"Click—"
With a flick of the master switch, the supermarket's power came back online.
Lights flickered to life, humming gently above the aisles.
TVs, computers, chainsaws, toothbrushes, steel piping, kitchen knives, cola, bread, flour...
Being a large supermarket, it was fully stocked with almost everything imaginable—even a few compact cars were on display.
After glancing over the store's wall-mounted layout map, Orsaga casually strolled into the control room and activated the store's sound system.
Because of course, music was essential.
Your head could be cut off, your blood could be spilled, but vibes? Never optional.
Next, he grabbed a strawberry-flavored lollipop, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth.
With the basics taken care of, he began pushing a shopping cart through the aisles, picking out random but oddly specific items:
Screwdrivers, power drills, baking soda, dish soap, industrial-strength glue...
Before long, his cart was overflowing.
He dumped the entire load in the center of the supermarket and, without giving it a second glance, went back for more.
Half an hour later, a towering pile sat in the center of the store like a miniature scrapyard mountain—ranging from chocolate bars to toilet plungers and everything in between.
"Time to get to work..."
He grabbed a power drill and began dismantling one of the display vehicles.
Then the washing machine. Then a couple of laptops.
Although his current body had only average human intelligence and rather clumsy hands, Orsaga's knowledge—especially when it came to outdated tech—was still formidable.
One glance was enough to understand each machine's inner workings.
He identified stress points, critical nodes, and disassembled an entire car within minutes.
Washing machines and computers? Child's play.
Soon, engines, motors, car batteries, rotating drums, drive belts, circuit boards—dozens of components—were laid out in neat, labeled piles.
Then came the real work: reassembly, repurposing, welding, and restructuring.
Compared to disassembly, this stage required more effort—calculations, torque resistance, energy conversion rates.
But for Orsaga, it was just another quiet afternoon hobby. Everything progressed methodically.
---
Elsewhere, on the outskirts of Raccoon City—
Having arrived by car, the team of Purgators surveyed the checkpoint on the main bridge.
Watching soldiers erect barricades in the distance, Li Wei frowned. The setup made no tactical sense to him.
So he turned to two of the team's most experienced members for advice: Huang Liu and Draco.
Huang Liu was a former special ops soldier from Huaxia. Though his exact military role was unclear, his bearing screamed elite training.
Draco, on the other hand, was an American war veteran from Afghanistan—said to have enough confirmed kills to fill a shipping container.
Li Wei figured if anyone could analyze the situation, it'd be them.
After scanning the area through a set of binoculars, Draco gave a quick rundown:
"Ground units are moving in three-man cells. Their gear's standard military-issue—not much in the way of heavy firepower, but definitely more than what we've got."
He continued, "There are at least twenty sniper positions set up in the surrounding towers. And up above, I see both gunships and military drones on alternating patrols. All likely equipped with thermal sensors."
He shook his head. "Under these conditions, a conventional escape is basically impossible."
Li Wei, who despite being a working stiff had once been a hardcore shut-in gamer, racked his brain for plot details.
He asked, "Wasn't there a river and a forest near the city? Could we escape through those?"
Huang Liu didn't even pause. "Not without scouting the terrain first. And with our time constraints, that's not an option."
Li Wei sighed, glancing at the overheated civilians crowded at the roadblock.
"Then it looks like our only shot is to find the main characters and tag along with them…"
A young woman in her twenties spoke up:
"Couldn't we try contacting the outside world? Upload a video or post online to get public pressure on our side?"
Another young man replied, "Unlikely. Even if comms aren't completely cut, Umbrella has the military working for them. You think public opinion matters?"
He shrugged. "Honestly, Umbrella probably owns half the internet."
The woman frowned. "That powerful? Are we seriously saying the U.S. government would let a corporation run the country?"
She hadn't seen the original story and couldn't wrap her head around how a private company could conduct bio-warfare experiments, deploy private armies, quarantine cities, cut off networks, and even launch nuclear weapons—all within the U.S.
Not even the President had that kind of unchecked authority.
The young man could only smile bitterly.
"Yeah… according to the original story, they're just that overpowered. Even the government has to yield. No one really knows how they were allowed to exist."
Li Wei took a deep drag from his cigarette, then exhaled slowly.
"Whatever. While the zombie outbreak hasn't spread too far, and the streets are still safe, let's find a decent place to fortify. Sitting around out here won't help."
The others nodded in agreement.
With the bridge sealed and escape routes shut, staying mobile wasn't viable. Better to prep while they had the chance.
On the way to a nearby gun store, Li Wei casually asked,
"How'd you guys end up in Matrix Purgatory anyway? I was driving while exhausted, nodded off, and flipped my car over the guardrail."
Draco took the offered cigarette and replied coolly:
"HQ gave us an op to clear a village and frame the resistance for it. After we finished, we got ambushed on the way back. Didn't make it out."
Someone muttered, "Damn… that's cold."
It wasn't clear whether they meant the mission itself or Draco's deadpan delivery.
Draco simply shrugged.
"That's war. Soldiers and civilians die like dogs. Honestly, I'm not even mad. Guys like me don't die innocent."
Still, as he spoke, his fingers instinctively brushed against the silver cross on his wrist—betraying a sliver of lingering guilt.
Another man, young but somber, said quietly,
"I had cancer. Couldn't afford treatment. Didn't want to drag my family down with me… so I bought a life insurance policy and made it look like an accident."
He smiled faintly.
"Hope the payout went through. Maybe they'll be okay."
A man from the Sahara region kept it brief:
"Got mugged. Didn't back down. Took a few out, but there were too many."
Another guy chimed in, "I honestly don't know. Felt fine one day, then I just… woke up here. Probably died from a sudden illness."
One more sighed, "I slipped going down the stairs. One second I'm walking, next second—lights out."
Listening to his teammates share their wildly different deaths, Li Wei couldn't help but fall silent.
Some of them had gone out like heroes.
Some never saw it coming.
Either way, they were all here now.
And the game had already begun.
___
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