Chapter 2

The Mummy was their most familiar movie, at least it was for Zheng. Too many things happened in this movie. It was also where the turning points for team China happened, the first team battle and the first revival. This movie was probably the second most important starting point aside from Resident Evil.

“My heart sunk after that battle against team Devil. If it wasn’t for the hope of revivals and the determination for revenge, I might have lost the courage to continue fighting.” Zheng muttered to himself as he looked out this land of sand.

The Sky Stick was broken by the arrow. However, some core parts were intact. Xuan exchanged the inexpensive parts and assembled a new one that worked as good as the previous.

The point of entrance was still the inn in Cairo. However, the atmosphere here was strange. Cairo police guarded all the major roads. Fortunately, the place they entered was rather out of the way and belonged to the Medjais. Soon after they registered in the inn, the curator hurried over.

The old man seemed in great spirit. He hugged the team as soon as they met but of course, there were a few that he didn’t want to get close to, like Xuan and Zero. Lan also refused the formality.

He had the Medjais got him a glass of iced milk and drank it. “Good thing you didn’t get in conflict with the cops outside. Or it would have taken us quite some procedures to get you out.”

The others looked with curiosity. Zheng knew the influence the Medjais had, especially after they got the gold from him. The English colonists became aware of the Medjai corporation’s influence throughout Egypt. A series of actions were taken to gather information about the corporation.

“Can’t be helped. A war broke out between Germany and several countries. The fire hasn’t spread to this place but it’s a question of sooner or later.” The curator said calmly but there was a sense of excitement hidden behind his eyes.

Zheng said. “Oh, World War 2 started. Then your plan to retrieve Egypt back to Egyptians should begin soon. So that means you have prepared for this for a long time.”

The curator laughed. “Yes. Right. The elders got in contact with many information agencies in Europe. We get three reports daily. Once something happens over there, we will be able to respond. This is all thanks to you and your team. We wouldn’t have such influence without your assistance. We are just missing some armored vehicles. The leader is getting in contact with the arms dealers.”

He told them information about the association. Ardeth had gone to the U.S. to visit the men they had over there and get in contact with arms dealers. Zheng might not be able to meet the old friends this time around.

“O’Connel and Evelyn settled down in the U.S. I heard their place was pretty good. Well, at least the war won’t spread there. Jonathan went to China. Heard that he got dragged into an event regarding a Buddha head that shoots lasers in Shanghai. Imhotep learned to write letters. He still hasn’t found the Holy Grail. Though he found a few gold mines. He had O’Connel manage the gold mines for him, so he’s a rich man now. Haha.” Too many things happened between the Medjais, the main characters and Imhotep. The once enemies came in contact and became friends with each other.

“Hoho.” Zheng felt a sense of warmth. “We don’t have anything special. We are going back once we revive our comrades. Tell you leader that we still remember. Don’t hesitate calling us if you are dragged into the war the next time we come. We will come to help!”

The curator waved his arm and walked out along with his two men. He soon came back with seven sets of local clothes and some cash. He had prepared everything for them.

“Let’s enjoy a good meal tonight. You are going to Hamuptra tomorrow right? The Medjais guarding there have seen you before so don’t worry. Ha. Let’s drink tonight.”

The curator was too excited when he met the benefactors who helped the Medjais prosper. He ended up being the first person drunk because he chose the wrong one to be his drinking partner. Kampa drank martini as if it was water. Alcohol wouldn’t even have a taste if it wasn’t vodka. Kampa was still drinking when the curator went down under the table.

“Let’s head to Hamuptra tomorrow morning. Reviving is more important. If any accidents happen in the way, like conflicts with the English stationed army, we would still have time to take care of it. Go get some rest early.”

Zheng felt the alcohol in his head after the meal. He said a few sentences and went to his room. As he walked past the hall, he looked up to see a full moon. The pure moonlight lit the ground, giving it a soft and silver white color.

“Wait for me. I will revive you guys soon. Then we will find team Devil for revenge and seize what we lost!”

Everyone woke up early refreshed the next day. They changed into robes for the desert then began assembling the baskets for the Sky Sticks. Soon, they left to Hamuptra before the curator woke up.

They found Hamuptra had changed drastically after they arrived. The pillars and stone statues of this ancient ruin had disappeared. They would have thought they went the wrong way if it wasn’t for the military base nearby. Some Medjais noticed the Sky Stick up above. As the team landed on the ground, a group of men in black rode over on horses. Zheng went up to meet them.

Those men got off their hoses when they were still a hundred meters away. The one in front greeted Zheng with a kind of ancient salutation and said. “The benefactor of the pharaoh’s descendants, we welcome you back to Hamuptra. Our leader had ordered us to receive you with the upmost respect. May I ask if you plan to enter Hamuptra first or rest in our base?”

Zheng looked to his team. The others shook their heads. They weren’t tired from the ride since it was just staying on the Sky Stick.

Zheng responded. “We will head into Hamuptra first, but what happened here? Some big change?”

The man said. “Our leader said this place was too eye catching when seen from above. This land is going to become a battlefield soon. In order to prevent the altar from getting damaged, he had us moved or buried the pillars and statues then covered the areas with sand and rocks. You won’t find the original Hamuptra at this point.”

Zheng praised Ardeth for being so thoughtful. The altar being damaged or destroyed by bombs was the only thing Zheng was afraid of. If that happened, he would have to perform the revivals in God’s dimension using double their points and rewards. Although World War 2 was coming, they had put so much effort in that this desert might not get dragged into the war. This should be a safe place.

“Let’s enter Hamuptra.”

Due to the fact that the user of the Book of Amun-Ra would observe the past and thoughts of the person revived during the revival process, they agreed to have Zheng perform all of them. Everyone would transfer the points and rewards to him at the initiation.

“The leader has the responsibility to protect the privacy of his team.”

This wasn’t wrong but Zheng felt strange that this came out of Xuan. He stood there and pondered for quite a while, yet he couldn’t figure out what Xuan was planning. If it wasn’t because Xuan remained normally calm instead of having any sort of smile, Zheng would have believed he was scheming on something.

Anyway, everyone nodded in agreement and Zheng had to take on this responsibility to revive the three people. This was the best decision in terms of privacy after all.

“The first person to revive is Zhao Yinkong.”

As the notification on revival was announced, images appeared in Zheng’s mind.

This was a dark alley. A petite girl was fighting a man who seemed cold yet had a smile on his face. Their speed was beyond what the human eyes could capture. Every step, every movement, every dodge, and attack was almost a perfection. Just a little mistake and they would kill the other person.

Killing intent filled the girl’s eyes. Zheng had never seen her like this. Even when he fought her previously, her eyes remained calm as ice. That was the heart of an assassin, a mind that was always emotionless.

However, she looked like had lost herself to her inner devil. Her wrath erupted as she looked at this handsome man. She wanted to kill her, even if that was at the cost of her own life. This was the first time she showed herself like this, at least it was for Zheng.

When the fight reached its peak, the man suddenly turned around and ran along the alley. The girl couldn’t let him get away and sprinted after him. She ran at a speed approaching Zheng’s Destruction. Yet, at the turn of the corner, a steel wire cut off that beautiful head of hers.

Zheng had closed his eyes when he saw this but the images still streamed into his mind.

This was silent mansion on the hill. A man was holding on the hand of a two or three year old girl as they walked through the front passage of the mansion. The girl cheered when the man brought out an apple and handed it to her. Yet, before she could take a bite on the apple, he slapped her on the face harshly. Her face turned swollen but she didn’t cry. She quietly wiped what little of tears was on the corner of her eyes then bit at the apple, swallowing it along with the blood in her mouth.

The girl grew up. She was about five to six years old and came to a new environment with kids around her age. Everyone carried a little bag. Inside the bag was a bottle of drinkable water and several pieces of tough bread. The girl had her bread and water and conserving the food in the bag. When the other kids came to seize her food, she easily knocked them down and took their food. She gave herself a full meal then continued eating her own food.

Her childhood was spent such combat and hunger. It wasn’t all enemies that she met. She had comrades and friends that she trusted. Life was difficult but she would show that long forgotten smile and serenity when they fought together and chatted together.

Until that man, smiling yet had eyes that were cold as a blade, he protected her and took care of her the whole time. She always had an indescribable feeling for him until that nightmare. This brother who had protected her killed all her friends. He buried her childhood into memories.

Zheng quietly watched Yinkong opened her eyes. There was still wrath flowing through her eyes like lava. A few seconds later, she closed her eyes without a word then dropped down on the stone.

“I died?” Yinkong lay there for several seconds then got up.

The corner of her eyes still seemed wet but she had returned to her normal indifferent expression. It was like her wrath never existed. However, Zheng knew the wrath didn’t disappear. She buried them deep within her. The wrath would consume her enemies and her the next time they were unleashed, just like her last fight.

Zheng held Yinkong in his arms then said by her eyes. “It’s okay. We will start from the beginning. You will win the next time you meet him! And we are your comrades right?”

Yinkong looked at Zheng with surprise. It was just a blink of an eye for her but she could feel a change happened to Zheng. Though she couldn’t tell what kind of change it was. She pushed Zheng away and nodded. Then she walked to the other people.

Lan walked to Yinkong and embraced her. She lowered her head to comfort Yinkong then glanced at Zheng harshly, as if to criticize his vulgar act.

Zheng also knew that was rather abrupt. He gave an awkward laugh then continued with the revival.

He also put the words he said to Yinkong into his heart. “Yes. We will start from the beginning. We will win the next time we meet him!”

“Revive Zhang Heng!”

Still inside that same dark alley. Heng was facing a girl with his bow in hand. The strange thing was his expression was full of pain, and tears were flowing down the girl’s face. They both released their arrows but even a layman like Zheng could tell they were not trying. It wasn’t even that, they didn’t once shot at the other’s fatal spots.

The first one that couldn’t stand the fight was Heng. He seemed to have made a determined decision and headed through an alley after he made the next shot. The girl’s attention slipped for a moment and let him got away from her sight. She immediately chased after Heng with her wings.

Heng stopped by a main road. He watched as the girl flew close then suddenly drew his bow. He aimed the arrow at her head with a serious look on his face.

She smiled with relief and aimed her arrow at Heng’s heart.

They both let go of their arrows. Heng’s arrow grazed past her body. Zheng could see the arrow penetrated a building from far away. There was seemingly a figure on top of that building. However, Heng’s heart had become empty.

By the side of two small houses, a boy and a girl played together cheerfully. They held each others’ hands with laughters. They were only several years old but the fondness between them was apparent. Perhaps this was what people called childhood sweethearts, people who would keep walking down the path of life holding hands.

The days lasted until a traffic accident. The boy’s mother died and his father’s arm suffered comminuted fracture, losing the ability to hold a bow for the rest of his life while his career was an archer.

The depression, lost of hope, and the lost of his love and mental support caused the father to become increasingly abusive. He would abuse the boy when he felt the slightest bit annoyed. The boy became weaker and weaker from suffering the long term beatings. He would cower away as soon as anyone showed signs of wanting to hit him. He knew he could act back, he could resist, but having suppressed himself for so long had taken away his courage.

The boy and girl had separated for many years until they grew up to adults. He started working. His father had passed away. And he finally met his beloved again. Even the heavens seemed to pity his childhood and wished to give happiness to his future. If he could seize that happiness.

But he didn’t. When his car broke down and they encountered hooligans, when the hooligans mentioned the word kill, his fear erupted. He ran, leaving her, the one he would love forever behind in that darkness. He tore apart their happiness with his own hands!

Heng opened his eyes. His face was filled with tears. He didn’t seem to notice he had revived until Zheng punched him hard on the face. Heng flew off five meters.

“Coward, you still have a chance! Come with us and seize back your chance!”

Two out of the three people had been revived. The last one remaining was ChengXiao. Zheng said the same line with his eyes closed.

“Revive Cheng Xiao!”

ChengXiao stood in the middle of the street with the Zaku axe in his hand. He was protecting the girls behind him. Several men were attacking from his front. Every one of them moved fast and they all tried to go around him. When they did so, ChengXiao’s eyes turned sharp as blades. His axe danced like the wind and blocked these people from advancing. At this moment, his eyes had that familiar defocus along with the sharpness.

An emotionless man with two pistols blasted off ChengXiao’s arm. His movements were forced to slow down but he didn’t back away even half a step. He stood in front of the girls with a laughter. No one could get past him despite the increasing amount of wounds on his body. His speed and technique were at least on par with every one of these people.

The emotionless man pointed the pistols at ChengXiao’s forehead. He opened his arms, even the broken arm, then smiled at this man. His mouth moved lightly.

ChengXiao was born into a different kind of family than normal people. He was the son of a Wushu family. His parents, grandparents, and in-laws were all related to the world of Wushu in one way or another. His family also belonged to the military, so he was ‘loved’ by these elders since he was a kid. Love like soaking his body in medicinal solutions and hitting him with staffs made the little him cry everytime. Things lasted until a little girl appeared in this quiet little village. For some reason, he didn’t want to show any embarrassment in front of her. He would clench his teeth and not utter a word every time she appeared by her window, which would make her giggle.

They both grew up. ChengXiao became more and more handsome while she remained so average. However, their hearts were linked closely together. He said to her. “As long as I am still alive, I will protect you. I won’t ever let you get hurt in the slightest!”

She responded with a shy and calm nod.

ChengXiao’s family background didn’t allow him to stay in this quiet village forever. He left then returned several times, but their feelings never changed. Then the day he went to the city to buy a ring and rushed back in excitement, what awaited him was the aftermath of a landslide.

“What is a promise that can’t be fulfilled? As long as I am alive, I will protect you, but did I fulfill this?”

Zheng watched ChengXiao slowly appeared in front of him. Those last words echoed by his ears. When ChengXiao lost the girl dearest to him, he began to question his belief. He let himself loose but deep within, he was still a real man with the fortitude of a soldier.

ChengXiao sat up abruptly then looked around in confusion. When he saw Zheng and the others, he yawned and said. “Don’t bother me. Let me sleep for a bit more.” He was about to lie back down when he noticed something wasn’t right and turned his head back up.

“Colonel Xuan! Haha. We are both dead. That’s great. I thought death leads to nothingness but it’s still so interesting here. Though did hell went through a climate change? Why is it a desert?” He pointed at Xuan and laughed then asked.

Zheng scratched his head and said. “Well, we are actually not dead yet. You are revived.”

ChengXiao pointed at himself then at the others. He gave a laugh. “I get it. This is the illusions you get after death. I have seen from sci-fi movies that you would see your wishes as illusions at the time of death. Oh man. I have been wanting to fondle those huge…” He rubbed his hands and stared right past everyone at Yinkong.

Yinkong’s expression didn’t change. She held up her hand quietly. Her fingernails weren’t long but when she held up her fingers, ChengXiao shivered.

He laughed and said. “Man, that was stupid. I got scared by illusions. If that’s the case… Hey, illusions, where are you going! Don’t go away, illusions and those huge…” A large rock smashed into his nose and knocked him down.

“So that means these aren’t my illusions?”

ChengXiao lay on a bunk bed. A bag of ice water was hanging on the top of his nose. That was quite pitiful. He almost broke his nose because of his inappropriate remarks. Fortunately, there was an effect to soaking in medicinal solutions since he was a kid. He could take much more beatings. So they were able to drag him back to the military base. He lay there quietly as Zheng told them about what happened after the battle against team Devil.

“That’s basically it. My goal is to challenge team Devil with everyone, challenge them head to head. I don’t wish anyone in the team to die the next time we meet them.”

Zheng muttered as he looked at the newly revived members. ChengXiao was moaning on the bed. Heng was looking at Zheng carefully as he held his face. Yinkong seemed rather accepted. She looked at Zheng as if she had forgotten that he held her. When ChengXiao’s eyes moved over everyone and focused on her chest, she grabbed a stainless steel ashtray and threw it at his face.

“Ahem.” Zheng grabbed their attention. “I am finished with the explanation. You are coming back to fight in the movie worlds. I don’t have much to say to Yinkong and ChengXiao, just decide on your weapons. ChengXiao, since you are skilled in medical techniques, choose something that can perform surgeries and buff vitality temporarily in the battlefield. The needles from before are gone. If you want it, we can exchange a set for you. What I want to ask is, Heng, do you want me to revive her?”

Heng was listening to the conversation but Zheng’s words turned his face dark. People who didn’t know him might think he was angry but they knew he was afraid. So afraid that his face turned dark.

“No. Not now.” His reply was unexpected to Zheng.

“Well, it won’t be here. She didn’t get through any movies so we will just revive her after we go back.” Zheng said.

Heng shook his head. “No. I mean I don’t wish to revive her so early. I still don’t have the power to protect her. I don’t have the courage to see her. Even when we aren’t enemies, my heart hurts every time I see her. So give me some time. When I have the courage, when I can say to her forgive me, or kill me, then we will revive her!”

Zheng shook his head and sighed. He continued. “We will leave that for a later date. Let’s talk about our following plan. Since the revival went unexpectedly well without any delays, we have to spend the remaining several days here. After that, we will go into Resident Evil to obtain the T-virus prototype, so everyone can unlock the first stage of the genetic constraint. We can also see if it’s a bonus mission. That may get us a good sum of points and rewards.”

Yinkong suddenly stared at him with a serious look and said. “Did you see my past?”

Zheng was surprised for a moment. He immediately nodded. “Yes. You will see how the other person died and their past during revival. I didn’t want to but if you really mind, I will apologize.”

Yinkong lowered her head. She muttered with puzzlement. “Not that. I want to ask why did he betray us? Why did he have to do that? Is it really like what he told me? To test his strength? Can you kill all your comrades for something like that?”

Zheng walked over to her. He felt pity for this little girl. She was like a girl with wounds all over. She seemed strong but her heart had numerous scars. If you just lightly poke her heart with a needle, you would hurt her to an unbelievable degree.

Zheng stroke her hair. “I don’t know why he did that also. That’s why you have to search for the answer yourself, to ask him the reason. But remember we are always here for you. We are also your comrades. And you also have to believe that no one can kill us!”

“Welcome back, comrades!”