Their current state already placed them at minus one point, casting a heavy pall over everyone’s spirits. In essence, they were now committed to a fight for survival: they had to take down one of the enemy team members, or wait for the horror movie to conclude and face being mostly wiped out. With a negative reward of two thousand points, survival seemed impossible for anyone other than Zheng Zha.

“We were just thinking about how to avoid conflict with the other side, and now we’re contemplating how to eliminate one of their members… the shift in mood is quite complex,” Zheng Zha offered with a wry smile.

He paused in thought. “Xiao Honglu, analyze the strength of their team members. Also, why did the ‘Main God’ place us into this horror movie world first?” Xiao Honglu pinched one of his hairs. He stated, “Based on the information you’ve provided, if a team possesses or once possessed three members who have unlocked the Genetic Lock, that team is then pitted against teams from other Continents… What I’m saying is, our team is definitely weaker than that Indo-Continental team, otherwise the ‘Main God’ wouldn’t have moved us to this horror world ahead of them.”

Qi Tengyi asked in confusion, “Why? Wouldn’t entering first present us with numerous difficulties? The desert, the tomb traps, the mummies, and that immortal priest—aren't those dangers?” Xiao Honglu was about to start pulling hair again, but Zhan Lan suddenly grabbed his hand. “Don’t just yank your hair out; you’ll become bald!”

Xiao Honglu shook her hand off. “It won’t happen. Since my cerebral cortex mutated, the regeneration speed of my scalp hair follicles also changed. Even if I plucked every single hair, it would all grow back quickly… When I think deeply, my scalp gets incredibly itchy, making me want to claw my skin off. So I absolutely cannot scratch my head; the most I can do is pull a single hair to inflict minor pain… Just ignore me.”

“Qi Tengyi, if two armies were set to fight, would the one entering the battlefield first have the advantage, or the one entering later? Even if that battlefield is a vicious swamp and jungle, with lethal environments and creatures, the unit that enters first gains the advantage. Whether for an ambush or encirclement, the side familiar with the terrain will always hold the initiative.”

“Our team composition includes sniping specialists, assassination types, direct confrontation fighters, and support roles. We only lack an engineer specializing in laying landmines and similar weaponry. This combination is actually incredibly strong. If even with this strength, the ‘Main God’ still deems us weaker than the opponent... then there’s a seventy percent chance the other side has enhanced legendary magical abilities.” Xiao Honglu gently pulled a hair free. This time, he didn't blow it away but slowly twirled it in his palm, looking at it. He murmured, “If that’s the case, I suggest we avoid direct combat as much as possible. Most legendary magical abilities are unimaginable things. And if we judge purely by destructive power, we have the advantage at long range… Zero Point will be the main force in this fight! Sniping them down!” Zheng Zha stared blankly for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh. “I didn’t expect you to be the most violent one among us. I always thought you were just a slightly clever child… Oh, right, how do you know all this? Even if you’re smart, knowing this much for a child seems like too much, doesn’t it?” Xiao Honglu suddenly smiled with a hint of cunning; only in this moment did he truly resemble a youth. He mumbled, “This world has computers, you know. Although I was being researched, I wasn't completely confined or restrained. I could go online and read books in my spare time. And in this era, there’s a genre of literature called ‘Xuanhuan’ novels, you know.”

Zheng Zha was stunned, then he burst into loud laughter. “Now that’s more like a young man. Your previous demeanor reminded me so much of an old acquaintance… probably a friend. You were just like him before.”

At that moment, the male and female leads walking ahead of the group suddenly stopped, seemingly in discussion. It wasn't until the heroine and her brother walked away that the male lead, O’Connell, continued forward into the alley.

The group exchanged glances and said no more, letting Zheng Zha take the lead as they followed into the passage. Who knew that as soon as they turned the corner, O’Connell froze in place, staring at the protagonists with extreme caution.

“Fellow inmates, I assume you aren’t deliberately trailing me, are you?” O’Connell sneered guardedly.

Zheng Zha paused, recalling a similar situation in The Mummy, where the ‘Main God’ had inserted them into the movie world with the identity of company security guards. Now, the lead character, O’Connell, saw them as fellow prisoners.

A thought struck Zheng Zha. He smiled and said, “Heh, I overheard you mentioning Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead…” O’Connell reacted fastest, immediately reaching behind his waist. But he forgot that he had just been released from prison—where would he have a gun? After fumbling a few times, he saw Zheng Zha holding a strangely shaped handgun (a micro submachine gun). He immediately raised his hands and laughed, “Haha, brother, you must have misheard. What City of the Dead?” Zheng Zha smiled faintly and tucked the submachine gun away. He also chuckled, “Heh, I won’t say much more. I mean no harm. I just hope you can lead us to the City of the Dead; we will take responsibility for protecting your safety… In fact, we were the ones who truly saved you just now.”

O’Connell looked at him curiously. Zheng Zha smiled at Zero Point, then pointed to the sharp steel spire atop a distant building. From their current location, it was nearly a thousand meters away, and the group could only vaguely make out the thin, thread-like steel horn. O’Connell looked over inexplicably, then there was a faint hiss, and the steel spire snapped. O’Connell spun back in shock, just in time to see Zero Point tucking a peculiar handgun into his coat.

This was the era before even semi-automatic rifles were common; a handgun capable of shearing a steel bar at nearly a thousand meters was unthinkable. The weapon Zero Point chose was a futuristic piece of technology far beyond twenty-first-century science. Its ability to dissipate energy, its power to strike a target a kilometer away, and Zero Point’s sniping skill were enough to stun O’Connell. He stood there speechless, mouth agape, for a long moment before finally managing, “… Don’t point that gun at me. Absolutely not…” This could probably be considered a semi-coercive threat. Zheng Zha followed behind O’Connell with a bitter smile, the rest of his team trailing behind him. Unseen by him, Xiao Honglu watched his actions silently. After Zheng Zha accomplished all this, a small look of reluctant approval crossed the young boy’s face… Jump to