Having returned to the "Main God" space for several days, everyone had been testing the power of their respective weapons. To their surprise, they discovered that the room could actually fabricate High Fission Battery Blocks. According to Xiao Honglu's analysis, this was likely because the real world was already developing these energy blocks, or perhaps the energy source itself existed in reality, making its manifestation possible within this room.

Zheng Zha also recalled how Xuan had once tricked him, hiding his weapons within a recorder. This recorder was filled with attachments for technology or weaponry, which he had inadvertently carried back with him. If that was indeed the case, the High Fission Battery Blocks might already have been developed, and they stood as the first beneficiaries of this technology, free to test the destructive power of the Strong Fusion Gun within the "Main God" space.

On this day, after everyone finished training in the basement of Zheng Zha's house, Zhao Yingkong suddenly inquired about advancing to the third stage of unlocking the Gene Lock. This question left Zheng Zha quite hesitant to answer.

After pondering for a long time, he gently plucked a strand of Xi's hair from her forehead and said, "Let me put it this way: everyone's brain constantly emits brainwaves, and the waves emitted at any given moment are unique. Unlocking the third stage of the Gene Lock means partially developing the brain field. These unused brain domains, upon reaching the third stage of the Gene Lock, can simulate the brainwaves of people you have encountered, mimicking their thoughts, their actions, and a portion of their abilities. Essentially, unlocking the third stage is about simulation."

Xiao Honglu, who was twisting the hair on his own forehead, slightly stiffened when he saw Zheng Zha's gesture and immediately asked, "Are you simulating me? To what degree of accuracy?" Zheng Zha smiled faintly. "Roughly thirty to forty percent. It must be someone you have interacted with previously and are quite familiar with, and they must also have unlocked the first layer of the Gene Lock. This is necessary to imprint their brainwaves onto the dormant areas of your brain. Currently, this applies to Chu Xuan, Zero Point, Liu Tengyi, all of you, and Zhang Jie—they all require continuous training and refinement, otherwise, the current simulation fidelity is quite low. I heard that the fourth stage allows for one-hundred-percent simulation."

"Moreover, it's not just simulating the consciousness of familiar people; it can also mimic the formidable attributes of beings you have witnessed. According to the 'Main God's' data for the fourth stage, only one ability name remains: Gene Control. Heh."

The group immediately fell into contemplation. Judging by their expressions, only Xiao Honglu seemed somewhat amused; the others appeared utterly bewildered. After a long silence, Xiao Honglu finally grasped the implication. "No wonder they say the full potential of enhanced attributes and skills can only be realized after unlocking the fourth layer of the Gene Lock. Think about it: we are all merely ordinary humans, whereas those enhanced life forms possess attributes legendary or created by someone. Most of our skills are similar. To fully utilize these enhanced attributes and skills, one must transform into a life form capable of wielding them. And isn't unlocking the fourth stage of the Gene Lock precisely that capability? Only by completely controlling one's own genes and allowing them to evolve can one use these attributes or abilities one hundred percent. If the 'Main God's' ultimate goal is evolution, achieving this point seems incredibly significant. So, what kind of ability does the fifth layer of the Gene Lock possess?"

Zheng Zha chuckled. "The 'Main God' also provided the name for that ability: Energy Control. Heh, that one I don't quite understand. After thinking about it, I suppose 'Energy Control' refers to managing internal energies like Neili or the energy possessed by the Blood Clan? In any case, dwelling on that is premature. No one has broken through the fourth stage yet—at least, none in the known survivor teams. I just wonder if anyone in the Demon Squad or the Celestial Squad has reached it. The 'Main God' doesn't disclose information about the members of those teams; perhaps it's to maintain their secrecy."

Seeing the group sink back into thought, Zheng Zha smiled and said, "Alright, stop agonizing over future possibilities. Our current situation is far more critical. Xiao Honglu, how is it? Did you manage to create what I asked you to make?"

Xiao Honglu nodded. "There are still minor details, but I should have the finished product by tomorrow. While it won't be as good as my jade pendant, it can still withstand quite a bit of damage. For a sci-fi horror movie like the next one, and with us providing protection, that thing should be more than sufficient. With you as the leader, the difficulty of the horror movies has indeed dropped significantly. At least for now, you can fully tap into the potential offered by the 'Main God'; many things can be acquired through it."

It turned out that Zheng Zha had gone to great lengths to find a solution for the two women regarding their next horror film. Since they lacked sufficient mission points for Side Missions, exchanging for protective gear like jade pendants was extremely difficult. Furthermore, if he found Side Mission points for exchange, it was better to simply let the two women expend them so they could remain safe within the space. Therefore, Zheng Zha had meticulously searched the 'Main God' offerings for something that could serve as a temporary substitute. Finally, he found a high-tech protective device: the Shield. It utilized High Fission Battery Blocks as its power source to achieve a full charge, isolating any attack that would cause harm to the user—provided the user's mind perceived the attack as damaging. However, this protection was limited to physical harm; it offered no defense against spiritual damage like that from ghosts. Fortunately, the next horror movie everyone was facing involved primarily physical threats, which is why Zheng Zha proposed creating one of these shields for everyone.

Purchasing a single Shield required 1,500 Reward Points and one D-level Side Mission. But this was not a legendary magical item; it was high-tech. Not only could one exchange for the blueprints, operational manuals, and usage guides at a very low cost, but one could also exchange for every single component needed to construct such a shield. In essence, it cost less than 500 Reward Points if someone could assemble all the parts, allowing them to manufacture a shield for every person in the team—a piece of metal no larger than a palm.

Xiao Honglu was naturally tasked with this assembly. Given his intellect, it still took him seven days to fully decipher the schematics and begin test fabrication. It appeared that assembling them before entering the next horror movie would be achievable. This brought a slight sense of relief to Zheng Zha and Xiao Honglu; although they weren't entirely relaxed yet, at least they didn't have to fear their women suddenly being killed off.

That evening, it was the ninth day; the day they would enter the horror movie was the day after tomorrow. The group had agreed to rest well over the next two days, to relax their nerves, and perhaps to instruct the two women on the rules of survival within the horror movies. In summary, all preparations were complete. Whether they lived or died, facing this coming horror film required them to fight with everything they had.

During the night, Zheng Zha engaged in an intimate session with Lolita. After Lolita fell asleep, Zheng Zha quietly rose and made his way to the shooting range in the basement. He slowly closed his eyes, immersing his consciousness inward. A strange sensation washed over him. Chu Xuan, Zero Point, Qi Tengyi, Zhang Jie—it felt as if everyone stood before him, silently watching him, while he was free to command their power and consciousness. It was akin to fighting side-by-side with his comrades, bearing the strength of all his partners alone. Regardless of whether they had vanished or perished, this power would remain with him until he left this place or truly died.

Zheng Zha abruptly snapped his eyes open. He picked up a sniper rifle from the floor, then lay prone, silently observing a distant, small tree. A shot rang out, and the tree was cleanly severed at the trunk. This shot was aimed perfectly at the very core of the tree to break it, and Zheng Zha’s expression was utterly composed. He then sprang up from the ground, drawing two heavy handguns from his waist. With a cold expression, he flipped and leaped, his dual pistols relentlessly striking the ground beneath his feet until, when he steadied himself, the spot where he stood was pitted with bullet holes.

Then, Zheng Zha suddenly pulled a small dagger from his Nàjiè (storage ring) and walked forward slowly. As he moved faster and faster, when he swiftly passed a large tree, the dagger was plunged precisely into its center, disappearing hilt-deep. He stopped again, suddenly producing the Necronomicon and the key to unlock the book from his Nàjiè. He ran his fingers over the script on the book, continuously reciting its phonetic sounds—the sounds of ancient Egyptian! As the recitation continued, a patch of earth directly in front of Zheng Zha slowly lifted, then violently thrust upward. Several sharp and massive stone teeth erupted from the ground. Had a person been standing there, they would have been instantly impaled, as if stabbed into blocks of flesh!

Zheng Zha’s eyes finally cleared from their vacant state. He lowered his head and took several deep breaths, enduring the pain of unlocking the third stage of the Gene Lock. Looking at what lay before him, he knew his experiment had succeeded. Unlocking the third stage and gathering the power of all his partners—even if he couldn't utilize all of it, being able to manifest even a small fraction was incredibly powerful.

"Bring it on! Horror Movie Reincarnation! I absolutely will not die! No matter what, I must survive!"