Chapter 6: What I Have Lost, I Will Reclaim With My Own Hands! (Please Keep Reading! Please Save!)

“Ahhhhh—!!!”

Under the astonished gazes of Wu Xian... no, everyone present, the chubby boy whose name was still unknown suddenly screamed and bolted forward, like a wild boar released from its cage, descending the stairs at a speed that seemed impossible for his physique.

Quickly, he overtook Mu Gang and Li Xiaoyi ahead and surged almost shoulder to shoulder with Zheng Zha, nearly causing the future leader of the Ape Squad to stumble in shock.

What the hell?! What’s going on?!

Watching this scene, Wu Xian’s heart churned with tumultuous waves. If this were a two-dimensional world, a string of question marks would surely hover over his forehead.

Something’s off!

He hadn’t done anything—he was simply following the storyline, the only difference being that he was slightly gentler than Zhang Jie in the original story.

But that alone shouldn’t matter much. So why did this fat kid, who was supposed to die here, suddenly go berserk?

Could it be... that I haven’t actually crossed into the Infinite Horror world, but rather a fanfiction universe based on it, and this fat kid is actually the true protagonist?

No way. What kind of twisted author would pick a foul-mouthed, doomed fat kid as the lead? Where’s the immersion in that?

His lips twitched involuntarily; evidently, Wu Xian strongly rejected this absurd possibility.

At that moment, as if recalling something, he extended an invisible mental force, fixating his gaze on the sprinting fat boy. His eyes gradually took on a deeper, more meaningful expression.

About two minutes later, everyone gathered at the bottom of the hive, signaling the end of the Death Staircase segment of the plot.

The mercenaries and Alice, among other plot characters, were in decent condition. However, the Central Continent team, except for Wu Xian and Zhan Lan, whom he had been looking after, appeared utterly drained—some bent over clutching their knees, others sitting on the ground gasping heavily.

Seeing this, Matthew’s face darkened, but he and his mercenaries did not advance further, instead resting and scouting in place.

Interestingly, they seemed completely unaware that one person was missing from the scene. Even the blood stains on the fat boy had vanished without a trace, as if the middle-aged woman who had been wiped out earlier had never appeared at all.

Zheng Zha and the others noticed these changes, sending chills down their spines. Their already pale faces grew even more sullen.

As for Wu Xian, he remained calm and composed, trailing behind the mercenaries and occasionally brushing his palm over the walls as if searching for something.

---

What everyone failed to realize was that his seemingly aimless wandering concealed a focused attention on that unknown fat boy.

There were no signs that the boy had activated a gene lock nor any attempts to alter the storyline.

Just these two facts alone deviated from the typical traits of most fanfiction protagonists. Thus, Wu Xian formed a more plausible hypothesis about the fat boy’s identity.

A Guide.

The so-called Guide was a humanoid entity designed by the Main God Space, akin to an NPC that issued tasks.

They usually blended in among the newcomers of the Reincarnation Squad, their main purpose to select candidates for the squad leader position and administer corresponding trials.

Once a candidate passed the test, the Guide would instantly vanish, bestowing upon them the leadership title, authority, and special benefits such as gene lock upgrades.

Thinking this over, Wu Xian couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

As mentioned earlier, during the “Nightmare Street” scenario, Wu Xian had refused to become the Central Continent team leader because he feared repeating Zhang Jie’s tragic fate—especially after suffering an attack from Frandy when attempting to fuse the captain’s authority.

Since then, even after completing two other horror films, Wu Xian had never encountered a Guide figure again, leading him to suspect the Main God had abandoned him and was preparing to select someone else as the Central Continent team leader.

Though mentally prepared for this, seeing the Main God immediately dispatch a Guide as soon as Zheng Zha appeared left Wu Xian somewhat displeased.

Fine, fine! You want to play that way!

Originally, he had little interest in becoming the Central Continent team leader, but now, with this stunt, he was determined to fight for that position.

Not to prove how great he was, but to show the Main God that what he had lost must be reclaimed by his own hand!

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Returning to the plot!

After everyone rested, they pressed deeper into the hive.

Along the way, they entered a vast hall filled with countless small containers, each a few cubic meters in size, emanating a chilling aura.

This strange scene unsettled the mercenaries.

Those familiar with the film knew these containers held creatures even more terrifying than zombies—the Lickers—and their tension grew steadily. Yet, bound by the Main God’s rules not to stray far from the mercenaries, they steeled themselves and continued onward.

Passing through several more steel doors, they finally reached the perimeter of the central computer control room.

As in the movie, the mercenaries planned to open the gate leading directly to the central computer, then use a device carrying the AI known as the Flame Queen to disrupt the protective umbrella with intense electric currents, followed by a reboot.

Unfortunately, this step had proven far from easy in the film. The Flame Queen had set traps here: once inside the gate’s corridor, any living being would be sliced to pieces by countless lasers.

Thinking this, Wu Xian glanced sideways at the hesitant Zheng Zha, a mocking smile curling on his lips.

Sure enough, just as the mercenaries were transporting the shutdown device inside, Zheng Zha suddenly blurted out loudly:

“W-Wait! Don’t you think something’s off? This AI seems way too vulnerable. Restarting it just like that—I don’t think it’s going to be that simple.”

The mercenaries halted, and Zhan Lan sighed quietly, stepping back—not toward Alice, the heroine as in the original story, but beside Wu Xian.

Clearly, the earlier help on the stairs made her feel safer near this experienced man.

Still, seeing Zheng Zha’s growing panic, Zhan Lan whispered softly to Wu Xian, “Mr. Wu, Zheng Zha is…”

“I already said, don’t do unnecessary things. He doesn’t take it seriously himself, so there’s no need for me to care either.”

Wu Xian cut her off calmly, his voice unusually even but cold enough to unsettle Zhan Lan.

On the other side, the mercenaries all gave Zheng Zha a strange look after his well-meaning warning. Matthew even emerged from the corridor and approached him, his dark face full of suspicion.

“So you’ve regained your memory? Then tell me, what exactly is suspicious about this passage?”