Chat group, starting from the Infinite Terror God Space

Matthew Addison positioned the transmitter—a device resembling a mobile phone, which simply needed to be placed against the sensor area of ​​the door. Kaplan immediately began typing rapidly on the keyboard, and shortly afterward, a low, mechanical click was heard, and the heavy door leading to the central control unit slowly slid open, releasing a cold, metallic smell mixed with dust from the crack.

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief and waved to the crowd outside the passage: "Alright, bring the stuff over."

Alice suddenly frowned: "What? What is that?"

Kaplan, who was closest to her, explained, "It's a device used to shut down the Flame Queen. It releases a strong current, interferes with the mainframe, and forces a restart..."

Before he could finish speaking, just as the mercenaries holding the equipment were about to step into the passage, Zheng Zha finally couldn't help but shout to stop them: "Wait! Don't you think something's wrong? This intelligent mainframe is too easily rebooted; things can't be that simple. There's definitely something wrong with this passage!"

The mercenaries all stopped and looked at him strangely. Zhan Lan sighed softly, silently stepped back, and stood next to Alice.

Matthew Addison emerged from the passageway, staring silently at Zheng Zha for a long time before finally speaking: "Alright, you, and you, come in with us."

He pointed at Zheng Zha, then at the middle-aged man, Mou Gang.

The two men turned deathly pale instantly.

Those who have seen the movie know that this passage is a deadly trap; no one who enters escapes unscathed. Even the most skilled mercenary captain will be cut into pieces by the laser.

Suddenly, Mu Gang clutched his head and screamed, "No! I won't go! I don't want to go in!"

He roared and turned to run back the way he came. Before Zheng Zha and the others could react, the mercenaries had already raised their guns and opened fire without hesitation. A hail of bullets instantly sent him flying. When he landed, Mu Gang had already crashed heavily onto the cold metal ground, blood gushing from bullet holes all over his body. His body convulsed a few times before he was completely lifeless, and dark red blood slowly spread across the ground.

"Wow--"

Wang Qi and Li Xiaoyi immediately vomited. Seeing a life destroyed before his very eyes, Zheng Zha felt even heavier—this man had almost died because of his loose tongue.

Matthew Addison stared coldly at him: "I've suspected you from the start. Your identities are registered, but you don't seem like company security at all. Now, do you still want to stop us from reactivating the Flame Queen? Zheng Zha, come with us."

Zheng Zha felt a chill run through his body, and his stomach churned. Matthew unceremoniously dragged him into the passageway along with the other mercenaries.

The moment they stepped inside, the two large doors slammed shut simultaneously. Matthew, ignoring Zheng Zha, and his team drew their guns and stood ready, shouting into the communicator, "Kaplan?"

Kaplan's voice was urgent: "It's a dormant defense mechanism! It will be triggered when the number of people exceeds the threshold."

"Let it remain dormant!"

Kaplan, drenched in cold sweat, frantically typed on the keyboard: "I'm trying! I'm doing my best!"

Matthew, left with no other option, ordered: "Don't move!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zha's heart sank completely.

The plot has begun. And he has become a part of it.

The next second, the light on the tempered glass wall directly opposite dimmed abruptly, and a slender yet extremely sharp pale red lightning bolt appeared out of thin air, carrying a deadly sharp light and a scorching aura, and swept towards everyone without warning!

Matthew reacted the fastest, almost instantly tackling the two people beside him to the ground the moment the laser appeared. Zheng Zha, who had been on edge with his muscles taut, instinctively dropped to the ground the instant the laser appeared. The scorching blade grazed his shoulder, and a sharp pain exploded within him, as if his skin was being burned and torn apart, leaving his mind blank.

"Medic! Medic!"

Matthew's roar pulled Zheng Zha back to reality. He turned his head and saw the female mercenary's head slowly rolling off, her unclosed eyes staring straight at him like a cold curse.

Another mercenary cried out, "Sir! They're here again!"

This time, the laser beam was precisely shaped on the leg. A movie scene flashed through Zheng Zha's mind—this laser would suddenly rise after sweeping over the first person, instantly dismembering them. He only had one chance.

The laser beam shot up abruptly the instant the mercenary leaped, slicing him into several pieces. As the laser passed, Zheng Zha quickly got to his feet; Matthew, however, clung to the ceiling, narrowly escaping death.

But the third laser followed immediately.

Ma Xiu was about to determine the trajectory when Zheng Zha grabbed him and slammed him hard against the door.

Matthew struggled desperately: "Let me go! This spot will be cut in half! Let me go!"

Zheng Zha gripped his collar tightly and growled, "Trust me! There's no escaping this time! The only way is to stick close to the door and gamble that Kaplan can shut off the mechanism in time! Trust me!"

He knew that the laser would turn into a deadly net of light, leaving him nowhere to escape. His only hope was that Kaplan could cut off the power at the last moment.

The laser suddenly unfurled in mid-air, countless red lines intertwining to form a dense net, hurtling towards the two with an aura of destruction. Matthew, struggling desperately, watched the approaching net of light and closed his eyes in despair.

At the critical moment, the mechanism suddenly stopped.

The laser grid vanished instantly, leaving only a faint smell of burning in the air.

Zheng Zha and Matthew slowly opened their eyes, staring ahead in disbelief. If it weren't for the lingering burning sensation on their faces, the searing pain in their shoulders, and the bloodstains scattered on the ground, they would have almost thought it was just a nightmare.

Li Xiaoyi rushed over and slapped Zheng Zha hard on the shoulder: "You're amazing! You survived this situation!"

Zheng Zha was jolted back to his senses by the slap, shaking his head with a wry smile, his heart filled with mixed emotions. To have struggled back from the brink of death was an incredibly powerful shock for an ordinary person who had just stepped into this place from a peaceful and ordinary world; fear, relief, and lingering apprehension mingled together, almost overwhelming him.

Zhan Lan stepped forward as well: "You asked for this. I warned you long ago not to change the plot, but you wouldn't listen. Zhang Jie was right, our biggest advantage here isn't luck, it's familiarity with the plot. Your luck can't last forever. Don't be impulsive again; none of us want to die here."

Zheng Zha remained silent. His gaze fell on the bloodstains on the ground.

He hesitated, wondering whether to reveal the clue—a B-level horror side quest.

Was it because the plot was altered? Or because someone who was supposed to die was saved? Or because a certain death was overcome?

He didn't know.

That scene was extremely dangerous; he almost died inside, and Mu Gang indirectly lost his life because of him. He dared not easily change the plot again, and Zhang Jie and the others obviously wouldn't allow it. Once the plot completely spiraled out of control, no one knew what would happen—they would die, the characters would die, and even the movie's protagonist might not survive.

This is a horror movie.

No one is absolutely safe; everyone is just a worm struggling to survive in dire circumstances.

"Zheng Zha, well done, but don't be so reckless in the future." Wang Qi also came over, his face still a little pale.

Having passed through the laser tunnel, Zheng Zha has successfully navigated the most dangerous hurdle in this horror film. His act of rescuing Matthew Addison has also earned him the initial trust of the mercenaries.

Minutes later, the group barely recovered from the shadow of the bloody death. Matthew Addison patted Zheng Zha on the shoulder gratefully. The captain, who should have died in the tunnel, had survived, and the plot had taken a huge turn. Of course, he might still die at the hands of zombies or crawlers later; no one could predict the future.

Matthew glanced at the crowd and said coldly, "Continue forward."

"Continue?" Ryan's voice suddenly rose. "Are you kidding me! I'll never go back to that awful place!"