A few minutes later, everyone had recovered from the bloody death they had just witnessed. Matthew Edison patted Zheng Zha's shoulder gratefully. The mercenary captain, who should have died in the corridor, was still alive. This was a huge change to the story. Of course, he might still die later in the jaws of a zombie or under the claws of a crawler. No one could predict that.
Matthew Edison glanced at everyone and coldly said,"Let's continue."
"Continue?" Ryan, one of the main characters, shouted,"What continue? Are you kidding me? I'm not going back into that corridor!"
Matthew Edison turned his eyes toward Kaplan. The computer-savvy mercenary, drenched in sweat, said,"Y-yes, I've shut down all the defense systems, all of them..."
Matthew Edison repeated,"All of them? Are you sure?"
Without waiting for Kaplan's answer, he grabbed the equipment on the ground and walked toward the other end of the corridor.
Kaplan kept pressing buttons on the keyboard. This time, the main entrance door didn't close again. As the female lead, Alice, entered the corridor, the door leading to the central computer's Fire Queen's room slammed shut. Zheng Zha and the others exchanged looks. They knew that the next step would be facing the core theme of the biohazard crisis: zombies!
Zhan Lan quietly said to Zheng Zha and the others,"Don't wander too far from Zhang Jie, don't let any zombies bite or scratch you. In the movie, anyone infected with the T-virus becomes a zombie within thirty minutes. When I watched this movie before, I did a calculation. You need to administer the antidote within about ten minutes for it to work. Remember, don't leave Zhang Jie later. Since he's survived three horror movies, he should be able to survive this one too."
Zheng Zha and Li Xiaoyi nodded. Zhan Lan suddenly smiled,"By the way, do you feel disgusted about killing people?"
Li Xiaoyi spoke first:"When I first arrived, I felt really sick and wasn't used to the atmosphere here. But after vomiting earlier, I feel a lot better. If I kept my eyes closed, I think I could even kill someone."
Zheng Zha thought for a moment. He too felt much better after throwing up. Moreover, having personally gone through a life-or-death situation, he no longer felt the sense of unreality he had when he first arrived in this world. He now felt like he was gradually becoming a part of this horror movie. As long as he could survive, killing people, killing monsters—he was willing to do whatever it took!
Zhan Lan continued,"Good. So later, pick up their guns whenever you get the chance. If you see a zombie alone, try to kill it. These are all reward points. Remember, the head! That's the zombie's weak spot!"
Just then, the lights in the entire room suddenly dimmed. They knew that Matthew Edison had shut down the central main computer, and the central computer's defense systems, which had been isolating the zombies and crawlers, were now ineffective. The entire laboratory would soon become a world for these creatures. After experiencing the pain of the storyline being altered earlier, none of them dared to interfere with the plot this time. So, they could only watch as the central computer was turned off, knowing that death was about to face them.
In the darkness, Zheng Zha felt Li Xiaoyi trembling next to him, and even Zhan Lan was slightly shaking. He couldn't help but whisper,"Are you scared?"
Li Xiaoyi answered,"Yes, I'm really scared."
Zhan Lan, however, said,"I'm too excited..."
Zheng Zha suddenly found this woman a bit frightening, so he didn't ask more questions. Instead, he just looked up at the light source, quietly waiting for what would happen next.
Several seconds later, the room brightened again. Zheng Zha knew that everything had begun!
Matthew Edison and the female lead walked out of the central computer room. The Black mercenary now looked exhausted. He glanced at the bodies in the corridor and said,"We can't take care of them for now. Let's take the Fire Queen's motherboard back to the company. Kaplan, how's the situation in the hive?"
Kaplan pressed a few keys on the computer and replied,"All good. The defense systems are down. We can leave the hive freely now."
Matthew Edison nodded."Good. Then we..."
Before he could finish, gunfire suddenly came from the"B Cafeteria." Matthew Edison and Kaplan exchanged a glance, grabbed their guns, and ran outside. The female lead, Alice, and the other two main characters also followed, running out. Zheng Zha and the others looked at each other and then ran after them.
When they reached the"B Cafeteria," Zheng Zha made a point of noticing the containers holding the crawlers. The green lights on the containers, which had previously been on, had all turned red. This meant the freezing system for the crawlers had failed. The terrifying number of crawlers made Zheng Zha feel a chill in his heart. These creatures were definitely something beyond human ability to fight.
When they reached the entrance of the"B Cafeteria," the long-haired female mercenary, Ryan, was there, cursing under her breath. Matthew Edison asked,"What happened? I heard gunshots."
Ryan's thumb and index finger were missing a large chunk of flesh, blood pouring from the wound, looking horrifying. She gritted her teeth and said,"Sir, we found a survivor, but he's gone mad and even bit me..."
Matthew Edison frowned."So you shot him?"
Ryan shouted,"Sir, he had gone mad!"
"He's gone!" Zhang Jie's voice suddenly came from behind. Looking at the bloodstain on the ground, he said,"He was here just now, but now he's disappeared."
Matthew Edison walked over to the bloodstain, observing it closely. The blood was half-dried and thick. This was definitely not fresh blood that had just come out of a body. He already had a bad feeling in his heart.
Standing up, Matthew Edison said loudly,"We need to leave the hive immediately!"
Ryan, however, seemed surprised and asked,"Sir? Didn't we receive orders to stay here and stand guard after retrieving the Fire Queen's motherboard, waiting for the backup team?"
Matthew Addison shook his head with a bitter smile and said,"There are no more backup troops... prepare to leave!"
At this moment, Zhan Lan walked over to Zhang Jie and quietly asked,"Aren't you afraid of changing the storyline by speaking out like that?"
Zhang Jie sneered and said,"You guys are the real experts. As newcomers, you managed to change the plot and still stay alive... take a good look at your watches. Does it still have Matthew Addison's name on it?"
Zhan Lan and Zheng Zha looked at their watches, and sure enough, Matthew Addison's name had disappeared, leaving that spot blank.
Zhang Jie sneered,"From now on, we can act freely. Remember, anything goes as long as it helps us survive."
He paused and added,"If I were you, with no stamina, reflexes, and no firearms, I'd stick with the main group and return to the Flame Queen's room. At least that way, we'd stay safe..."
Zheng Zha and the others froze for a moment, and Zhan Lan smiled,"I didn't expect you to be so kind-hearted, just not good at expressing it."
Zhang Jie scoffed,"Kind? What are you talking about? I just don't want you to waste my reward points. Don't get me wrong... there are no good people in this world. As long as we survive, I don't mind using you three as my human shields!"
His words were laced with raw killing intent, making Zheng Zha and the others feel a chill in their hearts. At that moment, the sound of metal scraping echoed from not far away. Both Ren and JD, armed with guns, headed toward the source. After a few steps, a man in a research suit appeared, dragging a sledgehammer, followed by several unsteady"people."
JD chambered a round and said,"Stop! Or I'll shoot!"
These"people" were clearly zombies, already infected by the T-virus. As they appeared, more of these"people" staggered around corners, all wearing work uniforms or lab coats. Some of them were already rotting, with twisted limbs that still dragged their bodies forward. Zheng Zha even saw one with only half of its head left, its decayed bones and brain matter a sickly gray-white. The scene almost made him vomit.
"Stop! Or I'll shoot!"
"Bang!"
Matthew Addison was the first to fire at the zombies. The leading zombie holding the sledgehammer was knocked back, but soon it shakily got up again. Despite being hit by more than ten bullets, it barely lost any blood.
"Bang!"
Zhang Jie fired his Desert Eagle, the enormous power of the gun obliterating the zombie's head, as if it were a watermelon exploding. He sneered and said,"You guys go find the exit. I'll handle this here!"
Matthew Addison hesitated for a moment and shouted,"Alright, maintain formation! JD, go find the exit! Ren, guard the prisoners! The rest of you, stay with me!"
Zheng Zha looked back and saw that Zhang Jie hadn't fired again. He was casually spinning the Desert Eagle on his finger, letting the zombies get closer and closer. Then, he suddenly fired in quick succession, taking down the nearest zombies with headshots. His speed and accuracy far exceeded that of an ordinary person!
Zheng Zha thought he could see Zhang Jie's movements clearly. He had read books about combat before, and they classified vision into two types: static vision (the ability to see distant or fine details) and dynamic vision (the ability to track fast-moving objects). The faster something moved, the clearer it became. This meant that the stronger someone's dynamic vision, the better they could track rapid movement.
It seemed that dynamic vision was related to neural reflex speed. Zheng Zha could clearly see Zhang Jie's actions, which indicated that their reflex speed wasn't very different. Moreover, he noticed that after seeing the zombies' heads explode, he initially felt disgusted, but after seeing it a few more times, it felt more natural. This might be related to his mental strength.
(Indeed, those reward points really did enhance my physical condition! They weren't joking!)
Zheng Zha was overjoyed, but he remained calm as he followed Matthew Addison. After walking for a while, Matthew Addison suddenly turned around and handed Zheng Zha a handgun and two magazines, saying,"You might be on your own soon. Each magazine has fifteen rounds. Follow Zhang Jie's lead and aim for their heads."
Zheng Zha was more aware than anyone else that he needed to aim for the zombies' heads. Although he hadn't used a handgun before, with his current reflex speed, he could quickly aim at the zombies' heads and shoot with great accuracy, especially within ten meters—his current effective shooting range. Handguns without sights relied on the shooter's instinct and feel.
Others didn't know this. They saw Zheng Zha quickly raise his gun and shoot, seemingly without aiming, but he always hit the zombies' heads with a single shot. To outsiders, it appeared impressive, and Matthew Addison quietly nodded. He and the other mercenaries kept their eyes focused ahead while Zhang Jie and Zheng Zha handled the zombies behind them.
Li Xiao Yi looked at them with wide eyes and exclaimed,"Brother Zheng, you're amazing! You must have used a gun a lot before, right? How many reward points have you gotten?"
Matthew Addison suddenly turned around and asked,"Reward points?"
Li Xiao Yi's face turned pale, and Zheng Zha knew that he must have heard a warning from some voice, followed by his reward points being deducted. This guy was truly unlucky—he hadn't earned any reward points but had instead gone into the negative.
Matthew Addison gave them a strange look before returning his attention to the front. Zhan Lan patted her chest and whispered,"That was close. I thought the plot was going to change again."
Zhan Lan had a great figure, and she was quite pretty. When she patted her chest, her breasts wobbled slightly, which made Zheng Zha and Li Xiao Yi glance at her for a moment. She seemed to notice this and quickly crossed her arms over her chest, saying,"Do you think Zhang Jie will be okay? We can't see him anymore."
Zheng Zha knew she was changing the subject, so he casually responded,"He should be fine. His skills are way better than ours, and he's got that Desert Eagle with infinite ammo... Damn, when I survive, I'm definitely getting one of those."
Zhan Lan stroked her forehead, a habit of hers. Her forehead protruded slightly more than most girls, and her chest was larger than average. When she made this gesture, it added a certain charm.
"One hundred reward points can increase a person's strength by ten percent, or something else. Once we survive, I'll have to ask Zhang Jie about the details of exchanging reward points... but this isn't the time to discuss that. You should protect us better." Zhan Lan giggled.