Chapter 31: Found You!

He currently held two Rank-B side quests. If he saved the plot-critical characters, each rescue would grant a Rank-C side quest, meaning he could potentially secure one Rank-A side quest and two Rank-C side quests upon returning to the God’s space.

In reality, Chen Mo had the capability to farm over an Rank-S side quest in this *Skyline* catastrophe. However, he feared that if he farmed too many points in this scenario, the God would increase the difficulty disproportionately in the next, so he refrained from aiming for such high-tier rewards.

Yet, greed is human nature. As a reincarnator, it was only natural to crave high-level side quests and vast amounts of reward points, and Chen Mo was no exception—especially since he possessed certain "hacks" and abilities that allowed him to resist the God’s difficulty adjustments.

Thus, he chose a compromise: he wouldn't aim for an Rank-S quest, but he would at least secure a double Rank-A reward. Tonight was his time to farm.

Killing one squid alien yielded 1,500 reward points, while killing one gorilla alien granted a Rank-B side quest plus 5,000 reward points. Mathematically, he could kill five gorilla aliens to reach the limit of a double Rank-A, double Rank-B, and double Rank-C side quest reward structure.

However, that was risky. There was still time before the extraction, and accidents could happen. For instance, if he suddenly stumbled upon the captain of the Southern Ice Continent team, he would have to kill him. Or, if his estimation was off and saving a plot character yielded more than expected, he might accidentally cross the threshold into an Rank-S quest.

Therefore, he decided to limit himself to three gorilla aliens, leaving the remaining side quest vacancies to handle unforeseen circumstances. As for the squid aliens, which only provided points, he could afford to farm more of them; if he truly intended to walk the path of cultivation, he would need plenty of time for training upon his return, and one could never have too many reward points.

*Sigh*, he worked so hard, wracking his brain to avoid farming too many quests or points, terrified of accidentally crossing that threshold. It was truly exhausting.

With these rather self-important thoughts in mind, Chen Mo slipped into the shadow of a Kurumi Tokisaki clone, letting them lead him toward the location of the aliens.

Two Kurumi clones remained to guard the father and son from the film, and he had dispatched ten more to secure the safe house. He set off with twenty clones to hunt. He simply did not trust Chu Hao’s luck—he was certain that if the guy’s plan didn't hit a snag, something was wrong. Plus, the God had a nasty habit of throwing major curveballs toward the end of a mission, which led Chen Mo to double the number of clones left behind to guard the safe house.

Chen Mo estimated that if an accident occurred, it would likely be one of two things: either the Southern Ice Continent team captain, through sheer luck, had found the Northern Ice Continent team’s hideout despite lacking a psychic, or the aliens had discovered the safe house through some unknown means and launched an assault.

He left behind ten clones—ten clones at the peak of the Second Stage, possessing flight, shadow-based long-range attacks, and versatile capabilities—which were sufficient to protect the Northern Ice Continent team in an emergency.

Reassured, Chen Mo followed his clones into the distance to track the aliens.

...

...

"Damn it, there's only one day left. Have I still not found a trace of the Northern Ice Continent team?"

Alex searched for survivors with mounting frustration. His body was covered in wounds from his previous battle with a gorilla alien. Its shell was too thick, and he lacked any decent offensive means, forcing him to escape into the sewers.

"I can't find the plot characters from *Skyline* either. If I can't find the Northern Ice Continent team, I’m afraid I won't be able to get any more side quests this round."

Although he had gained quite a few side quests and points by killing members of the Northern Ice Continent team and the squid aliens, he was unsatisfied. He had expected at least two Rank-A side quests from this team battle, but currently, he had gained less than one, leaving him deeply dissatisfied.

He pulled a few bags of ordinary blood from his storage ring and drained them; his complexion improved significantly.

"Tch, I’ll finish exploring this area and then leave. If I still can't find them, I’ll escape Los Angeles. The Central Continent team will arrive in ten hours or so; I need to stay away from them..."

His eyes suddenly glowed with a scarlet light, as if he had gained x-ray vision. The surrounding area was laid bare before him.

This was an ability granted by his Vampiric and Demon bloodlines—Life Observation and Soul Peering. The former allowed him to observe the vitality within a biological entity, while the latter allowed him to observe the soul within, as well as regular spiritual entities.

Combined, these two abilities functioned as a simple life-detection eye. Within his line of sight, any creature with signs of life or a soul would be "marked." This ability could even penetrate walls to detect life and soul fluctuations.

It was thanks to this ability that, even without a psychic, Alex had managed to locate survivors to drain for blood and soul energy while injured.

However, using this ability to find the Northern Ice Continent team was indeed difficult. He still had to check building by building while avoiding aliens. Searching all of Los Angeles within a few days to find the hidden members of the Northern Ice Continent team was like finding a needle in a haystack—nearly impossible.

He had spent so much time hunting them only because his mind had been clouded by anger and hatred after being caught in the Northern Ice Continent team’s explosive trap. It seemed that hadn't been a wise decision.

His scarlet eyes scanned the area once more. Still nothing.

Alex sighed.

*Fine, I’ll let you go this time. If I see you again, I will wipe you all out... Hm?*

Suddenly, Alex noticed traces of life inside a building.

If it were just that, it wouldn't be strange. Although Los Angeles had been occupied by aliens, many humans were still hiding in the corners of the city, scraping by. Perhaps this was just a group of ordinary survivors.

But that wasn't it... Alex could see that in every corner of the building, and even in the basement, there were traces of life... possessing the vibrant vitality and soul strength unique to superhumans!

It was the Northern Ice Continent team! They were hiding right there!

"Found you."

A cruel smile curled the corners of Alex's mouth.

"Yes, you found us."

Kurumi Tokisaki, who had appeared behind Alex at some point, raised her flintlock pistol and replied with a smile.