Book 10: Chapter 27: Main Line

“Besides us, there are three other Apostle teams?” Since it was a competitive mission mode, having as many as four Apostle teams wasn’t surprising, but the subsequent mention of High-Rank Apostles alarmed every Apostle present.

“Could teams from the other two Devil’s Horn factions really be targeting us? What an honor! But is that last team led by a High-Rank Apostle just a coincidence?” Everyone in the Patroller Team fell silent, the previous cheerful mood completely gone.

The Gospel World’s special combat laws somewhat narrowed the power gap between Apostles, but High-Rank Apostles with their originally superior strength definitely brought many more replacement abilities into the Gospel World than mid or low-rank Apostles.

Take Qin Lun and Bobby as examples. Bobby’s Particle Biomorph countered close combat well. If facing just the Seventeenth Fallen Angel’s panther form, he would likely have an edge. But Qin Lun didn’t bring just one replacement ability into the Gospel World. If he switched to long-range attacks, waiting until Bobby could no longer maintain his Particle Biomorph, Qin Lun could turn the battle around.

High-Rank Apostles had achieved the perfect form of their profession. They could handle all sorts of combat styles without obvious weaknesses. Just like Kelly in the past, a Martial Artist could effortlessly serve as a temporary tank, or even a support role.

Now it came down to luck. If those High-Rank Apostles didn’t get abilities aligned with their profession’s strengths, Qin Lun might hold out against them. But if they got one or two abilities that were their core strengths, they would still overpower everyone in the Patroller Team.

“Patroller Silver Team, the team competition mission has reached a threshold, triggering the world’s Main Quest: ‘Control Victory’.”

“Control Victory (Lieutenant Colonel Rank – Brigadier Rank): The Gith fleet, led by the Faith, has established early strategic dominance. The Patroller Team must assist the Gith in holding Frontier Base X-352. Secure the planet firmly before the Faith completes its defensive formation and drive off hostile teams.”

“Hint: This competition mission divides participants into two factional camps: Planetary Life Faction and Cosmic Life Faction. Teams from opposing factions are in absolute competition, rendering Main Quest compromise impossible. Teams within the same Life Faction can share the Main Quest but remain in relative competition. Sharing the quest with a relatively competitive team reduces quest difficulty and final evaluation rewards.”

“Main Quest Base Reward: 100,000 Shattered Crystals, 20 Contribution Points, +10 Soul Life Limit. Quest Failure: -70 Soul Lifespan, with a chance of reduced mission evaluation and doubled Soul Life deduction.”

“Warning: This Main Quest involves an unknown Historical Plot. World Exploration Degree rewards are doubled while base rewards remain unchanged. Sharing the quest with another competitive team negates the Exploration Degree bonus. Sharing with two competitive teams reduces Exploration Degree reward to one-third its original value.”

“Let’s all head back to the Advancing first!” Robin’s voice, heavy with gravity, came through the Bingren Mecha’s comm channel.

The jungle near the Insectoid base had been thoroughly cleared. With only a few scattered insects escaping, X-352 was essentially “clean”. Qin Lun led the group quickly back to the Advancing.

Seated in the large conference room, the Apostles fell into a tangled debate. Fuyutsuki and the others seemed aware they were facing a thorny issue and did not participate.

“I think we should return to the Faith first and avoid the other three teams,” Balin suggested thoughtfully. As leader of a mid-sized team, he preferred steady, reliable actions. “With the Faith as a base, we’d have time to observe the other teams. Even if two are hostile, the third could be negotiated with. If we delay, there’s still hope of winning!”

“But going back to the Faith means giving up our current positional advantage!” A calm voice with a soft edge sounded in the room. “We aren’t insects. The Advancing is relatively small. If we hide on the planet, other teams would struggle to find us quickly. The Faith patrols outside, and the Advancing serves as our hidden anchor. We can pick them off one by one, or simply let them fight it out and reap the rewards later. Why abandon X-352 just to run back to the Faith?”

Qin Lun rested his chin on one hand, expressionlessly glancing at the speaker. It was Dean, the younger brother of a pair of usually low-key siblings and one of the three first-tier professionals aboard, alongside Bobby and Sawa.

Dean’s argument resonated with some of the team. Effortlessly wiping out the Insectoid base gave everyone significant confidence. They understood a large element of luck was involved; replicating such a feat wouldn’t be easy.

First, Robin’s scouting ability let them spot Insectoid patrols from afar. Then, Qin Lun’s surprise attack allowed them to annihilate the capable Napatha squad swiftly, providing the Insectoid base’s coordinates. Each step relied perfectly on the last—one missing link would have made the mission far less smooth. With luck clearly on their side and the advantage earned early, giving it up felt wasteful.

Moreover, Dean’s suggestion was feasible. The Advancing was an independent scout vessel. It could deploy vast numbers of micro-probes across the planet’s surface while hiding in the deep oceans. Enemies wouldn’t find them, but they would hold the enemy’s movements—that was the core benefit of their position.

“And what if we are exposed?” The sharp retort came from Dean’s brother, Loben, though his eyes held a trace of warmth as if shielding Dean indirectly. “If exposed, we’d be hopelessly trapped! Escape would be extremely difficult!”

“Stop worrying about possibilities! Our Apostle lives are already high-stakes gambles. Over fifty percent odds are worth a shot,” Dean replied calmly. “Besides, by my calculations, staying on X-352 gives less than a ten percent chance of discovery.”

“Even with High-Rank Apostles on their side, the odds of us striking first and defeating one of the teams are over sixty percent in my estimate. And if things get tough, the chance of forging an alliance with one specific team should exceed seventy percent.”

The Patroller Team members were elites among Apostles. Many Second-Order Apostles had seen High-Rank Apostles in action before. Dean’s analysis leaned optimistic—those six or seven out of ten probabilities felt generous—but his core point held merit. Fifty-fifty odds were definitely achievable.

“Others?” Robin tightly furrowed her brows, looking around the table.

“Dean makes sense, but it’s not the best choice,” said Huobiao, the normally fiery man speaking with unusual calmness. “Against one High-Rank team alone, I might agree. But a melee involving four teams is just too chaotic. Have any of you considered what happens if the other teams arrive almost simultaneously?”

“If that happens, fighting immediately is unlikely. The damage from the Advancing’s artillery is too obvious. Enemies will act cautiously, trying to find us and eliminate the wildcard first,” Bowei responded, toying with the dagger Xiao Dao in his hands without looking up. “In that scenario, we lose the element of surprise. We’d become the target every team wants to eliminate first. Our chances would plummet.”

“If we hide well enough and they truly can’t find us, they’ll eventually make a move, unable to bear the tension,” Dean countered, frowning slightly, unwilling to concede.

These guys…, Robin sighed inwardly, observing her team members in the conference room.

Debate raged before her. While opinions diverged, both sides presented logical arguments—Dean and his supporters were aggressive, while Balin and others favored caution. Her eyes drifted to Qin Lun before she coolly retorted, “And what’s your opinion, Qin Lun?”

“Ah? Oh! No strong feelings. It’d be best if you decide.” Qin Lun seemed momentarily distracted, lost in thought. Only when addressed did he snap back to reality, offering a sheepish smile.

She resolved to confront him later. Shooting him a hard glare, Robin knew he was feigning ignorance, shirking responsibility, and forcing her hand. Taking a moment to settle her irritation at Qin Lun’s evasiveness, Robin collected herself. “Previous analysis missed something. Star Void already informed us there are three High-Rank Apostles among the competition. From my past adventures with Lost, I know three High-Ranks couldn’t all be in one team; otherwise, they wouldn’t qualify for this Mid-Magic World.”

“We know this. They know this too. Therefore, the three teams must either each have one High-Rank, or one team has none while the others have two and one respectively. In such an uneven scenario, the team without a High-Rank definitely wouldn’t dare stay near the conflict zone. The team with two High-Rank members would probably brush aside any potential ambush.”

“But what if every team does have one High-Rank?” Bobby couldn’t help asking, intrigued. Dean, however, caught on faster, his eyes widening. Robin only needed to state half the thought for them to foresee the rest.

“Relative equality doesn’t matter either,” Dean finished Robin’s reasoning, a smile forming. “At least one or two teams chasing us belong to Devil’s Horn. If only one was from Devil’s Horn – whether Chaos or Apostle Monument – upon encountering the two other teams, they would likely seek an alliance with us first.”

“Exactly! They probably want to recruit us. Showing strength doesn’t necessarily mean suppression. Offering help builds goodwill far more effectively than attacking us.” Dean explained.” If both Devil’s Horn factions are here together, they’d naturally team up to drive off the outsider faction team first, then fight over us later.”

“Right! We assumed they’d just stalemate due to mutual wariness, trapping us in a dilemma,” Balin laughed, clapping his hands in realization. “But we neglected that their differing strengths make such balance impossible! We must keep our positional advantage!”

“So, it’s settled. We stay.” Robin smiled finally. “Next, find the absolute best hiding spot for the Advancing. Something that keeps them searching fruitlessly for as long as possible—even convinces them we’ve already left X-352 entirely.”

“If you’ve decided to stay, I might actually have a suggestion for a hiding spot!” Qin Lun yawned, stretching casually, perfectly timing his entrance.