Chapter 6

"Although we have found a good starting point, how are we going to find Alice? After all, we don't even know which hospital she's in," Lu Xiaotian asked a very critical question after the van had been driving for some time.

Indeed, Raccoon City was not a small village but a major city in the United States. The number of hospitals in the entire city, even if not in the hundreds, would not be far off. For Tang Cheng and the five others to find the hospital where Alice was located in just one morning, it would be almost as difficult as finding a needle in the ocean.

Moreover, the movie did not particularly mention which hospital it was... Even if it had appeared in the movie, for such an old film, a normal person would hardly remember the details, let alone the fact that the six of them were all genuine Chinese people who were unfamiliar with Raccoon City's geography.

"No, there are actually some clues," Tang Cheng shook his head and said seriously, "Although many people instinctively assume that place is a hospital from the movie, it is actually an Umbrella Corporation research facility. From the external environment, it looks more like a government building."

"Is that all?" Zhang Yi couldn't help but ask when Tang Cheng didn't continue.

"Isn't that enough?" Tang Cheng shrugged and countered, "For something that is still in the guessing stage, we don't need too much accurate information. And no one said we have to find Alice. Finding Alice would be great, but even if we don't, it won't be a loss for us, right?"

Although that was what he said, you're being a bit too relaxed... Zhang Yi wanted to argue, but after some thought, he didn't say anything.

Tang Cheng still had that carefree expression and smiled, "So, for something that relies on luck, I don't want to think too much about it. Instead of focusing on such trivial matters, we might as well do something more meaningful..."

At this point, Tang Cheng's gaze turned to Tang Ya, who was sitting opposite him, and he asked, "Girl, what's your number?"

"Is this meaningful?" Lu Xiaotian was dumbfounded.

Tang Cheng ignored him.

Tang Ya gave Tang Cheng a dirty look, "Can you stop calling me 'girl'?" In her view, calling a girl with such a slightly flirtatious tone was somewhat impolite.

Tang Cheng nodded indifferently, "Okay, girl."

"You... forget it." Tang Ya was annoyed but, after some thought, since she already knew that this man's thinking was different from normal people, why should she take him seriously? She swallowed her words and said, "My number is 10086. Is there a problem with that?"

Tang Cheng's eyes lit up, "Oh, a mobile girl, are you from the mobile company? Front desk or customer service?"

"Do you really need to have such a big imagination?" Tang Ya said irritably, "I've said from the beginning, I'm a college student preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, not a part-time worker, and I have nothing to do with the mobile company!"

"From the moment your number is 10086, you already have an inseparable connection with the mobile company," Tang Cheng retorted, then turned to Su Xiaoqing and asked, "Girl, what's your number?"

"Me? Uh..."

The two girls in the team, although both quite attractive, had distinctly different personalities. Tang Ya seemed more outgoing and intelligent, a person with a slightly stronger adaptability. If she had eight-pack abs, she would be a typical tomboy. Su Xiaoqing, on the other hand, appeared more delicate and was a standard soft girl.

Upon hearing Tang Cheng's question, Su Xiaoqing first leaned closer to Tang Ya and then timidly replied, "I... I'm number 10000."

"Telecom girl!" Tang Cheng exclaimed as if he had discovered a new continent, looking Su Xiaoqing up and down.

"I'm an intern editor at a magazine, not from telecom..."

"Ignore him," Tang Ya cut Su Xiaoqing off before she could finish, then glared at Tang Cheng and asked, "What's the point of asking these things? Is it related to our mission?"

"Nope," Tang Cheng said frankly, "I'm just curious. Since we have nothing to do, I might as well pass the time."

"Huh?" This time, it was Tang Ya's turn to be dumbfounded. Just because of that?

Indeed, the reason Tang Cheng asked everyone's numbers was that simple. Sometimes, a casual joke from him could become the core of an event, but when he gave a long speech, it was often meaningless. To say he was wise in a simple way might be too high praise, and to say he was pretending to be crazy didn't quite fit. In short, it was hard to define him, which was one of the reasons why few people could truly understand him.

And he wouldn't let Zhang Yi off either.

Zhang Yi, undoubtedly a straightforward person, answered whatever he was asked, "My number is 9998."

"Hmph, a swindler!" Tang Cheng immediately shot him a disdainful look, "Others don't sell things for 998, 698, or even 398, but you want 9998. You'll definitely be a swindler in the future!"

Zhang Yi was in tears. He was just a student; what did he have to do with being a swindler?

"Enough!" Tang Ya finally couldn't take it anymore. This guy was definitely messing with people, right?

Tang Cheng, with his wild imagination, clearly didn't care about the mobile girl's dirty look. He patted the driver's seat and said, "Old Li, what's yours?"

Li Guodong, although focused on driving, hadn't missed a word from behind. Knowing that Tang Cheng would ask him, he had already prepared, "9783."

My number is so ordinary, you can't make anything out of it... Li Guodong thought smugly. In his view, even with Tang Cheng's wild imagination, he couldn't do much with such an ordinary number.

But just as he was thinking this, Tang Cheng's voice, full of disdain, came from behind, "Tsk, you're a heretic!"

"Huh?" Li Guodong was puzzled and instinctively turned back, "Why am I a heretic?"

"Hmph!" Tang Cheng snorted and said confidently, "The numbers of the five of us each have their own charm, profound and rich in meaning, like a timeless masterpiece. But your number is so ordinary. If the five of us are Pekingese, then you are a Husky. If you're not a heretic, what are you? A heretic like you will be burned at the stake next year, hmpf!"

Why are you comparing yourself to a dog, and why are you dragging us into it?

Upon hearing Tang Cheng's words, Tang Ya and the others all thought he was crazy.

As for Li Guodong, despite being called a dog and cursed to be burned, he didn't seem angry. He just sighed, "In such a dangerous world, no one can control their fate, and we could die at any moment. You still have the mood to joke around... Honestly, I admire your calmness, Brother Tang."

Hearing Li Guodong's words, everyone's gaze turned to Tang Cheng. Su Xiaoqing even asked cautiously, "Brother Tang, are you really not afraid at all?"

"Don't call me brother, I might be younger than you," Tang Cheng corrected her first, then countered, "What's there to be afraid of?"

"Because this is the world of Resident Evil," Su Xiaoqing said matter-of-factly. "The entire city is full of zombies, and a nuclear bomb will be dropped soon. If we fail our mission, we will die. Such a terrifying thing..."

"So, what's there to be afraid of?" Tang Cheng shrugged and said calmly, "It's just death, after all."

"Uh!"

Tang Cheng spoke calmly, but Tang Ya and the others were shocked. Just death... Is there really someone who isn't afraid of death? Impossible. Fear is a human instinct, and the instinct of all living beings. As long as something is alive, it cannot avoid fear.

But looking at Tang Cheng, he didn't seem to be faking it.

It's actually quite easy to tell if someone is pretending not to be afraid or truly fearless... tone, eyes, actions, expressions, even the atmosphere.

At least Tang Ya was good at this, as she had studied psychology for a while.

They say fear is contagious, and this is true. Just like courage can be passed on, there is an invisible wavelength between people that can't be seen or heard, only felt. When someone receives a fear wavelength from others, they will also become afraid, and when they receive a courage wavelength, they will be filled with courage.

For example, when walking at night, one person might be scared, but with more people, even the darkest night won't be scary, precisely because the courage wavelength is being passed among people. However, if one person is suddenly filled with fear and starts to be suspicious, the fear wavelength will spread, and everyone will gradually become afraid.

At this moment, Tang Ya felt no fear from Tang Cheng, nor did she feel the courage that should be suppressing his fear.

This is a person without fear and without courage.

It seems contradictory, but it is inevitable. Fear and courage are inseparable. Only when courage is gone does fear grow, and only fear can inspire courage. But when a person has no fear, it means that no matter what they face, they can treat it with a calm mind, without the need for courage. And what is unnecessary doesn't need to exist.

But... does such a person really exist?

Or, more accurately, can a person who is neither afraid nor courageous still be considered human?

Thinking of this, Tang Ya shuddered.

Compared to the zombies, the nuclear bomb overhead, and the 24-hour death deadline, suddenly, she was more afraid of the man sitting in front of her!