Alexandra didn’t bother watching Zha’s enhancement.
She had already seen what the exchange process looked like, and there was no reason to stand around staring at someone else getting upgraded when she had an entire catalog of her own to go through.
She could still hear the others reacting to it nearby.
“Are you sure you’re supposed to look like that?” Xiao Yi asked.
Zha opened and closed his hands, then rolled one shoulder.
“Like what?”
“Like you swallowed a refrigerator and somehow came out healthier.”
Lan laughed.
“That’s not very helpful.”
“I’m trying to help.”
Zha ignored them and took a few experimental steps.
His movements were more controlled than before, and there was an obvious confidence in the way he carried himself now.
Jie watched him for a moment.
“How does it feel?”
“Stronger. A lot stronger.” Zha looked down at his hands.
“And there’s something else. I can feel energy inside me now. Two kinds, actually.”
“Qi and blood energy?” Lan asked.
Zha nodded.
“The Qi feels different from the vampire energy. One is easier to control than the other.”
Xiao Yi looked impressed.
“Can you actually use them yet?”
“Barely.”
“Then you’re going to have to learn.”
Zha gave him an annoyed look.
“Thanks for the groundbreaking advice.”
Alexandra smiled as she scanned another page of the catalog.
At least they were keeping him occupied.
There were more items in God’s catalog than Alexandra could possibly go through in one sitting.
Legend-and-magic category items cost twice as much as sci-fi gear, meaning a C-rank sci-fi item worth 3,000 points packed twice the raw force of an equivalent magic-tier item against physical threats.
Fine then; time to see what kind of protective gear was on offer.
“God, display all sci-fi combat suits I’m eligible to use and redeem, nothing too bulky.”
A standard colonial marine tactical armor vest, evaluation 40, suited for sci-fi horror films, D-rank side quest and 800 reward points.
Too rigid—pass.
A Weyland-Yutani heavy mercenary combat suit, evaluation 50, suited for sci-fi horror films, C-rank side quest and 2,500 points.
Way too bulky—pass.
A sleek, high-tensile stealth bodysuit—similar to advanced espionage gear with minor micro-weave tech—evaluation 55, suited for sci-fi horror films, C-rank side quest and 2,000 reward points.
It offered high mobility and light ballistic resistance.
Alexandra stopped.
Wait…
what about the next movie?
If it’s Alien, what the hell is this fabric supposed to do against acid blood?
One splash and I’m wearing a suit that’s actively trying to kill me.
Nope.
Fuck that.
I’m not spending a side quest and a pile of points on a Xenomorph death trap.
Every combat suit in the list ran into the same problem: too rigid for agility, or too flimsy for molecular acid.
Annoying, she thought.
Fine.
No armor for now.
I’ll spend the points somewhere else.
She checked out firearms instead.
“God, pull up the catalog entry for Dante’s dual pistols from Devil May Cry.”
A floating prompt took shape in front of her, displaying the system’s exact product description:
Item: Ebony & Ivory (Custom Firearms)
Category: Supernatural / Weapon Class
Evaluation: 75
Cost: 1 C-Rank Side Quest + 3,000 Reward Points
Description: Hand-crafted custom semi-automatic handguns with matte-black and silver finishes, engineered for rapid, high-impact combat against demonic and other supernatural entities.
The weapons generate magically formed ammunition rather than requiring conventional cartridges.
These rounds can damage physical targets as well as incorporeal supernatural entities such as ghosts and spirits.
Ammunition: The weapons can continuously generate ammunition while supplied with sufficient supernatural energy.
Users with a compatible magical, spiritual, or demonic energy source can provide that energy directly.
If no compatible internal energy source is available, the weapons can instead draw on the user’s mental and physical reserves to sustain their operation.
Alexandra read the description twice.
“Magic bullets.”
That changed things.
The guns weren’t simply powerful pistols with an unusual ammunition supply.
Their rounds could actually interact with supernatural entities.
The Grudge.
She stopped scrolling.
“Okay. These are going to be mighty useful there.”
If Kayako was anything like the version Alexandra remembered, ordinary firearms weren’t something she wanted to rely on.
Being able to shoot a ghost was one thing.
Being able to shoot a ghost with ammunition specifically designed to hurt supernatural entities was far more reassuring.
Then she reached the energy requirement.
Alexandra frowned.
“So what the hell am I?”
That was the problem.
She had no idea whether her body had whatever magical, spiritual, or demonic energy system these weapons expected.
She had woken up in this universe with a body that looked nothing like the one she remembered, and Ebony and Ivory had somehow been waiting inside the impossible backpack alongside her.
Maybe that was a coincidence.
Maybe it wasn’t.
For all she knew, whatever had changed her body had also given it whatever these guns needed to function.
She wouldn’t know until she tried them.
And even if they could draw directly from an internal energy source, the word unlimited had a catch.
The ammunition itself might never run out, but that didn’t mean Alexandra could stand there firing forever.
If the weapons had to draw on her own reserves, she would eventually exhaust herself.
Even a supernatural energy pool had limits unless she found a way to replenish it.
Still, compared with carrying boxes of ammunition around, it was a massive advantage.
Alexandra looked back at the price.
Three thousand points and a C-rank.
“Good thing I didn’t actually have to buy you.”
She glanced toward the backpack.
Whatever had put the guns there had saved her a fortune.
And possibly answered a question she hadn’t even known she needed to ask.
She closed the weapon page and moved back to apparel, searching for something practical and inexpensive for field work.
“God, display all standard tactical espionage bodysuits and stealth jumpsuits.”
A fresh menu opened, showing options tiering down significantly from heavy combat gear:
Item: Standard Tactical Spandex-Weave Jumpsuit (Black Widow Spec)
Category: Sci-Fi / Apparel Class
Evaluation: 25
Cost: 500 Reward Points (No Side Quest Required)
Description: A flexible, high-tensile synthetic fabric jumpsuit optimized for stealth, acrobatics, and close-quarters maneuverability.
Features minor ballistic resistance and integrated utility webbing.
Lacks advanced micro-weaving, kinetic dampening, or automated thermal management.
She scrolled down until she spotted an alternate variant:
Item: Arctic Tactical Jumpsuit (White Variant – Black Widow Spec)
Category: Sci-Fi / Apparel Class
Evaluation: 25
Cost: 500 Reward Points (No Side Quest Required)
Description: Identical baseline tactical performance to standard espionage jumpsuits, optimized for snow and tundra camouflage.
Features thermal-reflective coating for cold environments.
At five hundred points with zero side quests, the price reflected what it was: standard, high-grade spy gear built for agility rather than heavy armor.
Okay, that’s more like it, she thought.
No alien tech, no nano-machines, no ridiculous armor plating.
Just a really good spy suit.
Five hundred points is basically pocket change.
It won’t save my ass from Xenomorph acid, but at least I can actually move in the damn thing.
She looked at the suit again.
Yeah.
I’ll take it.
She confirmed her choice for the white suit variant.
A beam of light flashed on the platform in front of her, dropping the folded suit onto the metal.
She picked it up and shoved it straight into her backpack.
Since she was already packing Dante’s signature sidearms from her mystery bag, it raised the obvious question of whether the catalog carried matching clothes to complete the set.
In Dante’s universe, the iconic red coat was just stylish leather and fabric.
God had no reason to slap a side-quest tax on a jacket.
“God, display all female variants of Dante’s custom red trench coat and combat attire.”
A new menu opened up:
Item: Legendary Devil Hunter Attire (Female Tailored Variant)
Category: Apparel / Cosmetic Class
Evaluation: 10
Cost: 150 Reward Points (No Side Quest Required)
Description: A tailored, form-fitting crimson leather trench coat paired with flexible dark combat trousers and buckle boots, styled after the iconic demon hunter aesthetic.
Constructed from durable, high-quality treated leather and cotton blend.
Offers standard clothing durability with zero magical or ballistic enhancements.
Alexandra stared at the display, a smirk touching her lips.
One hundred and fifty points.
Yeah, that sounds right, she thought.
It’s just a coat.
No magic, no armor, no bullshit.
And it’ll look fucking fantastic with the pistols.
She locked in the purchase.
A brief flash of light passed over her body.
The clothes she had been wearing vanished, replaced by the crimson leather coat, dark combat trousers, and buckle boots from the catalog.
Everything fit perfectly, as though the outfit had been tailored to her measurements.
Alexandra looked down at herself and turned slightly, watching the coat settle around her hips.
Okay…
I hate to admit it, but I’m kind of jealous of my new body.
This outfit fills it out way better than my old one ever could.
She looked across the plaza toward Six, still wearing the red dress.
Alexandra grinned.
“Cute. We both get to wear red now.”
Six glanced down at her dress, then back at Alexandra.
“Isn’t red the color of passion?”
Alexandra paused.
“…Okay, that’s a little on the nose.”
Six’s smile widened.
Alexandra shook her head, laughing under her breath.
She’s doing that on purpose.
She opened her backpack and stored her old clothes inside.
Plain leather didn’t cost a fortune, and God’s catalog reflected that.
She didn’t need to waste points on a secondary storage ring when her battered black backpack already held a bottomless subspace of its own.
With her points trickling down, she bought a handful of high-explosive grenades, high-calorie food bars, peach juice packs, heavy medical bandages, and hemostatic spray, sweeping them directly into the bag.
Zha finished explaining the changes to his body, and the others immediately started asking questions.
“So you really have two different kinds of energy?” Lan asked.
“Yeah. Qi and blood energy.”
“Can you tell which one you’re using?”
“Not perfectly.”
Xiao Yi looked fascinated.
“Can you feel them moving?”
Zha nodded.
“The Qi feels like something I can deliberately circulate. The blood energy is more instinctive. It’s there even when I’m not doing anything.”
Jie folded his arms.
“Then don’t get careless with it. Having more power doesn’t mean you automatically know how to use it.”
“I know.”
“You say that now.”
Zha rolled his eyes.
“You really know how to ruin a moment.”
Lan laughed quietly.
“He’s right, though. The numbers don’t tell you everything.”
Alexandra glanced back from the catalog.
Okay.
That’s actually important, she thought.
Having bigger numbers doesn’t magically mean I know what the hell I’m doing.
She returned her attention to the exchange list.
By the time Alexandra finished sorting through the last of her supplies, the others had moved on from Zha’s enhancement.
She stepped away from the terminal and found everyone crowding around Zha—who, despite his shiny new upgrades, somehow looked more like a dainty crossdresser than a battle-ready mutant.
Xiao Yi was looking through the exchange list with Lan.
“There are way too many weapons,” Xiao Yi said.
“You’re only noticing that now?”
“I was distracted.”
“By what?”
“Everything.”
Lan laughed.
“At least you’re honest.”
A few meters away, Jie was speaking with Zha.
“Don’t spend everything just because you have it,” Jie said.
“Consumables, ammunition, medical supplies. Those are the things that keep you alive when the scenario goes bad.”
Zha nodded.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“And don’t forget the newcomers.”
“I won’t.”
Alexandra slowed as she approached them.
Yeah.
That’s good advice, she thought.
Guns are great, but food, medicine, ammo, and basic supplies are going to matter just as much when the next movie decides to fuck with us.
Lan approached her before she reached the others.
Alexandra had turned her attention toward Six, who was standing a short distance away in the red dress, looking entirely too comfortable in it.
Six caught Alexandra looking and gave her the faintest hint of an amused smile.
Alexandra quickly looked away.
Lan stopped beside her.
“So, about that date.”
Alexandra turned toward her so quickly that she nearly bumped shoulders with her.
“The what?”
Lan’s mouth curved slightly.
“The date you mentioned back in the Hive.”
“Oh.”
Alexandra stared at her for a moment, her brain apparently deciding that this was the perfect time to forget every word in the English language.
“Right,” she finally managed.
“That.”
“Things were a little hectic then.”
“Yeah, they were.” Alexandra rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly very interested in the floor.
“There was the whole getting-shot-at-by-zombies thing. And the murder hallway. And the giant mutant.”
Lan laughed softly.
“I remember.”
Alexandra glanced at her.
Lan’s expression was calm, almost casual, which somehow made the whole thing worse.
“So…” Alexandra said slowly.
“Was that you reminding me?”
“I suppose it was.”
“That sounds dangerously close to an answer.”
“I didn’t say what the answer was.”
Alexandra stared at her.
Lan gave her an amused look, then stepped around her and continued toward Jie’s quarters.
Alexandra watched her leave, completely unable to decide whether she’d just been asked out, teased, or deliberately left hanging.
What the fuck was that?
She looked toward Six again.
Six was still watching her.
Alexandra pointed at her accusingly.
“Don’t.”
Six’s smile widened.
Oh, fuck me.
Zha noticed her first.
“There she is. What did you end up buying?”
Alexandra was ready for that question.
She had already decided that the simplest explanation was to pretend Ebony and Ivory had come from God’s exchange list.
There was no reason to tell anyone about the backpack or how the guns had been inside it when she woke up.
“Dante’s pistols from Devil May Cry,” she said.
“Soul-compatible, infinite ammo, plus a massive apparel haul. The guns cost me a C-rank and three thousand points by themselves, but most of the other stuff was cheap.”
Xiao Yi stared at her.
“You spent a C-rank on two guns?”
“They’re pretty good guns.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
Alexandra shrugged.
“God’s catalog says they’re supernatural weapons meant for things like demons. Three thousand points and a C-rank seemed about right.”
Zha looked thoughtful.
“Infinite ammunition?”
“Apparently.”
Jie raised an eyebrow.
“And you’re certain they work for you?”
“That’s what I’m planning to find out.”
Lan glanced at Alexandra.
“What else did you get?”
“Clothes. Medical supplies. Food. Grenades. Nothing exciting.”
Xiao Yi looked disappointed.
“No crazy enhancement?”
“Not yet.”
That earned a few approving looks.
Alexandra stayed on her feet with the others, keeping her expression casual.
“I’ve still got a D-rank and some points left, so I’m not completely broke.”
Okay.
That’s enough, she thought.
I’m not giving them my fucking bank statement.
Zha nodded, apparently satisfied.
And nobody needs to know Ebony and Ivory were already sitting in my backpack when I woke up.
With over a thousand reward points left, Zha dumped the remainder on trauma kits, antidotes, and general support supplies.
Since their spatial equipment could easily store bulk items, anyone taking a hit down the road would have immediate field medical coverage.
Hearing that, the other two visibly relaxed.
Jie grinned and waved a hand.
“Grab your girls and head over to my place. The missus is cooking up a spread—restaurant-quality chef level, trust me. God doesn’t skimp on the food department; if you can dream up an ingredient or dish, the kitchen can replicate it. Let’s move. Starting this afternoon, the real training begins.”
“Training?” The three of them asked in unison.
Jie didn’t wait for them to process it, tossing words over his shoulder as he walked toward his quarters.
“Right, training. Truth is, a person’s physical stats shift dynamically based on physical conditioning. From my observations, elite special forces operators undergoing hardcore conditioning possess physical baselines only slightly below Zha’s—they’re basically just missing internal Qi and that freakish vampire energy. But if it came down to pure close-quarters combat technique, pain tolerance, and tactical execution, a trained soldier might still put Zha in the dirt.”
“I’ve spent every single downtime across my last four horror films keeping up physical drills. My neural reflex speed and muscle tissue strength are still climbing. Beyond raw physical conditioning, you all need to drill firearms handling, tactical movement, and close-quarters combat inside and out. Don’t worry—there’s a massive underground shooting range and training facility right beneath my quarters. If we want to survive the next horror flick, every single one of us has to bleed for it.”
“Right, let’s have Six help out in the kitchen too. Her culinary skills are basically master chef level,” Alexandra added with a smirk.