Ivan had already begun to regret his decision and even considered whether he should abandon the mission altogether. However, the "redemption tokens" kept being deducted, and now more than fifty had already been taken! According to the original script, he was supposed to be downstairs with Cheryl and the others, searching the rooms for clues. If it weren't for the current "blank period" in the script, he feared even more tokens would be deducted. After losing so many redemption tokens, it would be a great shame to quit now. Furthermore, he believed that with the red high heels he possessed, he could still turn the tide in his favor.
The red high heels contained the most potent curse of the woman who had died. Once retrieved, the curse placed upon them by the cinema could be weakened (it could only be weakened, not lifted, or else the curse would harm the actors themselves). That malevolent curse would undoubtedly prevent the ghost from harming him! Of course, to hurt the ghost with such a cursed object was beyond his means to afford with redemption tokens. Even borrowing it would demand an exorbitant price, let alone purchasing it.
By now, Ivan had begun to hope the ghost would appear. The psychological torment was too intense, and his composure was steadily slipping. He was on the verge of crossing the plot's boundaries, risking an NG. Yet, the ghost still hadn't shown up! This made him wonder—was it possible... that the ghost would not appear at all? Was it because he was not Wu Jun?
Upon closer reflection, it seemed that this film lacked a female lead. On the cast list, the first name was Hank, and the second was his own. Moreover, the character of Hang Qingshu had quite a bit of dialogue, and its name certainly seemed more unique than a common name like Zhang Hua's. Was it possible that he was the second male lead? Main characters were often granted a protagonist's halo, and important supporting roles were likewise bathed in a secondary halo. Generally speaking, major supporting characters didn't die too early; otherwise, they'd just be extras.
Could it be... that as the second male lead, an important supporting character, he was destined not to die?
The more Ivan thought about it, the more plausible this theory seemed. After all, he didn't dare to take too many risks himself, even if doing so would earn more redemption tokens. His experience in such matters was lacking. So, if that were the case, then even if he stayed until after ten o'clock, he should be safe.
Once this thought crossed his mind, his tension eased considerably. However, upon further reflection, he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. On one hand, if this theory was true, his life was undoubtedly safe. On the other hand, he had wasted over fifty redemption tokens for nothing.
At last, he relaxed, his mind far less tense than before. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that his earlier speculation was correct. He surmised that Wu Jun must have known the exact time of death for his character in the script, but of course, he could never ask him. Each character could only know their own experiences through the script; the events surrounding others were entirely unknown. So, for everyone else, Wu Jun's death remained a mystery.
However, Wu Jun's time of death should be approaching soon...
Suddenly, Ivan's body felt as though it had plunged into an ice-cold abyss!
He felt a cold hand gripping tightly onto his right arm from within the blanket!
The grip was so firm that he could not retrieve the red high heels from his pocket!
Then... he saw the blanket in front of him slowly begin to bulge...
Time flew by, and now, it was around a quarter past ten. According to the original script, this was the moment when Liu Haiping and the others were supposed to go upstairs to check on Wu Jun.
"We need to start preparing lunch," Hank thought, his mind in turmoil, unsure whether Ivan was alive or dead. Though he considered himself under no obligation to follow and protect him, he still felt uneasy.
He even recalled Donna's words. She had often criticized them for their hypocrisy, and in a fit of anger, Hank had once exchanged words with her. But now, he wondered—was it possible that she was right? Was he truly as hypocritical as she claimed?
Lost in his thoughts, Ivan almost forgot his lines. Fortunately, he managed to regain his composure and, together with Allen, walked into the living room. There, Cheryl was smoking, and Wu Jun was seated nearby. Liu Ying and Zhao Xiaoya were conversing with each other.
"Where is Hang Qingshu?" Hank immediately asked, his voice steady. "Is he still in his room?"
"I don't know," Cheryl replied, exhaling a puff of smoke. "I haven't seen him come downstairs."
The lines at this point were largely faithful to the script, with only "Wu Jun" replaced by "Hang Qingshu." Just moments earlier, Hank had nearly made a slip of the tongue and said "Wu Jun." Of course, such a slip wouldn't result in an NG—after all, people often make such mistakes in real life, as long as they don't mistakenly say "Ivan."
At this moment, everyone else was tense, including Allen.
Allen was aware of the cursed high heels Ivan possessed. As far as life-saving abilities went, they were no less effective than Hank's severed finger. Acquiring such cursed objects was an arduous task, especially those tied to the death of a character at the heart of a horror film. To obtain such an object was to risk one's life—far more so than Cheryl, who simply happened upon it from the dead actor's body, effectively stumbling upon an unexpected advantage. Ivan, though having a volatile temper, was full of youthful bravado, which revealed his considerable courage. However, whether this courage was wisdom or recklessness was hard to tell.
And now… had he survived?
This question hung heavily in everyone's mind, including the new actors. Though they were unaware of the cursed objects, seeing Ivan walk so calmly toward danger—undaunted by the apparent risks—made it obvious to even the most naïve that he must have had some kind of safeguard, otherwise, who would willingly risk their life and sacrifice redemption tokens in the process?
"Still not down? I'll go check," Hank said, heading toward the stairs, with Allen following close behind. Cheryl, who had been smoking, stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and stood up, following them as well.
The three of them ascended to the second floor. Though they all knew Ivan had likely gone to Wu Jun's room, the plot required them to check Hang Qingshu's room first.
Opening the door to Hang Qingshu's room, they found it empty, which was entirely expected.
However, Hank's face immediately adopted a look of suspicion. He murmured, "Where is he? Not here?"
"Let's look around," Allen suggested.
"Mm. We need to start preparing lunch. In any case, we should all participate. After all, we've been paid. Although I mentioned a hypothesis for the experiment, it's still just a hypothesis," Hank added.
Without another word, the three of them headed toward Wu Jun's room. Their pace slowed almost unconsciously, as a growing sense of tension seeped in. They crossed the hallway and turned the corner, arriving at the door to Wu Jun's room.
Hank took a deep breath, silently praying that they wouldn't find a corpse upon entering. Though Allen had little interaction with Ivan, as a fellow actor, he shared the same hope—he didn't want to see Ivan dead. As for Cheryl, her motivation for following wasn't out of concern for Ivan's life, but for the cursed high heels he possessed. For her, acquiring a cursed object from the deceased actor was the ultimate prize. To risk one's life in obtaining such an object was far too dangerous. Cheryl wasn't a bad person; she merely did what was necessary to survive. She wasn't one to take a life to acquire the cursed object—such an act was beyond her.
With this thought in mind, Cheryl stepped forward, even moving ahead of Hank. Though she longed for the cursed heels, she didn't wish for Ivan's death. She wasn't indifferent to his fate, but neither did she hope for his demise. If he survived, she would not feel disappointed.
Of course, just to be safe, Cheryl also slipped her hand into her clothing's inner pocket, grasping the rolled-up painting. Hank, likewise, slipped his hand into his own pocket, his fingers closing around the severed finger. Allen, more cautiously, slid both hands into his pockets, clutching a soul-binding talisman in each.
The tension in the air grew palpable. Yet Hank remained unnervingly composed, his inner turmoil hidden behind a mask of indifference, his exterior betraying none of the anxiety he felt within. Cheryl, on the other hand, reached the door first.
Her hand still lingering inside her pocket, she muttered, "Hmm… why hasn't the smoke been retrieved yet?"
He gripped the doorknob, and then…
The door swung open.
There, before them, was Ivan, mouth agape, his eyes bulging in horror, staring at them with grotesque intensity!
"You..." Cheryl gasped, recoiling in shock. But before she could step back further, Ivan's lifeless body collapsed heavily to the floor, his head severed cleanly from his neck.
Cheryl stood frozen, her mind a blank void. Though she had once harbored thoughts of seizing the cursed heels from him upon his death, seeing his lifeless form before her, she found herself paralyzed by an unexpected hesitation. His head, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets, was an eerie, bloodless visage of death.
Hank, too, was unnerved, his face draining of color. He crumpled to the ground, his face paling as he pointed, trembling, at the gruesome scene before them. "What... what is this...?"
In that instant, time seemed to freeze. Cheryl, drawing in a deep breath, resolutely turned away from Ivan's severed head. Instead, her gaze fixed upon his right-side pocket. "What... what is this? How did he die?"
It was then that she noticed Allen's eyes were fixed on Ivan's pocket as well.
Allen's thoughts, of course, mirrored Cheryl's. Back during The Horror Bus, he had suspected that the driver might possess some tool to control the spirits, and had been intent on retrieving it from the body. Now, he too sought the cursed high heels from Ivan's corpse.
For someone newly entangled in the ghost cinema's twisted game, those cursed objects were the key to survival. After all, each cursed object had cost fifty redemption tokens to claim ownership. Once a person owned a cursed object, it meant they could not forcibly take another's possession, for the consequence would be death. However, if the owner perished, the object became unclaimed, free for the taking. And in such cases, no one would hesitate to seize it.