It was already past seven in the evening. The sky outside was pitch black, and inside the room, everyone was working on the same test paper, having agreed to finish by seven-thirty before moving on to grading. This was a requirement of the script, so there was no way around it.
Fortunately, despite the "haunted house" next door, the fact that all the actors from this horror film were gathered here provided a small measure of comfort.
"Um, I need to use the restroom," Qian Xiaoxue stood up and announced, glancing at the other actors.
Edith immediately looked up and said, "Alright, go ahead."
Qian Xiaoxue hesitated. Weren't these seasoned actors supposed to accompany her? Were they worried about losing redemption coupons? Surely they weren't that stingy? She didn't really want to go either, but according to the script, there was no life-threatening danger in this trip to the restroom. She wanted to conserve as many redemption coupons as possible. After all, the first horror film was the only opportunity for actors to borrow against their earnings to cover redemption costs.
What Qian Xiaoxue didn't know was that as long as she stayed within a 300-meter radius, even if something happened, Edith had enough confidence to protect her and rush to her aid, no matter where she was in the house! This was the power of the mediumistic constitution. Ordinary cursed objects couldn't function over long distances, but for Edith, as long as she had physical contact with someone, she could sense and protect them within that range.
"What's wrong? Didn't you see where the restroom is? Go ahead. Are you afraid of the dark? Nothing will happen."
When Edith said, "Nothing will happen," Qian Xiaoxue realized she might be hinting at something, as this line wasn't in the script. Gritting her teeth, she stepped out of the room.
The restroom was at the end of the hallway, a bit far from the light. She walked cautiously, recalling the script's contents, her heart pounding. Still, the female lead had assured her that "nothing would happen," so she couldn't appear too timid. By now, she had fully accepted the harsh reality of having to act in a real horror film. If that was the case, she had to adapt.
She adjusted her glasses, took a deep breath, and tried to walk as naturally as possible toward the restroom.
Entering the spacious bathroom, she closed the door, pulled down her pants, and sat on the toilet. Truth be told, she did feel the urge to go, perfectly timed with the script. Even sleep and bodily functions were completely controlled by the script. The thought of the terror she experienced after picking up the poster sent a shiver down her spine. Her head had been smashed to pieces by a giant hammer, yet she remained conscious, watching as her skull was repeatedly crushed, her eyeballs popping out, still seeing her head being reduced to a pulp. Only after she agreed to the ghost cinema's rules was she allowed to come back to life, her head restored. But if she broke the rules, she would return to that gruesome state. Now, she was certain this terrifying cinema could make it happen.
Then, she began to hear a strange sound.
It was heavy, reverberating in her chest, just as the script had described. It sounded like... someone chopping meat with a cleaver.
Of course, it couldn't actually be meat. Recalling the horrifying image of her own head being smashed, Qian Xiaoxue couldn't help but imagine a scene where someone was using a knife to repeatedly hack away at the flesh of a corpse...
The bathroom's outer wall was less than five meters from the neighboring house. The proximity, combined with the surrounding silence, made the sound unmistakably clear.
And the noise grew louder, as if it were right beside her ear!
The mere thought that a malevolent spirit was chopping human flesh just a few meters away sent shivers down Qian Xiaoxue's spine. She had no doubt that ghosts truly existed in this world.
To be honest, in terms of mental resilience, Qian Xiaoxue wasn't inferior to Allen when he first entered The Horror Bus. However, compared to Allen, she was far less courageous—after all, she was still a girl...
"What... what is that sound?" she uttered her only line in the bathroom, as per the script. Although she had read the second act and knew she wouldn't be harmed, the sound still sent shockwaves through her. To make matters worse, her trip to the bathroom was taking longer than expected, and the script didn't provide an exact timeline. Fortunately, it was almost over.
Finally, she stood up, grabbed a piece of toilet paper, and at that moment, the sound abruptly stopped. Then, a new sound emerged.
"Thud," "thud," "thud..."
It sounded like someone was knocking on the wall... The noise grew closer, making her hair stand on end.
Qian Xiaoxue flushed the toilet, pulled up her pants, and hurried back to the study. "Um... Lindsay, I heard some strange noises next door..."
"What?" Edith looked up, her expression puzzled.
Qian Xiaoxue no longer needed to act. Her face was etched with genuine terror as she pointed outside. "Next door... it's so strange. It sounded like someone was chopping meat... and then I heard knocking on the wall."
"Don't overreact," Zhang Yun, played by the unfortunate Eamonn, finally got a line. "Maybe someone's just chopping meat for dinner late at night."
"No, the sound was... weird. If it was chopping meat, it felt... I don't know how to explain it. It just felt off."
"Let's finish the test," Edith pointed to her seat. "We're almost done."
At this point, Edith hadn't sensed any danger. Danger, in this context, didn't refer to the presence of a ghost but rather to a direct threat to their lives. If the ghost had no intention of harming them, there would be no sense of impending danger. This was one of the advantages of the mediumistic constitution. Sometimes, relying on cursed objects couldn't accurately determine whether they were in danger, potentially wasting precious redemption coupons.
Chopping meat... knocking on the wall...
And the voice of the dead girl... "Black... black person..."
At seven-thirty, they began grading the test papers. The script didn't specify their exact scores—after all, that would be too difficult to control unless someone cheated. It was an irrelevant detail, not worth worrying about. In the end, Tang Yincheng scored the highest, followed by Lindsay.
"Alright," Lindsay said, exhaling. "Now, let's go over the mistakes. Those who got the answers right will explain. Try to focus on specific points."
"Okay, I'll start..." Eamonn, who had the lowest score, was a rural man with only a technical school education. The knowledge he once had was long forgotten. Although his mind had been forcibly filled with high school math concepts, he still struggled, barely remembering trigonometric formulas, let alone complex geometric theorems. He pointed to one of the problems. "Um, this geometry question..."
"I'll explain this one," Edith glanced over and immediately began dissecting the solution. Math was her forte, especially geometry proofs. This was largely due to her strong logical reasoning skills. Her teachers had once encouraged her to pursue science, but Edith's passion lay in acting, and she ultimately chose to attend an arts school. After all, talent doesn't always align with one's dreams.
After explaining for a while, Wu Zhaotian and Jiang Zhe's stomachs suddenly began to growl in succession. Both of them immediately looked embarrassed. Just as the script dictated, their stomachs had started rumbling at this exact moment.
The feeling of having even their own bodies completely controlled by the script was deeply unsettling.
"Didn't you two have dinner before coming here?" Edith looked up at them, then seemed to realize something. "Don't tell me you just grabbed a few bites?"
"Well, time was a bit tight," Wu Zhaotian scratched his head. "I just bought some bread to fill my stomach."
As for Jiang Zhe, he said, "I... barely ate anything."
"That won't do," Edith set down the book. "I'll make something for you. How about some noodles? I have fresh pasta in the fridge. I'll go get it."
"Oh, no, we couldn't trouble you..." Wu Zhaotian quickly protested. "We..."
"You're my guests. It's only right that I prepare something for you. Go ahead and discuss the remaining questions. I'll handle the food."
With that, Edith went down to the kitchen on the first floor. She placed a pot on the gas stove and began boiling water.
As she passed by the window, she couldn't help but glance toward the window of the neighboring house!
Inside, it was still pitch black. Due to the angle, she couldn't see clearly. However, after hearing Qian Xiaoxue's account, Lindsay felt uneasy and paid extra attention.
From this vantage point, nothing seemed amiss. But under the kitchen light, she could faintly make out the black cloak hanging on the coat rack.
Just then, a hand rested on Edith's shoulder.
"Ah!" She immediately feigned fear, turning around to see Carol standing behind her.
The fear, of course, was an act. She had known Carol would come down. If it weren't for the performance, even if a ghost had touched her, she wouldn't have been so startled.
"Let me help you," Carol said, his expression tender as he continued his performance. "You... were scared just now?"
"A little, yes."
"You were looking outside, weren't you? Did Qian Xiaoxue's words affect you?"
Edith turned her head back toward the window. At that moment, her eyes widened in shock.
The black cloak that had been hanging on the coat rack was gone!