The Desire to Survive

Minutes later, everyone regained their composure from the gruesome deaths. Matthew Edison patted Ye Wudao on the shoulder, grateful that the mercenary captain, who should have died in the tunnel, was alive. This was a significant twist in the plot, though he might still meet his end at the jaws of a zombie or the claws of a crawler—no one could predict. Matthew glanced at the others and coldly said, "Let's continue."

"Continue?" one of the protagonists, Ryan, exclaimed loudly. "What do you mean, continue? No way am I going back into that tunnel!"

Matthew turned his gaze to Kaplan, the tech-savvy mercenary, who was sweating profusely. "Yes, yes, I've shut down all defense systems, all of them…"

Matthew pressed, "All of them? Confirm?" Without waiting for Kaplan's response, he picked up a device from the ground and headed toward the far end of the tunnel.

Kaplan frantically typed on the keyboard; this time, the entrance door didn't close. The female lead, Alice, followed the script and stepped inside, after which the door leading to the central computer's Flame Queen chamber sealed again. Ye Wudao and the others exchanged glances, knowing they were about to face the horror of a zombie outbreak.

Zhan Lan whispered to Ye Wudao and Li Xiaoyi, "Don't stray too far from Zhang Jie. Avoid getting bitten or scratched by zombies. In the movie, anyone infected with the T-virus turns into a zombie within thirty minutes. I calculated that the antidote needs to be administered within about ten minutes to be effective. Remember, stick close to Zhang Jie; he survived three horror movies—he can make it through this one too."

Ye Wudao and Li Xiaoyi nodded. Zhan Lan suddenly laughed, "By the way, do you guys feel disgusted by killing?"

Li Xiaoyi replied, "I felt sick when I first got here, and I wasn't used to the atmosphere. But after throwing up earlier, I feel a lot better. If I closed my eyes, I think I could even kill."

Ye Wudao thought for a moment; he felt the same relief after throwing up. Having faced a life-or-death situation, he no longer felt the unreality of being in this world. He realized he was gradually blending into this horror film, and as long as he could survive, he was willing to kill—be it humans or monsters!

Zhan Lan continued, "Alright, let's look for opportunities to pick up their weapons. If you see a zombie alone, take the chance to kill it—those are bonus points! Remember, the head! That's the zombie's weak spot!"

As she spoke, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed. They all knew that Matthew Edison had shut down the central computer, and the defense systems that had kept the zombies and crawlers at bay were now completely offline. The laboratory had become a world for these creatures. After the painful twists in the plot they'd experienced, none of them dared to change the course of events this time. They could only watch as the central computer was disabled, knowing they were about to face death.

In the darkness, Ye Wudao felt Li Xiaoyi trembling beside him; even Zhan Lan was shivering slightly. He couldn't help but whisper, "Are you scared?"

Li Xiaoyi replied, "Yeah, I'm really scared."

Zhan Lan, however, said, "I'm just too excited…"

Ye Wudao suddenly found her demeanor frightening and dared not ask more. Instead, he looked up at the source of light, silently awaiting what was to come.

Seconds later, the room brightened again, and Ye Wudao knew it had begun!

Matthew Edison and the female lead emerged from the central computer room, the weary mercenary glancing at the bodies in the tunnel. "We can't deal with them right now. Let's take the Flame Queen's mainboard back to the company. Kaplan, what's the situation in the hive?"

Kaplan tapped a few keys on his computer. "Everything's fine; all defense systems are down. We can stroll right out of the hive."

Matthew nodded. "Good, then we…"

Before he could finish, gunshots rang out from the "B cafeteria." Matthew and Kaplan exchanged looks, grabbing their weapons and rushing outside, followed closely by the female lead Alice and the other two protagonists. Ye Wudao and his companions shared a glance before following suit.

When they reached the entrance of the "B cafeteria," Ye Wudao noticed the containers holding the crawlers. The green lights on the containers had all turned red, signaling that the freezing had failed. The thought of the terrifying number of crawlers made his heart sink—these were not creatures that could be fought off by mere humans.

At the entrance of the "B cafeteria," a long-haired female mercenary named Rain was cursing under her breath. Matthew Edison asked, "What happened? I heard gunfire."

Rain held her hand up, revealing a gruesome wound where a chunk of flesh was missing, blood dripping ominously. "Sir, we found a survivor, but he's gone mad and bit me…"

Matthew frowned. "So you shot him?"

Rain shouted, "Sir, he was insane!"

"He's gone!" Zhang Jie's voice suddenly came from nearby. He looked at a pool of blood on the floor and said, "He was here just now, but now he's vanished."

Matthew approached the bloodstain, examining it. The blood had already begun to dry, indicating it wasn't fresh. A bad feeling settled in his gut. Standing up, he declared, "We need to leave the hive, now!"

Rain looked bewildered. "Sir? Didn't we get orders to secure the Flame Queen's mainboard and wait for reinforcements?"

Matthew shook his head with a bitter smile. "There are no reinforcements coming… Get ready to go!"

At that moment, Zhan Lan walked over to Zhang Jie and quietly asked, "You spoke up earlier. Aren't you worried about changing the plot?"

Zhang Jie scoffed, "You guys are the impressive ones. As newcomers, you've managed to change the story and still be alive… Look at your watch; does it still have Matthew Edison's name on it?"

Zhan Lan and Ye Wudao glanced at their watches, and sure enough, Matthew Edison's name had vanished, leaving a blank space.

Zhang Jie smirked, "From now on, we can act freely. Remember, anything goes as long as we survive."

He paused and added, "If I were you, lacking stamina, reflexes, and firearms, I'd stick with the main group back to the Flame Queen's chamber. At least that would keep you safe…"

Ye Wudao and the others were taken aback. Zhan Lan smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to be quite nice; you just don't express it well."

Zhang Jie snorted, "Nice? Don't be ridiculous. I just don't want you wasting my chance for bonus points. Don't get me wrong… There are no good people in this world; as long as I survive, I won't mind using you three as my human shield!"

The blatant bloodlust in his words sent chills down Ye Wudao and the others' spines. Just then, a sound of metal scraping came from not far away. Rain and J.D. held their guns, moving toward the sound. A few steps later, a man in a lab coat emerged from around the corner, dragging a hammer behind him, followed closely by several staggering "humans."

J.D. racked his gun and shouted, "Stop! Or I'll shoot!"

But these "people" were beyond stopping; they had long since been infected by the T-virus and transformed into zombies. As they appeared, more and more staggering "humans" emerged from the corners, all clad in work or research uniforms. Some were already rotting, with twisted, deformed ankles, yet they continued to walk. Ye Wudao even saw one zombie with only half a head left, its decayed skull and brain matter a sickly gray. The sight almost made him retch again.

"Stop! Or I'll shoot!"

"Bang!"

Matthew Edison was the first to fire at the zombies. The leading zombie, wielding a metal hammer, was knocked back by the impact. But almost immediately, it stood up again, swaying, having taken over a dozen bullets without losing much blood.

"Bang!"

Zhang Jie fired his Desert Eagle, the tremendous power of the shot obliterating the zombie's head in a spray of gore, resembling an exploding watermelon. He smirked and said, "You all go find the exit; I'll handle this!"

Matthew hesitated before shouting, "Alright, everyone stay in formation. J.D., you look for the exit! Rain, guard the prisoner; the rest of you stay with me!"

Ye Wudao glanced back and saw that Zhang Jie hadn't fired again. Instead, he spun the Desert Eagle on his finger, allowing the approaching zombies to get closer. Then, he gripped the gun and fired in rapid succession, taking down the nearest zombies with precise headshots. His speed and accuracy far exceeded that of an average person.

Ye Wudao felt as if he could see Zhang Jie's movements clearly. He remembered reading about two types of vision in martial arts books: static vision, which allows you to see distant details, and dynamic vision, which lets you perceive fast-moving objects. The faster something moves, the clearer it becomes. This indicated that his dynamic vision was quite strong.

It seemed that dynamic vision was linked to nerve reflexes. He realized that he could see Zhang Jie's movements clearly, suggesting that their reflex speeds were not vastly different. At first, he felt a little queasy watching the zombies fall, but the more he saw, the more natural it felt—perhaps due to his mental resilience.

(Indeed, those bonus points really have enhanced my physical abilities! It's no joke!)

Excited yet calm, Ye Wudao stayed close behind Matthew. As they moved, Matthew suddenly turned and handed him a handgun and two magazines. "You might be on your own soon. Each magazine has fifteen rounds—aim for their heads like Zhang Jie!"

Ye Wudao understood this better than anyone. Although he had never fired a handgun before, with his current reflex speed, raising the gun to shoot felt fast and easy. He focused intently on the zombie's head, knowing he wouldn't shoot at anything beyond ten meters. That was his effective range; with a handgun lacking a sight, it relied heavily on instinct. As a first-time shooter, he could only confidently target zombies within that distance.

The others didn't realize this; they saw Ye Wudao raise his gun and fire seemingly without aiming, yet he consistently scored headshots. It appeared impressive, earning Matthew's silent nod of approval. He and the other mercenaries concentrated on what lay ahead, leaving the zombies behind to Zhang Jie and Ye Wudao.

Li Xiaoyi watched in wide-eyed amazement, shouting, "Brother Ye Wudao, you're amazing! You must have used a gun a lot before! How many bonus points is this worth?"

Matthew suddenly turned around and asked, "Bonus points?"

Li Xiaoyi's face turned pale. Ye Wudao realized he must have heard a warning and was about to lose his bonus points. What bad luck for this guy—no points earned, and he was heading into the negatives.

Matthew glanced at the three of them with curiosity before returning his focus to the front. Zhan Lan patted her chest and murmured, "That was dangerous. I thought the plot was going to change again."

Zhan Lan had an excellent figure and looked good, and as she patted her chest, it caused a slight jiggle that caught Ye Wudao's and Li Xiaoyi's attention. She seemed to notice their stares and quickly crossed her arms over her chest, saying, "Do you think Zhang Jie will be okay? I can't see him anymore."

Ye Wudao knew she was trying to change the subject, so he casually replied, "He should be fine; his skills are much better than ours, plus he has that infinite-bullet Desert Eagle... Damn it, when I survive, I'll definitely exchange for one."

Zhan Lan touched her forehead, a habitual gesture that gave her a unique charm, especially since her forehead was slightly more prominent and her chest fuller than average. "A hundred bonus points can enhance a normal person's strength by one-tenth or something. Once we survive, I'll have to ask Zhang Jie about the details of the exchanges… But now isn't the time for that; just protect us well," she laughed.

As zombies continued to pour in, their grotesque, swaying bodies were terrifying, but they moved slowly. Ye Wudao, focused and vigilant, kept them at least five meters away, having already taken down dozens of headless zombies. However, as the horde grew, his ammunition dwindled, leaving him with only one magazine.

On the other side, the mercenaries opened a door to the research room, only to be overwhelmed by a surge of zombies. Caught off guard, one mercenary was pulled in with a chilling scream that echoed through the air, striking fear into Ye Wudao and his companions. This kind of horror was far more terrifying in real life than in movies.

"Back to the Fire Queen!" Matthew Edison's voice called out urgently.

Unbeknownst to them, over ten zombies had closed in behind Ye Wudao and his friends, staggering toward them. The stench of decay was suffocating, and Li Xiaoyi couldn't hold back any longer, shouting, "Brother Ye Wudao, shoot! Shoot!"

Having watched the movie, they all knew that being bitten or scratched by a zombie meant infection. The few antidotes left were back at the vehicle, and getting past the zombies now would spell doom. They were ordinary people; if they got infected with the T-virus, it would be over.

Watching the mercenaries retreat further, Ye Wudao's anxiety grew, especially as more zombies emerged from the corners. He silently counted his remaining bullets: "Ten, nine, eight…"

Suddenly, zombies in front of him began dropping one by one, their heads exploding. Zhang Jie charged in, shouting, "What are you doing? I told you to stick with them! Haven't you seen the movie? A crawler could escape!"

With that, Zhang Jie unleashed a flurry of shots from his Desert Eagle, clearing a path through the approaching zombies. He didn't wait for Ye Wudao and the others to catch up and ran toward the direction the mercenaries had fled.

(He's about twenty percent faster than us; must be some muscle enhancement.)

Ye Wudao noted Zhang Jie's speed as he ran, realizing his own speed was lagging behind his mental reaction time, like an adult swinging a child's hammer—awkward and uncoordinated. With Zhang Jie's infinite-bullet Desert Eagle and his near-perfect shooting, the four finally burst through the door to the central computer room just before it slammed shut, sealing the groaning zombies outside.

Once inside, Ye Wudao and the others collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, while Zhang Jie seemed unfazed. "Not bad…" he remarked, tucking the Desert Eagle into his waist.

Ye Wudao, catching his breath, asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Jie glanced at the mercenaries examining their fallen comrades, then turned back and whispered, "Newbies are most at risk during the first horror movie. Mindset is key. First, you must understand your situation. I've seen many newcomers who think this is all an illusion or some TV show, and they end up dead—horribly so. But you three, including the survivors, have quickly adjusted your mindset. Especially you and Zhan Lan; your resilience is the best I've seen. You've not only conquered your fears but are managing to think clearly—that's impressive."

"Second, overcoming fear isn't enough to survive. In the first horror film, you're essentially just ordinary people. Even if you're lucky enough to know the plot, your chances of dying are still high. Surviving the first film is really just a test of luck. If you make it, you can earn rewards to enhance your abilities, like this Desert Eagle or my own body enhancements. Got it?"

After explaining, Zhang Jie pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to Ye Wudao. "Congrats, newbies. How does it feel to be alive? Isn't it exhilarating, like the climax of an orgasm? This thrill, haha…"

Li Xiaoyi reached out, "Brother Zhang, can I have one too?"

Zhang Jie shot him a sidelong glance. "You? Learning to smoke? Don't think I can't smell the milk on you. Just stay put, and don't get yourself killed."

Li Xiaoyi scratched his head, looking down. "Brother Zhang, I'm already at negative ten points. What do I do?"

Zhang Jie paused before bursting into laughter. "Not a single reward, and you're at negative ten? Your luck is extraordinary! Don't worry; if you survive this horror film, you'll earn a thousand points. But remember, if you end up with negative points by the end… you'll be erased."

Li Xiaoyi's face turned pale. Ye Wudao chuckled and patted his shoulder. Suddenly, the four heard urgent knocking at the door, accompanied by Alice's voice from outside: "Open the door! Hurry, open the door!"

The mercenaries in the corridor rushed over. Without waiting for them to speak, Zhang Jie opened the door himself. Alice and Matt quickly squeezed through the gap, with countless zombie hands reaching after them. Zhang Jie grinned and fired several shots from his Desert Eagle, shattering the arms of the zombies, then slammed the door shut with a bang.

Matthew Edison quickly asked Alice and Matt, "What's it like outside? Can we still use the route we came from?"

Alice shook her head. "There are zombies everywhere; they're waiting for us on that route. We can't get through."

The mercenaries fell silent. Kaplan, who was skilled with computers, buried his head in his hands, exclaiming, "We're trapped! There's no other passage in the Fire Queen's main control room! We're done for!"

Ryan, the male lead who had caused all this trouble, 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 monsters again."

At his words, the mercenaries exchanged awkward glances. Ryan asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Kaplan cleared his throat and replied, "Maybe there won't be any reinforcements…"

Ryan, angered, grabbed his collar and demanded, "What do you mean? What do you mean by maybe no reinforcements?"

Matthew Edison sighed and explained, "We received orders to bring back the Fire Queen's motherboard and to seal off all passages between the hive and the outside. Remember the corridor between the building and the hive? If we can't return there within three hours, it will be completely sealed off… Damn the higher-ups, now I see why we got such orders—it's full of those monsters!"

Ye Wudao exchanged glances with Zhang Jie; they understood the countdown on their watches. They had to survive until the door sealed. Before that, they couldn't get scratched or bitten, and they definitely couldn't face too many zombies. The crawlers would be their worst enemies, and a Desert Eagle wasn't enough to contend with such terrifying creatures.

Ryan released Kaplan but looked even more panicked. "No, they can't do this! Are they planning to bury us alive down here?"

Reina, the female mercenary whose hand had been bitten, said, "To protect research secrets from leaking, this is the safest method… If we all die, there's no fear of anyone leaking information." She grimaced, squeezing her bloody palm.

Everyone fell silent. Ryan calmed down a bit, but his anger flared again. "Why tell us this now, half a mile below ground? Why not tell us in advance?"

The mercenaries bowed their heads in silence. Alice suddenly spoke up, "Stop arguing; let's think of a way out! We need to find an exit from this room!" With that, she picked up the bag containing the Fire Queen's motherboard and turned toward the control room.

Matthew Edison quickly asked, "What do you want to do with the motherboard?"

"Of course, I'm going to restart it!"

Watching the mercenaries and the protagonists move away, Ye Wudao glanced at Zhang Jie, who was closing his eyes and smoking. "Aren't you going to check it out?"

Zhang Jie sneered. "What's there to see? It's not like we haven't seen the movie. Instead of wasting time on the plot, it's better to save our strength here and kill more zombies later."

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

Zhang Jie nodded for her to go ahead. Zhan Lan smiled and asked, "How do we return to the 'Main God'? Does a light come down from the sky? Do we gradually disappear, or is there a sudden portal that lets us through?"

Zhang Jie replied, "I don't know how we go back. Each time, it's either after completing a task or when time runs out; the next moment, I'm right in the 'Main God' hall. So you don't need to worry about not being able to return due to various circumstances. As long as you survive, you'll be fine. Even if you're infected with the T-virus or something else, as long as you maintain your consciousness when you return to the 'Main God,' any viruses will disappear. Similarly, if you lose a limb in a horror film, you can repair it with ten reward points."

Zhan Lan furrowed her brow and asked carefully, "You mentioned tasks just now, right?"

Zhang Jie grinned. "Of course! I said we're just struggling bugs. Who knows when there might be special requirements, like when you all got here—you can't leave the main characters within a hundred meters. That's a special task. The last horror film I did was disgusting… But enough about that; the situation is what it is. We might complete special tasks in the horror film, which would make survival more difficult."

Zhan Lan sighed. "This is bad. I was planning to… Forget it, let's just say I didn't say anything."

Zhang Jie paused and asked, "What were you planning? Let's hear it."

Ye Wudao suddenly realized and said, "You mean we should stay here and not leave, right?"

Zhan Lan paused, then smiled at Ye Wudao. "Exactly! That's what I was thinking. Since Zhang Jie said we can leave at any moment, in other words, we can be anywhere and still get out as long as we survive until the end of the time, right? So why don't we stay here? I remember in the plot they went into the sewer after entering the control room, crossed a dangerous suspended corridor, and almost died from infighting against the crawlers. Even once on the train, there was still no absolute safety. But here?"

Ye Wudao and Zhang Jie exchanged surprised looks, realizing how astute her reasoning was. Zhang Jie asked seriously, "Are you worried that the 'Main God' will give us another task? Like showing a name and making us stay within a hundred meters of that person? If that happens, we'd be doomed. Is that why you said this is bad?"

Zhan Lan nodded. "Yes, if it weren't for those reasons, staying here would be the safest option."

Zhang Jie took a deep drag from his cigarette and thought for a moment. "Alright, let's stay here. The 'Main God' shouldn't be able to issue a task that guarantees our death. In other words, it definitely won't show a name for us to follow after these mercenaries have already gone far away; in that case, we'd be doomed. Since we've decided, we should do it! We'll stay here!"

The three of them were surprised. Ye Wudao smiled and said, "Brother, you really don't have to stay here like us. This is our first time in a horror film; our stamina is that of ordinary people. But you have the Desert Eagle with unlimited bullets, and you're much more skilled than we are. Why not go over and kill more zombies for reward points? If you're lucky and manage to kill a crawler in that fight in the train car, that's a hundred reward points! We're just stuck here out of necessity."

Zhang Jie, however, smiled bitterly, revealing a rare moment of vulnerability. "To be honest, who the hell wants to stay here? Experiencing horror films over and over, anyone would become mentally fragile. This is my fourth horror film, and many times I've just wanted to end it all. This kind of horror is truly unbearable…"

"And I hope you all can survive. Some horror films can't be survived alone. If there were a few more seasoned veterans who have experienced a few horror films besides me, our chances of survival would be much greater. Alright, let's just stay here and think about how to explain things to them later!"

The four gathered together to discuss quietly. By the time the mercenaries emerged, the four were already smiling and welcoming them.

Ye Wudao understood that it wasn't just him who wanted to survive; they all did. When faced with death, everyone wants to live!

In the face of death, everyone wants to live! All they want is to survive!