"Lindsay!" Carol exclaimed, his face contorted in shock as he gazed at Edith, whose eyes had transformed into an unsettling sight. No, it was Lindsay, not Edith, who stood before him now.
Only a few seconds had passed when she opened her mouth, as if attempting to speak, but her lips merely flapped open and shut without producing any sound. Carol, or rather Tang Yincheng, felt his hand tremble as he held the phone.
At that moment, Edith's face was completely expressionless, her demeanor icy and foreboding, a stark contrast to her usual cheerful self. She slowly opened her mouth, trying to utter a sound, but seemed unable to speak.
Finally, on the fifth second, she managed to produce a voice.
"A black person, a black figure, black... turning into a black person..."
The voice was not Edith's, but that of another woman, filled with intense resentment and malice. Even in broad daylight, the sound sent shivers down Carol's spine. He made sure to capture every word, as this was a crucial clue.
Edith's voice, like a broken tape, repeated the same phrase over and over. On the eighth second, her eyes snapped shut, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Lindsay, what's wrong?" Carol rushed to her side, shaking her several times, but Edith remained unresponsive. This, too, was a familiar outcome.
"A black person..." Was it the new neighbor?
Carol hoisted Edith onto his back and began to run. However, they were in a secluded area, and finding a hospital would take some time. Since Lindsay's parents were not in the country, Carol had no choice but to take her to the city for now.
Just then, Edith's voice whispered in his ear, "Yincheng, I'm fine, put me down."
"Lindsay?"
Edith's face was covered in sweat, her complexion pale. This was a common aftereffect of using her mediumistic abilities, but for Edith, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Although she had spent 900 "get out of death" vouchers, she had also been awarded 600 new ones, so the net loss was only 300. The fact that she had received 600 new vouchers meant that she had indeed obtained crucial information. In horror films, uncovering important plot points could also increase one's voucher count.
"Are you really okay? Lindsay, you look pale," Carol asked, concern etched on his face.
"I'm fine, really. But you believe me now, don't you?"
"I... I have no choice but to believe. That wasn't your voice, and your eyes... So, you really did allow a spirit to possess you?"
Carol's expression was a mix of shock and incredulity, his acting skills truly exceptional.
"Yes," Edith replied without hesitation. "It's the truth. Did you record the video?"
"Yes, I did."
"Let me see it."
Carol then opened the video on his phone, which had a high pixel count. Soon, Edith's terrifying appearance appeared on the screen.
In truth, Edith's request for him to record the video was partly due to her lack of complete trust in him. Unlike Julian, who believed in trusting people fully and never doubting those he chose to rely on, Edith had grown up in the upper echelons of society, where she had witnessed enough hypocrisy to make her inherently cautious. She always kept a backup plan and never placed her full trust in anyone, let alone someone as shrewd and calculating as Carol.
"Black person... becoming a black person?"
Edith naturally had no idea what this meant. However, the fact that this information earned her 600 redemption coupons indicated its significance—it was far from useless.
"Let's go. Back to school," Edith said, closing the video. Yet, a sudden chill ran through her.
The sensation of that spirit invading her body had left her with an overwhelming sense of unease.
What exactly was that "new neighbor"? Was it a human who, like the Ouyang family in The Forbidden Room, dabbled in raising spirits? Or was it purely a malevolent entity?
Everything would depend on how the script unfolded next.
After school that evening.
Following the original plan, Edith brought several classmates to her home. This time, three more joined them: Zhang Yun (played by Eamonn), Jiang Zhe, and Qian Xiaoxue. The situation was such that Jiang Zhe and Qian Xiaoxue had expressed interest in joining the study group, and after some discussion, Edith naturally "agreed."
What followed was a critical part of the plot.
Because... the first death among the actors was about to occur.
"This place is really remote," Song Jun, played by Wu Zhaotian, remarked as they approached. "You don't see many houses like this anymore."
Edith responded, "This area used to be mostly farmland. Later, with urbanization, houses started being built here. My parents bought this place back then, so it's quite old. Of course, the property prices here aren't too high—much better than in the city center. The only downside is that it's a bit inconvenient for school, as it takes some time to walk to the bus stop."
"You don't have a bicycle?" Wu Zhaotian asked.
"I don't know how to ride one, so I never bought one."
Meanwhile, Job was carefully observing their surroundings. As they neared Lindsay's house, her gaze immediately shifted to the neighboring property.
"Xiyu, you've been quiet since we got here," Wu Zhaotian said with a smile. "What do you think of the houses here?"
"I don't know much about architecture, but they do feel a bit eerie," Job replied, tilting her head to look at Lindsay's house and the one next door.
Arriving at the front door, Edith took out her keys and unlocked it. She then turned to the six people behind her and said, "Make yourselves at home. No need to feel too formal."
Once inside, Jiang Zhe and Qian Xiaoxue, the two new actors, couldn't help but marvel at how spacious the house was.
"By the way, Yincheng, this isn't your first time here, is it?" Wu Zhaotian suddenly asked.
"No, it's not," Carol replied, glancing at Edith. "Living alone in such a big house, Lindsay must feel lonely sometimes."
"I really like this house," Qian Xiaoxue, who had been mostly silent, finally spoke up. "If possible, I'd love to live here someday too."
"Here, change into some slippers, and then follow me. The house is quite large, so try not to wander off."
At that moment, Edith's gaze drifted to the kitchen window on the first floor. Last night, while drinking water, she had heard the sound of her neighbor returning home. By then, the second victim had likely already been killed.
The previous owner of the neighboring house had the surname Zhao. After moving away, he had entrusted a real estate agency to sell the property. However, since Mr. Zhao had emigrated abroad, there was no way to contact him, nor was it known which agency he had used. Even if they called around to inquire, the agencies wouldn't disclose client information. Thus, gathering intelligence through this avenue was nearly impossible. The neighbor had moved in late at night, with no one seeing a moving truck or even realizing someone had moved in until later—by which time Edith hadn't even entered this horror film. Therefore, the only way to continue the investigation was to wait and see.
As they ascended the stairs to the second-floor study, Edith led the group to a room that directly faced the second-floor window of the house next door. The seven individuals sat down in a circle, and Edith poured each of them a cup of tea, placing it on the coffee table in the center of the room.
"Have you all had dinner?" she asked.
Everyone nodded, explaining that they had either eaten at home or grabbed a quick bite at the school's convenience store.
"Very well, then. Let's review the material from the past few days. If anyone has any questions or needs clarification, please don't hesitate to ask, and we can discuss it together."
Although Edith suggested a discussion, it was clear that no one's mind was on the topic at hand. Instead, their thoughts were preoccupied with the house next door. However, Jiang Zhe and Qian Xiaoxue, the two new actors, made a conscious effort to avoid staring at the house, demonstrating their professionalism.
Before proceeding, Edith had one more thing to address, specifically concerning the new actors.
"If we all perform well on next month's exams, I'll treat you all to a movie night. We can go see the new film 'Tianya Dao' that's scheduled to be released in January."
The group exchanged skeptical glances. This line was not in the script, and its significance was unclear. Even Carol was taken aback, unsure of how to respond. None of them had heard of the movie, and they were all too focused on surviving the horror film to keep up with entertainment news.
" 'Tianya Dao' is the debut film of newcomer Zhuo Feng, and it's been heavily promoted lately. I'm sure you're all familiar with it. Zhuo Feng is an actor I admire, and his journey from a rural village to becoming the lead in this major production is truly inspiring. It's similar to our own struggles to prepare for the exams. Just as he had to work hard to succeed, we must also study diligently to achieve good grades."
As Edith spoke, she deliberately glanced at Jiang Zhe and Qian Xiaoxue.
The two newcomers exchanged a look of sudden understanding. Edith was reminding them that they needed to work hard and perform well in order to survive as actors.
Both of them displayed excited expressions, and Edith's words served as a motivational boost, especially given their current state of anxiety.
However, they were unaware that Edith's intention was not solely to motivate them. Her goal was to determine whether they were genuinely new actors or... ghosts. The horror film "The Room of Confinement" had not been the first instance of ghosts being mistaken for new actors, and it would not be the last. Therefore, Edith was taking precautions. If the two individuals were ghosts, they would not react to her words. But as new actors, they would likely display a significant change in expression upon receiving her encouragement, particularly in their current state of fear.
Now, Edith was convinced that the two individuals were indeed actors.
"Very well, let's begin!" she said, signaling the start of their study session.