Wen Lie was thinking, while Zheng Zha was establishing his authority.
"Just like I told you a moment ago, we are now trapped in the reincarnation of horror movies. I don't think I need to elaborate on how dangerous horror movies are, do you? You might be turned into mindless walking corpses by the T-virus, have your bodies used as incubation pods by an alien, be sucked into mummified husks by Kayako, or even... have a scarab beetle bite through your skin, burrow into your flesh, and devour you from the inside out!"
Zheng Zha swept his gaze over the six newcomers, using the horror movies he had lived through to intimidate them.
Having been through the scripture-stealing incident with the Jia and Ding duo, Zheng Zha was no longer inclined to treat newcomers with excessive warmth and amiability.
He needed dignity; he needed to establish his authority. The Jia and Ding duo had taught him at the cost of three lives that newcomers could not be blindly trusted or indulged.
The five newcomers shivered violently, but Wen Lie's expression remained unchanged as he continued to rack his brains for a way to break the deadlock.
The Mummy World was different from The Grudge.
In The Grudge, as long as you protected the Buddhist scriptures, obtained a one-time malicious amulet, spiritual bullets, and firearms from Zheng Zha, and stopped Zheng Zha from letting the newcomers become extra meals for Kayako, you could easily piggyback on a few side quests.
The Mummy World, however, was a different story.
Killing Imhotep yielded no extra rewards.
Blowing up Cairo could earn a B-rank side quest, but he did not have that many explosives, nor did Zheng Zha have the capability to snatch enough explosives from the military. Even if they managed to get them, the person detonating them might not be him.
The only way to acquire side quests was by personally killing enemy Reincarnators.
Since the enemy had a psionic user, they would undoubtedly stash the newcomers in a place where the China Team couldn't find them, leaving only the veteran members vulnerable to being killed.
Could it be done? It seemed... not entirely impossible.
A sharp glint flashed in Wen Lie's eyes.
He wasn't thinking of snatching the bearded man's head from Zhao Yinkong, but rather killing an India Team veteran in direct combat.
If Chu Xuan's script proved accurate, it might actually work.
The Mummy World was far more than just The Mummy World; there were plenty of avenues to break the deadlock.
The Mummy, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and Indiana Jones—these three series existed in the same universe within Terror Infinity.
"...What the fuck! Do you even know who the hell I am? How dare you ambush me? I'll beat you flat as two little pancakes..."
Huh? Who was using the Capital Heavenly Divine Thunder Fist?!
Wen Lie's DNA stirred.
His train of thought snapped instantly. Wen Lie snapped back to reality and looked forward with burning interest.
A legendary scene!
The creator of the Capital Heavenly Divine Thunder Fist, the mentor who taught the "one punch into two pancakes" technique to Zheng Zha, the bald brute who called himself Third Master, was radiating a fierce and aggressive aura.
Just moments ago, while Wen Lie was deep in thought, the bald brute—refusing to believe this was any reincarnation world and mistaking the current situation for a police sting operation to extract drug-trade intel—had tried to force himself on Qin Zhuiyu, only to be tossed out with a single hand by Zheng Zha.
Right now, this founding grandmaster of the Capital Heavenly Divine Thunder Fist ["one punch into two pancakes"] was about to meet his end.
His mission upon entering this world was probably just to teach the Capital Heavenly Divine Thunder Fist to Zheng Zha. Once that mission was fulfilled, he was destined to march generously to his death.
How moving!
"Ah! Help! Murder! Help! A criminal is murdering someone!"
Having been reduced to a human torso devoid of limbs by Zhao Yinkong and Zheng Zha, the bald brute lay on the ground, weeping and screaming at the top of his lungs.
Blood pouring from his severed limbs stained the ground, turning the already filthy floor into a mess of gore. The bald brute's torso thrashed in the bloody sludge, his face twisted in sheer agony.
Zheng Zha used a hemostatic first-aid spray and high-efficiency bandages to stop the bleeding and bandage the bald brute, before turning to the other five. "I don't want anyone endangering our team. If anyone plans on pulling something like that, the guy on the ground is your example. Anyone who strays more than 5,000 meters away from O'Connell will be instantly executed by God, so please don't test my patience."
Zheng Zha's expression was grim and cold. The surrounding newcomers were thoroughly startled, but Wen Lie maintained his calm demeanor.
He knew what kind of person Zheng Zha was.
As long as it didn't endanger the China Team, and within the limits of his abilities, Zheng Zha would never abandon any of his teammates.
Wen Lie stood up, brushed the dust off his trousers, suppressed the corners of his mouth, and said, "My name is Wen Lie, twenty-five years old, unmarried, a miserable wage slave. I hate work, I hate smoking, I hate drinking, and I hate socializing. I love sweets, and my hobbies are cheap forms of entertainment like anime and movies. I live a peaceful life like a plant, and everyone says my mindset is very young."
"...Is that so? You look very young, too."
Zheng Zha sized Wen Lie up.
His looks were well above average. Unlike that baby-faced newcomer, he looked equally youthful.
With a face that looked at most twenty years old, he hadn't expected him to be older than himself.
And that bizarre self-introduction... a very young mindset, so looks truly reflected the soul?
Besides, the corners of this guy's mouth... they had been curled upward ever since he first laid eyes on him. It was obvious his mood was somewhat excited.
"Thank you."
Wen Lie nodded at Zheng Zha, drew a grape-milk-flavored lollipop from his pocket, tore open the packaging, and popped the brightly colored candy into his mouth.
Zhan Lan, Zhang Jie, and the others cast peculiar glances at Wen Lie. This newcomer was far too calm. To remain this composed after seeing Third Master get his limbs hacked off—could an ordinary person really do that?
Of course they could. Most certainly.
Wen Lie had never seen a dead person in the real world, but he had watched plenty of gore-filled indie movies, so his psychological fortitude was fairly solid.
Sucking on his lollipop, Wen Lie silently assessed his surroundings and the other Reincarnators, treating the gazes of Zhan Lan and the others as if they didn't exist.
Following Wen Lie, the rest of the newcomers hurriedly blurted out their names.
Gao Hongliang, the bespectacled man, was a programmer.
Qin Zhuiyu, the great beauty, was a celebrity.
Zhang Heng, the baby-faced youth, was an archer.
Xiao Honglv, the young boy, was a psychiatric patient.
These individuals constituted the entirety of the newcomers in The Mummy World.
Just as the self-introductions concluded, the prison door swung open, and several prison guards walked over to take O'Connell away.
None of the twelve living members of the China Team drew any attention; the guards simply dragged O'Connell away. Clearly, the horror movie hadn't officially begun yet, otherwise it would have been impossible for them to ignore Third Master thrashing about in his own blood—unless they were all completely oblivious blind spot players.
"The horror movie is about to start..."
Zheng Zha stared at the prison door that remained wide open, took a few steps forward, and pressed his palm against the invisible air wall.
One second, two seconds, three seconds—Zheng Zha suddenly shoved his palm outward.
The air wall vanished, and the horror movie officially began.
Zheng Zha turned around, swept his gaze over the six newcomers, then looked toward Zhang Jie and the others, asking helplessly, "What should we do with these newcomers?"
The bald brute could just be left here to die, but what about the other five? Leaving them behind meant death, and bringing them along meant that if they encountered the India Team, they wouldn't have the spare capacity to protect them, resulting in certain death while dragging down the official members.