"Still alive…"
Nova, strengthened as a werewolf, and Zhao Ying, with her second-stage gene lock, fared slightly better.
The worst off were Yehui and Zhan Lan.
Both women had chosen enhancement paths that barely increased their own capabilities, leaving them almost as ordinary humans.
After such an icy attack, both were disoriented, teetering on the edge of madness.
Zheng Zha's steps were unsteady, his body swaying.
His eyes burned with anger and frustration as he locked his gaze on Chu Xuan.
Step by step, he advanced toward Chu Xuan.
The rest of the team silently watched, tension thick in the air.
Zheng Zha finally reached Chu Xuan and, summoning every ounce of strength, swung a punch at Chu Xuan's calm, almost infuriatingly serene face.
The blow landed with a heavy thud, echoing through the silent factory.
Yet Chu Xuan remained like a cold wax figure, unmoved and expressionless.
Apart from a vivid red mark appearing on his face, proof that he had been hit, he seemed entirely unaffected.
His gaze remained calm, as if none of it had anything to do with him.
Zheng Zha had expected at least some reaction, a sign that Chu Xuan felt his anger and resentment.
Instead, he froze.
Staring at Chu Xuan, his fury felt instantly extinguished, replaced by a profound sense of powerlessness.
His fist hung in midair, trembling slightly, lacking the energy to continue.
For a moment, Zheng Zha felt like a ridiculous clown performing anger on a stage, while Chu Xuan was the indifferent audience, unmoved by his every act.
The stark contrast left him suffocating with frustration and helplessness.
He opened his mouth, intending to speak, but only a long sigh escaped.
He lowered his fist and turned toward Zhan Lan.
"Um…" Yujin cleared his throat.
"Everyone, don't be so gloomy. At least our team score has now reached eleven points—a high score!"
Yujin's Reincarnation Watch also recorded the rewards earned in this round.
Even the well-traveled Lord God Yujin struggled to contain his excitement.
Thirty-one thousand reward points.
The generous reward included one B‑level side quest and seven C‑level side quests.
It was as if Chu Xuan had already seen through Yujin's thoughts.
He spoke calmly.
"After settlement, as a reward for the team's coordinated effort, I suggest we divide everything reasonably. Of course, without you, none of this would have gone so smoothly. You will take seventy percent of the team reward."
"That works for me."
Yujin nodded in satisfaction.
He was happy to give up a portion of the profit.
After all, investing in the protagonist team would always yield an absurdly high return.
The plan itself was sound.
However, the rest of the Central Continent team no longer looked at Chu Xuan the same way they had when they first met this "smart guy."
Everything he did prioritized benefits first and placed the lives of his teammates second.
Chu Xuan had completely lost their trust.
"Yujin."
Zhang Jie, who was the most familiar with Yujin among everyone present, limped toward him.
"We… for this round… let's just stop here. We really… can't hold on any longer."
Chu Xuan seemed to have foreseen this.
His expression remained indifferent as he spoke.
"Our advantage right now is immense. It took tremendous effort to accumulate this. If you choose to return now, what you'll lose is over ten thousand reward points and at least three B‑level side plots."
He swept his gaze across the group.
"Are you sure?"
Zheng Zha roared, "What do you think!? Are we sure!? Nightmare on Elm Street was hellish, but even if we died there, we accepted that ending! Because Yujin's plans may not be as detailed as yours, but he still has humanity! And you!? You treat every one of us as pieces on a board!"
He looked at Chu Xuan's missing arm.
"Even you aren't an exception. You're insane. I'm officially declaring that I will no longer follow your commands!"
After shouting everything he wanted, Zheng Zha turned to Yujin, his big brother figure.
"Captain! You decide! We really can't endure much more!"
Yujin felt awkward.
He couldn't help thinking that he should really have brought a camera to record Zheng Zha's performance right now.
A few more cycles later, when Zheng Zha turned into "Zheng Gorilla," and the team lost Chu Xuan, and Zheng Zha spiraled into despair after losing their strategist…
He would show him this recording.
That scene would definitely be hilarious.
But for now, the team truly did look like Komodo dragons tortured by a dozen "Brother Threes"—utterly dazed and broken.
Yujin sighed.
"In that case, let's prioritize returning to the Lord God Space as soon as possible. Chu Xuan, stand down."
Chu Xuan nodded with an emotionless face.
"As you wish."
Once he calmed the team down, Yujin began thinking about his next enhancement after returning.
Perhaps because they shared the same mind, the other Yujins in other worlds were also planning at the same time.
On the deck of a ship, the pirate Yujin—now the greatest contributor to the Impel Down escape incident—ate grapes one after another while wearing two Earth Grudge masks.
He muttered to the air, "The most urgent matter right now is the Uchiha massacre. Of course, it would be ideal if my enhancement path could lean toward defeating Enel, the Thunder‑Fruit user. I honestly don't know if I'll be able to beat that guy who basically died only because the Nika Fruit's plot armor demanded it. If I'm being honest… it feels impossible. My chances are almost zero."
Marvel Yujin's voice came through immediately.
"Right now, we don't know how much our Lord God Yujin will gain this time. But the synchronization we've provided over the past few days should be enough to keep him alive. Unless the Lord God's dynamic difficulty adjustment decides to be unreasonable."
On Uchiha Yujin's side, he seemed busy and only spoke after a long pause.
"I might really be getting overconfident. I think now, if I faced Itachi or Obito during the Night of Genocide, it wouldn't necessarily end in my death. If it comes to that, I'll join Orochimaru for now. When Lord God Yujin returns, let him focus on strengthening under the premise of killing Enel!"
Pirate Yujin finished the last bunch of grapes and said, "Without dealing with Orochimaru's abilities, it's better not to take that step. That guy could resurrect at any time. If that happens, going in would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's den. Besides, we've activated three tomoe now. No matter where we go, we're just fat sheep."
Uchiha Yujin sighed.
"Don't talk about me for now. It seems you escaped Impel Down, so our chances of survival are slightly higher. But the Pirate World is still at sea. How is it any different from being in an even larger Impel Down? The World Government won't let you off."
He had just finished speaking when Pirate Yujin suddenly jumped up.
"I'm voting for you. You really are a prophet!"
Uchiha Yujin asked, "What's wrong?"
"What else? A ship is coming!"
****
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