"Cough, cough!"
Qi Zhimu coughed awkwardly twice, his neck reddening involuntarily as he argued:
"What do you know! This is... to maintain the sharpness of my nerves! Without anesthetic, I can directly feel every subtle change in the wound, know when it starts to heal, and estimate the approximate recovery time."
"It's all for safety considerations, safety, understand?!"
"I understand you."
Heita replied, not sure if she believed him or not.
She thought, perhaps there really was such a reason; after all, she didn't fully understand Virtual Substance Lifeforms.
But seeing Qi Zhimu's stubborn pride, her movements became unconsciously lighter and much more careful.
The atmosphere fell silent, with only the sound of needle and thread passing through flesh.
Seeing that Heita seemed to believe him, Qi Zhimu changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, this movie is called disorder. The name is quite artistic. Just by the title, I thought it was some kind of ethical drama or documentary."
"Let me guess, does the director want to use the zombie theme to depict the collapse of human Order when the apocalypse arrives?"
"Don't move."
Heita pressed down his arm, which was instinctively trying to sway, tied off the last stitch, and then began to work on his right hand.
"That's pretty much it."
She answered while re-threading the needle.
"I actually didn't finish this movie; I only watched the first third and heard others mention the ending."
"Then what in the world is the plot about? Anyway, since we're idle, tell me. Consider it a pre-op... or rather, an intra-op story time." Qi Zhimu bared his teeth silently.
Heita nodded, her mind divided as she organized her thoughts.
"The male protagonist is a doctor. At the beginning of the story, he and his wife are on vacation by the sea, celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary, when the disaster erupts and the virus spreads rapidly."
"The human mutation came too quickly, without any warning. One second, his wife was clinking glasses with the protagonist; the next, her eyes were bloodshot and cloudy, and she pounced on a nearby waiter, biting through his carotid artery."
"Then what? Did the protagonist kill his wife?" Qi Zhimu pressed.
"Yes, he smashed his wife's head." Heita's hands didn't stop moving.
"Not bad, quite decisive. But there's no other way; once they turn into zombies, it's either you die or I live."
"After killing his wife, he remembered his daughter in Grizzly City."
Heita continued.
"Shortly before the disaster, the protagonist's daughter sent a message saying she was going to the hospital to visit an injured classmate. The protagonist drove back at full speed, witnessing the city's fall along the way."
"During this time, as a high-value medical professional, the protagonist received an additional notification about a special evacuation location, where he could bring family members."
"Upon learning this, his spirits lifted, and after much hardship, he arrived at Grizzly City First People's Hospital."
Qi Zhimu was slightly stunned, blurting out: "Wait, isn't that the hospital we're in right now?"
"Yes, the protagonist found his daughter in a CT room, along with over a dozen other survivors, barely alive on the hospital's Reserve materials."
"The story truly begins here. Perhaps the so-called disorder doesn't just refer to the zombie-infested streets leading to the collapse of social Order."
"It also refers to how, during the escape, the human Order among survivors gradually disappears, turning into the Law of the Dark Jungle, all for the sake of competing for limited food and water."
Qi Zhimu pouted: "Sounds pretty depressing. I usually don't watch those kinds of movies. Action-packed ones suit me better."
"What about the ending?" he asked again.
Heita frowned, as if recalling unpleasant memories.
"The survivors, to save themselves, wanted to push the protagonist's daughter out as bait to attract the zombies."
"To save his daughter, the protagonist completely shed his duties and restraints as a doctor, killing all the survivors who wanted his daughter dead."
"But he himself was also seriously injured and infected with the virus. At the last moment, the protagonist sent his daughter to the port of the rescue waiting area and locked the entrance from the inside."
"Finally, he began to mutate, and the movie ended there."
"To reiterate: I haven't seen the ending. The above is a summary of the plot I heard from elsewhere, and whether it's accurate or not is unknown."
"Whatever, as long as my abilities aren't sealed." Qi Zhimu shrugged it off.
Heita hesitated for a moment, then asked softly: "If magic can't be used, what other skills do you have?"
"Good question! Besides magic, I am also somewhat proficient in fisticuffs and swordsmanship."
Qi Zhimu curled his lips, confidently saying:
"Against ghosts in horror movies, who would win is still unknown, but fighting zombies is an absolute massacre, no exceptions."
"…" Heita was speechless.
A magician knowing fisticuffs wasn't abnormal.
But knowing swordsmanship...
Trying to do too much at once. She hadn't heard of any creator giving their magician characters such a setting.
Never mind, no need to ask. Given Mr. Creditor's personality, it's not impossible that he's just bragging.
"Done."
A few minutes later, Heita completed the suturing. She glanced at the two arms, which were at least reattached, and a hint of relief flashed in her eyes.
Qi Zhimu tried to move his fingers.
Although the only feedback was excruciating pain, and his movements were slow and stiff, he could at least move them, confirming that the nerve connections had been re-established.
"Not bad, the craftsmanship is a bit rough, but it's good enough."
He nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly thought of something, stroking his chin and looking at Heita with a strange expression.
"We're currently in the hospital from the movie plot. The male protagonist is a single father who will stop at nothing to save his daughter."
At this point, Qi Zhimu's gaze grew even stranger.
"Do you think I'm playing the male protagonist's role now? And you're the daughter I'm responsible for saving, and whom I promised to save?"
Heita's hand, which was tidying up medical waste, froze. She looked at Qi Zhimu with an expression as if he were an idiot.
"You're overthinking it."
"Why? Don't the settings seem similar?"
"First, you don't have a wife, let alone the prerequisite plot of killing your wife."
Heita pointed out the crucial bug.
"The male protagonist of this apocalyptic zombie movie is different from you; he has a wife."
"…"
Qi Zhimu felt like he'd been shot in the knee and couldn't help but glare.
"You brat, what are you implying?"
"Second."
Heita ignored his expression and continued her calm analysis.
"Although we appear to be a big-and-small duo, and we happen to be in a hospital now, don't forget, our starting point was a Deserted Highway."
"In the movie, the Deserted Highway scene appears as the opening, but its purpose is probably to symbolize the fate of Grizzly City."
"The real protagonist never went to that highway initially."
Heita stood up, threw the blood-stained gauze into the trash can, then looked at the thick ice outside the window, her tone faint.
"Third, you are not a doctor, nor are you my father, so we are not the male and female protagonists."
"We are probably just two—who happened to be caught in the most dangerous time period and stumbled into the most dangerous location—"
"—unlucky extras, who, in the cast list, are just NPCs meant to be eaten by zombies."
"Bullshit, the only one who can eat you is me!" Qi Zhimu immediately refused.