Everyone stared blankly at Li Shuaixi. He was an ordinary-looking young man of ordinary strength and ordinary abilities—in short, he was ordinary in every way. If Chu Xuan hadn't brought him up, no one would have given him a second thought. He was so unremarkable, he might as well have been air.
Li Shuaixi froze for a moment, then suddenly flushed red and shouted, "Why me? What gives you the right to pick me? There are so many people here, and everyone wants to make it through this horror movie alive. Why do I have to be the one sent to die? You're trying to kill me, aren't you? If there's one less person sharing the food, the rest of you can survive a little longer, so you're trying to kill me, aren't you?"
Chu Xuan glanced at him impassively. "No. I'm not asking you to go and die. Being bait is certainly dangerous, but you're the best person for the job. Everyone here is stronger than you. Zhang Jie, Zhan Lan, and Zheng Zha have all survived horror movies before. I can plan all our next moves. Zero Point's close-combat and sniping skills are both exceptional. Overlord is skilled with many kinds of firearms, possibly including those in the merchant ship's armory. So tell me: what use are you to us?"
Li Shuaixi lowered his head and said nothing, but his face grew redder and redder, and the veins stood out on his clenched hands. Chu Xuan continued in an even tone, "Under normal circumstances, everyone has their own strengths. I would never judge someone by numbers or abilities. To put it simply, I would never be this pragmatic. But you need to understand our situation. We're fighting for our lives. The smallest mistake could get every one of us killed. You're the one among us who has nothing to contribute. If you want the group to accept you and treat you as an equal, you have to show us what you're good for. Otherwise, how are you any different from the seven dead people still outside the isolation wall?"
Zheng Zha finally couldn't hold back any longer. "No way. I don't agree with that. When I first got here, I was an ordinary person too. I only became this strong after I got enhancements. Why are you calling Li Shuaixi useless? If he gets the chance to survive a few more horror movies, he'll become a reliable partner too!"
Chu Xuan remained impassive. "But will he get that chance? More to the point, do any of us have a chance of surviving this horror movie? If we had the same Reward Points and physical enhancements, the six of us would still be far stronger than him. And don't say you'll take his place. Everyone has their own responsibility. You're our best chance of surviving this horror movie. Do you want to save one person at the cost of everyone else's lives?"
Zheng Zha was furious. He was terrified of death himself, especially now that he had someone he cared about. He was determined to survive, no matter what. That also meant he understood all too well what it was like to face death and terror head-on. Even with his physical abilities, he had barely made it out alive. If an ordinary person like Li Shuaixi had to face an Alien, wouldn't he be left without even the slightest hope?
Zhang Jie hurriedly grabbed Zheng Zha as he grew more and more agitated. "Let's do it the usual way and vote. That's fairest... Zheng Zha! Don't let your emotions get the better of you. If you won't think about our lives, then what about Loli? If we die, our creations will disappear too! What are you trying to do?"
Zheng Zha shuddered, then lowered his head and sank helplessly into a seat. Chu Xuan sighed. "Then let's vote. Those who accept my plan, raise your hands. The minority will follow the majority."
The result was five votes in favor and two opposed. Li Shuaixi's fate was decided. He could either follow the plan and act as bait, earning the group's acceptance, or leave the group, forfeiting any food or water and losing its protection.
Li Shuaixi was close to the breaking point. Zero Point and Overlord silently moved to Chu Xuan's side. Everyone expected him to explode, but instead he took a few deep breaths and gradually calmed down. He glared at Chu Xuan with venom in his eyes. "Fine. I'll be the bait. Just like all of you want. I'll definitely be the bait!"
Everyone felt a chill when they saw the venom in his eyes. Zheng Zha hadn't seen any of it. He kept his head lowered in silence and, after the vote, quietly went to sit by himself in a secluded corner of the control room.
After a while, Zhan Lan went over to him. She sat down beside him, unsure what to say. He was the first to speak. "Zhan Lan, you're afraid of dying too, aren't you?"
Zhan Lan blinked. "Uh... Yeah. I'm afraid of dying."
Zheng Zha lowered his head. "I'm afraid of dying too. Everyone is... No one is ever truly safe here, so why should we push the danger onto someone else? The rest of us would only be safe for a little while. We should choose whoever is best suited to the task..."
Zhan Lan interrupted him, her expression serious. "I think Chu Xuan is right. Under normal circumstances, your argument would be reasonable, and it would be right to act that way. Everyone has their own strengths, and no one should be judged by numbers or abilities. But this isn't a normal situation. We're facing death... What gives us the right to protect someone who's no use to us, for nothing in return?"
Zheng Zha fell silent again. After a long while, he finally murmured, "...I can't argue with that. Yes, maybe you and Chu Xuan are right. But I still hope everyone can stand together and do everything possible to survive. I don't want the strong to oppress the weak. If we'd faced the same situation in our first horror movie, how would we have felt? Wouldn't we have resented everyone—and the world itself?"
Zhan Lan sighed and said no more. She sat quietly with Zheng Zha. A few minutes later, they suddenly heard someone cry out nearby. They exchanged a glance and hurried over to where the others were.
When they arrived, everyone was watching the large screen on the monitoring console with rapt attention. They hurriedly looked too and saw four people staggering across the screen: two heavyset, middle-aged men and a man and woman in office clothes. Once the four had passed, Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan stared in shock at the mature Alien, its body pitch-black, following behind them.
Zheng Zha immediately asked, "What happened? Why didn't that Alien attack them?"
Chu Xuan pondered without answering. Zhan Lan rubbed her forehead and said, "Is it because... it's breeding?"
The Alien Queen was the only Alien capable of reproducing. For an Alien embryo to grow and mature, it needed a living host. That was probably why the Alien hadn't killed the four people on the screen.
Chu Xuan nodded silently. "Yes. It must be breeding. We have to start the bait mission as soon as possible, or in a few days... we'll be facing... nine Aliens!"
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