Matthew Addison glanced at the assembled group and coldly stated, "Let's continue!" "Continue?" Ryan, one of the protagonists, exclaimed loudly, "Continue what? Are you kidding me! I am absolutely not going into that passage!" Matthew Addison's gaze shifted to Kaplan, the computer expert mercenary, who was sweating profusely. "Y-yes, yes, I've shut down all the security systems, all of them…" Matthew Addison repeated, "All of them? Confirm?" Without waiting for Kaplan's reply, he snatched the instrument from the ground and strode toward the other end of the passage.

Kaplan furiously worked the keyboard. This time, the entrance gate did not close. The heroine, Alice, followed as the plot dictated and stepped inside. Then, the door leading to the central computer—the Flame Empress's chamber—sealed shut again. Zheng Zha and the others exchanged glances; they knew the Resident Evil theme was about to commence: Zombies! Zhan Lan whispered to Zheng Zha and the other man, "Stay close to Zhang Jie, absolutely do not let yourselves be bitten or scratched by a zombie. In the movie, once infected with the T-Virus, transformation takes less than thirty minutes. I did a calculation when I watched this movie before: Antidote injections are only effective within about ten minutes. Remember, stay close to Zhang Jie; since he survived three horror films, he should be able to survive this one too."

Zheng Zha and Li Xiaoyi both nodded. Zhan Lan suddenly laughed, "Right, does killing people make you feel disgusted?" Li Xiaoyi replied first, "When I first arrived here, it was sickening, and I couldn't get used to the atmosphere. But after throwing up just now, my chest feels much clearer. If my eyes were closed, I think I’d dare to kill someone now."

Zheng Zha pondered. He also felt significantly better after vomiting, and he had personally experienced a life-or-death moment. The unreality of just arriving in this world had faded. He felt he was gradually merging into this horror film; as long as he could survive, he was willing to kill, willing to fight monsters! Zhan Lan continued, "Good. Then, we find a chance to pick up their firearms later. When you see a lone zombie, try to take it down—these are all Reward Points. Remember, the head! That's the zombie's weak spot!" As she spoke, the lights in the entire room suddenly dimmed. They knew Matthew Addison had powered down the central mainframe, and simultaneously, the central computer’s defense system—which had kept the zombies and Lickers isolated—failed instantly. The entire laboratory would become a world for those two entities. Having endured the pain of previous plot deviations, none of them dared to alter the script this time. Zheng Zha could only watch as the central computer was shut down, knowing that facing death was next.

In the darkness, Zheng Zha felt Li Xiaoyi beside him trembling incessantly, and even Zhan Lan was subtly shaking. He couldn't help but whisper, "Are you scared?" Li Xiaoyi answered, "Yeah, very scared."

Zhan Lan, however, remarked, "Just overly excited…" Zheng Zha suddenly found the woman terrifying and dared not ask more. He just looked up toward the light source, silently awaiting whatever came next.

After several tense seconds, the room brightened again. Zheng Zha knew it had begun! Matthew Addison and the heroine emerged from the central computer room. The black mercenary looked utterly exhausted. He glanced at the corpses in the passage and said, "We can't deal with them right now; let's secure the Flame Empress's motherboard and get it back to the company first. Kaplan, what's the status of the Hive?" Kaplan tapped a few keys on his computer. "Good, all security is offline. We can walk straight out of the Hive."

Matthew Addison nodded. "Excellent. Then, right now we—" Before he finished speaking, gunshots suddenly erupted from the "B Restaurant" area outside. Matthew Addison and Kaplan exchanged a look, gripped their weapons, and ran out. The heroine Alice and the other two protagonists followed suit. Zheng Zha and his two companions exchanged glances and simultaneously trailed behind them.

When Zheng Zha and the others reached the entrance to "B Restaurant," he specifically focused on the containers holding the Lickers. Yes, the green lights on the containers had all turned red, signaling that the Lickers' cryostasis had failed. Thinking of the terrifying number of Lickers that implied, Zheng Zha felt an icy dread grip his heart. That sheer volume of Lickers was absolutely beyond human capacity to counter.

When the group arrived at the entrance to "B Restaurant," the long-haired mercenary Rain was standing there, cursing under her breath. Matthew Addison asked, "What happened? I heard gunfire."

A large chunk of flesh was missing between Rain’s thumb and forefinger; the bloody wound looked gruesome. Gritting her teeth, she reported, "Sir, we encountered a survivor, but he was already insane, and he actually bit me…" Matthew Addison frowned. "So you shot him?" Rain shot back loudly, "Sir, but he was already mad!" "He's gone!" Zhang Jie's voice suddenly cut in. He looked at a pool of blood on the floor and said faintly, "He was just here, but now he's vanished."

Matthew Addison walked to the bloodstain and studied it for a moment. The blood had taken on a semi-congealed state; it was definitely not fresh blood flowing from a recent wound. A bad feeling settled in his gut. Matthew Addison stood up and announced loudly, "We are leaving the Hive immediately!" Rain looked surprised. "Sir? Wasn't our order to secure the Flame Empress's motherboard and maintain perimeter security until follow-up units arrived?" Matthew Addison shook his head with a wry smile. "There are no follow-up units left… Prepare to move out!" At this moment, Zhan Lan stepped up to Zhang Jie and quietly asked, "When you spoke up just now, weren't you afraid of altering the plot?" Zhang Jie sneered, "You newcomers are something else, managing to change the plot and still live… Look at your watches properly. Is Matthew Addison's name still on them?" Zhan Lan and Zheng Zha, standing beside her, simultaneously glanced at their devices. Sure enough, Matthew Addison's name had vanished; that space was now blank.

Zhang Jie said with a cold laugh, "From now on, we have free reign. Remember, you can do anything, as long as you survive."

He paused, then added, "If I were you—with your poor stamina, slow reflexes, and no firearms—I would stick with the main group back to the Flame Empress's room. At least that offers sustained safety…" Zheng Zha and the other two were stunned. Zhan Lan smiled. "I didn't realize you were actually quite decent, just socially awkward."

Zhang Jie scoffed, "Decent? What a joke. I just don't want you slowing down my acquisition of Reward Points. Don't misunderstand me… There are no good people in this world. As long as I can live, I don't mind using the three of you as my human shields!" The naked killing intent in his words chilled the three of them. Simultaneously, the sound of grinding metal drifted from not far away. Rain and JD moved toward the noise, guns raised. After only a few steps, a man in a lab coat, dragging an iron hammer, appeared from around the corner, followed by several swaying 'people' behind him.

JD clicked the slide on his gun. "Stop! Or I'll shoot!" Naturally, these 'people' could not stop; they had long since been infected by the T-Virus and turned into zombies. As they appeared, more swaying 'people' emerged from the surrounding corners—all dressed in work uniforms or lab coats. Some of them were already beginning to rot, and some still moved despite completely twisted ankles. Zheng Zha even saw one whose head was only half intact, the decaying bone and greyish brain matter exposed. The sight nearly made him vomit again.

"Stop, or we shoot!" "Bang!" Matthew Addison fired the first shot at the zombies. The lead zombie wielding the hammer was blasted backward, but it quickly staggered back to its feet. It had taken over a dozen rounds, yet it barely seemed to bleed.

"Bang!" Zhang Jie's Desert Eagle roared. The immense power of the pistol pulverized the zombie's head, scattering it like an exploding watermelon. He sneered, "You all quickly find the exit; I'll handle this!" Matthew Addison hesitated for a moment, then shouted, "Alright, team members, maintain formation! JD, you find the exit! Rain, guard the prisoner, the rest stay with me!" Zheng Zha looked back. Zhang Jie hadn't fired again; he was casually spinning the Desert Eagle on his finger, letting the zombies close in on him. Then, he unleashed a rapid burst. The few zombies closest to him dropped instantly with blown-out heads. His speed and accuracy far surpassed that of any normal person! Zheng Zha felt he could actually track Zhang Jie's movements. He had read books on combat that divided human vision into two types: static acuity, which determines how far away you can see tiny details, and dynamic acuity, which lets you see fast-moving objects more clearly the faster they move. Strong dynamic acuity implies faster neural reflexes.

It seemed to him that he could clearly perceive Zhang Jie’s actions, suggesting the gap in their neural reflex speeds wasn't vast. Furthermore, watching the zombies’ heads explode, the initial nausea subsided, replaced by a strange sense of normalcy. He attributed this to his mental fortitude. (So the Reward Points really did enhance my physical capabilities! It wasn't just a joke!) Zheng Zha felt ecstatic internally but remained calm, following behind Matthew Addison. After a few steps, Matthew Addison suddenly turned and handed him a pistol and two magazines. "I might not be able to cover you guys in a moment. Each magazine holds fifteen rounds. Do as Zhang Jie did—aim directly for their heads!" Zheng Zha understood this better than anyone. Though he had never used a handgun, with his current neural reflexes, his seemingly rapid draw and aim actually involved locking his sights precisely onto the zombie's skull. He was also smart: he absolutely would not shoot at zombies farther than ten meters. Ten meters was his effective range. With a non-sighted handgun, everything depended on 'gun feel,' and as a first-time wielder, he could only dominate within that ten-meter bubble.

The others were unaware of this. They saw Zheng Zha raise his gun and fire, making it look as if he needed no aiming, yet he achieved a headshot every single time. At a glance, he appeared incredibly skilled. Matthew Addison nodded subtly, while he and the other mercenaries focused only on the path ahead. The zombies behind them were left to Zhang Jie and Zheng Zha.

Li Xiaoyi’s eyes shone with admiration. He exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Zheng Zha, you're amazing! You must have used guns a lot before? Incredible! Think of all the Reward Points!" Matthew Addison suddenly turned back and asked, "Reward Points?" Li Xiaoyi's face instantly turned ashen. Zheng Zha knew he must have heard a warning sound, followed by a deduction of his points. This brother was truly unlucky—he hadn't gained any points, only gone into the negative.

Matthew Addison gave the trio a curious glance before turning back to face forward. Zhan Lan patted her chest and whispered quietly, "That was close; I thought the plot was about to change again."

Zhan Lan was actually well-built and quite attractive. The movement of patting her chest caused a noticeable sway, and Zheng Zha and Li Xiaoyi both stole a second look. She seemed to realize the attention and quickly wrapped both hands around her chest. "Do you think Zhang Jie will be okay? We can't see him anymore."

Zheng Zha knew she was trying to change the subject, so he casually replied, "He should be fine. His skills are far superior to ours, and he has that infinite-ammo Desert Eagle… Damn it, when I survive this, I’m redeeming one too."

Zhan Lan touched her forehead again, a habitual gesture. Her forehead was slightly more prominent than average, and her bust was larger than standard, making the gesture quite captivating. "One hundred Reward Points can boost an ordinary person's strength by a tenth, or something similar. After we survive, I need to ask Zhang Jie about the details of exchanging points… Now isn't the time for that; you should focus on protecting us."

Zhan Lan giggled.

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