Zhang Jie took a drag on his cigarette and said to the mercenary captain, Matthew Addison,"The four of us will stay here."
Matthew Addison, who had been about to explain their next move, froze at Zhang Jie's abrupt statement. After a brief pause, he frowned and responded,"What do you mean? We don't have time for jokes. I'm not in the mood."
Zhang Jie dropped the cigarette and crushed it underfoot. His expression was serious."I'm not joking. I mean we four are staying here to hold this position. You know as well as I do that these three"—he gestured toward Zheng Zha and the others—"are just regular civilians. Their physical endurance is no match for the long-distance escape ahead. The chances of them falling behind are far too high. Instead of risking complete failure, it's safer for us to stay here."
Matthew glanced at Zheng Zha and his companions, studying them silently for a moment before asking,"And what about you? Why are you staying behind?"
Zhang Jie shrugged."Sorry, but some of my memories have come back. These three are my friends. I can't just leave them behind to escape on my own. Besides, I can protect them better if I stay here."
The other mercenaries had gathered around, their gazes fixed on the four with a mixture of confusion and something harder to read. Matthew looked directly at Zheng Zha and said,"No. He saved my life, and I can't stand by and watch my teammates sacrifice themselves. Remember this—you're my teammates now. Understood? My orders are for us to move out immediately. We're leaving together!"
At this, Zhan Lan stood up and said,"Captain, everyone, you know how limited our stamina is. We can't possibly keep up with your pace during an escape. If we were to become infected or turn into one of those zombie creatures… Captain, don't you think staying here quietly and waiting for potential backup from rescue teams is our only chance of survival? If you insist on dragging us along to our deaths, then I have nothing more to say."
Matthew fell silent for a long time before finally relenting with a heavy sigh."I understand… Kaplan, reactivate the laser defense system for the corridor. You all will stay in the Red Queen's mainframe room. It's the safest place in the Hive. Stay put and wait. If we survive, we'll report your situation to the company… Just don't die."
Zhang Jie led Zheng Zha and the others into the Red Queen's mainframe room. Once inside, Kaplan activated the laser defense system. The corridor lit up again, its lights bathing the space in a sterile glow. Through the thick glass of the steel doors, Zheng Zha and the others watched as the mercenaries looked back at them from the far end of the corridor. In both groups' eyes, there was a shared sense of pity.
Once the mercenaries had disappeared down the sewer, Zhan Lan grinned and said,"Did you see that? They were full of pity for us. I wonder what expressions they'll have when they face the Lickers."
The room felt incredibly secure—three layers of reinforced steel doors and the laser defense corridor outside. Compared to the dangerous paths the mercenaries had to take, this was undoubtedly the safest place in the entire Hive. The group visibly relaxed. Zhang Jie, in particular, chuckled as he took out a cigarette and offered one to Zheng Zha.
"Does the'Lord God' provide cigarettes too?" Zheng Zha asked, taking a drag. The rich, aromatic flavor was far superior to anything he'd smoked before, making him curious.
Zhang Jie squinted as he exhaled and said,"The'Lord God' offers all sorts of things. Too many to count. There are four main categories of items you can exchange: First, technology. Guns, body armor, even weapons straight out of sci-fi movies. But those are way too expensive for me to afford. Second, magic and legends—magic scrolls, Chinese talismans, protective charms, and mystical weapons."
Li Xiaoyi's eyes lit up with excitement."You mean like the weapons from video games? They must be incredibly powerful, right?"
Zhang Jie shot him a sidelong glance."Powerful or not, I wouldn't know. But magical items are priced even higher than the technological ones. I think they're meant for supernatural horror movies. I don't know much about their specific effects."
Zheng Zha tilted his head in confusion."Supernatural horror movies?"
"Yeah, like…" Zhang Jie paused before saying,"Ju-On."
The mention of the title made the others shudder involuntarily, as if ghosts were already lurking in the shadows around them.
"That's why I said Resident Evil is a relatively light horror movie. You can explain it with science and reality. You can kill the monsters. You can run and hide. As long as you don't get infected with the T-virus and have enough firepower, you have a chance to survive."
Zhang Jie's eyes flickered with fear as he continued,"But those supernatural horror movies… Those are the real nightmares. You don't know when or how you'll die. You might not even realize you're already dead. The terror is everywhere, omnipresent, and it drags you into the abyss."
Zheng Zha patted Zhang Jie on the shoulder and sat beside him."Let me guess—your first movie was A Nightmare on Elm Street?"
Zhang Jie nodded bleakly."In that one… you can't imagine what we went through. More than a dozen people died, each one in a more gruesome way than the last. We tried to escape. A veteran who had survived several movies led us to steal a truck. We drove nonstop for five days, taking turns to stay awake. No one dared sleep, and if anyone started to drift off, the others would shake them awake. But then…"
Zhang Jie's voice trembled, and his hands shook as he lit another cigarette."We found a small town ahead and thought we'd finally escaped. We cried with joy as we drove in… only to realize it was the same town from the movie. And the veteran who'd been driving… had already turned into Freddy Krueger. He looked back at us and grinned…"
Zhang Jie's body trembled violently, as if he were on the verge of a breakdown. Zheng Zha quickly changed the subject."So… those magical items could kill Freddy?"
Zhang Jie took a deep drag and shook his head."I wouldn't know. That was my first movie. Surviving was pure luck. Do you know how I got the scars on my face? Freddy cut them one by one with his scissors. I've never repaired them in the'Lord God' space because I want to remember… If I ever face him again, I'll kill him!"
Zheng Zha and the others exchanged nervous glances, their eyes filled with dread for the future.
Zhang Jie continued,"Killing Freddy earned 5,000 reward points and one B-level horror side plot. That was the only time I ever saw a side plot appear."
Zhan Lan suddenly asked,"What's a B-level side plot? Is it important?"
Zhang Jie nodded."That brings us to the third category: auxiliary items. Things like antidotes, immunity boosters, healing potions, or consumables like bullets. There are also advanced items like cloaking devices. Then there are the enhancement items…"
He chuckled."When I first saw the enhancements, I laughed out loud. For example: Spider-Man's mutated gene. The description says it grants you the same genetic abilities as Spider-Man, improving your intelligence by 20, mental strength by 20, cellular vitality by 50, nerve reaction speed by 100, muscle strength by 100, and immunity by 150. Plus, you get his web-slinging ability. Only 2,000 reward points."
The group was stunned. Zhan Lan counted on her fingers."That's over 4,000 points' worth of attributes, plus the web ability. Why didn't you get it?"
Zhang Jie laughed bitterly."I'd love to. If I had those powers, I'd be much safer in movies like this. But enhancements require side plots. An A-level side plot can be exchanged for three B-level ones, and so on. The lowest tier is D-level. I've only encountered one such opportunity so far. It's rare."
Zheng Zha kept quiet, his mouth dry. He didn't mention the B-level side plot he already had but instead asked,"What level does Spider-Man's gene require?"
"B-level," Zhang Jie replied, lighting another cigarette."Some D-level ones I've noticed include traditional Chinese Qigong, which boosts mental strength by 10, cellular vitality by 20, reflexes by 20, muscle strength by 30, and immunity by 20. It also grants a weak form of'Qi'—beginner-level inner strength. But advanced martial arts techniques require B- or A-level plots. Chinese Qigong costs 500 points and one D-level plot."
zheng zha felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. It suddenly dawned on him that as long as he survived this horror movie, he would be able to enhance several attributes, giving him a much better chance in future horror scenarios.
Zhang Jie suddenly spoke with a mysterious tone,"There are some top-tier enhancement options too, but they seem more like bait to lure people into dreaming big. Honestly, I don't even believe these enhancements really exist... For example, there's the Divine Bloodline. With this, all six of your core attributes are boosted to almost superhuman levels, and you get a unique skill called Divine Power. But the cost? An S-grade side storyline and fifty thousand reward points! Haha, isn't that insane? And there's something even crazier: Cultivation Techniques. While it doesn't boost your attributes as much as the Divine Bloodline, it grants a unique skill called Cultivation. According to its description, this allows you to gradually become an immortal being who lives as long as the heavens and earth themselves. It requires an S-grade side storyline and seventy thousand reward points. Haha, I couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw that!"
Both Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan chuckled lightly at Zhang Jie's remarks, amused by the absurdity of such descriptions. Only Li Xiaoyi sat in wide-eyed fascination, clearly captivated by the idea.