As the mission objectives appeared, the protective barrier that had been covering the room vanished in an instant.
Orsaga was once again free to move—and, more importantly, reconnected with his true body in the Abyss.
A few thoughts immediately crossed his mind.
Just then, a middle-aged man dressed like a typical office worker stood up. After the group had spent a few moments eyeing one another warily, he took the initiative to speak:
"We're all newcomers here. Some of you might have prior knowledge of how things work in the Matrix Purgatory, and yes, it's brutal inside. But at this point in time, we don't have any direct conflicts of interest. Which means the only way we'll survive is by working together. I suggest we all briefly introduce ourselves and share what starter items we received, so we can form a proper strategy as a team."
"I'll go first. My name is Li Wei, from China. I was an office worker. My starter item is a machete."
He pulled out a thick-bladed chopper and gave it a few solid swings for emphasis, clearly trying to build trust.
From his tone and manner, he was likely a mid-level manager or team lead in some corporate or administrative role.
His lead seemed to ease some of the tension. One by one, the others began to speak up.
"I'm Huang Liu, also from China. Military background. My starter item is a handgun."
"I'm Zhang Hai, university student. Starter item: reinforced steel wire rope."
"Logan Grant, American. I'm an interior designer. My starter item is an adrenaline shot."
...
The group was a mixed bag of East and West—even one guy claimed to be from a settlement near the Sahara Desert.
A teenage girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, muttered, "Good thing the system has auto-translation. Otherwise, this would be a nightmare."
After the last introduction, everyone turned to the only person who hadn't spoken—the red-eyed man silently observing the streets outside the window.
When Orsaga turned to face them, his crimson gaze swept over the group with a calm, indifferent air.
There was no fear, no urgency—just the vibe of a man out for a stroll.
In that moment, they all had the same thought:
'This guy doesn't belong in the same category as the rest of us.'
That untouchable aura... He's operating on a whole different level.
Li Wei hesitated, but eventually cleared his throat and asked, "Friend, everyone else has introduced themselves. Your turn."
Orsaga raised his half-empty bottle of kvass and replied plainly:
"Orsaga. No nationality. My starter item… is this."
He took another sip, then added, "I don't plan on fighting any of you—seems pointless—but I also don't have any intention of working together. I prefer to act alone. So… see you around."
With that, he turned, opened the door, and stepped out.
He even closed the door politely behind him.
A man of courtesy—just one marching entirely to the beat of his own drum.
"…"
After a few moments of stunned silence, someone finally muttered, "Forget about him. Let's continue."
Most people preferred to act in groups—strength in numbers.
Even Huang Liu, who'd trained with elite special forces, knew it was foolish to try and survive a zombie outbreak solo—especially when the threat of mutated creatures like Lickers was very real.
You needed at least two or three competent allies to stand a chance.
While some of the recruits looked like they'd fold under pressure, a few had decent potential.
That was enough to justify sticking together—for now.
After Orsaga's departure, Li Wei clapped his hands to refocus the group's attention.
"Alright, now that the lone wolf has gone, I assume the rest of us are on the same page—we're a temporary team. Let's discuss our next steps. Based on what I know of the Resident Evil franchise, if we prepare properly, surviving seven days isn't impossible. But remember—this might be the least dangerous world we'll face for a long time. So if we want to succeed in the long term, we need to do more than just the main mission. We have to aim for some side objectives too. That's how we build up our initial resources.
Anyone have thoughts?"
A woman in her twenties spoke up thoughtfully:
"I'm concerned about the part that mentioned a '27% Plot Divergence.' My guide said the scenarios in Matrix Purgatory are never exact copies of movies, games, or novels. They're much more complex. The 'Plot Divergence' is a key metric.
Once divergence passes 25%, major deviations from canon can occur. At 50%, events might completely contradict the original story. And if it hits 75%… all bets are off. My guide gave me an example: one team entered a 79% diverged version of Sword Art Online."
"They thought they were trapped in a VR game. But after clearing the final level, they discovered the game world was actually a digital Matrix built by an AI called Yui's Heart—like a twisted mix between SAO and The Matrix. The real world outside was ruled by armies of machines. So once they beat the game, they had to join the human resistance, led by Nobuyuki Sugou, to fight against those mechs…"
She glanced at the mission prompt.
"And here, we're dealing with 27% divergence—that's already serious. Things could go very differently. The nuclear warhead Umbrella plans to drop on Raccoon City? It might be launched earlier. Or later. Who knows?, Personally, I think we should get out of the city as soon as possible."
Her words made Li Wei frown slightly.
His own guide had mentioned divergence, but only in passing—not in any meaningful detail.
Which was why he hadn't taken it seriously until now.
But now?
If the risk was this high, maybe a safer strategy was better for their first big score.
Huang Liu—who had also received vague guidance—felt the same.
But unlike Li Wei, his military training kicked in.
If different guides provided varying levels of information depending on personality and compatibility with their Purgators…
Then maybe he could piece together a full beginner's guide by carefully listening to everyone's input—filling in the blanks and avoiding rookie mistakes.
With that thought, he fell silent, quietly deep in planning.
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T/N:
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