Zombies kept swarming in from all sides. Even though they looked scary, the zombies actually moved rather slow. Under Zheng’s full concentration, the zombies couldn’t get close to them. But as the number of zombies that died under his gun increased, he was only left with one magazine.
On the other side, the mercenaries opened the door leading to a laboratory. However, a bunch of zombies suddenly swarmed out and pulled the mercenary who opened the door inside. His last scream was horrifying. As said before, you may not think much of this when watching a movie, but when the same thing happened next to you. That horror was indescribable.
One shouted, “Back to the Red Queen’s room! Back there!”
Before long over ten zombies had moved in between Zheng’s group and the mercenaries. As they were stumbling towards Zheng, the three could smell that stink. Xiaoyi couldn’t help but yell, “Zheng, shoot them, hurry!”
As the viewers know, anyone who got bit or clawed by the zombies will get infected. The only vaccines were still in the train. They would die before getting to the train, they were still only normal people.
Zheng was getting anxious as he saw the mercenaries get farther away. More zombies were appearing through the corner yet his ammo was getting lower.
“Ten, nine, eight…”
Zheng silently counted the bullets in his gun. Then suddenly the zombies in front of him were dropping down one by one. Jie appeared behind them and shouted, “What are you doing? Didn’t I tell you to follow them? Haven’t you seen the movie? A Hunter will appear here.”
Jie kept on shooting, and without taking another look at the three, he ran towards where the mercenaries went. Zheng, Lan and Xiaoyi followed.
‘His speed is about 20% faster than us. He probably enhanced his muscles.’
Zheng was inspecting Jie when they ran. He found that his body couldn’t catch up with his thinking speed or reaction speed. It was most prominent when he was shooting.
With the addition of Jie, the four of them finally arrived at the central computer room. Then with a loud bang, the door was shut and the zombies were blocked outside.
Everyone suddenly dropped to the floor. Aside from Jie, they were panting heavily, gasping for air. Even when their lungs were filled with air, the terror kept them breathing heavily. It took a while for the three to calm down.
“That was not bad.” Jie put his gun on the waist and laughed at Zheng.
“What do you mean?”
Jie turned around to look at the mercenaries. They were looking at the corpses in that laser corridor. Then he said in a low voice. “The most dangerous time for a newbie is usually the first movie. Mentality is the most important. First you have to understand your situation. I have seen many people who thought this was some illusion or a TV program so they died the fastest. But the three of you quickly adjusted your mentalities. Especially you and Lan. You were the best out of all the newbies I’ve met. Not only did you adjust your mentality quickly but also overcame your fears.”
“Secondly, overcoming your fears isn’t enough to live. You are still only a normal person in the first movie. Even if you know the plot, it’s still easy to die. So the first movie also heavily depends on luck. As long as you lived through the first movie, you can enhance yourself and exchange weapons; like my gun.”
After saying all this, Jie took out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to Zheng. “Congratulations, newbies. How does it feel to be alive? Hahaha.”
Xiaoyi came over, “Jie, give me one too.”
Jie glanced at him, “Don’t think I can’t smell it. You do not have a hint of cigarette scent on you. If you don’t want to die then follow us.”
Xiaoyi lowered his head, “Jie, I am already at negative ten points. What should I do?”
Jie laughed and said, “You lost ten points instead of earning any? Your luck is better than average. Don’t worry, you will get 1000 points at the end; but remember, if you are still in the negative after that 1000 points, you will be erased from the world.”
Then someone knocked on the door. Alice’s voice came from outside the room. “Open the door. Hurry!”
The mercenaries came over and Jie opened a crack for Alice and Matt to get in.
One asked them, “How is it outside? Can we go back the way we came?”
Alice shook her head, “They are all over the place.”
Everyone fell to a silence. Kaplan broke down. “We can’t escape. There’s no other path in the Red Queen’s room. We’re done!”
Then Spence said, “Couldn’t we stay here? Once the outside finds out we are missing, they will send backup. I think we’re safe here. I don’t want to go out and fight those undead.”
But the mercenaries looked embarrassed, Spence asked curiously, “I say something wrong?”
Kaplan replied, “There probably isn’t anymore backup.”
Spence was irritated and grabbed his collar. “What do you mean no backup?”
One sighed, “Our orders were to bring back the Red Queen’s main circuit and isolate the Hive from the outside. Remember the path that goes from the building to the Hive? If we’re not back there by three hours the gate will shut, thus isolating the Hive. F*ck the corporation, I understand why we received such orders.”
Zheng’s group looked at each other. They also knew what the timer meant on their watches. They had to survive until that gate shuts. And before that they couldn’t get injured by the zombies, couldn’t fight too many zombies at once, and–with just a desert eagle–couldn’t fight a Hunter.
Spence let go of Kaplan but he was panicking, “No! They can’t do this. Are they trying to kill us all down here?”
Rain said, “This is the safest way to keep the secret of their research. If we all die down here then no one will leak anything out.” Her hand was bloody where it was bit.
People were silent, then Spence got more irritated. “Why are you telling me this now? Why didn’t you say this before everything happened?”
Then Alice intervened, “Stop arguing. Let’s find a way out. We will first find a way out of this room.” She picked up the Red Queen’s main circuit and went into the Red Queen’s room.
“What’re you doing.” One asked.
“Turning her back on.”
As the mercenaries went away, Zheng asked Jie, “Aren’t we going to take a look?”
“What is there to look at? Not like you haven’t seen the movie. You’re better off saving your stamina here and killing a few more zombies later.”
Lan touched her forehead, “Oh right, Jie, I have a question. How are we going to go back to God’s place? Does it shine a light on you? We slowly fade away? Or a path appear in front of us?”
Jie said, “I don’t know how we get back. Every time after the mission was over, I’m in the lobby of God’s place the next moment. You don’t have to worry about not being able to go back when the time comes. As long as you are alive–even if you got infected by the T-virus or something–as long as you still have your consciousness everything will go away. Similarly, if you lose an arm or a leg you can repair it with just some points.”
Lan frowned then asked, “You mentioned mission?”
“Of course, I said we’re merely struggling to survive. Like when we just got here and couldn’t leave One. That was a special mission. So that’s how it is, sometimes we have to complete some special missions, that’s God’s way of increasing difficulty.”
Lan sighed, “That’s unfortunate. I originally wanted to… nevermind.”
“What did you want to do?”
Zheng interrupted, “You mean let us stay here?”
Lan smiled at Zheng, “Right. That’s what I wanted to do. Like Jie said we will leave here instantly when the time comes, so we can be at any place unlike the cast. Then why not stay here? I remember in the plot they will go into an underground tunnel and almost get killed by a Hunter. Even after they get into the train they are still not safe, then what about this place?”
Zheng and Jie were surprised at Lan. “You’re afraid God will give us some mission later? Like make us follow another cast? And if we aren’t near them we will die?”
“Right, this is the safest place if we don’t consider that possibility.”
Jie took a smoke and thought for a bit. “Okay, we will stay here. God won’t give us impossible missions. Like when the mercenaries go away and we have to be within 300 feet of them. Since it’s decided, we will stay here.”
The three were surprised. Zheng said to Jie, “You don’t have to stay here like us. We are still normal people but you have a gun and enhanced yourself. Why not go kill zombies for rewards? And if you happen to kill a Hunter that’s a hundred points! We’re only staying here because we have to.”
Jie forced a smile, “To be honest, who the heck wants to be in this place. Anyone will break down from going from one movie to another. This is my fourth one and sometimes I’ve thought about just killing myself.”
“And I want you guys to live. Sometimes you can’t survive by yourself. If there are some experienced survivors other than myself, then our chances of surviving will be higher. Okay then, we will stay here. Think of what to say to the cast.”
The four of them started discussing until the cast came out. Then they went over to the cast with a smile. Zheng understood, not only did he want to live, everyone else was the same.
Jie took a smoke then said to One, “The four of us will stay here.”
One was planning to explain to them their next actions, but Jie’s words took him aback. He paused for a moment then said, “What do you mean? We don’t have time to joke around.”
Jie threw away the cigarette butt and said in a serious tone, “Not joking. I meant the four of us will stay here. I think you’ve realized that the three of them are just normal people. They won’t be able to keep up with the running you’re going to do. Instead of taking the risk of falling behind, it’s safer for them to stay here.”
One looked at Zheng and the other two, he fell silent for a moment. “And you? Why’re you staying here also?”
Jie shrugged his shoulders. “I apologize, but I have gained some of my memory back. These three are my friends so I can’t leave them alone. I have to stay here to protect them.”
The rest of the mercenaries came over. They were looking at Zheng’s group with curiosity. One looked at Zheng again, “No, he saved my life and I can’t just stand here and watch my comrades die. Remember, we are comrades now. Understand? My order is to leave this place immediately.”
Lan stood up, “Captain and everyone. You know we don’t have the stamina to keep up with your steps. Instead of becoming a zombie, don’t you think we have a better chance of surviving by staying here and waiting for possible backup? If you really want us to die, then I have nothing else to say.”
One fell silent again. After a while, he said with a dejected tone, “I understand… Kaplan, turn on the defense system of that laser corridor. You guys stay in the Red Queen’s room, that’s the safest place. Wait there peacefully. If we survive, we will report this situation to the corporation… Don’t die.”
Jie led Zheng and the others to the Red Queen’s room. Then Kaplan turned on the defense system of the corridor. The lights of the corridor lit up again. The two groups could see each other through the window on the door. They felt a sense of sympathy from each other.
After the mercenaries left, Lan laughed. “Did you see it? They were looking at us with sympathy. I wonder how they will feel when they encounter the Hunters.”
With three sturdy metallic doors and the defensive system of the corridor, this was a very safe place. At least compared to what the cast had to face. The four of them could finally relax. Jie also handed some cigarettes to Zheng.
“You can also exchange cigarettes from God?” Zheng took a smoke. This cigarette was much higher quality than those he used to smoke. So he asked in curiosity.
Jie squinted his eyes. “There are too many good things you can exchange from God. I haven’t even finished reading through the list. It has four categories. 1. Scientific: such as guns, bullet proof vests, and even some weapons that only appeared in sci-fi movies–but they also cost a fortune. They’re not something I can afford. 2. Magical items: like scrolls, Taoist charms, amulets, and swords.”
Xiaoyi said with surprise, “Are those weapons like what they have in games? Are they very powerful?”
Jie glanced at him. “I don’t know if they are powerful or not, but magical items cost double the points of scientific items. I think you would use them in supernatural movies.”
Zheng asked curiously, “Supernatural movies?”
“Yes, like…”, Jie thought for a moment, “The Grudge!”[1]
The three felt a shiver down their spines. As though there were ghosts hiding in the shadows.
“You know why I said Resident Evil was an easy difficulty movie? It’s because you can solve and explain everything here with science. You can kill the monsters, you can run away. As long as you’re not infected and you have a gun, you can survive.”
A hint of fear crossed Jie’s face. He said while thinking of the past, “Those movies that you can’t explain with science are the most horrifying. You don’t know when you will die, how you will die, or even if you are still alive. Terror is always accompanying you, as though it wants to drag you to hell…”
Zheng patted Jie’s shoulder. He sat next to Jie and asked, “That’s Nightmare on Elm Street, right?”
Jie nodded gloomily. “You couldn’t imagine what we experienced in that movie. Almost twenty of us died, and everyone’s death was miserable. We wanted to run. The experienced survivors led us to rob a car then we kept driving along the highway. No one dared to sleep, and even if you fell asleep, the others would wake you up. Just like that, we lasted for 5 days. Then a town appeared in front of us. We drove inside the town in joy then realized this was the town in the movie! And the experienced survivor that was driving this whole time had became that demon! He laughed at us…”
Jie was shivering like a pendulum. This man that had kept his cool the whole time was breaking down. Zheng tried to diverge the topic. “Then can those magical items kill that demon?”
Jie took a smoke and shook his head. “I don’t know. That was my first movie, I am only alive due to luck. You know where I got that scar on my face? That demon cut it with a pair of scissors! I didn’t have God cure these scars because I want to remember everything. If I meet him again, I will kill him!”
Zheng and the other two looked at each other. They felt a sense of fear. Fear of their future.
Jie continued, “You get 5000 points for killing that demon and a rank B side quest reward. That was the first time I saw a side quest reward.”
Lan asked, “What’s a rank B side quest reward? Is it important?”
Jie nodded. “We will continue on the third category of things you can exchange. Support items: like antidotes, drugs with healing properties, perishables like bullets, some sci-fi items like invisible cloaks, and enhancement items.”
“I was overjoyed when I saw the enhancement items. Like the genetic mutation of Spider-Man. The description said it lets you obtain the bloodline of Spider-Man; increasing intelligence by 20, mental capacity by 20, cell vitality by 50, reaction speed by 100, muscle density by 100, and immunization by 150 points. And you also get the web shooter ability. All this for just 2000 points.”
Zheng and the other two was surprised. Lan counted then said, “The enhancements alone would cost 3000 points, and you get a web shooter ability. This is too cost effective, why didn’t you exchange it?”
Jie waved his hand with a bitter smile. “I did want to. If I had this genetic mutation then I won’t be in danger in movies like Resident Evil. But this type of enhancement costs side quest rewards. Rank A reward can be reduced to three rank B rewards. Rank B can be reduced to three rank C and so forth. The lowest rank is D. I have only seen the reward appear once. It isn’t something you can easily get.”
Zheng held in the urge to tell them he had a rank B reward. He asked, “What rank reward does the Spider-Man mutation needs?”
Jie took out another cigarette. “It needs a rank C reward. I have also looked at a few rank D enhancements. Like battle Qi, rank D gives you entry level Qi, but the high level Qi would require rank B or even A rewards.”
“There’s also T-virus mutation, like the one Alice has. It increases intelligence by 20, mental capacity by 20, cell vitality by 50, reaction speed by 50, muscle density by 50, immunization by 100, and the evolution ability of T-virus. It needs 1500 points and a rank C reward. It’s so lucky to be the main character of this movie. She gets it without doing anything.”
Zheng felt he was blessed. This meant once he lived through this movie, he could exchange for quite a few enhancements. He had some more hope in his future.
Jie then said in a mysterious voice, “There are also some high level enhancements. But they are there just to entice you. I won’t believe they actually exist. Like the bloodline of God. It needs a rank S reward and 50000 points. Isn’t that exaggerating? There’s also Xiuzhen (Taoist method of gaining immortality). It has less basic stats, but you gain special skills. It needs a rank S reward and 70000 points.”
Zheng and Lan laughed at his words, but Xiaoyi’s eyes flared up.
1. The Grudge (2004) is a supernatural horror film about a curse that locks its victim in the grip of a powerful rage before claiming their life. They then haunt and pass on the curse like a virus to all those who enter the house in an endless, growing chain of horror.
Original Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC3bzK_i9_s
Plot Summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grudge#Plot
Remake of Ju-On: The Grudge.
Ju-On Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVbWpwkCJRg
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