Chapter 24: The Operation... Begins!

"Spider Team, begin operation... Target at nine o'clock, six hundred meters from your position."

"Initiate. Draw the target's attention and move toward Point A."

"Demolition Team, begin operation. You have three minutes. Once the charges are set, evacuate Point D immediately, rendezvous with the Spider Team, and proceed to the concealed extraction point."

After chatting with his group members all night, Chen Mo still felt no desire to sleep. Fortunately, the plan he had prepared with the human military had gone smoothly; the military had intervened in Los Angeles, established contact with Chen Mo via communication equipment, and even dispatched personnel to return the Hypnotic Eye to him.

Chen Mo then used the Hypnotic Eye to hypnotize himself into sleep... It was quite effective for curing insomnia.

The next day arrived. The military launched a suicide attack with a fleet of aircraft carrying nuclear weapons against the alien mothership. The attack succeeded; the mothership was temporarily disabled, releasing a massive number of flying aliens to engage the human forces.

It was at this moment that Chu Hao's plan officially commenced.

...

Before this, however, Chen Mo had made some preparations.

First, taking advantage of the mothership's crash, he had several Kurumis carry high-yield explosives into the ship to locate the cockpit. If the opportunity arose later, they could detonate the charges to attempt the destruction of the vessel.

Next, he used the Hypnotic Eye to place his teammates under hypnosis. This was not mind control or anything of a lewd nature, but rather a mental suggestion designed to temporarily enhance their physical capabilities, ensuring they wouldn't perish due to unforeseen accidents. After all, with Chu Hao—a jinx—and himself—the cause of the butterfly effect—around, a seemingly flawless alien-hunting mission could easily spiral into a disaster. Thorough preparation was mandatory.

Under the influence of the Hypnotic Eye, the physical functions of J, Ares, Jenny, and Osas would be boosted when they became emotionally aroused. For example, an ordinary person’s running speed could exceed Usain Bolt’s, or their strength could rival Mike Tyson’s—nothing too outrageous. Because of the hypnotic suggestion, they would not notice these changes in their own performance, and the effects would automatically dissipate before they returned to the God Space.

Naturally, Chen Mo did not use this effect on Chu Hao; as someone who had unlocked the first stage of the genetic lock, he would certainly be immune to such a level of hypnotic control.

As for the other person, the blonde woman who chose not to participate in the alien hunt... she had simply been trailing behind Chen Mo’s group and was currently staying in the safe house with the other plot characters.

In all honesty, her choice was not wrong. The plan to hunt aliens was bound to encounter various issues, and one wrong move could mean death. However, in the God Space, not moving forward meant falling behind. If you don't farm points, the next scenario will farm you; it was merely delaying the inevitable.

Moreover, she seemed to possess a "middle-aged aunt" archetype. Even in various *Infinite* fan fictions, reincarnators with this trait rarely survived. Combined with Chu Hao’s teammate-killing nature...

Fearing she might act like a "pig teammate" as in the original work (like tripping while fleeing or screaming and attracting more aliens), Chen Mo placed a hypnotic suggestion on her as well. It wasn't a combat boost like the one given to Jenny and the others, but a preventative measure to stop her from harming teammates or plot characters. Once she showed signs of betraying the team, the suggestion would take effect, curbing the behavior at its root.

Incidentally, the plot characters from *Skyline*, with the exception of the protagonist Jarrod, had also been placed under hypnotic suggestions when they were knocked unconscious and sent to the safe house, to prevent them from doing anything that might sabotage the reincarnators.

In short, stability is key! Caution is the mother of safety! One must persist in following the example of the model worker Han; stay cautious, and everything will be fine!

Back to the present.

The preparations for the hunt were complete. Once everyone had arrived at their respective positions, Chu Hao issued commands via the communicator from his vantage point.

"Received!" ×2

The two members of the Spider Team, Jenny and Chen Mo, jumped out from their hiding spot. They looked toward the nine o'clock direction at the giant alien, which stood ten stories tall.

It had spotted them.

"Come and get me!" Chen Mo taunted the gorilla-like alien.

The alien was enraged! It immediately turned around and charged toward the pair with long, heavy strides.

Seeing this, Jenny and Chen Mo did not hesitate and took off running.

The giant alien sprinted along the road, each step causing the ground to tremble. Windows in surrounding buildings shattered from the vibrations, and massive footprints left deep cracks in the solid asphalt as it pursued them.

Perhaps attracted by the massive commotion or because these aliens possessed some form of collective communication, as it charged, a swarm of flying squid-like aliens began to emerge from streets, alleys, and buildings within a thousand-meter radius, joining the pursuit. They followed the giant gorilla, moving even faster than the behemoth itself.

Chu Hao counted them and looked at the tablet displaying the feeds from the monitors he had placed around the area. Within his field of vision, there were 11 squid aliens, and he estimated a few more might be drawn to the battlefield by the noise of the explosions.

If the numbers remained this low, it would be manageable.

"No problem. Don't stop, watch your step, don't fall," Chu Hao comforted and directed them over the comms. "The gorilla alien's pursuit speed is within predicted limits. Jenny, try to fire as much spider silk as possible to intercept the squid aliens near you. Chen Mo, use the Blood-Slaying Blade to knock back any that cannot be intercepted."

"In the alley to your right, fifty meters ahead, an alien is rushing toward you. Watch for it."

"...Twenty seconds left until you reach Point A. I’ll give you ten seconds to clear the area, which is enough to get you out of the blast zone. Good luck."

"Vroom, vroom..."

The two ran forward for a distance. As Chu Hao had predicted, a squid alien with blue-glowing tentacles surged out from the alley on the right. Jenny had already fired her web-shooter, creating an interception net across the alley that momentarily ensnared the creature.

Just as it was about to break through, Chen Mo, who had already reached its side, drew the Blood-Slaying Blade from his inventory. A flash of red light cut through the air, sending the squid alien flying. A deep gash appeared on its shell as it slammed into the wall behind.

Having succeeded with the strike, Chen Mo sheathed the blade and continued running forward with Jenny.