Chapter 3: The Confidence of a Multi-Playthrough Player
The horror movie began!
Nodding his thanks in silence, Zheng Zha's expression turned serious, and his demeanor shifted from that of a somewhat unrefined youth to a reliable company elite.
For Zheng Zha to be promoted to supervisor at 24, he naturally had his unique qualities.
Zheng Zha persuaded Zhang Jie, and Fang Ge advised Zheng Zha. With each exchanging a 'good intention', a basic relationship of trust began to form.
Zhang Jie silently extinguished his cigarette and said,
“The plot starts now. They can already hear our conversations. Remember, if they hear what we’re talking about, ten points will be deducted. Ten points per sentence. Any negative balance will be deducted from your next reward. Rookies… good luck surviving!”
The train car gradually slowed to a stop.
Several mercenaries cautiously stepped out, guns in hand, while Zhang Jie strode out nonchalantly.
Chu Xuan gently pushed up his glasses, the reflection obscuring his eyes.
But Fang Ge's intuition told him that Chu Xuan was observing him.
Due to his father's dying wish, Chu Xuan would survive at any cost. Therefore, his approach to matters would be cautious; he wouldn't conflict with team members unless necessary. Before understanding the underlying logic of the Main God Space, he also wouldn't rush to accumulate points.
As a player, Fang Ge, without a doubt, had the most aggressive approach to things, which was also why he ultimately managed to interject and overshadow Chu Xuan's brilliance slightly.
After all, the worst-case scenario was just dying and starting a new save file.
However, perhaps in the next save file, Chu Xuan wouldn't spawn in Resident Evil, and this starting scenario was quite rare.
He didn't need Chu Xuan's intellect now, but he greatly needed Chu Xuan's strength.
It sounds abstract at first, but Chu Xuan was the Central Continent Team's strongest rookie; in terms of immediate combat power, he even surpassed Zhao Yingkong.
After all, the big-chested beauty's superficial personality wasn't very clever; she would often suffer a harsh setback if she acted on a whim.
Everyone in the train car successively followed them out. Fang Ge and Zhan Lan, being closer to the inside, were the last.
“Is your walking posture always this strange?” Fang Ge observed Zhan Lan's gait.
Zhan Lan's attire was simple: a camisole, white jacket, sweatpants, and canvas shoes—an outfit estimated to cost less than two hundred yuan.
It matched Fang Ge's impression of a struggling, impoverished writer.
However, her looks were still quite striking.
Her slightly wide forehead was partly covered by bangs, her eyebrows and eyes were delicate, she had a standard oval face, a graceful nose bridge, and rosy lips.
Most striking was the faintly visible, astonishing curve of her upper body.
It felt unusual.
“It's all because of you! My leg was badly bumped by you! But walking is fine…” Zhan Lan said, exasperatedly holding her forehead.
—Damn it… If you went down stairs like this, wouldn’t you Explode on the spot?
Fang Ge had to temporarily set aside his thoughts of calculating Chu Xuan.
Zhan Lan must be protected. Her psychic talent, apart from Zhang Jie, was unparalleled. Leaving aside the God-Slaying Stone, she was a psychic with the potential for a fourth-order Gene Lock, and there was no substitute for her!
“This is bad… You still remember the next part of the plot, right?” Fang Ge whispered.
When helping someone, the beneficiary must know they've been helped, otherwise, wouldn't it be a wasted effort?
Although the AI now seemed very intelligent, almost indistinguishable from a real person, if it made a foolish mistake at this moment, wouldn't he suffer a huge loss?
“Of course, I remember. The Hive's elevator is broken, and the mercenaries have to take the stairs…”
Zhan Lan's breath hitched, her heart rate rapidly accelerating. The air around her felt suffocating, her cheeks flushed, and she said nervously and awkwardly,
“This staircase… it shouldn’t be too long, right?”
The answer was no.
“Conservatively estimated, the straight-line distance from the ground won't be less than three hundred meters.”
For Fang Ge, the Hive was like his backyard; even though each game would have some random terrain, the length of the stairs was roughly the same.
“Ugh…”
Zhan Lan let out a cry of despair but didn't break down and accuse Fang Ge.
On one hand, her leg injury wasn't entirely Fang Ge's fault, and on the other hand…
From his previous performance, Fang Ge's likelihood of coming up with a solution was far greater than her own; offending him would be unwise.
—If Zhan Lan can't speed up, then the mercenaries can only slow down. The old routine needs slight modification.
Fang Ge's eyes flickered. He abandoned his usual formulaic opening, and a new plan formed in his mind.
Exploring new routes, researching new methods, overcoming new challenges… that was the fun of the game.
The mercenaries walking ahead were now nearly a hundred meters away from the train car, arguing with Alice and others about the side effects of the nerve gas.
“Leave it to me,” Fang Ge declared, taking large strides forward.
“Eh?”
Under Zhan Lan's astonished gaze, Fang Ge raised both hands, passed Zheng Zha, Chu Xuan, and others, and caught up to the mercenaries!
He shouted to the black captain, “Captain James, I’ve remembered some things. I think I should share them with you.”
Swish, swish, swish!
His unusual behavior had already alerted the mercenaries. Almost the instant he spoke, the mercenaries' gun barrels were all pointed at him…
Or rather, at all the Reincarnators.
Fang Ge instantly became the target of everyone.
—They didn't open fire immediately. The 'security guard' identity was still very useful. There were no changes in this aspect in the new version. So there's even less need to change the names and character settings of these mercenaries.
Fang Ge breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of death, but being shot full of holes certainly didn't feel good.
The difficulty of unlocking the Gene Lock was positively correlated with the pain setting, and his pain was set to the maximum 50%!
And judging from his previous fall, it was possible that the pain sensation had been secretly 'strengthened' by the developers!
In a place he couldn't see, Chu Xuan calmly paced, shielding Mou Gang and the older woman in front of him.
“Fang Ge, a security personnel of the Hive, why do you know my name, and what do you want to say?”
Captain James's eyes were sharp, like a hawk's.
He didn't trust these Hive security personnel; among them, except for the scarred man and the bespectacled man… the others couldn't be called qualified soldiers at all.
In the United States, it was normal for companies to have connected individuals. But having so many connected individuals in the same department was not logical.
Surely, the people who did actual work should be the majority, right? If the department didn't function properly, how would the connected individuals get promoted?
“Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be security. At least, the memories I've recovered have nothing to do with security. Moreover, I don't possess a strong body and have no combat capability.”
Fang Ge raised his hands above his head, indicating he was no threat to them.
His words sent shivers down the spines of Zheng Zha and the others!
Yes, the security identity was absurd, but if we shed that identity, we're nothing! We'll be shot!
James subtly gave his teammates a look.
“Captain, he's lying to us.” Kaplan immediately understood, placing his finger on the trigger as if ready to pull it at any moment.
But Fang Ge did not panic as he expected; instead, the people behind him clearly showed fear.
Didn't get anything out of him?
“Yes, I'm also very curious. I'm completely unafraid of death… or rather, unafraid of your guns.”
Fang Ge's tone was calm, showing no fear even when facing several gun barrels.
“This is illogical. As long as it's a person, or rather, a living creature, it will certainly fear death.”
“Something biologically contradictory has happened to me. This is vastly different from the knowledge I possess…”
James Shade interrupted him: “What exactly do you want to say?”
“I know you all.”
Fang Ge stated their names and some information from Umbrella Corporation files one by one.
“James Shade, team captain, from Luton.”
“Rain Ocampo. Born in Texas.”
“Chad Kaplan… I have a relatively deep impression of you, after all, you were an upperclassman at Dalton High School. You're a computer technical talent.”
“J.D.…”
…
Fang Ge spoke eloquently, his tone steady, every piece of information accurate.
No other reason, this was the confidence of a multi-playthrough player.
Listening to him rattle off the information, the mercenaries exchanged glances.
Their accurate file information was one thing; more important was Fang Ge's attitude.
That attitude—appearing polite to them, but actually treating them as expendable, like weeds—was exactly like those high-ranking officials.
An ordinary person wouldn't have that air about them.
JD nudged Kaplan with his elbow and grumbled, “Damn it, are you really a high-achiever from Dalton High School? What a low-class, working the same job as me…”
“Finding a job is hard to say…” Kaplan gave a shy smile.
“Hey!” The tomboy Rain grinned, “Do you know how much Kaplan's salary is?”
“How much?”
The medic nearby quietly used his hand to make a gesture for the number 'three'.
“Isn't that about the same as us…” JD shrugged indifferently.
The medic's eyes held a hint of amusement as she whispered in a gentle female voice, “It's three times.”
“Kaplan, I'm going to kill you!”
“Hey! Reading more books is always useful…”
“Enough!” James Shade stopped the farce, declaring an end to the team's atmosphere-lightening and tension-relieving behavior.
Zhang Jie looked as if he had seen a ghost, while Zheng Zha and Mou Gang beside him scratched their heads repeatedly.
How was this person's brain wired? Were they watching the same movie?
Fang Ge knew he had already subdued everyone present, so he struck while the iron was hot, saying,
“You are from UBCS, full name: Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. Your main duties are to rescue survivors and eliminate biological weapons during a biological weapon leak. And this information, with security clearance, is impossible to obtain.”
“Therefore, I definitely am not security. Security is just a superficial entry in the files; you probably don't have the authority to view my true identity… Similarly, their security identities might not be accurate either.”
“In fact, after seeing your faces, I gradually began to recall information about you. And, when we were in the train car, some of us amnesiacs had some arguments…”
At this point, Fang Ge pointed at Zhang Jie.
“When he pointed his desert eagle at me, I genuinely felt fear.”
Zhang Jie pouted at this.
Really? I don't believe it.
“Based on this, can I assume that I'm only unafraid of specific firearms? Or perhaps, firearms from specific people? Because they won't harm me…”
Fang Ge's eloquent speech was interrupted by Rain. The tomboy scoffed disdainfully,
“That's too far-fetched. Are you saying you're a high-ranking Umbrella Corporation official, under our protection? How can we be sure you didn't just happen to see our files?”
Fang Ge spread his hands and said, “I cannot confirm my identity. Once inside the Hive, if I see Red Queen, I can naturally retrieve my identity information for you to verify.”
—Provided you can see Red Queen.
“From the memories I've recovered so far, I was conducting some kind of virus research inside the Hive, and then this virus… has been stolen, and there's a possibility of a leak.”
“It's very dangerous here now, and my subconscious tells me that my life is very valuable. Although I don't have personal freedom, I have endless money.”
“In short, you must ensure our survival. If you don't trust us, like that gentleman…”
“Matt.” Matt Addison, in handcuffs, cooperatively announced his name.
“Yes, like Mr. Matt, whether it's a search or confinement, I don't care how I'm treated, as long as our safety is guaranteed.”
Fang Ge said, extending his hands, gesturing for them to put him in restraints.
“OK—put down your guns.”
Captain James was the first to lower his gun, instructing his team members.
But his expression didn't relax one bit: “We don't have that many handcuffs right now, but we can promise to protect your safety as much as possible.”
“Captain, but most of them have no combat capability at all, and their identities are questionable…” Rain's tone was full of dissatisfaction.
“Our purpose in coming here is to investigate the anomalies in the Hive and rescue survivors… They are also a type of survivor.” Captain James changed the Reincarnators' designation in a few words.
“But…”
J.D. suddenly gave Rain a frantic wink and said, “Stop with the 'buts,' the company doesn't only do legal business…”
Chu Xuan, hidden behind the crowd, naturally interjected, his tone cold: “Strictly speaking… the company's income primarily comes from illegal activities.”
“Shut up! No one wants to know those inside details.”
Captain James, with a strong will to survive, snapped, fixing his gaze on Fang Ge. He already believed nine-tenths of what Fang Ge said; now he just needed one piece of conclusive evidence.
“All protection must be based on the premise that your 'virus theft' claim is true.”
“Just walk a few steps back, Captain James…” Fang Ge grinned, revealing his white teeth.