Zheng Zha felt he had never been this happy in his entire life.
As a corporate drone, his days were spent revising documents, making reports, attending endless meetings. His life was dull and tasteless.
But now…
He had a gentle, beautiful wife—her cooking was good, her personality was caring, and though she looked like a sixteen-year-old, she was, in truth, his lawful Western wife.
He had an obedient, sweet little daughter—half-blooded, only nine years old, short and adorable.
To spend his final days in such a family, Zheng Zha thought, his life hadn't been in vain.
Though he had to admit… Western food was still a bit hard to swallow.
After filling his stomach, Zheng Zha pulled out a syringe filled with stimulant.
He walked into the bathroom and jabbed it into his arm.
Almost immediately, his body grew unnaturally energetic, and he let out a long breath of relief.
"Freddy kills through dreams. If I don't sleep, he shouldn't be able to touch me."
"But… fourteen days. How am I supposed to endure that? Can I really hold out?"
He yawned, muttering, "If I had known that clicking 'Yes' would lead to this mess, I never would've worked overtime at the company."
Compared to the others, Zheng Zha's condition was worse—he had already been awake for more than twenty-four hours.
Not sleeping was torture for him.
Luckily, with the drugs kicking in, he wasn't as sleepy.
After tucking in his wife and daughter, he moved to the living room and turned on the TV.
Just to be safe, he even set two alarms.
Kneeling in front of the sofa, Zheng Zha did thirty push-ups.
He was just about to switch to a more exciting DVD when—suddenly!
From the bedroom came a sharp, piercing scream.
"Ahhh!!!"
———
The street outside was eerily silent.
On a police car, four veterans sat inside. At the same moment, all of them felt the burning heat of their Reincarnation Watches.
Lifting their wrists, they saw an arrow glowing on the display.
Zhang Jie frowned at the watch. "This… is this pointing us somewhere? Has someone already run into Freddy?"
Ruan Wei's legs trembled. "C-could we… maybe wait a little longer before going?"
Before he could finish, Da Qiang turned and slapped him hard across the face.
"Smack!" The blow sent stars flashing before Ruan Wei's eyes.
"Late? If we're late, the damn Lord God will send Freddy to kill me!"
Da Qiang cursed as he started the police car. "Stay sharp, all of you!"
He flipped on the siren, flashing the lights with an exaggerated flair, and sped straight toward the scene of the incident—Zheng Zha's house.
Pulling over, Da Qiang barked at Zhang Jie in the passenger seat. "You, go check it out!"
Zhang Jie's mouth twitched. He could already feel a strange, suffocating atmosphere coming from the house. "I… I just walk in like this?"
"How else? You want me to hand you a silk banner of honor first?"
Zhang Jie didn't reply. He opened the door and stepped out.
As he approached the house, his anxious heart pounded so hard it nearly leapt from his chest.
The most dangerous thing he had faced in the Lord God Space up until now had only been that facehugger.
But now, he was about to face something even crueler than a Xenomorph—Freddy.
His courage plummeted to rock bottom.
"Kick the door in! Quit stalling!"
Da Qiang pulled out his gun and aimed it at Zhang Jie's back.
The gun might not work against Freddy, but it was damn effective on teammates.
"Damn it!"
Zhang Jie cursed under his breath, then sprinted forward and slammed into the white wooden door.
"Bang!"
He crashed through, landing flat with the door panel, but wasted no time.
He scrambled to his feet, pulled out a small knife, and carefully scanned the surroundings.
Each step he took was cautious, his ears straining to catch the faintest sound.
As he crept closer to the kitchen, a heavy sense of dread pressed down on him.
Sweat slicked his palm, the knife nearly slipping from his grip.
The blade might be useless against Freddy, but it was better than facing him empty-handed.
A few short steps felt like walking for an eternity.
Finally, he reached the half-open kitchen door.
There was movement inside.
Gathering his nerve, Zhang Jie peeked through the crack.
What he saw froze his blood.
A figure, its body burned and face twisted, was cruelly tearing apart a little girl's body with razor-sharp metal claws.
He wore a tattered red-and-green striped sweater and a black fedora.
The nightmare they all feared—Freddy.
As if sensing Zhang Jie's gaze, Freddy slowly lifted his head. His charred face twisted into a cruel, grotesque grin.
Malice gleamed in his eyes, as though he was savoring the slaughter.
Zhang Jie's chest tightened, icy terror slithering up his spine like a serpent.
He stumbled back two steps, his breathing ragged.
A thought flickered in his mind.
Having seen this much… does this mean… the mission conditions are already fulfilled?
There's no way—no way they expect me to attack Freddy, right?
Once the drums of retreat are struck, there's no turning back.
Zhang Jie stopped hesitating and broke into a run!
But the moment he lifted his leg, the strength vanished from his waist down. He wanted to run—but his body wouldn't move!
He looked down at his legs. Those once strong and powerful limbs had turned into nothing but rotten, useless flesh.
"Ah!"
Terror surged in Zhang Jie's heart. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Freddy walked toward him, step by step, with that wicked grin. Zhang Jie was frozen, unable to move.
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
His heart pounded in his throat!
That strange, inexplicable force he once felt in Alien: Covenant flared within him again.
Just as Freddy's claws were about to strike, Zhang Jie clawed wildly at the ground, dragging himself with desperate strength.
And then—
A sudden shout rang in his ears. The scene before him twisted and shattered.
Blinking hard, he rubbed his eyes.
When his vision cleared, he was back inside a brightly lit room. Relief washed over him like a tide.
Inside the room, a blonde, blue-eyed legal loli was clutching her daughter, sobbing uncontrollably.
Nearby, the newcomer Zheng Zha's eyes were red—partly from exhaustion, partly from grief.
Zhang Jie turned his head. Standing beside him was a short girl, barely over a meter and a half tall.
When he saw Zhao Yingkong's face, he finally understood how he had woken up.
"Th… thanks."
Zhao Yingkong didn't respond. She only swept her gaze across the corpse and spoke in an icy tone.
"These wounds—normally only mechanical cutting tools could cause something like this. That means the monster's strength is immense. Even a car wouldn't stand a chance."
Zheng Zha met the eyes of this unfamiliar girl, wanting to say something. But in the end, he stayed silent.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Zhang Jie asked, "So how are we supposed to fight something like that?"
"I don't know," Zhao Yingkong replied coldly.
At that moment, sharp pain flared in Zhang Jie's wrist.
He lifted his arm and looked at the Reincarnation Watch. The hands were spinning wildly, pointing straight toward them!
The distance shown was barely a thousand meters!
"Freddy is killing again!?"
Zhang Jie thought quickly and rushed out the door.
Behind him, Zheng Zha and Zhao Yingkong also followed in a hurry.
The moment they stepped outside, following the noise, the three of them witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
High in the sky, Yujin was flying at incredible speed with wings spread wide!
Because he had broken the rule of staying indoors after dark, a figure in a black hat and a red-and-green striped sweater was chasing right after him—Freddy, clawed hands slashing madly through the air.
"Holy sh*t!"
Zhang Jie was stunned!
Everyone present was completely dumbfounded!
At that moment, Da Qiang had just gotten out of the car. When he turned his head and saw the scene, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!
Yujin was about to be caught by Freddy's long claws—yet this guy still had a grin on his face!
His excited roar rang in everyone's ears!
"Da Qiang! I've come to take your dog life! And I've brought you a big gift while I'm at it!"
Faced with this scene, Da Qiang felt the blood drain from his legs in terror!
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he roared back in fury, "Fuck you! You're out of your damn mind! Shit!"
****
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