Chapter Six: First Encounter with Biochemical Warfare (Conclusion)

Chapter Six: The First Battle with Biochemical Doom

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The story continues:

Inside the Red Queen’s mainframe chamber, everyone sat against the wall, only Lolita and Shuster remained standing.

“Not bad at all…” Zhang Jie slid the Desert Eagle into his holster, his tone edged with a mocking smile.

Zheng Zha caught his breath and asked, “What do you mean?”

Zhang Jie glanced back at the mercenaries, who were inspecting their fallen comrades in the laser death corridor. Turning back, he lowered his voice: “The first horror movie is always the most dangerous for newcomers—their mindset is the key issue. First, you have to understand your situation. I’ve seen many newbies who think this is all an illusion or some kind of TV show, so they die the fastest, and often in the most miserable ways. But this time, the new arrivals—including you three who are still alive—have adjusted your mindsets quickly. Especially you and Lan—among all the people I’ve seen, your mental fortitude is the best. Not only did you adapt, but you also overcame your fear quickly. That’s a testament to your qualities.”

“Second, overcoming fear isn’t enough to survive. In your first horror movie, you’re basically just ordinary people. If you’re lucky, you might know the plot, but even then, your chances of dying are high. So, for newcomers, the first horror movie is really just a process of elimination by luck. If you can survive, you’ll get rewards and enhance yourself—like this Desert Eagle, or my physical enhancements. Do you understand?”

After finishing, Zhang Jie took out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Zheng Zha, and then offered one to Shuster. “Ladies, would you care for one?”

“No thanks, we don’t smoke. And also, I’m a man,” Shuster replied, waving his hand.

“A man!” The four reincarnators exclaimed in surprise.

“I thought you two were twin sisters,” Lan said, rubbing her forehead and voicing what everyone was thinking.

“Well, we are twins, but brother and sister,” Lolita answered cheerfully, in contrast to Shuster, who only revealed his true self to those close to him. Lolita, however, was friendly to everyone—especially to family.

Li Xiaoyi scratched his head and looked down. “Big Brother Zhang, I’m already at minus ten points. What should I do?”

Zhang Jie was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. “Not a single reward, and you’re at minus ten? Haha, your luck really is something else. Don’t worry, if you survive this movie, you’ll get a thousand reward points. But remember, the moment you’re given a thousand points at the end, if you’re still negative... you’ll be erased on the spot.”

Lan smiled at everyone. “In the movie, almost all the mercenaries are wiped out, but now they’re all alive. With them protecting us, there shouldn’t be any more danger, right?”

Scarface sneered, “How could that be? I told you, we’re nothing but worms struggling to survive. Who knows when a special directive will show up—like when you first arrived, you couldn’t stray more than a hundred meters from the plot characters. That’s a special assignment. My last horror movie was even worse… but never mind that. The point is, the more we change the plot, the harsher the directives from the Lord God, increasing our chances of dying.”

Lan paused, sighing. “That’s troublesome. My plan was, since Zhang Jie said we’d be instantly extracted from here, meaning as long as we survive until the end, no matter where we are, we’ll be safe. So why not just stay here? I remember in the plot, they go into the sewers after the mainframe room, navigate a dangerous suspended walkway, almost get killed by a Licker during an internal conflict, and even after boarding the train, they’re still not safe. But here?”

Zhang Jie took a deep drag on his cigarette, thinking for a moment. “Alright, we’ll stay. The ‘Lord God’ shouldn’t issue an inescapable death mission. In other words, it won’t suddenly display a name and order us to follow after the mercenaries have already left. In such a scenario, we’d be doomed. Since we’ve decided, let’s stick to it! We’re staying here!”

“Alright, then I’ll explain it to them,” Shuster offered.

“Okay, it’s up to you,” Zhang Jie replied, exhaling smoke.

A moment later, the mercenaries finished their discussion and considered their next move.

At this point, Shuster—

Matthew Addison was just about to explain the next step to the four when Zhang Jie’s words stopped him cold. After a moment, he asked, “What do you mean? We don’t have much time—I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

Zhang Jie stubbed out his cigarette, replying seriously, “I’m not joking. What I mean is the four of us will stay here and guard this spot. You know as well as I do, these three have only average physical abilities. If we try to escape on foot, they’ll likely fall behind and die. Rather than risk certain failure, it’s safer for us to stay here.”

Matthew Addison looked at Zheng Zha and the others, then fell silent for a long time before asking, “And the three of you? Why do you want to stay?”

Off to the side, Zhang Jie shrugged. “Sorry, I’ve regained some memories. These three are my friends; I can’t leave them behind. If I stay, I can protect them.”

“We’re the same,” Lolita added.

Yet Shuster quietly fixed his gaze on Zhang Jie’s eyes…

This felt like a psychological suggestion—yet there was no flaw or suspicious sign in his words. It had to be some kind of hypnotic ability. He wasn’t telling the truth; clearly, he had special powers but claimed only physical enhancement. If I didn’t already know you were our guide, I might have confronted you directly.

At this moment, Lan stood up: “Captain, everyone, you know our physical limitations. We can’t possibly keep up with you in a full-on escape. Rather than becoming those zombie creatures, wouldn’t it be better for us to wait here quietly, hoping for a rescue team? Isn’t that our only real chance at survival? If you insist on dragging us along to our deaths, I have nothing more to say.”

Matthew Addison was silent for a long while, then finally replied gloomily, “Understood… Kaplan, activate the defense system for the laser corridor. You’ll stay in the Red Queen’s mainframe room—it’s the safest place. Wait quietly; if we’re still alive, we’ll report your status to the company… Don’t die.”

The six reincarnators hid in the Red Queen’s mainframe room. Kaplan then activated the laser corridor’s defense system; the lights on both sides of the passage brightened again. Through the glass window in the steel door, Zheng Zha and the others watched the mercenaries on the other side. Both sides saw a glimmer of pity reflected in each other’s eyes.

Once the mercenaries left through the sewers, Lan grinned: “Did you see that? Their eyes were full of pity. I wonder what they’ll look like when they run into the Licker.”

“The Licker? Never seen one in real life, but in the movie, it’s about fourth tier in strength.”

With three layers of solid steel doors, and the final door guarded by a laser corridor, this was easily the safest place in the entire Hive, far more secure than the routes the plot characters would take. The four relaxed, and Zhang Jie cheerfully pulled out his cigarettes, constantly offering them to Zheng Zha.

“Does the ‘Lord God’ provide cigarettes?” Zheng Zha asked while enjoying a smoke, noting the flavor was richer and finer than anything he’d ever had before.

Zhang Jie squinted. “You can exchange for all sorts of things from the ‘Lord God’—too many to count. There are four main categories. First, technology: guns, body armor, even weapons you’d only see in science fiction movies. But they’re expensive—not something I can afford. Second, magical and legendary items: magic scrolls, Taoist charms from China, protective amulets, swords, that sort of thing.”

Li Xiaoyi’s eyes lit up. “Like the weapons you get in video games? They must be powerful, right?”

Zhang Jie shot him a sidelong glance. “Powerful or not, I don’t know, but magical items cost twice as much as technological ones. I suppose they’re meant for ghost-type horror movies, but I’m not sure of the specifics.”

Suddenly, Zhang Jie stopped and leapt to the window, peering out into the laser corridor. The others followed, but through the glass, they saw only bright lights—nothing else. Shuster, after a moment’s thought, drew the Blood Dance Crescent.

Zhang Jie turned and shouted, “Red Queen, report—what’s happening outside the control room?”

A little girl’s voice immediately sounded in the room: “Two Lickers are attacking the outermost door. The door can remain sealed for another forty seconds.”

Zhang Jie cursed, “Damn, I knew it wouldn’t be that simple! The Lickers must have caught our scent. The outer door won’t hold them. Good thing we’re holed up here. Who knows how long the next doors will last, especially after Shuster broke one down earlier.” He checked his watch. Seventeen minutes remained.

The race against death had begun…

PS: The Blood Dance Crescent’s special properties are a perfect counter to crawling creatures.