The train gradually slowed down until it came to a stop. The dozen or so foreign mercenaries, holding their guns, cautiously stepped outside. The young man with black hair was the first to boldly walk out, followed by the girl with glasses, who glanced at Zheng Zha and the others before stepping outside as well. As they watched the man named Matthew Edison, the black mercenary, walk further away, Zheng Zha and the others followed suit.
Outside the train car was a station platform. Zheng Zha thought about the scenes from the movie Resident Evil 1. This should be the place where the group was supposed to enter the Hive, the entrance to the underground laboratory.
They walked up the platform, and soon, in front of them, a large steel gate blocked the entrance to the laboratory. The gate had a special set of symbols, indicating the laboratory's company and the danger in the area.
The group kept close behind the mercenaries. When they reached the gate, a woman dressed in a red long gown with a high slit on the legs suddenly asked Matthew Edison, the black mercenary, "I want to know who you are, and what exactly is happening here?"
Matthew Edison turned to look at her. He waved to the other mercenaries, signaling them to start working on the gate. They quickly pulled out some equipment and began to crack the door, while Matthew Edison continued to speak to the woman. "We are hired by the Umbrella Corporation, and that includes you. This gate leads to the Hive. You are a security personnel for the company's access to this location, which is why we brought you along."
Zheng Zha recognized this scene. This was where the female protagonist, Alice, asked about the origins of the incident. Although he had watched the movie and knew the truth, seeing it all unfold in front of his eyes gave him a strange sense of disorientation and confusion.
Alice seemed lost, her fingers brushing against her wedding ring as she muttered, "Then what is this?"
Matthew Edison nodded. "You aren't married. This is just a cover-up, and it's also your badge to protect the Hive."
"What is the Hive then?"
A man, who wasn't a mercenary, suddenly asked. Zheng Zha recognized him as well. He was Ryan, the business spy who caused the incident by trying to steal the T-virus. He was also the male protagonist of Resident Evil 1.
Matthew Edison spoke to another mercenary, "Show them."
The mercenary nodded and began typing on a laptop. Moments later, images appeared on the screen.
"This is the entrance to the Hive… The Hive is located deep underground beneath Raccoon City. This is the building we found you in. From here, we took a train that brought us to the entrance of the Hive, the very spot we are standing in now."
The screen displayed a changing series of images, and eventually, a building resembling a beehive appeared on the computer screen.
"This is the Hive, a highly secret research facility hidden underground, owned and operated by Umbrella. Inside the Hive, there are 500 scientists and other staff members who conduct classified research for the company. These secrets are crucial to the company, although we don't even know what they are. This is where we are now, as shown by the thermal sensors."
Matthew Edison continued explaining. The computer screen confirmed their location, showing that they were standing at the top of the Hive's platform. Zheng Zha knew that this was the only safe place for now, but in a moment, it would become a death trap.
"Then what about them?" Alice suddenly pointed at Zheng Zha and the others.
Zheng Zha and the others were taken aback. They had assumed that they were just observers in this world, meaning that the characters from the horror film wouldn't interact with them. They thought they only needed to avoid the terrifying monsters. But to their surprise, Alice, the female protagonist of Resident Evil 1, was now pointing at them and talking to them.
Matthew Edison said, "They're also security personnel here. The company has registered their information… but I have doubts about the orders from the higher-ups. Except for the Asian guy, who is a qualified fighter, the rest are just ordinary civilians."
It seemed that this was the identity the "Master" had assigned them here, Zheng Zha thought to himself.
Ryan asked, "Why have I lost my memory? I can't remember anything now."
Matthew Edison replied, "The Hive has its own defense system, controlled by the central computer, the Fire Queen. When the Hive is under attack, the computer releases a neurotoxic gas that knocks people unconscious for about four hours. When they wake up, they experience side effects, one of which is memory loss."
Ryan asked, "Memory loss? How long will this last?"
Matthew Edison shook his head. "It depends on the person. It could last an hour, a day, or even a week."
Another young man, who wasn't a mercenary, suddenly asked, "Are you saying that the Hive has already been attacked? Are there terrorists inside?"
Matthew Edison looked at him and said, "… It might be worse than that."
Zheng Zha recognized this young man. He was Matt, a non-corporate employee who had come to find his sister, a senior researcher at the Hive. After discovering that the company was researching the T-virus and learning about its dangers, she tried to warn the government. However, before she could inform them, Ryan had already stolen and leaked the virus, which eventually caused her to turn into a zombie.
Zheng Zha silently thanked the heavens. His previous boredom had led him to watch a lot of movies, especially science fiction and horror. He knew the plot twists and the main characters, which increased his chances of survival. The "protagonist never dies" rule was common sense, whether in novels or movies.
Just then, a voice came from above the platform's gate. A long-haired female mercenary said, "Captain, the gate has been unlocked. We can enter now."
Matthew Edison nodded to the group, then sighed as he looked at Zheng Zha and the others before leading the mercenaries towards the gate.
The gate gradually opened under computer control. Inside, it was pitch black, with nothing visible except the darkness. Matthew Edison turned to one of the mercenaries and said, "JD!"
The man nodded and put on night vision goggles. After a moment's hesitation, Matthew Edison turned to the young man with black hair and said, "Zhang Jie!"
Without saying much, Zhang Jie picked up a Desert Eagle and boldly walked inside. Zheng Zha guessed that this young man was probably familiar with the plot. In Resident Evil 1, as long as the main computer wasn't shut down, they would be safe here—at least for the next three hours. But once the main computer was shut off, this place would become a breeding ground for zombies and lickers.
Soon, Zhang Jie turned on the lights inside, gradually illuminating the room. The windows on the walls revealed the view of tall buildings in the city. Outside, the sunlight was bright, and the sky was a clear blue—exactly the kind of view Zheng Zha was used to seeing every day.
The mercenaries and the group entered the room. A female mercenary, holding a detector, examined the air for a moment before saying, "The toxic gas has dissipated. It's safe here now."
Zheng Zha knew the entire plot. This underground laboratory was researching a biochemical weapon called the T-virus, which could infect and activate human flesh, turning people into zombies. The infected would lose all consciousness and thought, only retaining the instinct to eat.
Earlier, when Ryan, the plot's character, stole the T-virus, he destroyed a vial of it in the lab, and the gas spread throughout the Hive via the air circulation system, infecting all the researchers and staff. However, they had no idea what was happening. Once the Hive's central computer realized the infection, it cut off all contact with the outside world and released toxic gas inside. By the time the mercenaries and Alice arrived, the only survivors inside the lab were the mercenaries and the protagonists—everyone else had turned into zombies… and lickers.
It seemed that Resident Evil 1 was indeed a popular movie, and since Zheng Zha and the others were all familiar with it, including the girl with glasses, everyone leaned against the windows, gazing outside. The sunshine and the view were so real, and they weren't worried about an attack at this moment because they all knew the place was safe for now.
Matt, the young man searching for his sister, suddenly spoke up from the side. "This equipment is used to improve the underground working environment. No one wants to stare at cold, lifeless steel walls all day. If they could see the sunlight, they'd probably think they're living on the surface."
Zheng Zha hesitated for a moment before extending his hand and saying, "Zheng Zha... uh, I think I'm one of the security personnel here."
Matt, since he wasn't listed in the company's records, was locked up by the mercenaries as soon as he arrived. He chuckled bitterly and turned to face Zheng Zha. "I'm locked up, so I can't shake your hand… Also, I've forgotten my name."
Zheng Zha smiled kindly. In the movie, Matt was a good person. He was one of the most innocent characters, just searching for his sister. Even at the end of the story, he kept protecting Alice. He was one of the survivors and continued to fight for Alice even in Resident Evil 2.
Meanwhile, Matthew Edison and several mercenaries opened the elevator door, but inside was pitch black. Reluctantly, one of the mercenaries twisted the top of a flare and threw it down the elevator shaft. As the light from the flare faded, they could finally see the elevator. It had snapped its cables and crashed to the bottom. It was obvious that the people inside were long dead.
The mercenary turned around and said, "Captain, looks like we're taking the stairs."
Matthew Edison's face turned pale as he replied, "Take the stairs. We need to reach the bottom in ten minutes. Everyone, follow me!"
The mercenaries were well-trained and didn't need much encouragement. Alice, with the evolved T-virus inside her, was naturally stronger than most, as were the two male protagonists, Ryan and Matt. Zhang Jie had survived three horror films and had used some of his rewards to enhance his physical strength, so he was much stronger than the average person.
Among the remaining six, Zheng Zha, though an office worker, had always enjoyed exercising. He spent at least one full day at the gym every week. As he put it, it helped him deal with the "flirtatious energy" of his female colleagues, so his physical strength was slightly above average.
The girl with glasses seemed frail and didn't have the advantage in terms of physical strength. Plus, as a woman, she was naturally weaker than the men. However, she was very clever. When they began running up the stairs, she grabbed the hem of Zhang Jie's shirt, letting him take on part of the load, and Zhang Jie didn't say a word, just silently led the way.
The plump man, around 27 or 28 years old, was out of breath after a short while, his speed slowing down with each step.
The other three were a middle-aged man, who seemed to do physical labor. Though not fast, he kept pace with the main group without falling behind.
There was also a middle-aged woman, who was slower than the plump man. In the end, she could only move one step at a time down the stairs.
Finally, there was a teenage boy, who looked average and wasn't particularly strong. He was the type who could easily disappear in a crowd. His pace was similar to the middle-aged man's—neither fast nor slow—but he kept close behind the main group.
Not long after, the plump man and the middle-aged woman were no longer in sight. Zheng Zha, who had been running alongside Zhang Jie, suddenly heard Zhang Jie speak up. "Two out."
Zheng Zha was puzzled. "What do you mean, two out?"
Zhang Jie sneered and said, "Those two. Don't take my words lightly. This is the real world. We're going to die here if we're not careful. You might not realize it yet, thinking this is just a movie, right? But if you're 100 meters away from them, they'll explode. That's one of the rules. Those two... they're done for."
"Boom!"
Just as Zhang Jie finished speaking, two violent explosions sounded from above the stairs. Zheng Zha and the others froze, staring up at the source of the noise, but they couldn't see anything. All they could see were the stairs above them.
Two out!