When Zheng Xize awoke, his throat tasted acrid and sweet, his head heavy and his feet light. A thick earthy scent lingered beneath his nostrils, and the ground beneath him quivered. It felt as though a membrane separated him from the outside world, muting all sounds into distant echoes. These noises resembled wild beasts confined within a cage, roaring and thrashing in a desperate attempt to break free.
Suddenly, with a resounding "boom," the membrane shattered, and a piercing cry, akin to that of a wild beast, assaulted Zheng Xize's eardrums, as if a sharp blade had etched itself deeply into his ears.
Painfully awakened, Zheng Xize immediately opened his eyes and instinctively covered his ears. After a moment, the cacophony began to subside, yet the ground beneath him continued to tremble, the vibrations growing louder and more pronounced.
Raising his gaze, he beheld an expansive desert of sand. The moist air mingled with water vapor, and the frigid temperatures had formed a thin layer of ice over the sandy surface. Above him stretched an endless gray-blue sky, while massive, scattered boulders lay around him. Beyond the sand and towering stones, there was nothing—no trees, no grass, only a pervasive earthy odor filled the air.
"Where am I?" Zheng Xize wondered, his mind momentarily unable to process his surroundings. As he expelled a mouthful of acrid, dark blood, he slowly realized something unsettling—
"Wasn't I supposed to have fallen to my death during the stunt? Where am I? Could this be beneath the cliff?"
Chilled by the penetrating cold, Zheng Xize shivered uncontrollably, his gaze fixed blankly on the expelled blood, soon noticing something amiss.
Within the blood was a partially melted fragment of a capsule. Although it differed from anything he'd seen before, having starred in numerous films, he couldn't fail to recognize it—it was the fake capsule used for simulating blood during scenes! How could he not know such a thing?
But why was he holding it? He had just performed a fight scene on a stunt rig. Why had he fallen from such a height, survived, and spat out a blood capsule? This was absurd.
Before he could ponder further, the ground shook again. Turning towards an open area, he saw a colossal beast, twice the size of a tiger, charging towards him—something he had never seen before.
Though it was somewhat distant, the creature's gray-black armor gleamed with a dark luster, its fangs bared as it roared and sprinted in his direction. Its powerful limbs caused the ground to tremble with each step.
Zheng Xize's black pupils contracted sharply. After a moment of stunned silence, he sprang to his feet, driven by sheer survival instinct to seek cover and flee. However, his view revealed nothing but a few winged insects flitting about and scattered boulders—nowhere to hide.
Braving the biting cold, he lifted his legs and began to run, only to stumble after a few steps, crashing face-first into the ground in a humiliating fall.
Panicked, he glanced back to see the beast open its maw with a menacing "jeh jeh" roar, enraged by his attempt to escape, and accelerated towards him.
Rising once more, Zheng Xize kicked at whatever had tripped him. Previously buried beneath the icy sand, half of the object now protruded. To his astonishment, it resembled a modified sniper rifle—shorter, more refined, with an exceptionally slender barrel.
Regardless of the circumstances, survival instincts compelled Zheng Xize to seize the weapon and flee, clutching it tightly as he ran, grateful for his experience with firearms from numerous police and criminal films!
The ground was littered with rocks of varying sizes, making his escape arduous, but survival took precedence. As he navigated the terrain, he instinctively raised the gun, glancing through the sight. To his amazement, a pale blue control interface materialized before him, automatically aligning a crosshair with a nearby rock. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. With a loud "bang," the rock exploded into fragments.
"Damn it!"
Zheng Xize felt an overwhelming urge to curse. The faster he ran, the more agitated he became. He couldn't comprehend what was happening or where he was. This couldn't be acting! There were no directors, no crew, no lights or equipment! The monsters were real! The gun was real! Damn bullets were real!!!
Unable to run in a straight line or make sense of his predicament, he focused solely on survival, eventually seeking a safe shelter.
Finally, within his sight, a protruding stone formation emerged. He measured its height, confirmed he could climb it, and leapt amidst the boulders. Upon reaching the base, he deftly tucked the gun behind his waist, retreated a few steps, and sprinted to ascend the stone layer with agility, ignoring the inexplicable black insects that fluttered around him.
Once atop, he glanced towards the approaching beast, half-kneeling, he drew the gun again. The blue control interface reappeared, and he aimed at the armored creature, pulling the trigger once more. With a "bang," the monster lashed its massive tail, let out two furious roars, and crashed horizontally to the ground...
Zheng Xize watched from afar, squinting, unsure of how to react, his face adopting his usual impassive expression.
The small black insects that had been hovering around him suddenly flew directly in front of him, mere centimeters away.
After a moment of distant stupor, he nonchalantly glanced at the two insects, casually swatted them away, exhaled a puff of dirty air, and reloaded the gun while maintaining his half-kneeling stance. Suddenly, an infuriated voice echoed in his ears, uttering a word he knew all too well—
"Cut!! Cut Cut!!"
"Cut? Cut?! Cut!!!"
Zheng Xize nearly coughed up another mouthful of blood. He paused, swiftly inserting his fingers into his ears to expel a tiny black speck, no larger than a soybean. At that moment, the small black object emitted the same enraged male voice—
"Are you kidding me? Is this how you audition? How dare you deviate from the script with your high status! Is that gun just a prop for killing?!!!"
Zheng Xize: "..."
What's happening? Am I acting? Am I dreaming? Where are the actors? The director? The crew? Where is everyone? How can I be the only one here acting?! And where am I? What is happening?
Confusion clouded Zheng Xize's mind, but he soon noticed the sandy surface slowly parting like a curtain, revealing a "gate." A lift platform rose from the ground, and a group of people emerged. Leading them was a balding, stout man wearing slippers and holding a megaphone, visibly furious. He angrily pointed the megaphone at Zheng Xize, who was still kneeling, and berated him—
"What the hell are you doing? Are you stupid? Can you compensate for killing the Kaia Beast? You idiot, get down here right now!"
Zheng Xize lowered his gaze, silently watching several of them rush towards the fallen Kaia Beast, while the balding man beneath the stone layer continued his tirade, his insults growing increasingly vulgar.
Before waking, Zheng Xize had experienced the peril of a stunt rope snapping and plummeting from a great height. Upon awakening, he found himself in a desolate land pursued by an unfamiliar beast. Just when he thought he had escaped with his life, someone inexplicably emerged to berate him with no semblance of kindness...
Zheng Xize was inherently good-natured, rarely losing his temper. Yet, after such harrowing events in a short span, even the calmest person's heart could not withstand the strain. His mind was blank, unable to comprehend what was happening. The balding man's angry shouts began to fade, sounding distant and ethereal...
In the aftermath of shock, his heart and blood pressure struggled to stabilize. Previously, fear had sent his blood rushing to his head, but now that he was safe, the blood returned, leaving him feeling chest-tight and breathless, as if his heart was caught between contraction and expansion.
Maintaining his half-kneeling posture, his face utterly bewildered, he looked down to see the balding man below stomping and cursing, his gaping mouth moving in a manner eerily similar to the roaring beast moments before.
He took deep breaths, feeling his chest rise and fall with each inhale and exhale...
Then, still half-kneeling and with a cold expression, he raised the weapon in his hand, aiming it at the "monster" below.
Director: "..."
Crew members behind him: "..."
Zheng Xize's pupils dilated, his vision becoming blurred. Instinctively, he lifted the gun, though he didn't recognize these people—who were they?
Suddenly, from behind and to his side, a shadowy figure leapt up, striking the back of Zheng Xize's head. With one hand, he grabbed Zheng Xize's wrist, yanking the gun away, and pressed him against the back of his head, their eyes meeting.
Zheng Xize's dark eyes were unfocused. After the gun was taken, he stared blankly at the man before him. The shadowy figure, clad in dark gray camouflage with half his face obscured by a black cloth, revealed only his striking eyes, which gleamed with defiance.
For a few seconds, Zheng Xize locked eyes with the man, initially captivated by his icy blue pupils. Soon, reality sank in, and he tilted his head, losing consciousness in the man's embrace.
The man, partially covering his face, casually tossed the gun aside. With one hand supporting Zheng Xize's back and the other holding him firmly, he looked down at the sweating director below with indifference and stated calmly, "Passed out. Call for medical help."