Chapter 4: No Need to Quarrel with the Dead (Please Keep Reading! Please Bookmark!)

"Alright everyone, don't rush to panic. Think about it carefully; it should have already implanted all of this into your minds."

Within the protective barrier of the "God" entity, having finished his cosplay of Zhang Jie's classic entrance, Wu Xian couldn't be bothered to tease the lolicon protagonist any further. He waited for everyone to wake up one by one before beginning to explain the basic settings of the God's dimension, while incidentally pocketing 100 reward points for his efforts.

"Are you saying that we're currently like in *The Matrix*, where our consciousness enters a game, and once the game ends or we die within it, we can return to our own bodies?"

Beside the white-collar youth—the protagonist, Zheng Zha—a nondescript, slightly chubby man asked with a mocking tone, clearly not believing a word of Wu Xian's explanation.

"I'm not sure if it's consciousness, but I advise you not to think that way."

Wu Xian looked at the chubby man and offered some rare, well-intentioned advice: "Before I arrived here, I had other teammates, but in the previous horror film, *Final Destination*, they all died without exception, and in very miserable ways. Even I was left with half a life by the end. If it weren't for the God's ability to repair bodies, I probably wouldn't be seeing you all now."

"Pfft! How do you know for sure they died? Maybe they already returned to their own bodies and are living happily! As far as I can see, this is just some unreleased virtual reality game."

The chubby man sneered with disdain, and the others nearby looked thoughtful, unsure of which version to believe.

"Think what you want. If that's the case, it would be a good thing for you."

Wu Xian smiled slightly, unbothered by the man's hostile attitude. First, he was only cosplaying Zhang Jie, not actually being him; he lacked the pressure of a "semi-guide" and, consequently, didn't harbor that much malice. Second... the dead are to be respected. Why bicker with someone who was essentially a dead man walking? He wasn't that petty.

At that moment, another person in the group asked, "Excuse me, sir... you said earlier that there is nothing that cannot be exchanged for in the God's dimension. Does that mean we can also use reward points to return to the real world?"

The speaker was the only other woman present—Zhan Lan, the future mental power user of the Zhongzhou team, a fourth-order genetic lock powerhouse who, according to legend, would eventually be crushed by stone fragments.

Just as described in the novel, she was a beautiful woman with a pleasant appearance and a generous figure. She was about the same age as Wu Xian, around twenty-four or twenty-five, wearing glasses and exuding an intellectual aura that perfectly fit her background as a novelist.

Wu Xian observed her for a moment and nodded. "Correct. You're very sharp. There is indeed such an exchange option, but it requires 50,000 reward points."

"50,000 points... is that a lot?"

Zhan Lan, who hadn't yet grasped the cost of living in the God's dimension, swallowed hard and asked cautiously.

"It's alright, I suppose." Wu Xian shrugged, his tone casual. "Taking this horror film as an example, as long as you survive until you return to the God's dimension, you get 1,000 reward points. Every subsequent horror film is the same."

"In other words, from now on, if you don't spend any points or get any deductions, you have to survive fifty horror films to return to the real world."

"..."

Zhan Lan fell silent. As a novelist, she possessed excellent logical reasoning skills and naturally understood that such a feat was impossible. To survive in the world of horror films, one might rely on luck once or twice, but in the long run, without using reward points to strengthen oneself or purchase equipment, survival was simply impossible.

"Of course, 1,000 points per film is just the base reward. You can also make extra on the side during the films..."

Seeing the group fall into silence, Wu Xian conscientiously fulfilled his duties as a veteran. He shared his experience on how to survive and grind for points, giving everyone a sliver of hope of returning to the world, even if that hope was so faint it barely existed.

Soon, Wu Xian finished answering all their questions. Seeing that there was still plenty of time left, he began the introductions.

"Alright, there are about five minutes left before the plot officially begins. Before that, let's all introduce ourselves; it will make teamwork easier later on."

Wu Xian smiled slightly and tucked his Desert Eagle into its holster. "My name is Wu Xian—'Wu' as in the surname, 'Xian' as in envy. I'm twenty-three... I've survived three horror film scenarios so far, so I'm considered a veteran."

"I'm Zheng Zha—'Zheng' as in Zheng Chenggong, 'Zha' as in Nezha." The protagonist, who hadn't had much of a chance to speak, offered a bitter smile. "I'm a company supervisor. Before I came here, I did complain that the real world was too boring, dull as if one were rotting away day by day, so I wanted some excitement... though the excitement here seems a bit too intense."

"Indeed, a bit too intense," Zhan Lan quipped, then introduced herself. "I'm Zhan Lan—'Zhan' as in Zhan Tianyou, 'Lan' as in the mountain mist. I'm a novelist..."

"Mou Gang, a freight driver..."

"Li Xiaoyi, a high school senior..."

In just a few minutes, everyone introduced their backgrounds. Wu Xian watched the scene silently, finding it quite amusing. It felt like watching a web series adaptation while standing on the set, and he felt a sudden, strange urge to livestream the whole thing.

Just then, he noticed the train car beginning to slow down. He extinguished that absurd thought, clapped his hands, and interrupted the chubby man who was about to speak again.

"Alright, time's up. Be ready to follow them closely."

"Remember what I told you: don't try to change the plot easily. You don't have the capability yet."

"Also, do not talk about 'God' in front of the movie characters. If they hear you, you'll be deducted ten points for every sentence. If you don't want to be erased for no reason, keep your mouths shut from here on out."

"Finally, I hope you all survive and return to the God's dimension with me."

...

A moment later, the train came to a stop. Immediately, the dozen foreign mercenaries gripped their weapons and cautiously moved out, followed by the lead actress, Alice, and two other male characters.

At the same time, the God's protective barrier vanished. However, Wu Xian didn't rush to follow them. Instead, under the puzzled gazes of Zheng Zha and the others, he walked to the back of the carriage, seemingly searching for something.

Indeed, he was looking for the "first pot of gold" that most fan-fiction protagonists are bound to take: the metal case containing the T-virus and the T-virus vaccine.

This item was worth at least a D-rank side quest and several hundred reward points to God, and it even had the function of assisting in unlocking the genetic lock. If he didn't take it, it would be a loss of millions in value, and he would be roasted by netizens as an idiot.

But taking it was risky—not only would carrying a heavy box hinder his movement and add danger in this zombie-filled world, but the mercenaries themselves were not easy to deal with. They weren't blind; if they saw a suspicious box suddenly appear in his hands, they would definitely interrogate him. If he couldn't explain it clearly, they might just "accidentally" blast him away.

Fortunately, this wasn't a problem for Wu Xian.

It wasn't that he was powerful enough to ignore the mercenaries, but rather that after surviving *Scream*, he had exchanged for a storage item from God. Now, he just needed to walk near the case and stow it away; no one would ever notice.