriousness of the problem.

Earth is too fragile, humanity too weak.

Any hostility or surveillance, for humanity on Earth, is a huge disaster.

Seeing everyone understand, Lin An didn't waste words and directly contacted Qing Kai.

Secrecy is not just because of Earth; for Lin An, the biggest risk is actually himself. As Qing Kai said, the Stellar Glory War will gather too many distant civilizations, and among them there may very well be those of the death spiral!

Although the probability is extremely low, Lin An certainly does not want anyone to discover that he was the instigator of that 'super great battle'!

Whether it's the destruction of the stellar battlefield or the identity of the apocalypse-bringer, exposing either will draw a huge number of enemies!

(It shouldn't be that coincidental; 77 helped me hide the information. To recognize me, probably only those Fifth Stage survivors from the stellar battle back then could do so..)

No more thinking.

After about ten or so seconds, a rune-like ten-headed object in Lin An's hand suddenly lit up.

In an instant, a miniature light gate suddenly unfolded above everyone's heads.

At the same moment, Qing Kai's voice also sounded instantly:

"Lord Lin An, you may enter!"

"But I must remind you first, those entering via different modes may have different circumstances. You need to make a trip into our civilization's interior!"

"Beep, entering the Death Space Zone instance."

"Current instance difficulty: low..."

"Mission: 0..."

Accompanied by the familiar sensation of weightlessness from teleportation, Lin An ignored the system prompt coming from above, merely furrowed his brows slightly and looked at the message sent by Qing Kai.

"What does that mean?"

"Didn't you say that entering the Stellar Glory only requires passing through a few instances as transit points, with the Stellar Glory entry point located in an independent area?"

Eyes wary, Lin An coldly questioned.

According to the data provided by Qing Kai, to facilitate participation of various civilizations in the competition, the entry points of the Stellar Glory War are distributed among many special instances. These instances are extremely concealed, and transmission also requires holding Stellar Glory qualification to enter.

Thus, not only does it prevent large numbers of Awakened Ones from gathering and triggering system disasters, more importantly it can effectively protect each civilization's 'seeds'.

After all, those coming are elites, and the distances between them are vast; if they truly flew to the same point, the Stellar Glory War couldn't even proceed.

That is also why Lin An felt relieved selecting a batch of the most promising Fourth Stage individuals to try out for the competition.

Sensing Lin An's coldness, Qing Kai on the other end of the communication gave a cold chuckle and began to explain unhurriedly:

"Lord Lin An, you need not misunderstand anything."

"That's right; each Stellar Glory transmission point can indeed enter the Stellar Glory, but only for virtual mode. If entering with one's true body, this definitely requires multiple transmissions to enter the Stellar Glory Alliance."

"You also know that the Stellar Glory Alliance certainly cannot grant transmission eligibility to just any civilization, so this transmission point is only within our civilization."

His tone carried a hint of inherent arrogance; although Qing Kai dared not show it, the fact is indeed so.

That is, Lin An, this barbarian monkey from a backwater star, understands nothing and truly thinks he can casually join the Stellar Glory War.

Not to mention eligibility, even the manner of participation is strictly limited.

Hearing Qing Kai's explanation, Lin An's gaze turned cold, and he instantly realized Qing Kai's ulterior motive just now.

(Do we still need to enter from the Creator Alliance?)

(Is this a show of force, or are you afraid that if you tell me beforehand I wouldn't dare to participate?)

"So then? So I need to bring those who chose the real mode and gather together at your alliance?"

"Yes, Lord Lin An."

"But rest assured, I have already arranged your identity. When you bring your people over, I will definitely receive you respectfully and will not cause you any inconvenience."

"Furthermore, I will not hide it from you: this time you are bringing so many people in, I can only arrange you via teaming up, placing you under one of our alliance's seeds. Otherwise, if you wanted to enter as a Fourth Stage, or with so many Fourth Stage individuals, it simply cannot be done."

While speaking, Qing Kai's gaze swept toward a flash of white light shining deep within the alliance interior.

Unaccountably, a flicker of delight flashed in his eyes.

He hasn't deceived Lin An in any way, nor does he intend to scheme. After all, his life is in Lin An's hands, so he hopes Lin An comes to no harm.

But thinking about what will happen when Lin An arrives, he feels a faint sense of delight in his heart.

Although called teaming up, it actually means assigning Lin An and the others as War Slaves, entering as servants following their alliance's seeds.

Although it has little effect on Lin An, being able to disgust him a bit is also good.

His reaction was swift; Lin An instantly grasped Qing Kai's implied meaning.

"Qing Kai? Are you seeking death?"

Realizing he needs his true body, or else to bring his squad members to the Creator Alliance's core, Lin An's vigilance rose instantly, and he coldly rebuked without courtesy.

With the Shen Yuan remains in hand, he does not worry about his own safety. But that does not mean he is confident he can protect the others!

Within the Creator Alliance, there are at least dozens of Star Destroyers, plus countless beings nearing Death Star level Fifth Stage peak! If Qing Kai harbors ill intent, the entire team will be in trouble!

"No no no, Lord Lin An, you may have misunderstood something."

"I also don't want to die; if you are truly afraid, you could actually participate in virtual mode. Or you could have your squad members give up true-body entry; you should also know that I would never dare to act against you."

"You aren't in contact with Gu Si Man and his group, are you? They know the Stellar Glory rules; if you don't believe me, you can also verify with them."

As if having figured Lin An out, Qing Kai finished speaking with a light chuckle and leisurely awaited Lin An's decision.

During this time he has been thinking and analyzing Lin An's intentions, ultimately concluding that Lin An must have a compelling reason to enter the Stellar Glory!

Furthermore, he is also probing, testing whether Lin An dares to come to the Creator Alliance!

If he dares, it means Lin An certainly has other power in his hands or behind him; if he doesn't dare, then after the Stellar Glory ends he could completely turn on Lin An!

Thinking of possible relics on Earth and of what Lin An carries, he cannot help but feel a surge of heat in his heart.

The atmosphere fell into a subtle silence.

Beside them, Mo Ling and Gao Tian, who followed Lin An in, both simultaneously realized that Lin An seemed to have run into some trouble:

Lin An (Brother Lin)?

What's wrong? Aren't we continuing to teleport?

Seeing everyone worried about him, Lin An's eyes flickered, and he soon solemnly looked at Mo Ling:

Mo Ling, how fast is your teleportation speed and how far can you go? I mean, if we're ambushed, are you confident you can get everyone away?

Lin An couldn't afford to be careless; he wasn't afraid, but he had to consider the safety of the team members!

If it really doesn't work, he can only give up letting Gao Tian and the others enter in their true forms! The Creator Alliance is nothing less than a dragon's pool and tiger's den!

Instant!

My activation speed depends on my reaction time, but the teleportation distance is short; however, I can pull everyone into the Necromantic Space.

As long as I remain still, theoretically I won't be detected. Or rather, if someone outside knows I'm not dead, I can hold out for a long time. Of course, I'm also unsure how effective this is against those powerful beings.

Mo Ling answered seriously, but as he spoke, a strange color flashed in the depths of his eyes.

You know I'm not dead?

Lin An blinked slightly, not having time to ponder the peculiarity of Mo Ling's ability, and quickly made up his mind.

Can you keep everyone hidden temporarily? That's enough; if the Creator Alliance really dares to move against him, he'll make this bunch of fools know what true terror is!

As for the final step, he doesn't mind proactively summoning the Abyssal Bones!

Alright, I'll take people to the Creator Alliance.

Qing Kai, I hope you.. don't court death! Some things, don't blame me for not warning you!