Chapter 37: Hexie Cinema (10)
Xia Bai had entered this lake twice before.
The first time was when he was dragged into the movie by the ghostly school beauty, and he swam in the lake for a while. The second time, he dove to the bottom of the lake and pulled the waitress You Yue out. Neither time did he encounter the gateway to another world, but it wasn’t entirely fruitless.
The lake on this island was neither too big nor too small, but it was unexpectedly deep. A normal person could only hold their breath for a few minutes underwater, and it was almost impossible to find a passage at the lake bottom within such a short time.
With the experience from the first two times, Xia Bai could confirm that the place where they were pulled up by the ghostly school beauty and the spot where You Yue entered through the movie screen were roughly the same.
Xia Bai believed that the ghostly school beauty, whom no player in this game could defeat, had abilities beyond that of an ordinary ghost. She should have been able to sense the general location of that spot, where she repeatedly reached out to grab people—the area where they had entered.
Xia Bai had figured this out before falling into the lake, so as they descended, he said to Guo Yang and Ma Tongfeng, “Follow me!”
After jumping into the lake, Xia Bai grabbed the sinking Erwa, dragging him quickly toward their destination.
Guo Yang and Ma Tongfeng followed without hesitation.
Behind them, Ling Changye also joined the pursuit.
And trailing Ling Changye were several corpses.
When they reached the vicinity of their destination, they found nothing.
Only a stretch of murky, gray-green aquatic plants swayed in the darkness of the lake bottom. The lakebed’s muddy floor emitted a foul and fishy odor, as though something had been rotting in it for a long time.
Guo Yang was almost at his limit, his chest burning with pain, and water was seeping into his mouth.
Nearly every player who had survived this game had learned some self-defense skills. Guo Yang, who originally couldn’t swim, had quickly taken lessons after escaping from a copy that involved a river. However, he had only been learning for a few days, and this was way too intense.
Ma Tongfeng seemed to be holding out better than him.
Xia Bai, too, seemed fine and was swimming even deeper.
Ling Changye, who was behind them, extended his arm, overtaking them.
Guo Yang: “…”
I don’t want to die right now.
Guo Yang desperately kept up with them, swimming deeper into the lake. He couldn’t understand why the lake bottom was so deep, as though it connected to an ocean beneath the island. Just as he was about to give up, Xia Bai’s figure suddenly disappeared.
It was as if they had passed through an underwater tunnel. On the other side, there was daylight. Moving forward, Xia Bai broke the surface of the water, pulling up a small, purple-faced head. Soon after, Ling Changye, Ma Tongfeng, and Guo Yang followed, along with several dead bodies.
Breathing heavily, they opened their wet eyes and looked around.
They were still on the island, still in the lake. At first glance, it seemed like they were in the same place. But the forest on the right side of the island was lush and green, without any signs of being burned. In the distance, they could see people moving about in the village area where the islanders lived.
They immediately understood.
They had succeeded.
No one spoke loudly. Xia Bai still led the way, and just like when they were first pulled into the island by the ghostly school beauty, they swam back to the hidden base in the trees where they had initially taken shelter.
Guo Yang slicked back his wet hair, looking around. “It’s almost identical.”
Ma Tongfeng asked, “So this is the real world?”
“It should be,” Guo Yang said, smiling. “We finally found it, thanks to Xia Bai.”
Xia Bai shook his head. “I only had an uncertain guess. It was Captain Ling who led us to dig up the corpse, which confirmed my suspicions. That’s how we knew to search for the real world.”
Indeed, this was what Xia Bai had been thinking. His guess had been uncertain and lacked enough evidence to support it. It was Ling Changye’s decision to dig up the corpse that had been the key, providing the evidence to back his vague theory.
Ling Changye had probably known all along. He just hadn’t said anything.
Xia Bai, completely soaked, wore a green shirt that clung to his body, outlining his slim and tall frame. Even the unique bone structure of a young boy could be seen through the fabric.
As he spoke, he lowered his head to wring the water out of his shirt. Droplets from his hair dripped onto the prominent, round vertebra at the back of his neck, sliding down his skin. His soaked skin reflected the sunlight, appearing dazzlingly pale against the green shirt.
Ling Changye’s gaze unintentionally swept over him, then shifted when he heard Erwa sneeze. He looked over and saw that Erwa was hanging his small head, sneezing repeatedly, looking quite unhappy.
Guo Yang, hearing the sneeze, nervously glanced over. “Hey, Erwa, where are your two precious pears?”
Erwa lowered his head even further, the surrounding grass wilting in sympathy.
“…”
The pears in this world hadn’t been picked yet. Xia Bai easily stood on tiptoe and plucked two more pears for Erwa, earning some good favor.
Erwa’s pockets bulged again, and he perked up.
Taking the opportunity, Guo Yang boldly reached out and touched his little idol’s forehead. “No fever yet. But we should hurry up and figure out what’s going on so we can leave this place sooner.”
He had no idea how the strike team had managed to bring Erwa in and out of the game safely. As a mere observer not responsible for anything, even he was on edge, terrified something would happen to Erwa. He wished he could send him back to the Game Management Bureau, where a professional care team was waiting.
Ling Changye suddenly produced a towel out of thin air and tossed it onto Erwa’s head. “Wait a bit. I need to change.”
“…”
I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do that.
Now Xia Bai knew where Ling Changye’s coat came from. It wasn’t stolen from the islanders, as they didn’t have such high-quality coats. He must have some sort of storage space.
Ling Changye didn’t take long. In just four or five minutes, he returned from a distance, completely refreshed. His tattered white shirt had been replaced with a loose-fitting new blue-gray one, with one empty sleeve.
He had lost an arm again.
His black pants and sneakers were also brand new, completely dry and fresh.
The other four hadn’t minded at first, but seeing him like this, they suddenly felt the discomfort of being soaked through.
Who knew you could play horror games like this?
Erwa noticed Xia Bai’s gaze and cautiously approached him, using a towel to dab at the water droplets on the corner of his clothes.
Ling Changye glanced over, “Let’s go.”
Erwa immediately hugged the towel and turned around.
Guo Yang: “Alright, I can’t wait to find out what’s really going on.”
The group skillfully navigated through the forest and approached the residential area.
There were familiar mud houses here, with a few tents outside. Several people were moving around, carrying tables, grills, and other items, creating a lively and busy atmosphere.
“Look over there! Two o’clock direction!” Even though Guo Yang lowered his voice, his excitement was still evident.
Xia Bai looked in the direction he indicated and saw the school beauty.
In the movie, the school beauty was cold and beautiful. After becoming a ghost, she was eerie and silent. But now, she seemed a bit cautious, with a hint of ingratiation as she spoke to someone opposite her.
In the movie, the school beauty was a rich girl, dressed in stylish and provocative clothes. Here, she wore an overly flamboyant court-style blouse paired with green checkered pants, and her sneakers had already started to come apart.
Next, they saw the girl from the movie whose hand they had dug up. Her large eyes were filled with surprise, and she was constantly taking pictures with her phone.
A man carrying a camera approached her, and she immediately bowed.
Guo Yang said, “This is a film set.”
Xia Bai had never seen a film set, and neither had Ma Tongfeng. They both looked at Guo Yang.
Guo Yang, being stared at by both of them, coughed and asked Xia Bai, “You’ve never seen a film set?”
Xia Bai nodded.
Guo Yang raised his chin slightly, “I see them all the time. A film set is where they shoot movies and TV shows. They must be filming a movie here.”
He scanned the film set and said, “It’s probably the movie *Survival on the Deserted Island* that we were watching.”
Xia Bai and Ma Tongfeng were stunned for a moment. They hadn’t expected the deeper world to be like this, but after thinking about it, it made sense. Compared to the movie world, the filming world is indeed more real.
Ling Changye stared at the bustling film set, his gaze calm, “Since it’s a film set, shouldn’t there be a movie script?”
“Exactly!” Guo Yang’s eyes lit up. “Nothing explains a movie’s story better than a script.”
However, Guo Yang now understood as well, “The game task isn’t just asking us to find the story of the movie itself. We can probably only use it as a reference, to see what the original movie’s story was meant to be.”
He observed the set, “Some big directors have their own dedicated teams. The crew is large and well-organized. But this looks like a hastily assembled, makeshift team, and it’s on an island that outsiders can’t easily access. It looks like they’re just starting to set things up, so we can definitely blend in and pretend to be crew members to steal the script and gather information.”
He did seem to know quite a bit. Ling Changye said, “Why don’t you take charge of that?”
Guo Yang was taken aback, “Me?”
His idol was letting him take charge?
Excited, he replied, “Alright, alright, I’ll make sure to do a good job!”
Ma Tongfeng, realizing this was a film set with no actual savage islanders, and that the school beauty and the others hadn’t turned into ghosts yet, felt less afraid. “Leave all the dirty and tiring work to me.”
Relying on what he’d seen in TV dramas, he asked, “Should we knock out two people and take their clothes?”
“…” Guo Yang said, “That would make us stand out even more. They may not recognize every crew member’s face, but each person definitely has someone they know. If we run into someone familiar, we’ll be exposed.”
“We’ll just blend in using whatever identity we can.”
He thought for a moment, “The best identity to use in a crew is that of a tea runner. Tea runners don’t attract much attention and can easily interact with everyone in the crew. Right now, they’re busy preparing the set, so we just need to bring them some water.”
Without the pressure of fear, Guo Yang’s mind was clear, “The most important person is the actress playing the school beauty. Who’s going to approach her?”
Ling Changye’s gaze shifted to Xia Bai, whose face showed no sign of intellectual activity, “I suggest Xia Bai goes. He doesn’t have a naturally defensive aura.”
Xia Bai: “?”
When he looked confused, this impression was even stronger. Guo Yang nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, Xia Bai should go. Xia Bai, you need to get her to talk, okay?”
Xia Bai: “…I’m not very good at getting people to talk.”
If Lin Xiang were here, he would have nodded heavily. It wasn’t just that Xia Bai wasn’t good at getting information out of people—he didn’t even pay attention when they were gossiping. Xia Bai had never engaged in such activities.
“Look at her, not just her,” Ling Changye said, “Doesn’t she look like a fresh graduate from a mediocre school, just entering the workforce at a big company? Always wanting to do something, but not knowing what to do. At this time, if a colleague approached, they would spill everything. It’s the easiest time to fool them.”
Xia Bai might appear a bit vacant, but he had a natural calmness about him. People would feel inclined to approach him, and with his non-threatening aura, he was the perfect candidate.
Xia Bai wasn’t entirely convinced but went along with it.
Guo Yang said, “Old Ma, you can be the crew member moving things around. Captain Ling… Captain Ling will be an investor, but don’t stick too close to the director.”
“Film investors are usually numerous, and many crew members don’t know them. You’re perfect for the role.”
Despite the hot weather and strong winds on the island, their shirts and T-shirts had mostly dried, yet none of them looked as put-together as Ling Changye.
Guo Yang immediately recognized the unremarkable buttons on Ling Changye’s shirt near his collarbone. They were made of ice-blue jade, the color resembling the deep blue of the night sky, and the texture as clear as sunlight shining through seawater.
This jade, with its timeless and classical feel, blended seamlessly with Ling Changye’s aura—neither old-fashioned nor ostentatious, it understatedly complemented his elegance. Whether someone knew jade or not, they could see a sense of relaxed wealth in him.
Of course, considering his identity in the real world, Guo Yang thought no one was more suitable to play a wealthy idler with money to burn.
“As for me,” Guo Yang said, “I’ll provide cover for you all. If something goes wrong, I’ll step in.”
He had made the arrangements, and no one objected.
They placed Erwa in a hidden spot, accompanied by the corpse controlled by the talisman on its forehead. Then, the four of them started their operation.
Following Guo Yang’s instructions, Xia Bai waited until no one was around and slipped into the outermost hut, which was the tea room. He entered, grabbed two cups of water, and found the actress playing the school beauty in a corner of the set. Dazed, he handed her the water, “Would you like some water?”
The school beauty, who had been crouching on the ground, quickly stood up and took the water with both hands, “Thank you, thank you!”
“Please, there’s no need to thank me. I’m just the tea service for the production crew, here to serve you.” Xia Bai smiled with admiration — he wasn’t sure if it was visible — and recited the lines he had already prepared in his head, “You’re the lead actress, so impressive. I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was young. You’re someone I look up to with admiration, but for someone like me…”
He trailed off, lowering his head.
The school beauty saw the dazed look on his face and immediately understood why he seemed so downhearted.
Seeing his dejection, she felt at a loss, raising her hand only to put it down again, nervously fiddling with her pants at her knees. “You’ll definitely get your chance. Even someone like me, a rural girl who didn’t know anything, got an opportunity. I never thought I’d become an actress either.”
“Really?” Xia Bai looked up. “How did you land the lead role? Can you share?”
His question was stiff, but just as Ling Changye had said, the girl from the countryside was eager to blend into this unfamiliar and distant world. Meeting someone like Xia Bai, who stirred up a protective instinct with his soft demeanor, she spoke to him without reservation.
“Sorry, I don’t really have any special method to tell you. I’m just a girl from the countryside who didn’t even finish high school. It was the director who gave me this opportunity.”
Xia Bai was confused. “How did the director meet you in the village?”
The school beauty replied, “The director is very serious about his work. He came to our village to scout for actors.”
Xia Bai caught onto the key point. “Why would the director go to a village to find actors?”
“This film has several physically demanding roles. The director wants to shoot a real, authentic movie, without using any stunt doubles. A lot of big stars might not want to do that, so he went to the village to find hard-working newcomers.”
The school beauty’s eyes shone brightly. “What’s hardship to us? We’re the least afraid of it.”
Xia Bai asked blankly, “Do you really want to act in movies that badly?”
The school beauty lowered her head and chuckled, the light in her eyes still bright, though her voice carried a bittersweet tone without falling into despair. “Little brother, you’re from the city, right? You probably don’t know, but this might be my only chance to leave that small mountain village.”
Xia Bai was silent for a moment before nodding. “I understand.”
He chatted with the school beauty a little longer, using the same method to bring water to another actor. This actress was named Xia Lan, and she played the islander who, in an act of revenge for her people, devours a girl, leaving behind only a hand.
Xia Lan had a much more lively personality than the school beauty. As soon as Xia Bai handed her the water, she nudged her chin towards the school beauty. “Be careful with her, little brother. She’s got some tricks up her sleeve.”
So, she had been watching them all along. Xia Bai hadn’t expected the conversation topic to fall right into his lap. “You two know each other already?”
Xia Lan, with an unwilling expression, said, “Of course, we’re from the same village. If it weren’t for the fact that she’s from my village, she wouldn’t have been able to join the production.”
She leaned in closer to Xia Bai, lowering her voice. “Let me tell you, little brother, I was originally supposed to play the school beauty. The director picked me at first. You wouldn’t believe how scary Xia Fei and her mom can be.”
Xia Fei was the girl playing the school beauty. Both of them had the surname Xia and were from the same village, though it was unclear if they were related.
According to Xia Lan, Xia Fei’s family raised cattle. After hearing that the director had selected her daughter to star in a movie, Xia Fei’s mother immediately sold off their dozen or so cows. She took Xia Fei and a large sum of money to find the director in the middle of the night. The role of the school beauty ended up in Xia Fei’s hands after that.
“After her dad found out, he nearly beat her mom to death. Her mom’s still in the hospital, waiting for Xia Fei to earn enough money from the movie to pay for her surgery.”
Xia Lan bit her lip hard, resentment simmering as she muttered, “She told me she has no way out and absolutely has to act in this film, as if my situation were any easier. I’m the only girl from our village who made it to high school. This summer… I should have been taking my college entrance exams.”
Xia Bai lowered his eyelashes to hide his emotions as he listened to the girl continue venting.
At the sound of movement ahead, Xia Bai looked up and saw several men emerging from the opposite room, two of whom he recognized as the actors who had dragged the school beauty into the cave on the first night of filming.
Behind them, someone holding a megaphone shouted, “Attention, everyone! The opening ceremony is about to begin!”
Guo Yang waved at him from behind a straw hut, and Xia Bai took the opportunity to slip away quietly.
Once he returned, Guo Yang shoved a script into his hands. “I stole this from the director’s room.”
Xia Bai quickly flipped through it before handing it over to Ma Tongfeng. “There’s not much difference from what we saw. There are some details we missed, but it seems the story itself isn’t the key.”
Hearing this, Ma Tongfeng barely skimmed through the script, instead sharing the information he had gathered. “The movie’s big boss—no, I mean, the investor—he’s incredibly wealthy. This island is actually one of the investor’s private islands. They arrived on their own yacht, complete with bodyguards.”
Ling Changye pointed at the two men Xia Bai had noticed earlier. “Do you know who they are?”
Ma Tongfeng, having paid attention to the movie’s first half, answered, “They’re the actors playing the islanders who assaulted the school beauty.”
Ling Changye nodded. “Yes, but they’re also two of the investors in this film.”
Ma Tongfeng froze for a moment before coming to a realization. “They wouldn’t go as far as to blur the lines between acting and reality, would they?”
Ling Changye didn’t respond but pointed to the outermost straw hut. “Look over there.”
Two men stepped out of the hut after hearing the director’s call, one holding a compass and talisman papers.
Xia Bai recognized it immediately. “Is that a Taoist priest?”
Ling Changye nodded. “This is a very sinister film.”
The entire crew gathered for the opening ceremony. The director, a man who looked to be around thirty, hunched and gaunt, stood on the altar with a megaphone. “Everyone, our movie is about to begin shooting.”
“I’ve never made anything worthwhile in my life. I studied hard for four years in school, but after graduating, I never got a chance to realize my ambitions in the chaotic entertainment industry. Seven years… Seven years have slipped by.”
“I know some of you here have been in the same boat, struggling and unable to find your way for many years.”
“Now, we have a new opportunity.” The director’s eyes burned with fervor. “We’re going to make a film that will be nothing short of extraordinary in the history of cinema.”
The blazing midday sun cast harsh light on the director, sharpening the dark gleam of madness in his eyes. The curve of his lips stretched ominously between the brightness and the shadows, sending a chill through those watching.
Guo Yang muttered under his breath, “With that script?”
His comment was sharp and timely, but both Xia Bai and Ling Changye felt that the “extraordinary” quality the director spoke of had nothing to do with the script.
The director continued, “We must give it our all, to create a film that will shock the world, one that will be remembered forever in cinema history.”
Though his words seemed absurd, they stirred something in the hearts of many. Xia Bai noticed the excited expressions on Xia Fei and Xia Lan’s faces, as if they were already witnessing the dazzling brilliance of their futures.
Perhaps there were others like them, coming from isolated, impoverished places, struggling just as the director had in some corner of the world.
They couldn’t judge them for that.
The opening ceremony ended quickly, and the crew began preparing to shoot the first scene.
The four of them retreated to a more secluded spot near Erwa, exchanging the information they had gathered.
Xia Bai shared everything he had learned.
Ling Changye added, “The two actresses playing the sacrificial twins seem to have a similar story. They ran away from their village to work at a restaurant. One of them was being harassed by a customer when the director stepped in to help. He asked if they’d be willing to act in his movie.”
Of course, they were willing. Who wouldn’t want to escape a life of working as a waitress and being bullied by customers to become a glamorous actress?
They had also been very excited on set. Xia Bai had seen them in the tea room, probably fetching tea for someone, despite being actresses themselves.
Guo Yang and Ma Tongfeng fell into silence after hearing this. With their god-like perspective of the movie, they began to understand.
Ma Tongfeng asked, “What about the other girls? Are they all from the same place?”
Xia Bai replied, “I don’t think so. According to what Xia Lan said, the director originally only picked her from their village. It was Xia Fei and her mother who later forced their way in and took her role. The others should be from different places.”
Guo Yang frowned, “The director selected actors from various remote and impoverished areas, bringing them to this private island to film this movie. There are no professional veteran actors here; it’s all newcomers like this. Something’s off.”
It felt like a huge conspiracy was brewing, and even Erwa could probably sense it.
Xia Bai: “Recruiting actors from all these poor and remote places must have cost quite a bit, right?”
Guo Yang: “Those investors are very wealthy.”
Xia Bai: “Why are they willing to invest so much money?”
Ma Tongfeng suddenly recalled a detail. “When they got off the yacht, a bodyguard was holding something covered with cloth. When the wind blew, I caught a glimpse of a lotus-shaped base. It looked like one of those Buddha statues I’ve seen in some homes, but the shape wasn’t quite right.”
“Where is it? I need to see it now!” Guo Yang said, his face serious, unable to sit still.
Ma Tongfeng: “They carried it into the straw hut where you were eavesdropping.”
That hut was where the screenwriter and director stayed, and Guo Yang had stolen the script from there.
Xia Bai and Ling Changye went along with him.
These straw huts were temporarily built and not meant for long-term living. Naturally, they weren’t of great quality, and the soundproofing was virtually nonexistent. The three quietly arrived behind the hut, crouching by the window, where they could clearly hear the conversation inside.
“President Wang wants me to add more scenes again. Why does he have so many demands? My script is already unrecognizable!”
“What does he want you to add now?”
The voice that followed was familiar—it was the director. The earlier voice was probably the screenwriter.
The screenwriter said, “President Wang said he likes violence and blood. The current script isn’t exciting or intense enough, so he wants me to write in a satisfying violent scene.”
The director didn’t speak for a while. The smell of tobacco drifted out of the window, curling around the noses of the three as they quietly waited.
“Go ahead and write it. I’ll tell President Wang we need another actor, and I’ll get you an extra million.” The director’s raspy voice came from inside.
Xia Bai cautiously peeked through the window, seeing the director holding a cigarette, his face half-hidden in smoke, muttering to himself, “It’s all for the sake of the movie. Our goal is to make the most extraordinary film ever. Adding this scene will only make our movie more shocking.”
He took a deep drag, looking bewitched, completely immersed in it.
“And there’s this.” He took a piece of paper from a folder and handed it to the screenwriter, then walked to the altar and lifted the black silk cloth.
Underneath was the object Ma Tongfeng had mentioned.
Ma Tongfeng hadn’t recognized it before, but it turned out that the lotus-shaped base was made of blood jade, which is rumored to form when the blood from corpses seeps into jade over thousands of years. Atop the blood jade lotus base was an idol they were all familiar with—the evil god worshipped at the altar in the movie, only it was more intricate and terrifying in real life.
“This is something President Liu brought from his home, an ancestral Buddha his family has worshipped for generations. He wants you to face the Buddha with reverence and, following the instructions and detailed steps on this paper, rewrite the sacrificial scene.”
The screenwriter looked exasperated.
“I’ve already found the twins he wanted. Writing this scene isn’t that hard, is it? Just sit here and write it, at least for the sake of the money.” The director finished instructing the screenwriter, stubbed out his cigarette, and walked out.
Xia Bai and Guo Yang immediately ducked down, crouching against the mud wall.
It was time to leave, but Ling Changye seemed to have other plans. He gestured to Guo Yang, pointing inside and mimicking a striking motion.
Guo Yang nodded and immediately climbed through the window into the straw hut. Just as Xia Bai stood up to look inside, Guo Yang had already dragged the unconscious screenwriter back to the window.
Xia Bai: “…”
Xia Bai withdrew his head and helped Guo Yang move the screenwriter out through the window.
Once they reached the deserted forest, Guo Yang, carrying the screenwriter, asked Ling Changye, “Captain, should we interrogate him?”
Ling Changye didn’t react to the way Guo Yang addressed him, only saying, “Shooting a movie like this would take at least a month. Will the game give us time to watch the whole thing?”
Guo Yang nodded. “That’s actually a good idea.”
In this situation, nothing would be more useful than the screenwriter. It was also the perfect timing since the director had given the screenwriter time and space to create, so they could borrow him for a while.
Ma Tongfeng was startled to see them bring someone back, standing up in shock.
Guo Yang explained briefly, “Screenwriter. Interrogation.”
In reality, the interrogation was simple. When the screenwriter woke up to find himself surrounded by legless, lungless, and head-dragging corpses, his eyes rolled back, and he almost fainted again. His scream was muffled by Guo Yang’s hand.
Guo Yang bent down and whispered in his ear, “If you scream, they’ll tear you apart to snatch your organs. Understand?”
The screenwriter nodded frantically, tears streaming down his face and soaking Guo Yang’s hand.
Xia Bai ordered two corpses to sit on either side of him. Guo Yang released his hand and sat down opposite Xia Bai. “I’m not good at interrogations.”
Xia Bai added, “Neither am I.”
“…”
You seem pretty good at it. Those corpses create quite the interrogation atmosphere.
There was no need to mention Old Ma; they knew he wasn’t fit for the task, so that left only Ling Changye.
He was the best candidate for all four of them, including Erwa, who was hiding behind Xia Bai.
Xia Bai thought, even I was scared away by him once, so saying he’s the best fit for interrogations isn’t an exaggeration.
Ling Changye began with a seemingly irrelevant question. “The filming schedule—are you shooting the ghost-filled second half first, then the island exploration scenes at the start?”
The screenwriter, eager to please, quickly answered, “Yes!”
Ling Changye hummed lightly, then asked, “This film, how many major investors are there?”
This wasn’t much of a secret, so the screenwriter answered immediately, “Four.”
Ling Changye thought for a moment. “One worships an evil entity, one is obsessed with violence—more specifically, with a desire to kill—one is fixated on sexual indulgence, and the last?”
The screenwriter stared at him in shock, wondering how he knew all this.
A corpse to his right leaned over, gazing at him with empty eye sockets, and blinked. The screenwriter immediately shouted, “Death! President Li is obsessed with watching people die, especially their expressions at the moment of death. He says it’s a connection between life and death that nothing else can compare to!”
Guo Yang kicked him. “Keep it down.”
Ling Changye was silent for a moment before his next statement, no longer phrased as a question, “The director feels that his talent has been unrecognized, frustrated for seven years, and is determined to make a film that will shake the history of cinema. When he met these twisted investors, they immediately hit it off.”
“You couldn’t use famous actors, or even students from film schools. You specifically went to remote, impoverished areas to select your cast, all to create a ‘real’ movie.”
“The girls who came to this island full of hope don’t realize just how ‘real’ your version of reality is. The harm, the ***, the death, the live sacrifices in the film are all real. It’s truly… shocking.”
As Ling Changye continued, Guo Yang and Ma Tongfeng listened, feeling chills in their hearts. That coldness was now reflected in their gazes toward the screenwriter.
Ling Changye lowered his eyes, and in the shadows cast by the flickering leaves, a dark blue light flashed briefly in his eyes. He let out a strange laugh, his tone casual as if discussing something ordinary. “These rich people sure know how to play. Their perverse desires, unmentionable beliefs, and hobbies can all be turned into real films to watch over and over or kept as trophies, can’t they? They’re not planning to show them to others, are they?”
He seemed to understand perversion very well. “After the movie’s released, the audience will just marvel at how real it all looks. Watching others’ reactions will give them a hidden sense of satisfaction, won’t it?”
Indeed, everyone in Screening Room No. 5 thought the movie looked incredibly real. When the campus queen died, the overwhelming unwillingness in her eyes was, in fact, genuine.
During the sacrificial scene, the blood-curdling screams were real, the girls crying out with their dying breath.
At that moment, Old Ma couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Xia Bai had reassured him it was just a movie, telling him it wasn’t real.
He was wrong.
It could very well be real. What is real and what is fake—he wasn’t qualified to judge with his shallow life experience.
The line between truth and falsehood, reality and illusion—how could one distinguish?
And to what extent can reality reach? To what dimension can it expand?
