In the plane's cabin, I felt confused about what was actually happening. Why did the previously dangerous atmosphere suddenly become calm again? It was completely at odds with what the system notification had stated.
"A scenario? Seriously, they can't start the first scenario on a plane, can they?"
But I was still curious about the purpose of the system notification inviting those who answered the question to become players in the system.
Was their goal to make it easier to control us, leaving us unable to resist their will? Or ...
"Are they just playing around? The world isn't big enough for just six players. There must be more, especially regarding that mysterious girl at the back of the cabin ...!"
My gaze kept drifting toward that girl, as if she were the starting point of the first scenario.
"N-no, this can't be happening, right?"
Anciela asked me,
"Sir? Can I go back to my seat at the back? My bag is there."
"Oh, that ... Let me sit at the back instead while you stay here with Vanessa," I said with a smile.
But my response didn't satisfy Anciela, and Vanessa questioned what I was hiding from them.
"Why do you feel like that girl isn't safe at the back? Besides, there are plenty of people here, and the storm outside seems to have calmed down. Don't worry too much, Mr. Noah."
Vanessa's statement made me rethink what was happening, but I still decided to take the seat at the back myself.
"N-no, it's just ... my choice if the first scenario really happens. Besides, if you all stay here, you'll be safe, and you're close to the cockpit."
I patted Vanessa's shoulder, trying to reassure her of my decision.
"Stay calm here. I'll be fine at the back. If something happens to me, I entrust this book to you. Remember, you all have to survive!"
"S-sir ... why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"
"N-no, it's just a precaution in case the first scenario really happens and something bad happens to me. Goodbye."
I walked to the back where Anciela's bag was, hoping nothing would happen.
Anciela asked Vanessa why I was being so stubborn.
"Goodness, why is he making things so complicated? Wouldn't it be better if he stayed safe in case something happens on this plane? Isn't that right, Miss Vanessa?"
Vanessa took a deep breath and responded.
"You're right, but there's something you need to know. A man will prioritize his life if he feels someone valuable to him is in danger. Noah once felt guilty for failing to protect his mother. Moreover, Noah only has his little sister left. She's his only family."
"Sir Noah ... what happened to his mother? And why does he always feel guilty for not protecting her?"
"You're a stranger, but do you know how important a mother is in a boy's life? Losing a mother is like the Earth losing its sun. And you should know that Noah is here because he's earning a living for his sister."
"Sir Noah ... he's so kind. So, we're considered valuable to him? But I'm a stranger ..."
Vanessa just smiled at Anciela.
"If he wants you here, it means he sees you're not safe. For Noah, someone else's life is more valuable than his own."
Hearing Vanessa's conversation, Rizky's eyes welled up with tears, realizing her words were true.
At the back of the cabin, I saw the mysterious girl sitting still, not moving at all.
"Is the scenario really going to happen?"
I tried to calm myself in this situation.
Suddenly, the man in front of me turned around and asked,
"Hey, young man! I don't know you, but I feel like I've seen you before in my memory. Do you know me, or have we ever met?"
I was puzzled by what the man said. I had never met him, yet he felt he had encountered me. But ...
"This man was mentioned in a WBS news article. Don't tell me he's going to be my partner."
The man I was referring to was Britania Smirth, a wealthy investor featured on WBS. His survival story from a plane crash was unique because ...
[The First Scenario has ended!]
[Your calming period is over!]
[It's time for you to start killing each other.]
[As the main coordinator of this scenario, I declare the second scenario, "Bloody Chaos," has just begun!]
Suddenly, the mysterious girl, who had been silent, began emitting a powerful aura. A foul, corpse-like stench filled the air, noticed by the passengers in the cabin.
"What's that smell?"
"It's so foul! Like a rotting corpse!"
"Why is there a corpse on the plane?"
"Hhhrrkkhh—uurghhhkkhh!!"
"It stinks!!!"
The mysterious girl started showing sharp teeth and long claws, as if ready to attack the passengers on the plane.
Her movements became erratic, uncontrolled, and a passenger beside her began moving away.
Seeing this, I grabbed Anciela's bag and prepared myself in case the girl turned into a zombie and started attacking.
"If I don't warn them, they'll be attacked! I'd better alert them now."
I stood up and shouted loudly to warn the passengers about what was happening.
"Everyone, please pay attention!"
All eyes turned to me, filled with confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"Huh? What's going on?"
"What's happening?"
I looked at them all, trying to convince them of what was really happening.
"Everyone, stay alert! The real scenario has just begun!"
The girl's eyes opened wide, glowing red, and she began scanning the people around her, looking for her first target.
"Ghrrkkhh—aaarrghhh!"
"Everyone, run! Save yourselves!"
The zombie lunged at one of the passengers.
"Hhhrrrhhh … slrrrpphh …"
"Somebody, help me!"
I couldn't do much due to the chaotic crowd of passengers.
"Let's get out of here!"
"Stay away from me, you ugly zombie!"
"Let's hide here!"
Seeing people running aimlessly, I rushed back to my original seat to protect it in case the zombie attack worsened.
One of the people bitten by the zombie had turned into a new zombie, and now two zombies were roaming the cabin. The zombie attack seemed unavoidable.
"Nnnnnghhh … grrrhh … haaahhhh …"
The two zombies began spreading the virus, attacking and incapacitating passengers, making the back of the cabin uncontrollable.
"Are you all okay?"
"We're fine, Mr. Noah. But are there really zombies back there?"
"Yes, you three get close to the cockpit and try to gain access to it."
"Alright, Mr. Noah, we'll do our best to get into the cockpit."
"Good, Vanessa. I trust you. Meanwhile, I need to prepare in case the zombie attack reaches the front of the cabin."
Vanessa, Anciela, and Rizky headed toward the cockpit while I tried to keep them safe from the attack.
A group of men in front of me invited me to join them in fighting the zombies and forming a last line of defense for the three.
"Hey, sir! Want to join us as protectors and the last line of defense for them?"
"You guys ... If I may, I'll join you!"
"Great, because the pilot, co-pilot, and those three are our last hope for survival, and it looks like the zombies have formed a very hungry horde."
I looked ahead. What started as one zombie had now become a terrifying horde.
"Alright, let's all guard this area!"
"The zombies seem to be eyeing us."
"Okay, let's do this!"
One of them handed me a baseball bat.
"Use this bat if needed and guard this area!"
"No need to make a fuss about it!"
The horde of zombies began attacking us, and the four men fought back, protecting the four of us as the last line of defense for the cockpit.
In the restroom, the man I had just met managed to escape the zombie attack. He seemed to have brought a parachute as a precaution in case the plane crashed.
"Thank goodness I rushed to this place. Plus, I brought my personal parachute. If this plane goes down, I can jump safely, but ... how do I get out of here?!"
Many zombies were attacking the passengers trying to hide from the onslaught.
Vanessa, Anciela, and Rizky were knocking on the cockpit door and shouting.
"Captain, please open the door! We're survivors of this attack!"
"Come on, Uncle Pilot, open the door!"
"Sir, they're getting ferocious, and we can't stay out here!"
Inside the cockpit, the pilot and co-pilot were monitoring the cabin through their screens. They saw the uncontrollable chaos in the cabin caused by the zombie attack.
The captain gave the first emergency directive.
"It looks like we need to execute that plan, Denny."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"Outside the cockpit, there are four people who are still safe, and it seems they're waiting for us to open the cockpit door."
Denny was initially skeptical, but the captain convinced him to trust the plan.
"But, Captain, they might be infected ..."
"No, just follow me. They seem to be the safest ones right now. Open the cockpit door now!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Two of the men had been infected by the zombie virus and began attacking the man who had just given me the baseball bat.
"Hey, kid, things are getting chaotic! I hope you and the others make it out of this! UGH... my leg! Go now, young man!"
The two men were overwhelmed and taken down by the zombie horde. The remaining zombies started running toward us.
"Damn it, they're coming for us!"
I shouted to Vanessa.
"Have they opened the door?"
"N-no, sir! Wait ... they're starting to open it!"
"You all go in first; I'll catch up!"
The cockpit door began to open slowly, and the captain's voice came through.
"All surviving passengers, please enter the cockpit. We'll do our best to keep you safe! Thank you!"
One zombie leaped toward us. I swung the baseball bat I had just been given at it.
"Take this, you filth!"
"THWACK!"
The zombie collapsed from my attack, but it wasn't over.
"They're all coming, and Vanessa ... have they gotten inside? I'd better get in!"
Seeing the three of them enter the cockpit, I tried my hardest to follow.
"Hey! Wait for me! Don't close the door!"
The captain heard my voice and gave me instructions.
"Hurry up and get in because we're closing the door with zombies right behind you!"
"Don't worry, I'm c-coming!"
I ran as fast as I could.
"Just a little more ..."
"I'm not going to die here!"
"BAM!"
I made it into the cockpit, and the door slammed shut just as the zombies lunged toward me.
"Huh ... huh ... huh ..."
Vanessa approached and helped me stand.
"Are you okay, Noah?"
"No! I'm fine."
I walked toward the pilot and warned him to stay vigilant about the cockpit door.
"They'll probably try their hardest to break through that door. You'd better have another plan for this!"
The pilot responded with a smile.
"Calm down, I've got this. All of you, take the three seats behind us!"
The four of us followed the captain's instructions, with Rizky sitting on my lap.
"Alright, now what?"
The pilot pressed a button.
"Activate the double-guard door feature!"
Instantly, the cockpit door was sealed tightly by two opposing doors, making it appear sturdy and impenetrable from the outside.
The pilot and co-pilot introduced themselves and asked for our identities.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Robert Downey Jr., and this is ..."
"Denny Carloss, the youngest co-pilot to fly this plane for the first time."
"Alright, we'd like to know who you are."
We all introduced ourselves.
"My name is Rizky Leonard."
"My name is Nour Anciela."
"My name is Vanessa Olivia."
"And my name is Emanuel Noah."
They asked why we were the only passengers not infected by the zombie virus.
"Why did you survive the zombie infection? Are you the ones who answered the system notification's question?"
I tried to explain about the four of us.
"I'm an explorer and researcher of news websites. So, I know how to handle a zombie infection and survive this second scenario. Second, all four of us answered the question provided by the system. Is that clear enough?"
Robert responded to my explanation.
"Yes, it's clear. A great explorer like you seems authoritative and smart."
"N-no, it's just a bit of my knowledge, but ..."
Outside the plane, a sudden clap of thunder roared as if striking part of the aircraft.
"KRRRAAAKKK!!!"
Everyone in the cockpit was startled by what happened.
"Damn it! Don't tell me that lightning hit the plane's aileron!"
"Captain, what do we do?!"
"...! This is bad!"
The lightning strike on the aileron made the plane extremely difficult to control. The plane's warning system blared, causing the zombies in the cabin to become even more ferocious.
"BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!!"
"Graaahhh—urrghhh—hrrhhkkhh—mmmhhrrhh …"
Seeing the uncontrollable situation in the cabin and the damaged aileron, Captain Robert decided to find a place for an emergency landing.
"We need to find a suitable place for an emergency landing. But where?"
Seeing the situation, I became more convinced that this wasn't a coincidence.
"This ...!"
Rizky, Anciela, and Vanessa looked terrified by what was happening.
"Sir, I'm scared."
"Me too, sir."
"Mr. Noah, will we be okay?"
I struggled to figure out what to do in this situation. But ...
The system notification appeared again, this time with a different purpose.
[Your survival chance is now only 1%.]
[The only way to survive is to become ...]
[A system player.]
[Are you interested in becoming a system player?]
["Yes" "No"]