"Speaking of which, O'Connor and his group are truly born troublemakers, seeming to bring about a cascade of disasters wherever they go."

The very next morning, everyone arrived at the ruins of Hamunaptra, standing before the relatively well-preserved altar, while Zheng Zha was still deep in discussion with Chu Xuan about the side plot concerning the golden mask.

Chu Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "I wonder if you've read this manga? It's called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The story begins with this very golden mask—a relic capable of creating powerful vampires. These vampires are immortal and unaging, provided they absorb enough human blood. Their only weaknesses are sunlight and silver; contact with either instantly reduces them to ash. If this is indeed the golden mask from that story, then I believe a certain fact might actually be true..." Zheng Zha paused, then asked, "What fact might be true? Say what you mean clearly; don't be so vague."

Chu Xuan shook his head. "We'll discuss it later. Let's focus on resurrecting the team members first."

Zheng Zha could only nod. Once Ba Wang and Wang Xia also reached the altar, he retrieved the Sutra of Resurrection from his storage ring. As the solemn voice of the 'Main God' resonated, he began to inquire whether the group could collectively contribute Reward Points and side plot counts.

('We can contribute together! In other words, in other words...') As the 'Main God's' voice confirmed, Zheng Zha’s heart leaped wildly. Just as they had discussed before arriving, he, Chu Xuan, Ba Wang, and Wang Xia would each contribute 4000 Reward Points. Ba Wang and Wang Xia would each offer one C-rank side plot, while Chu Xuan would offer two C-rank side plots, and Zheng Zha would also offer two C-rank side plots—this was precisely enough to cover the cost of resurrecting two people.

"Resurrect Zero Point..." The scene shifted to a vast desert where a group of figures relentlessly charged toward the City of the Dead, Hamunaptra. Zero Point, leaning against a stone pillar of the ruins, held his Gauss sniper rifle steady. He continuously fired bullets at the advancing figures. After replying to a man beside him with a shared commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, a steel needle pierced space itself and struck the man’s heart. The Gauss sniper rifle slipped from the man’s grasp, clattering onto the yellow sand... The scene shifted again, to a luxurious estate villa where a young boy laughed loudly with joy. Beside him sat a handsome man and a beautiful woman smiling tenderly. The boy affectionately called them 'Mama' and 'Papa'... Then, a squad of armed men stormed the villa. The boy only saw his father pierced through the chest by a bullet, while his mother was held in the embrace of another handsome man who had burst in. His face was instantly smeared with his father's blood... Constant learning, relentless grueling practice, ceaseless growth in strength. When he finally became an assassin who never smiled, he returned to the manor—the place of his sorrow and despair. There, he no longer saw that shameless woman; she had been dead for a long time. But he did see a beautiful and adorable little girl... who turned out to be his younger brother, tragically and ironically drawn to him by genetics—attracted in love... So he killed her, killed that man, and then prepared to end his own life...

When Zero Point materialized on the altar, Zheng Zha had just finished absorbing this entire vision. He let out a deep sigh, pressing the information deep into his heart... It seemed he was the most mundane of them all, merely seeking refuge in this horror movie reincarnation because the real world offered no hope. The others, however, had arrived here out of sheer despair regarding reality itself.

Zero Point’s eyes snapped open. This man maintained vigilance no matter the time or place. With a surge of energy, he sprang to his feet. Seeing Zheng Zha’s familiar face, he finally relaxed, but the sight of Chu Xuan and Ba Wang made his expression turn strange. He instinctively reached for his chest, finding no trace of the steel needle wound.

Zheng Zha looked at Zero Point for a long moment before quietly asking, "Can I still stand by your side?" "...Until death!" Zero Point's reply was terse. He glanced around, then silently stepped down from the altar. "What happened? Why does the City of the Dead look like this? Did the Indian Team do this? And Chu Xuan and Ba Wang... who is this?" Zheng Zha firmly clapped Zero Point on the shoulder and said forcefully, "My good brother, the story is long, but to put it simply: you died during that fight with the Indian Team. We used a plot item to bring you back. Hahaha, the important thing is that you’re alive!"

Zero Point nodded slowly. He instinctively patted the space beside him, then offered a wry smile. "My Gauss rifle... Never mind, being resurrected is already a massive stroke of luck... What about the other partners?" Zheng Zha let out a breath. "I'll tell you everything that happened in detail later. Right now, we need to bring one more person back."

Saying that, Zheng Zha placed the Sutra of Resurrection back onto the altar, and the prompt from the 'Main God' sounded once more.

"Resurrect Zhan Lan..." After Chu Xuan and the other two contributed their respective Reward Points and side plot counts, the Sutra of Resurrection flashed with white light, and Zheng Zha felt another torrent of information surge into his mind.

The scene was a perfectly straight stretch of highway where several people lay prone on the asphalt, facing off against others standing opposite them. A group surrounded one man and two women. The man spread his arms wide, smiling as he shielded the two women behind him. As the man collapsed into a pool of blood, the two women were struck by laser fire, yet one of them died with a smile fixed on her face... The scene shifted to a tree-lined avenue where a tall man walked hand-in-hand with a woman. Though they had been dating for two years, they had only progressed to holding hands. Both were experiencing their first love, needing the delicacy of romance rather than the fiery craving of desire. They were content with their current pace and were already planning their marriage; once they saved enough money, they could spend a lifetime together happily... On one of those dates, when a mugger snatched a woman’s handbag and ran past them, the man let go of his girlfriend and chased after the thief. When he finally caught the robber, the surrounding pedestrians remained indifferent, watching coldly as if observing an ape show. Only when the man was stabbed in the stomach by the robber and fell into his own blood did the thief flee. No one remembered him. The court first ruled it as accidental homicide by the robber, then downgraded it to excessive self-defense by the man. As a hero, he was deemed the initial aggressor, and the woman whose purse was stolen suddenly changed her testimony, claiming the robber was her boyfriend, thus branding him a thief who attacked first... What is fairness? What is justice? Under the sway of money and power, everything turns pale and meaningless. No one will remember him, no one will know him, and his life simply evaporated. No one will ever know... So, she grew disillusioned, then desperate with the real world, even contemplating suicide—until the appearance of 'yes' and 'no,' which brought her to this world. Here, she met another 'him,' someone so similar, yet far more commanding—someone who could protect her, protect himself, and continually survive. If he were the man he was now, perhaps he wouldn't have died before her? Therefore, she slowly fell in love with the current him... Is this love? Isn't this love? Zheng Zha himself wasn't sure. He watched Zhan Lan slowly materialize on the altar with a complicated expression. The girl lay on the altar, her face slightly pale. When her eyes slowly fluttered open, the first thing she saw was Zheng Zha standing beside her. Her eyes immediately blurred with tears, and she opened her arms toward him, as if hoping he would lift her up. After a long moment, she blushed deeply, realizing others were present, and quickly stepped off the altar, her face completely red.

"Where is this? Is this the City of the Dead, Hamunaptra? Why am I here? I remember being killed in Resident Evil 2, didn't I?" Zhan Lan hastily looked around to deflect her embarrassment. Upon clearly recognizing her surroundings, the girl asked in astonishment.

Zheng Zha laughed heartily and nodded. "That's right, this is the City of the Dead, Hamunaptra. And yes, you were indeed killed in Resident Evil 2. Don't worry, you are truly resurrected now... This is a long story. Let's head back to the military camp and I’ll explain everything slowly."

With that, Zheng Zha stepped toward the exit of the Hamunaptra ruins. For some reason, he hesitated to look directly into Zhan Lan's eyes; they still seemed veiled with a misty sheen of tears, an intensity of emotion he felt he could not bear.

"This is only the beginning. I will gather our former comrades again, and together we will grow stronger and stronger until we are powerful enough to stand against the Devil Reincarnation Squad. Let us defeat them together!" Zheng Zha shook off the weighty burden of unspoken affection. As he walked out of the ruins, he announced loudly, his voice echoing through the remains of the City of the Dead, reverberating again and again... Jumps to