Morning arrived, and Hank slowly awoke.
The images from before his death remained vivid in his mind.
Why...
After Wu Jun's tragic demise, Hank, in his desperation, had even resorted to using the bell—a last-ditch weapon, his final trump card. Logically, even if it could only be used for ten seconds, its effects should have lingered for a while, at least enough to prevent the imminent danger he soon faced...
But almost immediately after, he found himself trapped in a life-or-death crisis. He had no choice but to use the severed finger... and yet, in the end...
The terror of that final moment still haunted him, a thought he dared not entertain now. But it was undoubtedly unusual. This was not Ghost Festival, a horror film of nearly insurmountable difficulty. There was no reason for the curse's effect to be so weak! Or perhaps he should have used it for longer than ten seconds? Yet, to say nothing of the difficulty in acquiring the redemption tokens, using the curse for more than ten seconds would have only expanded the risk of resurrection!
Hank believed there was a reason for all of this—something hidden beneath the surface, something amiss.
This was supposed to be a low-difficulty horror film!
So, what should he do next?
The terror of that moment of death left him too paralyzed to attempt it again. Despite his growing scarcity of redemption tokens, he knew he could not rely on such luck to come back to life again. He suspected Wu Jun felt the same; after being resurrected, he would never dare take another risk. He would rather forfeit some of his tokens!
Though it was daylight, within this sealed-off villa, the atmosphere felt more terrifying and oppressive than the darkest night. The blazing summer sun was completely blocked out, leaving only the suffocating presence of death lingering in the air.
Everything was destined to repeat itself.
Before long, Allen, too, awoke. Just as before, at the exact same time. His sleep, it seemed, was entirely controlled by the script. After the NG, his biological clock seemed to have reset, as he once again felt a wave of fatigue and succumbed to sleep.
And now, it began again.
An NG could only occur a maximum of three times, and they had already had one. All the redemption tokens he had so painstakingly earned had been spent in the blink of an eye. At this rate, who could predict how long it would take before he could amass another ten thousand tokens?
But no matter what, Allen had no choice but to begin once more, playing the role of "Zhang Hua." For him now, with so few redemption tokens, he dared not venture back into the basement. If even the main character could die, what use was he—just an unimportant "second male lead" who had been thrust into the role?
Of course, the NG had not only saved his life but also returned the last soul-binding talisman that had already been used. Yet, to Allen, this held little meaning—it was a one-time consumable, and its actual curse effect was weak, nothing more than a slight relief. The real lifesaver, in his eyes, was the cursed high heels. But with his current token count, using them would certainly plunge him into negative balance. He would need to accumulate enough tokens before the film's end to avoid that peril.
So, while he dared not enter the basement, yet still had to gather enough tokens, Allen found himself in a painful state of conflict. But soon, he would face a new dilemma. If Wu Jun, fearing the terror of death, refused to enter the basement and would rather forfeit some redemption tokens, then this would change the course of events. Wu Jun, who was supposed to die, had not—meaning that in the same timeframe, something more would likely occur. Wu Jun's refusal to enter the basement didn't guarantee his safety.
Before evening falls, there will undoubtedly be new horrors awaiting.
Unfortunately, the cost of deliberately causing an NG is far too great for anyone to bear. Otherwise, Allen would have used the key to open the basement door and tested it for himself. If the situation indeed descended into irredeemable chaos, he would have willingly risked an intentional NG. However, his redemption tokens were far too few to afford such a gamble. Therefore, that risk was one he simply could not take.
After much deliberation, only one more reasonable approach seemed viable. If Wu Jun refrained from entering the basement, the plot would change accordingly, inevitably plunging them into another life-or-death crisis. It was only by facing such a crisis that redemption tokens could be earned. The more dangerous the situation, the higher the tokens would be, and if lives could be saved in the process, the reward would increase substantially. Today was only the second day, with the third day still ahead—who could predict what dangers would arise? Thus, Allen realized he could not afford to rely solely on the tokens he possessed in the present.
With his mind made up, Allen could no longer dwell on his worries. To be an actor in Ghost Cinema was to inevitably risk one's life. No matter how dangerous the circumstances, he had no choice but to face them. Otherwise, gathering the ten thousand redemption tokens would remain a mere pipe dream. Fortunately, Hank had been resurrected, and the bell he carried still remained as his trump card. With Hank around, things were already considerably more hopeful. After all, among the actors, Hank was the one with the longest experience.
Everything progressed methodically, and soon they reached the moment in the script where Wu Jun would feign needing the restroom, only to secretly retrieve the key and head towards the basement door.
Wu Jun, naturally, trembled as he gripped the sofa, his hands clenched tightly, while Hank remained utterly still, daring not to make a sound. Everyone had already anticipated this, and no one was surprised.
Next, as per the original script, the group began to disperse in search of the secrets hidden within the Ouyang family's estate. Of course, in the original script, nothing unusual occurred until they discovered Wu Jun's gruesome death in the basement. Among the items left behind by the Ouyang family, the most intriguing was the key to the basement. Naturally, that key now lay in Wu Jun's possession.
However, now that Wu Jun had altered the course of events, the plot itself could change as well—this, one might say, was a butterfly effect in action.
Allen had initially hoped to stay with Hank or Cheryl. After all, with even Hank, the main character, dead, he dared not take any risks. But both insisted on searching alone, arguing that "splitting up would be more efficient." Allen could understand their reasoning. Although separating seemed perilous, it was precisely because of the danger that redemption tokens could be earned. On the other hand, if he stayed with them, the tokens would likely be divided, reducing the reward significantly.
As expected, not long after, the group once again separated and began their search in the house.
Allen knew well that the Ouyang family, rumored to have been cultivating zombies, was the key to this horror film. While some of the tales surrounding the zombies might be exaggerated, it was clear that the Ouyang family was no harmless, pious group. They had sealed off their residence from the outside world, blocking out every ray of sunlight, and filled the house with antique furniture. The basement had been locked off, concealing something unknown. The Ouyang family had meticulously planned for their guests to come here—were they truly conducting some kind of experiment? Allen, however, had his doubts.
According to rumors, the Ouyang family was deeply mysterious, so much so that even super-rich figures like Li Ka-shing treated them with respect. If that was the case, why would they go through the trouble of luring a few individuals for an "experiment" by offering substantial bribes? They could easily abduct anyone off the streets. And if they snatched a few homeless people with no families to speak of, it would be even easier. If those people disappeared, no one would even notice.
This was a significant issue.
Yet, Allen couldn't make sense of it for the time being. After all, he had no intention of opening the basement door, so the mystery would have to remain unsolved, at least for now.
Though, according to the original script, the search would yield no results, the character of Zhang Hua, played by Allen, could not know this in advance. Thus, he set about the task of searching diligently, though he deliberately avoided the basement.
Now, according to the script's directions, he entered a warehouse.
The warehouse was located in a remote corner of the first floor. Its size was quite substantial, though it was filled with miscellaneous items, all covered in a thick layer of dust, suggesting it had been left undisturbed for an extended period.
Upon entering, he left the door ajar and began his search.
After a thorough inspection, naturally, there was nothing of note to be found. Allen skillfully displayed a look of disappointment and frustration, then made his way towards the door.
However, as he reached the doorway, he was taken aback to find that the large warehouse door was now firmly shut!
He had clearly left it wide open just moments before!
No... this was not important. The key issue was that, according to the original script, Zhang Hua was supposed to leave the warehouse immediately after completing his search!
Allen's senses instantly sharpened, and he moved forward to open the door. However, it was locked tight and refused to budge.
Had Wu Jun's failure to enter the basement caused the plot to change?
As he remained on alert, he continued to act out Zhang Hua's expected reaction.
"Hello? Is someone there? Who locked the door?"
While knocking on the door, Allen periodically glanced back over his shoulder.
"Could it… could it be a zombie? Has the basement zombie come out?"
A look of fear and anxiety crossed Allen's face, his hands instinctively slipping into his pockets. The cursed high heels and the bloodstained charm he had just recovered...
He pressed himself against the door, holding his breath in near silence.
At that moment, the basement light began flickering erratically!
A chill ran down Allen's spine. The horrific image of Hank's brutal death was still vividly burned into his memory. Hank, the protagonist with the luck of the lead, had met such a grisly end. And what about him? A temporary substitute for the second male lead (a theory he suspected himself), would he survive? He had no certainty in his heart.
With that thought, Allen began to slam his body against the door. Though it wasn't as immovable as the basement door, it seemed to be stubbornly stuck, refusing to open no matter how hard he tried. His forehead beaded with sweat, but his efforts were futile. Meanwhile, the light continued to flicker, growing dimmer and dimmer, with the dark periods stretching longer, sometimes lasting five or six seconds before the light would briefly return.
The villa was entirely enclosed, with no lights in the hallways. When the warehouse darkened, it was as if one's hand could not be seen in front of their face. And darkness was exceedingly unfavorable for Allen, for the best moment to use the cursed high heels was when the ghost first appeared. If he waited too long, the effect would surely diminish. But he was already running low on redemption tokens, and using even ten seconds would plunge him into negative tokens.
As the light dimmed once more, the darkness lingered for what seemed like an eternity, nearly ten seconds, before it finally flickered back to life. This increased Allen's anxiety. Should he take out the high heels now? But he was trapped in the warehouse—ten seconds would slip by in the blink of an eye. Only when the ghost was closest to him would it be most effective to use them. If the curse weakened, wouldn't he be at the mercy of whatever came next? In that case, his fate would likely be no better than Hank's.
Just then, the light flickered back on, and Allen let out a quiet sigh of relief. But his relief was short-lived as he suddenly saw a blood-soaked, decayed face of a vengeful spirit, standing inches away from him, nearly touching his cheek!
In the blink of an eye, the entire warehouse was plunged into utter darkness once again!