Although the decision was made, Zheng Zha still felt a lingering unease. After all, spending precious Reward Points so extravagantly felt excessive for the group. One hundred points were equivalent to an infinite-ammo Desert Eagle, and while a trip into a horror film didn't require Branch Plot Points, resting for ten days still cost a hundred Reward Points—a luxury that bordered on waste for them.

Around ten o'clock the next day, the group reassembled in the plaza. Before they could exchange a single word, however, they were all immediately captivated by a colossal, golden stele floating before them. Suspended five meters in the air, the entire stone tablet radiated a soft, golden luminescence, silently drawing every eye toward it.

Zhao Yingkong had arrived first, still engrossed in the book she never seemed to put down. She glanced faintly at the others. "Look at it... there's some rather interesting information here."

Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to the golden stele. Just like the spherical 'Main God,' merely staring at the inscription allowed them to receive information directly into their minds.

"...This message will automatically appear and remain permanently within the 'Main God' space once this team emerges, or when three or more individuals who have unlocked their Gene Lock have accumulated within the team."

"...As we have collectively foreseen, when a biological Gene Lock is opened to the fifth level—the final stage—the organism will evolve completely into a higher-order being. Consequently, the human world will either benefit from this progress or face total catastrophe, all resting upon the whim of that being. However, to prevent the collision of high-level beings from more than two teams, which could lead to the absolute extinction of humanity, we have established the following regulations..."

"...When a team accumulates three or more members who have unlocked their Gene Lock, that team will be randomly pitted against 'Main God' space teams from other continents within horror films. Should they kill members of the opposing team, the acquired Reward Points will be... two thousand Reward Points and one C-level Branch Plot Point. Killing an opposing member who possesses an unlocked Gene Lock will yield seven thousand Reward Points and one B-level Branch Plot Point. If the opposing team is entirely wiped out, every surviving member of the victorious team receives one C-level Branch Plot Point reward."

"...There is no cruelty, no manipulation, no concept of justice or evil... Ultimately, only one team can survive. If you do not wish to die, then surpass your current self and continue to evolve..."

The information clearly ended abruptly mid-sentence. Zheng Zha finally snapped out of the shock induced by the message. He stared blankly at the people around him, who shared equally stunned expressions.

Zheng Zha cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Zhan Lan, perhaps you could analyze the meaning of this message."

Zhan Lan rubbed her forehead. "Wait a moment, my head is still spinning a little; give me a second..." "This message can likely be considered as guidance left by the creators of the 'Main God' space. Since the information is imprinted directly onto our minds, it translates the message according to our own language and knowledge—for instance, 'Gene Lock' is clearly terminology Chu Xuan once taught us..."

"Secondly, this message highlights a critical point: the 'Main God' space is not singular. I had suspected this before. Has no one noticed that everyone entering this space has been Chinese? Even the single Russian mercenary we encountered accessed the 'Main God' space through the internet in China. This implies that, aside from our 'Main God' space, there are very likely 'Main God' spaces associated with other continents, each housing similar teams."

"The final point is that the creators of the 'Main God' space seemingly do not wish for two separate teams to return to the real world. If that were to happen, given differences in belief, language, and values, it could easily incite warfare between the two teams back in reality. The consequences of such a conflict would be terrifying. For example... imagine Zero, possessing ten times the strength, speed, and neural reflexes of a normal person, armed with a railgun firing inexhaustible ammunition, plus whatever high-tech gear he's acquired. Such an individual could contend with an entire army, let alone the blueprints for high technology that Chu Xuan has already traded for..."

Zheng Zha interjected, "Are you saying that in the upcoming horror films, we are likely to encounter horror movie squads from other continents, and the outcome will be either that we are all killed, or we kill them all, correct?"

Zhan Lan shook her head. "It might not be quite that absolute. Since we are entering horror films, the ending should still adhere to the film's conclusion—either completing the mission or waiting for time to expire. The reason they offer such high rewards and Branch Plot Points for killing the opposition is likely just to amplify desire. If both sides yield to temptation and engage in combat, the outcome is naturally a fight to the death... If we truly face such a situation, both their team and ours would be hesitant to strike first, knowing that initiating an attack grants a massive advantage... At that point, what we face might not only be the monsters within the horror film, but quite possibly members of another team... They will want to kill us just as readily as they would kill those monsters!"

The group fell into a heavy silence. They couldn't deny that merely surviving the horror films had nearly cost them their lives. Now, learning they might clash with other horror teams—a choice between killing or being killed—left them with only one option: to kill. Thinking logically, the members of the opposing team must reason the same way. The resulting encounter might be a battle where death is the only possible conclusion upon meeting.

Zheng Zha pondered for a moment, then suddenly managed a strained smile. "Wait, the message mentioned that only when three Gene Lock unlocking members appear does the team randomly meet others, right? Both Zhao Yingkong and I have unlocked ours. Someone who died previously might have also unlocked theirs. Beyond that, do the members of other horror teams find it so easy to reach the Gene Lock stage? It’s possible our team is the strongest among all the continental teams. Haha, everyone really shouldn't worry too much about this. Let's first discuss our next direction for enhancement."

Zheng Zha’s words did ease the atmosphere somewhat, yet an unspoken shadow still settled over their hearts.

To survive... must all horror teams truly perish until only one remains? Zheng Zha looked toward the golden, radiant stele and sighed silently.

(Ugh, I forgot the recommended book title. Anyway, three updates today; I'll recommend it tonight. My apologies~~~~~~~~ For all the friends who love Infinite Horror, please bookmark, recommend, and keep going~~~~~~) Jump to