Things unfolded just as Chu Xuan had predicted. The two Aliens on the monitors quickly started moving toward them, followed by the Alien that had taken the middle-aged man and the others away. By then, everyone was watching the big screen intently. Even Zheng Zha was doing the same.
Although they'd already decided to part ways with Chu Xuan and the other two, containing the Aliens was a matter of everyone's survival, so Zheng Zha was just as fixed on the monitor.
"One last one... Where's the last one? The last one..."
Chu Xuan muttered to himself. His face grew paler and paler, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. Just then, Zhan Lan rubbed her forehead and said, "There were seven crew members in the original story: one android and six humans. When you calculated how many Aliens there were, did you count the protagonist too? This is just Alien One..."
Chu Xuan immediately understood. He hurriedly pressed several buttons, and a series of partition walls appeared on the big screen. The Aliens' path was repeatedly blocked as they raced forward, forcing them to change direction. Gradually, the walls drove all three Aliens into corridors in a remote section of the ship. At last, thick alloy walls sealed them inside. Judging by the map on the screen, the passageway to the weapons room had finally been cleared.
The six of them all let out a deep breath. Zheng Zha quietly asked Zhan Lan, "What exactly were you talking about just now? There's still an Alien that hasn't shown up, isn't there? Why did he lower the partition walls as soon as you mentioned Alien One?"
Zhan Lan giggled. "It's because of the protagonist. Think about it: didn't one protagonist survive in Alien One? If an Alien killed her, what would happen to the next three movies, Alien Two, Three, and Four? They'd never exist. So it's very likely we only have to face five Aliens: one Alien Queen, one you killed, and three sealed away. That means there isn't a fourth one."
Zheng Zha thought it over. "What if the protagonist is a new person in every movie? Wouldn't there still be an Alien behind Room Fifteen?"
Chu Xuan's voice cut in from beside them. "That's a question of probability. In any situation, I'll choose the option with the highest probability. As long as the odds are above fifty percent, it's worth a try."
Zheng Zha sneered. "Even if it costs you your life? An Alien could be lying in wait and ambush you. You don't care if that costs you your life?"
"Yes," Chu Xuan said coolly. "Even my life is only a matter of probability. I'll always choose the option with the highest odds. You just mentioned my life, didn't you? Are you planning to split up with me?"
Zheng Zha nodded fiercely. "That's right! I can't stand being with you. Who knows when I'll get hurt and you'll dump me like dead weight? I'd rather rely on my own strength to survive. I can't trust you. Just like Overlord said, I can't turn my back on you!"
"Is that so?" Chu Xuan turned away with an indifferent expression, but his voice still carried back to them. "What a shame. I said I'd only abandon people who were useless to the team. It was a matter of probability: Li Shuaixi had very low odds of surviving, and he also failed the test I gave him. I'd already done everything I could for him. But I'll do everything in my power to save teammates I've accepted, and find a way to keep as many people alive as possible."
Zheng Zha said quietly, "Suppose I'm trapped in a desperate situation. The odds of saving me are very low, but there's still a chance. What would you do?"
"It depends. If your life were crucial, I'd save you at any cost. If saving you put the whole team in danger, I'd abandon you without hesitation."
"Is that so?"
Zheng Zha fell silent for a long while. Then he said coldly, "Yes, I understand that your way might make sense to you, but it terrifies me. There's no way we can stay together anymore... And don't you fucking use your own safety as a stand-in for the whole team's. Isn't that a damn sleazy bait-and-switch? You're always going on about the whole team. What if you were the one the team had to sacrifice? You'd probably do everything you could to make someone else take your place. Fuck that!"
Chu Xuan smiled. "If you were in my position, what would you do?"
Zheng Zha was gathering all the chairs in the control room. Without turning around, he said, "I admit what you said at first was right. Every team member has to contribute something. For example, I absolutely couldn't protect those three thugs. The fact that I didn't kill those burdens myself was already generous of me. So from now on, I'll be very careful about choosing my teammates. But once I accept someone as a teammate, I'll never abandon him. That's how a team can keep trusting one another... With your attitude of treating people like tools, even if you survive, you'll probably be the only one who's ever truly safe. So I absolutely refuse to stay with you."
Neither side said anything more. Half an hour later, Chu Xuan, Zero Point, and Overlord were the first to leave the control room. Zhang Jie and Zhan Lan, however, saw Zheng Zha start smashing the chairs like a madman.
Zhang Jie hurried over to stop him. "Don't get angry. There's no point getting angry at someone like him..."
Zheng Zha gave a wry smile. "I'm not angry. I'm just making weapons. You're right—it's pointless getting angry at someone like him. That's why I have my own way of fighting."
Zhang Jie and Zhan Lan exchanged a glance. They watched Zheng Zha break open the chairs and pull out the long steel bars supporting them. He gripped both ends and twisted. Before long, the steel bar had become a vicious-looking, spiral-shaped spike.
"Do you know why I wanted to get away from those three?"
Zheng Zha suddenly turned to them with a smile. "Because I have a bad feeling. I can't shake the sense that something is lurking in Corridor Fifteen, waiting for us to get close. But I won't tell them. I'll let them draw it out. If they believe so strongly in survival of the fittest, then as the weaker side, they should be prepared to be abandoned!"
"I used to be a manager at a company, so I know how important it is for a team to stick together. And no one is completely useless. Do you know why I kept comforting Li Shuaixi? Because I wanted to bring him into our team and get him to trust us. Then, even if he had to sacrifice himself to save the team, he'd be saving the team he trusted..."
With that, Zheng Zha hurled the spiral steel spike. It whistled through the air and sank almost entirely into the steel wall, leaving only a finger's length protruding. Zhang Jie and Zhan Lan were both secretly astounded by its power.
Zheng Zha yanked the steel bar out of the wall and hefted it. Then he said quietly, "I know his way might be right... If you trust me, then let's face these horrors together. He has his way... I have my own way of fighting! No matter what, we have to survive!"
With another whistle, the Spiral Thorn shot out like lightning. Another narrow, spiral-shaped hole appeared in the wall.
Before you continue