Following a lengthy passage of time—or perhaps more accurately, the brief duration of three films—things had changed drastically.
Due to numerous tragedies and catastrophes, Wang Qiu's team had dwindled down to just him, standing alone in the void…
The next movie he was to enter was none other than the legendary Resident Evil 1.
"...Now entering Resident Evil 1... All team members, take your positions... 30... 20... 10... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, teleport!"
For reasons unknown, as Wang Qiu was transported into the terrifying world of Resident Evil 1, a chill of dread pierced his very soul.
This wasn't out of fear of the unknown. In fact, after enduring the harrowing trials of three previous horror films, and watching as familiar faces one by one disappeared, he had become almost numb to the concept of life and death. Eventually, he adopted an extremely pessimistic attitude—one of "survive for another day," and had passively watched as the new recruits in the previous film were collectively wiped out, leaving him as the last one standing.
—This infinite space was a brutal proving ground for every adventurer. Even the seasoned ones often struggled to protect themselves, and there was no obligation to help others. As a senior, offering them a brief explanation of the world was already a generous act.
As for whether they would survive, that depended entirely on their own abilities—didn't he himself nearly die multiple times?
And compared to the otherworldly, completely illogical films like A Nightmare on Elm Street 1, Scream 2, and Final Destination 1, where enemies were unseen, and no matter how much power one had, there was simply no way to confront them—Resident Evil 1 was not especially dangerous. At least the target was clear—it was the zombies. Visible and tangible, not nearly as frustrating as the ambiguity in the previous films.
So, as an experienced adventurer, Wang Qiu remained calm. There was no need to panic.
To grab the newcomers' attention and maintain control of the situation, a certain level of fear was essential to set the tone. Just like Zhang Jie from Endless Terror, who mockingly introduced the world to the new recruits: "...This is Resident Evil 1. You rookies are so lucky, entering the game with such an easy horror film. Even if you die, it'll be quick and painless…"
—Wang Qiu had learned from previous experiences that creating a sense of foreboding at the beginning was a good way to both capture the rookies' attention and establish dominance over the unfolding events.
With that in mind, Wang Qiu took a deep breath to steady himself, unsheathed his Desert Eagle, and tried to convince himself of his calm composure. He then began surveying his surroundings.
At present, he found himself inside a speeding subway car, surrounded by several foreigners engaged in conversation. Each of these individuals wore matching camouflage outfits, leather belts laden with weapons, and boots of heavy duty rubber. Their faces were painted black, and they sported yellow helmets with small flashlights attached. Fully armed, they looked every bit the part of seasoned soldiers.
Amid them, there was a woman in a red dress—likely the film's lead, Alice. At least, for now, the plot seemed to be progressing normally.
Wang Qiu nodded to himself, then turned to observe the newcomers sprawled across the floor. Among them was a fragile-looking young man with delicate features, holding a comic book—he seemed rather effeminate, possibly from Hong Kong or Taiwan. Another was a fashionable young woman in a white designer outfit, holding a laptop—a quintessential "hipster" type. But then…
—In an instant, Wang Qiu's calm demeanor shattered. His mind was overwhelmed, almost to the point of collapse. He dropped his Desert Eagle to the floor without even realizing it.
What… was that?!?
A massive blue spherical object?
His gaze fixed on the creature—a giant, round blue head, spherical arms and hands, a white belly and face, with six cat-like whiskers and a bubble-blowing red nose!
This… this was… a robot cat? Doraemon? Or perhaps Doraemon's cousin, Tetsu-dou?
It couldn't be a cosplay, not with that slobbering mouth. This was the real deal!
Heaven above, how could you bring a sleeping robot cat into this world?
Though Wang Qiu wasn't an otaku, he did remember the legendary anime that swept the world in the 20th century. It was Doraemon, a robot cat from the 22nd century with an insatiable craving for dorayaki and an eternal fear of mice!
This was absurd! What was the criteria for choosing new recruits in this infernal space?
Looking at Doraemon's foolish, sleeping face, Wang Qiu felt his sense of shame double.
What was happening? Was this Resident Evil 1 or some unholy new Doraemon film?
Well, none of that mattered. The real issue was how he was supposed to unlock the genetic locks for a robot? Perhaps an electronic key would work better!
Wang Qiu felt completely dumbfounded.
Just then, a strange, almost sinister voice broke through his spiraling thoughts: "...Hehehe, beautiful big sister..."
Looking down, Wang Qiu froze. A small boy, clad in a red shirt and yellow shorts, his face resembling a potato with a bizarrely thick black eyebrow, was napping with his head on Doraemon's belly. He kicked his thin legs in rhythmic motions, making strange chuckling noises as he drooled.
Around his plump backside, a handmade yellow bag hung, stitched with his class and name.
"...Asahi City, Futaba Kindergarten, Sunflower Class, Shinnosuke Nohara…"
Upon realizing the boy's identity, Wang Qiu's world turned black. His body went limp as he fell into despair.
No way... this was the infamous Crayon Shin-chan! What had the heavens done? Was this supposed to be an endless horror game, or an endless stupidity parade?
Thinking of the soon-to-be teammate, a mischievous boy who loved dancing with his bottom, wearing his underwear on his head, laughing while making poses of an over-the-top hero, and shooting out "dynamic light waves"—Wang Qiu felt his future was a pit of darkness.
In fact, he had forgotten one crucial thing: after entering this world of endless dangers and death, most people's fates were already sealed—more certain than anything written in a death note. There was no real future ahead.
Struggling to rise from the cold floor, Wang Qiu reluctantly turned his attention to the last two newcomers—two Japanese high school girls, dressed in winter and summer uniforms respectively.
One was a lively athletic girl with light summer attire and brown hair tied with a yellow headband. The other, a bespectacled literary type, wore a dark winter uniform and had grayish-purple hair.
They looked somewhat normal—thankfully, they were pleasant to look at. Wang Qiu allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
But, alas, things were not as they seemed.
In the stark contrast between the anime world and reality, Wang Qiu failed to recognize that these seemingly normal girls were actually far more powerful than anyone he had encountered thus far... Super Bosses in disguise.
In the world of ACG, Japanese high school girls possessed the strength to overthrow nations and destroy worlds!
And so, in the not-too-distant future, he would face yet another tragic fate—or perhaps be saved?
As Wang Qiu began to gather his thoughts, the other new recruits slowly began to awaken.