And judging by his appearance, his status wasn't exactly convincing, so when Zheng Zha's voice broke through, the man nearly collapsed in shock. "Zheng Zha? Does a soul persist after death from the G-Virus? Damn it, surely nothing that powerful can exist, right?" Carlos was clearly terrified, losing all coherence in his speech, only babbling about souls and such things.
Zheng Zha felt a strange mix of amusement and exasperation, quickly interjecting, "Wait, wait a moment, I'm not dead yet! This is merely an exchange between consciousnesses.
How could I possibly have become a soul? Kid, don't go cursing me dead so easily!" Carlos remained silent for a long moment before finally letting out a deep breath. "What...
what kind of method is this? To suddenly transmit a voice directly into someone's consciousness—anyone unfamiliar would think they'd encountered a ghost...
How did you escape? Zheng Zha, your teammates were all...
even we were knocked out and taken away.
Later, after we managed to escape, we heard accounts suggesting that Umbrella Corporation had launched a nuclear missile on the town shortly after we got out.
And you certainly hadn't escaped before that...
How did you survive?" Listening to Carlos recount those events, Zheng Zha felt a surge of emotion.
He had intended to weave a few lies to brush it off.
But when the time came to speak, he could only sigh, "That is truly...
hard to put into words." Carlos let out a mournful sound.
All his comrades had fallen in that small town, and he was the only mercenary to survive.
Though he had met a few new companions during that horror movie scenario, the loss of his original teammates left him deeply disheartened.
A moment of silence fell between them before Carlos suddenly asked, "Zheng Zha, it’s such a relief to know you’re alright.
If we have your help, we can definitely save Alice!" Hearing this, Zheng Zha truly froze.
Based on what he knew of the Resident Evil 2 ending plot, everyone, including the heroine, had boarded the plane.
However, they were caught in the storm created by the nuclear explosion, which resulted in the plane crashing.
The heroine died in that crash, and Umbrella later found the wreckage.
They then used advanced technology to resurrect her.
They attempted to wipe her memory to control her, but Alice miraculously recovered her memories, then escaped Umbrella's headquarters with the help of Carlos's group...
(That's right—not much time has passed since Resident Evil 2 ended, and our entry into this horror scenario perfectly coincides with the timeframe for their rescue of Alice.
That’s why he’s bringing this up...) While Zheng Zha was lost in thought, a solemn voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
It was the unchanging, eternally detached tone of the "Main God." "Resident Evil 3 prerequisite side-quest: Rescue the awakening Alice within twenty days.
Three team members will receive Side-Quest B, reward 5000 points.
If Alice is not rescued within twenty days, or if Alice dies, three random team members will be eliminated.
Furthermore, no information regarding the Resident Evil 3 plot may be obtained from any plot characters by any means; failure to comply will result in a random deduction of 100 to 1000 reward points per sentence..." Once Zheng Zha heard this entirely, he was somewhat stunned.
First, he had both luckily and unluckily received a semi-team-level side quest.
Although the reward points and the side quest itself weren't overly generous, the total amounted to 15,000 reward points and an A-level side quest.
Moreover, rescuing Alice, based on the original plot, shouldn't pose significant danger; this side quest was essentially a free score.
(That aside...
the condition prohibiting obtaining Resident Evil 3 plot details through any means—what is the point of that restriction?) As Zheng Zha pondered, Carlos continued speaking on his own: "...We fell from the plane, but Alice was already dead, which is why we escaped alone.
Fortunately, we encountered..." Zheng Zha listened while thinking.
Just then, a system prompt for point deduction from the "Main God" startled him.
If Carlos continued his narrative, it would inevitably lead into Resident Evil 3 content, which the mission strictly forbade.
Thus, Zheng Zha quickly interrupted, "Let's set that aside for now.
There are several critical issues at hand...
For instance, do you know where Alice is being held? Is the security there tight? How can I help?" Carlos, who had been detailing their escape, followed Zheng Zha's lead since Zheng Zha redirected the conversation. "We don't know much yet.
We only know Alice is still inside an Umbrella internal facility undergoing repairs.
It will take about ten days, perhaps longer, for her body to fully recover.
During this time, we can figure out her exact location and have enough time to plan her rescue.
What do you think?" Zheng Zha let out a breath. "That will have to do, then.
I'm currently on the forty-first floor.
When can you wrap up your matters? Let's talk face-to-face then.
Also, what about Jill and the others? We should all meet up." Carlos hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I need about another half an hour.
I don't know how you got above the fortieth floor, but this entire section undergoes a full sweep inspection every two hours.
There are about twenty minutes until the next one.
If you absolutely can't leave there, why don't you come down to my floor? I have an identity that might allow us to leave this building together." Zheng Zha chuckled. "No need.
If I could come up, I certainly have a way to leave this building...
Very well, it's settled then.
I'll leave the building first, and I'll wait for you right near the plaza across from the building...
Don't worry, I'll find you easily enough..." "And what about Jill and the others? We can all meet up then..." Before Carlos could finish speaking, Zheng Zha severed the consciousness link.
Only then did Zheng Zha lean back on the sofa with a bitter smile, running his hands through his hair, deeply contemplating.
The sudden triggering of the side quest deviated significantly from what he had anticipated.
This was an unforeseen circumstance, completely derailing his original plan.
Originally, Zheng Zha had intended to glean intelligence from Carlos about Umbrella's internal operations—such as the location of the biological research base, its layout, security level, and any critical points.
Who knew Carlos would instead present him with a time-sensitive side quest. "So that's what Chu Xuan meant...
Unforeseen circumstances have both good and bad aspects.
Not every unexpected event can be controlled, nor is every twist of fate positive.
What if the bad outcome occurs, like the elimination of team members if this side quest fails?" Zheng Zha muttered bitterly to himself.
After a long while, Zheng Zha finally stood up, retrieved the interception device from the network, and instructed Zhan Lan, "Zhan Lan, help me scan the office scenes near the windows between the 20th and 29th floors.
Mark anyone who can be controlled, and then just choose one person to control..." Zhan Lan acknowledged, and tens of seconds later, she reported, "Okay, the controlled person on the 22nd floor has been marked...
Are you alright, Zheng Zha? You seem preoccupied." Zheng Zha smiled at her mentally, walked to the windowsill, stamped his foot in mid-air, and leaped out, simultaneously asking Zhan Lan in his mind, "Zhan Lan, how important do you think Chu Xuan is to our team?" Zhan Lan affirmed with a firm "Yes." "Of course he's important.
To be honest, our victory in the last Starship Troopers scenario was largely due to Chu Xuan's presence in our team...
Do you have an issue with him? Or did you two have another disagreement?" This wasn't Zhan Lan overthinking things; there had indeed been a period long ago where Chu Xuan and Zheng Zha held a semi-adversarial relationship, until Zheng Zha gradually grew into the captain of the Central Continent team, and Chu Xuan was revived, at which point they both became members of the same group. "No, how could that be..." Zheng Zha laughed, using 'Moon Walk' once in mid-air before replying mentally, "It's not about disagreements.
I'm just feeling worried, perhaps a sense of confusion about the future direction our team should take..." "Many paths lead to the same destination, so there is no single absolutely correct road.
This applies to the team's future layout and arrangements as well.
Chu Xuan's planning is overly reliant on gambles and benefits, paying too little heed to human nature.
But such a plan is stable: either it succeeds completely or it fails completely—it's a one-shot deal.
The plan devised by our other wise member focuses more on variables.
It might produce a miracle in the face of absolute doom, or it might hit a wall right before finding a path to survival..." "That is what troubles me..." Leaping into the...