Zheng Zha glanced at the people around him and spoke first. "I don't know what the rest of you think, but if I saw the Aliens reach Earth, even if I wasn't from this time and place, even if it meant I might live a few more years, I absolutely couldn't let that happen. I just couldn't..."
But as he said this, he hesitated. He had wanted to add that he would keep fighting even if he were the only one left, but no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to say those final words. After all, he was still afraid of death.
Chu Xuan nodded. "You're probably all thinking the second plan is crazy enough, right? Actually, I think that if circumstances allow, the second plan may be the most reliable way for us all to survive. But it has two flaws. If we can't resolve them, the plan could fail. The first flaw is that since the plot has already changed, who can guarantee that Earth's government won't simply blow our merchant ship to pieces outside the atmosphere? Given the technology of the interstellar age, do you really think Earth wouldn't have defenses against threats from outer space?"
"The second flaw is that I'm worried the partition wall might not be able to keep the Aliens contained. Their blood is extremely corrosive. Remember the fourth Alien movie, the sequel? They escaped their prison by using their blood's corrosive properties. If they use the same method to burn through this partition..." Chu Xuan paused. "When we wake up, we might find a mass of flesh lunging straight at our faces. The Aliens would implant themselves inside us."
Zero Point said coldly, "If this plan has so many flaws, why propose it? Spare me the nonsense."
Chu Xuan waved a hand and said helplessly, "Even with those two flaws, it's still the safer of the two choices. You have to understand: if we choose the first option, we'll have to face the Aliens and defeat them head-on. The partition wall won't save us again if we fail. One failure means we all die...and the same risk will arise several times in a row. Are you confident you can survive all those trials?"
Overlord, the big man, suddenly spoke in halting Chinese. "Don't you Chinese have a saying? 'If you're afraid to die, don't join the GCD'... No, that's not it. 'Live, be a hero among men; die, be a ghost... a ghost hero.' I think that's it. I don't want to leave my fate to the unknown. What if we fall asleep and can't wake up? I'd rather take control of my own future. Even if I die, I want to die fighting by my own choice, not have my life granted to me by some uncertain fate."
Overlord grew more and more agitated as he spoke. By the last few sentences, he had switched to Russian, so Chu Xuan had no choice but to translate for him.
Zhang Jie immediately nodded as well. "I also think we should choose the option we can control. It's dangerous, but we'd be fighting on our own terms instead of relying on luck to survive."
The others silently nodded too. Chu Xuan sighed. "All right, then. Let's vote. The minority will follow the majority. I think that's the fairest way to decide."
The result of the vote was quite unexpected. They did choose the first option and decided to fight the Aliens, but only four people voted for it: Zero Point, Overlord, Zhang Jie, and Zheng Zha. Chu Xuan and Li Shuaixi chose the second option, and even Zhan Lan voted for it.
Chu Xuan exhaled. "Since we've decided to fight, I'll respect your decision. We'll face the Aliens together. First, let's have Zheng Zha take out the food and fresh water. I'm sure everyone's hungry."
Under the eager gazes of those around him, Zheng Zha smiled and circulated his Internal Force. After resting for a while, he had recovered some of it. He still couldn't use it in battle, but it was more than enough to open his Storage Ring.
A few seconds later, boxes of crackers, cheese, bread, and dried meat were spread across the floor, along with bottles filled with fresh water. As soon as the food appeared, Chu Xuan was the first to squat down. He opened several boxes and then counted the water bottles. "There's plenty of food. If we ration it, the seven of us can last about a week. But I recommend dividing it into three days' worth of supplies. That'll be enough to keep us well-fed and hydrated, so we can stay in peak condition and fight at full strength for those three days."
Ever since choosing the second option, Zhan Lan hadn't dared look at Zheng Zha. Now she raised a hand to rub her forehead, forgetting that a large hole had been pierced through her shoulder. She hadn't felt much while fleeing, with fear keeping her distracted, but now that she had calmed down, the pain stabbed through her. She rubbed her forehead with her other hand and asked, "Why not divide the food into seven days' worth? As long as we wait for the Aliens to be trapped, we can clear a safe path straight to the kitchen. Then we might not even have to fight them. We could simply starve them to death."
The others also looked at Chu Xuan in confusion. He smiled wryly. "I considered that possibility too, but a few things made me give up on a war of attrition. First, we don't know enough about Alien physiology. What if they're like certain desert creatures on Earth and can hibernate for dozens of days without eating or drinking? Then we'd have no way to outlast them. We could even end up trapped and die of thirst and hunger after using up all our food and water."
"Second, count how many people are here. Seven, right? I remember there were fifteen of us when we arrived. So what happened to the other eight—or, more accurately, to all that meat? Add in the bodies of the original characters from the story, and there's already enough to sustain the Aliens at a low level of activity."
"Third, and most importantly, I don't want to drive the Aliens into a corner. Even if we manage to trap them and get food from the kitchen, when they get hungry enough, can you guarantee they won't corrode the partition with their blood, then charge at us and devour us? So I'd rather fight the Aliens over a very short period while we're well-fed. That's the best way to fight I can come up with."
Zheng Zha let out a breath. "If we survive this Horror Movie, you'll deserve the most credit. Tell us everything else now, too. Since we're all in this together, sharing life and death, you can trust us completely."
The others silently nodded and looked toward Chu Xuan. They might not like it, but there was no denying that he was exceptionally intelligent. In their current predicament, his value to them was clear.
Chu Xuan smiled and nodded. "To be honest, Zhang Jie told me earlier that new people join every time we enter a Horror Movie, and you can't exactly count on those newcomers being capable. In many Horror Movies, one person's strength is insignificant. If we survive this one, we'll have to take part in even more terrifying Horror Movies in the future. I hope the people on my team will at least have the courage and strength to survive. Only then will I put my mind to work for you. Otherwise, it'll all be pointless. At least six of the seven people on our team are highly capable elites. I'm satisfied with a team like this. I hope we can all survive...at least the six of us."
Li Shuaixi's face immediately flushed red. He was just an ordinary young man with no particular skills, and he could tell that Chu Xuan was referring to him as the one exception. Zheng Zha patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. As long as you survive, you can train and get stronger. Don't ever give up hope."
Li Shuaixi looked at him gratefully. Chu Xuan continued, "So, my plan to contain the Aliens is...bait! Yes, we'll open part of the partition wall and lure the Aliens into the passageways I've designed. The bait will be... Li Shuaixi!"
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