"Ladies and gentlemen, I have gathered you all here despite your busy schedules because there is a very important matter we need to discuss. This concerns the personal safety of everyone present..."
Inside the financial office on the second floor, the seven members of the temporary leadership team sat around a desk. Minister Wang, who represented "Local Support for the Central Government," sat in the seat facing the entrance, his expression grim as he surveyed the six others in the room.
"Minister Wang, are you referring to the zombies?" Director Li from the Land Bureau asked cautiously.
"I believe Minister Wang is talking about that masked young man and his two companions," Madam Ma from the Women's Federation said with a knowing smile. She was perceptive and had immediately grasped the crux of Minister Wang's concerns.
"That's right! It's them!" Minister Wang lit a cigarette, set down the lighter, and tapped his fingers on the table before speaking solemnly. "Haven't you noticed? Those three are not ordinary citizens. Not only do they seem familiar with this place, but they also possess the ability to kill those zombies—creatures that are virtually unkillable for us. And most importantly, they do not obey government authority. That is the biggest threat!"
"Minister Wang, aren't you overreacting a little? I don't think it's that serious..." Director Xue from the Cultural Bureau, a bespectacled and scholarly-looking man, casually toyed with a bottle of mineral water. "No matter who they are, at least they're not the same as those zombies outside. Besides, we're all in the same boat. If the zombies breach the cinema, none of us—including them—can escape. Whether or not they follow our orders, they'll still do everything they can to keep this place safe. Why not just turn a blind eye?"
Minister Wang slammed his hand down, flicking away his cigarette as he pointed angrily at Director Xue. "Do you think I'm just settling a personal grudge? Or trying to assert my authority?"
"Isn't that exactly what you're doing?" Director Xue, despite his cultured appearance, had a fiery temper. He stood up and met Minister Wang head-on. "No matter what, they've been protecting us—protecting these two thousand-plus citizens. Even if they don't deserve rewards, they certainly don't deserve sabotage. If you're speaking ill of them behind their backs, isn't that just a personal vendetta?"
Once again, Madam Ma stepped in to mediate. "Calm down, both of you. Let's hear Minister Wang out. I'm sure he wouldn't say all this without reason… To be honest, I also think those masked young people are rather suspicious."
Minister Wang's expression softened slightly. He gestured for Director Xue to sit back down and even passed him a cigarette, then spoke in a measured tone. "Xiao Xue, young people like you lack experience. You're only seeing the surface of things... Do you really think they're doing their best to protect us? If that were true, why haven't they shared the secrets of this space with us? Why haven't they explained how they're able to kill those zombies? If we all knew, wouldn't we be able to work together more effectively to survive this crisis?"
"It's clear—they don't see us as equals. They only seem to be protecting the citizens and this cinema because they lack the ability to handle the crisis alone. They need us to help them defend this place. In reality, we're the ones protecting them!
"Moreover, we've learned a lot of their secrets. If they didn't need us to hold this cinema, what do you think they'd do to us? They've slaughtered hundreds of zombies—do you really think they'd hesitate to kill a few powerless civilians?"
"This..." Director Xue was momentarily speechless. He had to admit that Minister Wang's reasoning held some truth. The others nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same concern.
Seeing his argument gaining unanimous approval, Minister Wang smiled slightly and said gravely, "According to them, this space will transport us back to the real world at exactly 8:00 AM tomorrow. We cannot rule out the possibility that they will eliminate all witnesses before then. We must not sit idly by!"
"But what can we do?" Chief Mo from the District Public Security Bureau's Personnel Department asked worriedly. "There are a few police officers among us, but they weren't carrying firearms when this all started. Even if we mobilized all the able-bodied citizens, we probably wouldn't stand a chance against them. And gathering that many people would be impossible..."
"I have an idea." Minister Wang ran a hand through his slightly unkempt hair and smiled mysteriously. "My driver, Xiao Zhang, was assigned to the security team earlier. He just found me during his break and shared a secret—he saw them picking up small, colorful orbs from the zombies they killed. Afterward, they quickly returned to their rest area and soon after handed out two weapons capable of killing zombies to the security team.
"From this clue, it's likely that their superhuman strength and weapons come from these orbs dropped by the dead zombies. If we can obtain the same power and weapons, then those three will no longer be a threat! So, here's the plan..."
Minister Wang gestured for the group to huddle closer and lowered his voice as he laid out his scheme.
"No! Absolutely not!" Director Xue was the first to object. From a place of conscience, he couldn't agree to such a reckless plan. "Minister Wang, you're gambling with the lives of over two thousand citizens! Have you considered the possible consequences?"
"Xiao Xue, don't be so quick to object. We're surrounded by tens of thousands of zombies—everything is dangerous! If this plan succeeds, not only will we gain the power to protect ourselves, but we can also better safeguard the citizens. And when we leave this godforsaken place, do you think the higher-ups won't reward us for protecting so many people? There's opportunity in danger!"
Minister Wang raised his hand first. The other five hesitated for a moment before raising theirs as well.
Outnumbered, Director Xue wavered but eventually lifted his hand slowly.
The vote was unanimous.
"Xu Mo! Windows twelve and fourteen downstairs are in trouble! These two Lickers are yours! Zitang and I have to head down for reinforcement!"
Chang Zitong swung his hammer, sending the Licker that had been entangled with Du Zhizhang flying several meters away. Leaving the battle to Xu Mo, he and Du Zhizhang rushed down the stairs to the first floor.
It was already 2:00 AM, with only six hours left before the Apocalyptic Mirage reset.
Earlier that night, the cinema had already faced two crises. The first was when a Licker crashed through a second-floor window, slaughtering over ten security members in just thirty seconds before Xu Mo and his team rushed in to kill it. The second was when zombies piled up outside and tore down the protective grilles on three first-floor windows. Over sixty enhanced zombies swarmed in, moving with speed comparable to humans. More than thirty security members died on the spot. If Xu Mo's group hadn't intervened in time, the undead would have broken into the main theater hall.
Now, this was the third attack—two Lickers leading a massive wave of zombies in a coordinated assault. The cinema's defenses were once again on the verge of collapse.
"Damn it! It's like clockwork—one big wave every two hours! Since when do zombies have such a strong sense of timing?"
Exhaustion gnawed at Xu Mo. His biological clock left him in a constant state of drowsiness throughout the night, and the relentless attacks were pushing him to his limit. If not for the occasional short naps between battles, he wouldn't have had the energy to fight.
In the narrow corridors, the Lickers' ability to crawl on walls made them even more deadly. Their unpredictable strikes forced Xu Mo to stay on high alert—any lapse in focus could result in a serious wound.