Matthew Addison was just about to explain the next steps to the four of them when Zhang Jie’s words froze him mid-sentence. After a beat, he managed to say, “What do you mean? We’re running out of time, I don’t have time for jokes.”

Zhang Jie dropped his cigarette butt and spoke with sudden seriousness. “Not joking. What I mean is that the four of us should stay here and guard this place. You know as well as I do that the other three have the stamina of ordinary civilians. The chances of them falling behind during the long escape are huge. It’s better to stay safe here than to risk that massive failure.”

Matthew Addison glanced at Zheng Zha and the other two. He fell silent for a moment before asking again, “And what about you? Why are you staying here too?” Zhang Jie just shrugged. “Sorry, I’ve recovered some memories. These three are my friends. I can’t abandon them to run off alone. I’ll stay here to make sure they’re protected.”

The rest of the mercenaries drifted over, all watching the group of four with a strange look in their eyes. Matthew Addison turned back to Zheng Zha. “No. He saved my life, and I won't stand by and watch my teammates walk to their deaths! Remember, you are my teammates now, understood? My order is to move out immediately. We’re leaving here!” Just then, Zhan Lan stood up. “Captain, everyone, you know our physical condition. There’s no way we can keep up with your pace if we run the whole way. Rather than turning into those zombie monsters, Captain, don’t you think letting us wait quietly here, hoping for subsequent rescue teams to arrive, is the only way we can survive? If the Captain still insists on us following you to die, then I have nothing more to say.”

Matthew Addison was silent again for a long time. Finally, he sighed deeply. “I understand… Kaplan, activate the defense system for that laser corridor. You four stay inside the main control room of the Fire Empress. That’s the safest place… Wait quietly. If we’re not dead, we’ll report your situation to the company… Don’t die.”

Zhang Jie ushered Zheng Zha and the other two into the Fire Empress control room. Only then did Kaplan activate the defense system for the laser corridor. The lights lining both sides of the passage blazed to life once more. The four watched from the glass window of the steel door as the mercenaries looked back from the steel door at the far end of the corridor. In each other’s eyes, both groups saw a flicker of pity.

After the mercenaries had all left through the sewers, Zhan Lan grinned and remarked, “See that? Their eyes were full of pity. I really wonder what expression they’ll have when they face the Crawlers.”

With three layers of solid steel doors protecting them, plus a laser defense corridor outside the final door, this place was incredibly safe—certainly the safest spot in the entire Hive experimental base, compared to the routes the plot characters were taking. The four instantly relaxed. Zhang Jie, especially, was cheerful as he took out cigarettes and kept offering them to Zheng Zha.

“Are there cigarettes available at the ‘Main God’?” Zheng Zha took a drag. The flavor was incomparably pure, definitely far superior to any cigarette he’d smoked before, so he asked out of curiosity.

Zhang Jie narrowed his eyes. “The ‘Main God’ offers the exchange for so many things, too many for me to even look through. There are four main categories of exchangeable items. First is the technology category: things like firearms, body armor, even weapons that only appear in sci-fi films. But their prices are excessively high—beyond my reach… The second category is Myth and Legend: things like magic scrolls, our Chinese Daoist talismans, as well as various protective charms and blades.”

Li Xiaoyi exclaimed in delight, “Are there weapons that appear in games? Their power must be immense, right?” Zhang Jie glanced sideways at him. “I don’t know about their power level, but the exchange price for Myth and Legend items is double that of the technology items. I assume they’re intended for use in horror films involving ghosts and monsters. I’m not entirely clear on their specific functions.”

Zheng Zha asked, puzzled, “Horror films involving ghosts and monsters?” “Exactly,” Zhang Jie thought for a moment. “For example… Ju-On!” Upon hearing this, the other three felt a chill run through their bodies, as if lurking shadow-ghosts were all around them.

“Do you know why I say this Resident Evil movie is a relatively easy horror film? Because here, you can use technology and reality to explain things. You can shoot the monsters dead, or you can dodge and flee. As long as you aren’t infected with the T-Virus and have enough ammunition, you can keep living.”

A flash of terror crossed Zhang Jie’s eyes as he recounted. “Those horror films that cannot be explained by technology and reality—those are the most terrifying nightmares. You don’t know when you’ll die, you don’t know why you’ll die, and you don’t even know if you’re truly dead. Terror is always beside you; it is omnipresent. That infinite dread feels like it’s dragging you into the abyssal depths of hell…” Zheng Zha patted Zhang Jie’s shoulder and sat down beside him. “A Nightmare on Elm Street One, right?” Zhang Jie nodded bleakly. “In that film… you can’t even imagine what we went through. Over a dozen people died, each death more agonizing than the last. We tried to escape. The one who managed to survive several horror films managed to get us a truck. We drove down the highway, no one daring to sleep. If someone couldn’t fight sleep, the others would immediately shake them awake. We held on like that for five days…” “…But soon, a small town appeared ahead of us. Crying out in joy, we drove the truck into the town, only to realize this town was the town from the Nightmare on Elm Street movie! And the veteran who’d been driving the whole time… he had somehow transformed into that demon of the dream! He grinned wickedly at us…” Zheng Zha saw Zhang Jie shaking as if having the chills; this man, who had always maintained such composure, seemed on the verge of breaking down. He quickly changed the subject. “So, you’re saying those Myth and Legend items could kill that dream demon?” Zhang Jie took a deep drag from his cigarette and shook his head. “I don’t know. That was my first horror film; surviving was pure luck. Do you know how I got the scars on my face? That demon carved them off, bit by bit, with a pair of scissors! I’ve never used the ‘Main God’ exchange to heal these scars. I need to remember everything! If I ever meet him again, I swear I will kill him!” Zheng Zha exchanged a look with the other two; fear for the future was visible in all three pairs of eyes.

Zhang Jie continued, “Killing that dream demon earns you five thousand Reward Points, plus a Rank B Horror Branch Mission. That’s the only time I’ve ever seen a Horror Branch Mission appear.”

Zhan Lan suddenly asked, “What is a Rank B Horror Branch Mission? Is it very important?” Zhang Jie nodded. “That brings us to the third category of exchangeable items: Support items. There are antidotes, immunity boosters, various healing agents, and consumables like bullets. There are even some super-technology products, like an invisibility reflector that can hide your body. Besides those, there are also Enhancement items.”

“The first time I saw these enhancement items available for exchange, I almost laughed myself sick… For example, the Spider-Man Mutation Gene. The description for this enhancement item states that it allows you to possess the mutated genetic bloodline of the movie Spider-Man protagonist: +20 Intelligence, +20 Spirit, +50 Cellular Vitality, +100 Nervous Reaction Speed, +100 Muscle Tissue Strength, +150 Immunity, and grants you the web-spinning skill just like in the movie. It only costs two thousand Reward Points.”

Zheng Zha and the other two were stunned. Zhan Lan quickly counted on her fingers. “Enhancing these attributes would cost over three thousand Reward Points, and you even get the spider-silk skill thrown in. I remember the movie spider-silk being tougher and stronger than steel wire. This enhancement is an incredible bargain. Why didn't you enhance yourself?” Zhang Jie smiled bitterly and waved his hand. “I desperately wanted to enhance myself. If I could have that kind of genetic mutation, I would basically never die in horror films like Resident Evil. But these attribute enhancements require uses of Horror Branch Missions. One Rank A mission can be exchanged for three Rank B missions, and B can be exchanged for three C, and so on. The lowest is Rank D, and I’ve only seen that kind of mission once so far. So, opportunities like that are very rare.”

Zheng Zha suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He managed to stop himself from revealing that he already possessed one Rank B Branch Mission. He only asked, “What level of Branch Mission does the Spider-Man Mutation Gene require?” Zhang Jie pulled out another cigarette and lit it. “It requires a Rank C Branch Mission. I also noticed a few Rank D enhancements. There’s the Authentic Chinese Qigong, which increases Spirit by 10 points, Cellular Vitality by 20, Nervous Reflex Speed by 20, Muscle Strength by 30, and Immunity by 20. It grants you a weak ‘Qi’—that is, initial internal force. However, the advanced martial arts cultivation methods require Rank B or Rank A Branch Missions. Authentic Chinese Qigong requires five hundred Reward Points plus one Rank D Branch Mission.”

“There’s also the Resident Evil T-Virus Evolution Mode, the T-Virus carried by the heroine in the movie. It boosts Intelligence by 20 points, Spirit by 20, Cellular Vitality by 50, Nervous Reflex Speed by 50, Muscle Strength by 50, and Immunity by 100, and grants the T-Virus Evolution ability. It requires fifteen hundred Reward Points plus one Rank C Branch Mission. Heh, that beautiful heroine was so lucky; she acquired such a great asset for no reason at all.”

Zheng Zha felt that happiness had arrived too suddenly. This meant that as long as he survived this horror film, he could enhance several of his attributes, greatly increasing his chances in future horrific scenarios.

Zhang Jie suddenly said mysteriously, “There are some highest-level enhancements too, but they all look like things designed purely to tempt desire. I wouldn’t believe those enhancements truly exist… For example, the God Bloodline. The six enhanced attributes basically turn you into Superman, and you get a special skill, Divine Power. It requires an S-Rank Branch Mission plus fifty thousand Reward Points. Haha, sounds ridiculous, right? And there’s something even more absurd: the Cultivation Method. The six attributes aren’t changed as drastically as the God Bloodline, but you gain the special skill of Cultivation—the explanation is that you can slowly become an immortal whose age matches the sun and moon. It requires an S-Rank Branch Mission plus seventy thousand Reward Points. Haha, I nearly died laughing the last time I saw that.”

Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan both smiled faintly, but Li Xiaoyi listened with his eyes wide and shining.

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