The Desire to Live (Part 2)

Zombies kept pouring in from all around. These swaying corpses looked terrifying, but in truth, they moved very slowly. With Zheng Zha fully focused, no zombie could get within five meters of him. However, as more and more zombies gathered, the bullets in his pistol dwindled. In the end, he had only one magazine left, while dozens of headless zombies lay before him.

Meanwhile, the mercenaries opened the door leading to the laboratory, only for dozens of zombies to squeeze out from inside. Caught off guard, the mercenary who had opened the door was dragged in by the zombies. His shrill screams were enough to chill anyone to the bone. Zheng Zha and the other two felt it even more strongly. It had been said before: perhaps it did not seem like much in a movie, but when something like this happened right beside you, the terror was simply beyond words.

Matthew Addison's voice came over. "Back to the Fire Queen! Get back there!"

Before they knew it, more than a dozen zombies stood between Zheng Zha's group and the mercenaries. Swaying as they walked toward Zheng Zha, the three could even smell the stench of decay on them. Li Xiaoyi could not help shouting, "Brother Zheng Zha, shoot! Shoot already!"

Anyone who had seen this movie knew that one bite or one scratch from a zombie meant certain infection. The only few Detoxification Potions were back in the train car. By the time they got there from here, they would already have become zombies. They were only ordinary people now. If they caught the T-Virus, they would truly be dead for sure.

Watching the mercenaries gradually move farther away, Zheng Zha grew increasingly nervous. More zombies kept flooding around the corner, while the bullets in his pistol continued to dwindle.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Zheng Zha silently counted the bullets in his pistol. Suddenly, the zombies before him exploded one by one at the head and fell. Zhang Jie charged over from behind them and roared, "What are you doing? Didn't I tell you to stick close to them? Ah! Haven't you watched the movie? A Licker will escape here!"

After saying that, Zhang Jie's Desert Eagle fired repeatedly. The incoming zombies fell in clusters, their heads bursting apart. Then, without bothering with Zheng Zha's group, he turned and ran after the fleeing mercenaries. Once Zheng Zha and the other two snapped back to their senses, they hurried after him.

(He's about twenty percent faster than us. This must be enhanced Muscle Strength, right?)

Even as Zheng Zha ran, he had the leisure to observe Zhang Jie's speed. He had already noticed that his body's speed could not quite keep up with his thoughts—in other words, his neural reflexes. This feeling had been especially strong when he fired earlier. It was like an adult swinging a child's hammer; it felt oddly awkward and unnatural.

With Zhang Jie's Desert Eagle that had unlimited bullets, along with his nearly perfect marksmanship, the four finally rushed into the Central Computer Room before the mercenaries shut its doors. With a loud bang, the zombies groaning dully behind them were sealed outside.

The moment the doors closed, Zheng Zha and the others collapsed to the floor. Aside from Zhang Jie, all three panted violently. They desperately gulped in air. Even though their lungs had plenty of oxygen, the overwhelming fear in their hearts made it impossible for them to stop. Only when they were nearly suffocating did Zheng Zha and the other two gradually steady their breathing.

"Not bad..." Zhang Jie holstered the Desert Eagle and said with a mocking chuckle.

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

Zhang Jie turned to look at the mercenaries. They were examining their comrades' bodies in the Laser Death Corridor. Then he turned back and spoke quietly. "The most dangerous part for newcomers is the first Horror Movie. Your mentality is the key. First, you must understand your situation. I've seen many newcomers who thought all this was an illusion or some television program. They died the fastest, and their deaths were horribly miserable. But the newcomers this time, including you three who are still alive, were all able to adjust your mentality quickly. Especially you and Zhan Lan. Your potential is among the best I've ever seen. Not only did you adjust your mindset, you were able to overcome your fear quickly. That shows your potential."

"Second, overcoming fear alone isn't enough to keep you alive. During your first Horror Movie, you're really just ordinary people. At best, you might know the plot, but even then, the chances of dying are still very high. So for newcomers, facing their first Horror Movie is really a process of elimination based on luck. As long as you survive the first Horror Movie, you can obtain exchange items and strengthen yourself. Like this Desert Eagle, or physical enhancements like mine. Understand?"

After saying that, Zhang Jie pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Zheng Zha, and said, "Congratulations, rookie. How does it feel to survive? Feels amazing, doesn't it? Like the peak at the moment of sex. That kind of thrill, hahaha..."

Li Xiaoyi stretched out his hand as well. "Brother Zhang, give me one too."

Zhang Jie glanced sideways at him. "A little brat like you wants to smoke? Don't think I can't smell it. Other than the smell of milk, is there even a trace of cigarette smoke on you? Stay put. If you don't want to die, stick close to us."

Li Xiaoyi scratched his head and lowered it. "Brother Zhang, I'm already at negative ten points. What should I do?"

Zhang Jie froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You didn't earn a single Reward Point and actually lost ten? Hahaha, your luck is really something else. Don't worry. If you survive this Horror Movie, you'll receive one thousand Reward Points. But remember, every time you finish one, you get one thousand Reward Points. If you're still in the negative after that... you'll be erased directly."

Li Xiaoyi's face immediately fell. Zheng Zha smiled and patted his shoulder. Then the four suddenly heard urgent knocking from outside the door, along with the female lead Alice's voice. "Open the door! Hurry up and open it!"

The mercenaries in the corridor rushed over as well. Before they could speak, Zhang Jie pulled open the door himself. Alice and Matt immediately squeezed through the gap, while countless zombie hands reached after them from behind. Zhang Jie gave a sinister laugh, drew his Desert Eagle, and fired several shots. The zombies' arms were blown clean off, and then with a bang, he shut the door again.

Matthew Addison hurriedly asked Alice and Matt, "How is it outside? Can we still take the route we came in through?"

Alice shook her head. "Those things are everywhere outside. They're waiting for us on that path. There's no way through."

The mercenaries all fell silent. Kaplan, the one skilled with computers, held his head and said, "We can't escape. There's no other passage in the Fire Queen's main control room! We're finished!"

Ryan, the male lead who had caused all this in the original plot, suddenly said, "Can't we just stay here? Once they realize we haven't returned, they'll definitely send reinforcements. This place should be safe, right? I don't want to face those unkillable freaks again."

At those words, the mercenaries looked somewhat awkward. Ryan asked strangely, "Is something wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Kaplan coughed. "Maybe there won't be any reinforcements..."

Ryan grabbed him by the collar furiously. "What do you mean? What do you mean, maybe there won't be any reinforcements?"

Matthew Addison sighed and said, "Our orders were to retrieve the Fire Queen's motherboard and seal off all passages between The Hive and the outside world. Remember the corridor between the mansion and The Hive? If we don't return there within three hours, the passage between the mansion and The Hive will be completely sealed... Damn the higher-ups in the company. Now I finally understand why they gave us such orders. This place is full of these freaks!"

Zheng Zha and Zhang Jie exchanged looks. They now understood the meaning of the three-hour countdown on their watches. They had to stay alive until the doors were sealed. Before then, they could not be bitten or scratched, could not face too many zombies at once, and the Licker would be their natural enemy. The power of a Desert Eagle was not enough to contend with such a terrifying monster.

Ryan released Kaplan, but his expression grew even more panicked. He shouted, "No, they can't do this. Are they planning to bury us alive down here?"

Rain, the long-haired female mercenary whose hand had been bitten, said, "To prevent research secrets from being leaked, this is the safest method... If we all die, there will be no one left to reveal anything." As she spoke, she frowned and squeezed her hand. The wound on her palm was still dripping with blood.

Everyone fell silent. Ryan calmed down a little, but grew even angrier. "Only now, half a mile beneath the surface, you're telling us this? Why didn't you tell us beforehand?"

The mercenaries all lowered their heads silently. Alice suddenly spoke up. "Stop arguing. Think about how to get out instead! We have to find an exit from this room!" With that, she picked up the bag containing the Fire Queen's motherboard from the table and turned toward the main control room.

Matthew Addison hurriedly asked, "What are you taking the motherboard for?"

"To restart it, of course!"

Watching the mercenaries and the male and female leads gradually walk away, Zheng Zha looked at Zhang Jie, who was smoking with his eyes closed, and asked, "Aren't we going in to take a look?"

Zhang Jie sneered. "What's there to see? It's not like we haven't watched the movie. Instead of wasting energy watching the plot unfold, we'd be better off conserving our strength here and killing more zombies later. That's more worthwhile."

Zhan Lan suddenly touched her forehead. "Right, Zhang Jie, I have a question for you."

Zhang Jie nodded for her to continue. Zhan Lan smiled and said, "How do we return to the Main God? Does it send down a beam of light from the sky? Do we gradually vanish, or does a spatial passage suddenly appear for us to go through?"

Zhang Jie said, "I don't know how we go back either. Anyway, whenever the mission is completed or the time runs out, the very next second, I appear directly in the Main God's hall. So you don't need to worry about being unable to return because of some circumstance. As long as you survive, it's fine. Oh, even if you catch the T-Virus or something else, as long as you still retain your consciousness when you return to the Main God, all the viruses and everything else in your body will disappear. Likewise, if you lose a limb in a Horror Movie, you can restore it for ten Reward Points."

Zhan Lan suddenly frowned and asked carefully, "You mentioned missions just now, didn't you?"

Zhang Jie gave a sinister smile. "Of course. I said we're nothing but insects struggling to survive. Who knows when some special requirement will appear? For example, when you first arrived here, you couldn't move more than one hundred meters away from the plot characters. That was one kind of special mission. The Horror Movie before this one was even more disgusting... Forget it, let's not talk about that. Anyway, that's how it is. We might also complete special missions in Horror Movies, making it even harder for us to survive."

Zhan Lan sighed. "Then this is bad. I was thinking... never mind. Pretend I didn't say anything."

Zhang Jie paused and asked, "What were you thinking? Tell us."

Zheng Zha suddenly had an idea. "You mean we should stay here and not leave, right?"

Zhan Lan paused, then grinned at Zheng Zha. "That's right. That was exactly what I was thinking. Zhang Jie, you said we leave this place instantly. In other words, we can leave no matter where we are, as long as we stay alive until time runs out, right? Then why don't we stay here? I remember that in the plot, they'll enter the sewers behind the main control room, cross a dangerous suspended passage, nearly die under the Licker's claws because of infighting, and even after getting into the train car, they still won't be completely safe. But what about here?"

Zheng Zha and Zhang Jie exchanged another glance. Both saw surprise in the other's eyes. They had not expected this woman's thinking to be so sharp. Zhang Jie still asked seriously, "You mean you're afraid the Main God will assign us another mission later? For example, it might display another person's name and tell us to stay within one hundred meters of them. If that happens, we're dead for sure. Is that why you said this was bad?"

Zhan Lan nodded. "Yes. Without that possibility, staying here would be the safest option."

Zhang Jie took a deep drag from his cigarette and thought for a while. "Fine, we'll stay here. The Main God probably won't issue a mission that guarantees our deaths. In other words, it absolutely won't display a name and tell us to follow someone after these mercenaries have already gone far away. In that situation, we would certainly die. Since we've decided, we'll do it! We'll stay here!"

All three were surprised. Zheng Zha smiled and said, "Brother, you don't actually need to stay here with us. This is our first Horror Movie. Our stamina and everything else are at ordinary levels, while you have an unlimited-ammo Desert Eagle and are much more capable than us. Why not go with them and kill more zombies for Reward Points? If you're lucky enough to kill the Licker in the battle in the train car, that's one hundred Reward Points. We're only staying here because we have no choice."

But Zhang Jie gave a bitter smile. It was the first time he had shown weakness. He said, "To be honest, who the hell wants to stay here? Going through Horror Movies over and over would make anyone mentally fragile. This is my fourth Horror Movie. A lot of times, I've wanted to just die. This kind of terror really isn't a place for people..."

"And I hope you can survive too. Some Horror Movies can't be survived by one person alone. If there are several veterans besides me who have gone through a few Horror Movies, then all of us will have a much greater chance of surviving. Fine, let's just stay here. Let's figure out how to explain it to them later!"

The four gathered together and discussed it in low voices. By the time the mercenaries came out, the four were already smiling as they went to meet them.

Zheng Zha knew that he was not the only one who wanted to survive. They did too. When facing death, everyone wanted to live!

When facing death, everyone wanted to live! They only wanted to live!