To those prisoners, Zheng Zha and his companions, looking considerably better dressed, easily left the prison. The guards simply assumed they were dignitaries visiting the facility. Since this so-called Cairo Prison was not exactly up to standard anyway, the group quietly stationed themselves by the entrance, awaiting the emergence of the film's main characters.

While waiting, Zheng Zha suddenly asked Xiao Honglü, "You said you were being researched in a mental hospital; does that mean you aren't actually insane?" Xiao Honglü, now standing on the ground, constantly twirled strands of his hair between his fingers. "That's right. The nerve centers and cortical folds in my brain are abnormally developed, leading me to frequently sense strange things... like a pervasive miasma of death surrounding us. Some of us will be dying soon."

This statement caused an awkward silence among those nearby. It was unavoidable; anyone hearing they were about to die, especially from the mouth of an eleven or twelve-year-old boy, would generally only manage an embarrassed expression. After all, one couldn't very well get angry at a little boy, could they? Zheng Zha, however, remained unperturbed. He chuckled heartily, then crouched down to look directly at Xiao Honglü. "Are there really psychic abilities in this world? Being able to foresee death—that surely counts as one, doesn't it?" Xiao Honglü offered a faint smile, gently plucked a strand of his dark hair, and let the wind carry it away. "Do you know about the so-called sixth sense? Everyone constantly deduces or predicts their future based on external information, just to varying degrees. It's an unconscious mental action, and the premonition of death is the strongest among them. Because of my highly developed brain, besides enhanced deductive reasoning, I have gained an extra function: I can receive the death premonitions emitted by ordinary people. From my perspective... this world is gray, and I can see the death premonition on everyone. The darker the gray, the more likely they are to die... For example, you possess the darkest gray among us."

Zheng Zha was stunned, offering a wry smile. "Is it a certain death? Or is the possibility of death something that can be changed?" "It's only a possibility of death. Like O'Connell, who flirted with the edge of death; his death-gray was much deeper than yours just now..." Just then, the stunning movie star Qin Zhuiyu suddenly knelt beside Xiao Honglü, smiling brightly. She said playfully, "Little brother, does the death-gray on big sister look strong?" With that, she reached out to touch Xiao Honglü's hair.

Xiao Honglü coldly slapped Qin Zhuiyu's hand away, sneering, "Although the death-gray on you isn't as intense as his, if I were you, I would write my will immediately... You are the one most likely to die among us."

Qin Zhuiyu’s face instantly turned pale, her outstretched hand frozen in mid-air, leaving her impossibly awkward.

Xiao Honglü squatted back down, preoccupied, twirling his hair around his fingers. "There isn't enough information yet, and I still don't know your names or abilities, the six of you. Under these circumstances, I can't make many deductions. We'll wait until O'Connell comes out, and then we'll follow him to deduce things further."

Zheng Zha exchanged glances with Zhang Jie and the other four. He then addressed Xiao Honglü, "My name is Zheng Zha; I'm the acting captain of the team. I should be the strongest melee fighter, possessing the power to unlock the second tier of the Genetic Lock, a mutated hereditary bloodline of a Vampire Viscount, mid-level Qigong enhancement, plus a Vampire skill... This is Zhang Jie; he's the veteran who has survived the most horror movies on our team... This is Zhan Lan; her physical strength and combat ability aren't high, but her enhancement leans toward legendary magic. She currently possesses two spells that can boost speed and stamina, and her abilities in deduction and planning are also quite strong... This is Zero Point; he was a professional assassin before. His sniping ability is outstanding, wielding a Gauss sniper rifle with extreme range and devastating power. Given enough distance, killing several times his number of enemies is absolutely no problem... This is Zhao Yingkong; she is also an assassin, but her training focuses on close combat, and she carries a dagger capable of burning an enemy's soul, dealing massive damage to spectral beings. She is the second person on our team to unlock the Genetic Lock... This is Qi Tengyi; he is an antiquarian specializing in many historical artifacts. In a horror movie like this one, his role is irreplaceable within the team."

Xiao Honglü lowered his head in thought. After a long moment, he looked up and asked, "What is this 'unlocking the Genetic Lock' about? It seems to be the key to why the opposing team and our team are set against each other, correct?" Zheng Zha nodded. "Yes. Before you, there was a very formidable individual who once theorized that the purpose of the 'Main God' Space was to facilitate evolution, and this ability to unlock the Genetic Lock is the sign of biological evolution. Once three people on any team—regardless of whether one or two have died—have accumulated this unlock, that team will be randomly matched against a team from another Continent. Furthermore, to incite mutual slaughter, the 'Main God' has set the reward points for killing members of the opposing team exceptionally high... Once we meet, if even one person from either side is killed, the outcome is inevitably a fight to the death."

Xiao Honglü plucked another strand of hair, holding it silently on his fingertip. After a long contemplation, he exhaled lightly. "Is that so? If the 'Main God's' true goal isn't our survival, but forcing us to unlock the Genetic Lock through death... then my deduction holds up. I’ve been wondering all along: since killing the other side grants reward points, why don't both sides simply exchange newcomers for mutual slaughter? As long as the number killed is equal, it satisfies the 'Main God's' objective while allowing planned acquisition of points and self-enhancement. Why wouldn't both teams use that method? So that’s it..." The others looked at him, bewildered. Xiao Honglü offered no explanation, silently winding his hair into a coil until the film's protagonist, O'Connell, the heroine, Evelyn, and Evelyn's brother, Jonathan, emerged from the prison gates. Forgetting to question him further, the group quietly followed the trio. They had walked perhaps several blocks when Xiao Honglü suddenly murmured, "About... five kilometers distance now?" "Huh?" everyone looked at him in confusion.

Suddenly, a commanding voice resonated out of thin air in everyone's mind.

"One member of the allied team has been killed. The Central Continent team incurs a deficit of one point, currently accumulating a negative reward balance of two thousand points. At the end of the horror movie, any team in negative reward points will be instantly erased..." As everyone stood in shock, Xiao Honglü drew the hair from his forehead close to his eyes and stated calmly, "If one dies, they incur a negative point. The other side gains no points whatsoever... In other words, if I learn that I am about to be sold out through exchange, I would preemptively commit suicide, forcing the team that betrayed me to take a negative point. This halts any plan of exchanging newcomers, and simultaneously... both sides are plunged into an irreconcilable slaughter. The 'Main God's' true purpose isn't to let us gain reward points for leisure; it desires us to tear each other apart like insects in a jar, until only the strongest, most evolved one remains... And we are those bugs in the jar right now..." — (Recommendation: Skeleton Yue Buqun, Book ID: 115775) Click to view image link: cmfu/smenhu.cn?bl_id=115775 Skeleton Yue Buqun Jump to