The sky, cloaked in dark clouds, resembled the depths of night. The torrential rain showed no signs of letting up, its relentless downpour accompanied by the howling winds of a typhoon. The fierce gusts rattled the windows incessantly, and the sun had long since been swallowed by the oppressive storm, leaving not a trace of its former brilliance.
Inside Room 1505, the five actors were gathered around a card game. They knew this wasn't the right moment to start investigating. But the time for action was drawing ever closer.
It was just past four in the afternoon when the doorbell rang.
Edith, who was seated closest to the door, flipped her cards face down and placed them on the table. A look of curiosity crossed her face as she stood. "Who is it? I'll go check."
She walked to the door and opened it. Standing outside was Yue Kangxiong.
"And you are…?"
Of course, Edith recognized Yue Kangxiong immediately. She'd seen his image on movie posters from his previous films.
"Forgive the intrusion, but I felt it necessary to pay you all a visit," Yue Kangxiong said, his gaze drifting past Edith into the room, scanning the faces of the actors from Hell's Thirteenth Cinema.
"And who might you be?" Carol, the male lead, stepped forward at this moment, his face a mask of confusion.
"I'm staying next door in Room 1504," Yue Kangxiong replied, pausing briefly before continuing. "My name is Yang Tieyan. I'm a long-term resident of this hotel."
"Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Mr. Yang," Carol said, though his expression remained skeptical.
"If anything happens in the next few days, feel free to come and find me," Yue Kangxiong said, gesturing toward the door of his own room. "No matter how late it is, it doesn't matter. If something… unpleasant occurs while you're staying here, you can come to me at any time. I'll be waiting."
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying something's going to happen here?"
Carol's tone grew sharper as he pressed for answers, but Yue Kangxiong only sighed softly. "I've already said what I needed to say. That's all. I'll take my leave now."
According to the original script, Carol's character, Yan Junxiong, was supposed to stand frozen in the doorway, watching as Yang Tieyan walked away. But Carol wasn't one to follow the script without question. Instead, he stepped forward, grabbed Yue Kangxiong by the arm, and demanded, "What do you mean? Explain yourself."
At the same time, he issued a trade request through the script, offering 500 Redemption Coupons in exchange for information about the Youterry Grand Hotel. The script's interface would display this offer alongside the lines, and the proposition would surface in Yue Kangxiong's mind. Carol was confident that 500 Redemption Coupons would be enough to offset any penalties Yue Kangxiong might incur for revealing the truth.
However, Yue Kangxiong shook his head. "I'm sorry. If my words don't make sense to you, just think of me as a lunatic."
Simultaneously, he used the script to reject Carol's information purchase request. It was clear—Yue Kangxiong himself was in the dark about the meaning behind his lines. Because his character "knew" the truth, he was unable to ask anyone about it to gather further context.
Carol wasn't satisfied. He needed more justification to delve into the secrets of the hotel, particularly the mysteries surrounding Room 1505. Without a solid reason, his actions could risk crossing the story's boundaries and result in an NG.
"This vague talk of yours is troubling," Carol said, raising his voice slightly. His intention was clear—if Yue Kangxiong spoke just a little more cryptically, Carol could use it as an excuse to begin his investigation.
"I have nothing more to say. Take care of yourselves."
Yue Kangxiong's grip was surprisingly strong. He wrenched free from Carol's hand, striding back into his own room and closing the door behind him. Carol could do nothing but watch. Pursuing him further, banging on his door, or causing a scene would seem unnatural and almost certainly lead to an NG.
Was what Yue Kangxiong had said enough to justify investigating the truth behind Room 1505? Would acting on this lead violate the script's restrictions? Carol weighed his options carefully.
In the original script, Yan Junxiong had dismissed Yang Tieyan's warnings entirely, paying them no heed. This was a common trait of horror film protagonists—to ignore or outright reject any forewarnings, only to inadvertently invite disaster upon themselves.
Carol, however, didn't intend to follow this trope blindly. He needed a valid reason to probe deeper into the secrets of the fifteenth floor and uncover the truth about Room 1505. The storm outside raged on, but within him, a storm of determination was brewing.
Carol was far from foolish. His thoughts were focused entirely on uncovering the secrets of this hotel. Yue Kangxiong was an actor, and it was clear he had no idea what his lines truly meant. However, the unnatural expression on the receptionist's face earlier clearly indicated that she knew the full story—the cause and effect behind everything. It was even possible that the entire hotel staff was aware of what was going on. With careful questioning, the truth could undoubtedly be unearthed.
What he needed now was an opportunity—a reason to begin asking questions.
Carol considered the situation carefully. Combining the receptionist's peculiar reaction when he had chosen this room and Yang Tieyan's cryptic warning, he realized the situation warranted some attention. However, this wasn't the right moment to act. It would be more appropriate to wait until dinner, when he could "casually" approach a few staff members and ask questions. Moreover, the script had explicitly dictated that they remain on the fifteenth floor during this time. Leaving the floor was strictly prohibited and would result in an NG.
"How strange… What could he have meant by that?" Carol muttered deliberately, speaking the lines he had prepared in advance. "Come to think of it, the receptionist's expression was odd earlier when I requested this room. Could something really be wrong? I suppose I'll ask the staff about it when we go down for dinner later."
This statement was a clear signal to the others: I already have a plan. Don't complicate things for me. If we NG, everyone suffers. No one wants to shoot the same scene twice.
"I'm curious," George chimed in, her tone casual but her words pointed. "It doesn't feel that simple."
This was a line from George's character, Wang Jiajia, rather than an improvisation.
Carol sat back down, determined to minimize the risk of an NG. After all, no one had died yet in the first act. There was no need to take unnecessary risks. Besides, with Edith—the living "ghost detector"—in their group, they wouldn't be entirely unprepared if something supernatural did appear.
Still, the card game continued half-heartedly. No one had much focus anymore.
Allen, analyzing the script for the first act, had come to some preliminary conclusions of his own. What caught his attention the most was one of Yang Tieyan's lines: I've lived here for a long time. That statement, Allen reasoned, was likely not a lie.
In some cases, business executives or company presidents might reside in hotels for extended periods due to work-related convenience. But that clearly wasn't the case in this horror film. Instead, it appeared that Yang Tieyan had long been aware of the issues surrounding Room 1505 and had chosen to remain in the hotel after the problems began. However, even Yue Kangxiong, who portrayed him, had no idea why Yang Tieyan had stayed all this time.
And what exactly was the problem with this room? Judging by the staff's behavior and Yang Tieyan's warning, the room was likely haunted. Was the hotel suppressing rumors of paranormal activity? If that were the case, and if people had died here, it would undoubtedly have caused a stir. In today's information-driven world, such incidents would be nearly impossible to conceal.
The rain outside grew heavier, and the wind howled with increasing ferocity, as though heralding the arrival of some unspeakable terror.
"I want to take a walk," Allen finally said, placing his cards down. He had decided to step out, hoping to gather some clues.
Carol shot him a sharp glare, clearly displeased with the potential disruption. An NG caused by Allen's actions would affect them all. Still, Allen was insistent, and Carol couldn't stop him.
"Where are you planning to go?" Carol asked.
"Just… around. Nowhere far."
Allen knew better than to leave the fifteenth floor. He would stay within the bounds of the script.
"I'll go with you," Edith offered, stepping forward. Since she and Allen were playing a couple in the film, it made sense for them to leave together.
"Fine. Just make sure you're back in time for dinner. The storm outside is wild—don't even think about going out."
After Carol's reminder, Allen gave a slight nod, and he and Edith left the room. Having her, a spirit medium, by his side gave him some much-needed peace of mind. He couldn't deny it—he was still too inexperienced to face these dangers alone.
Once they stepped out of the room and approached the elevator, they noticed a man sitting on a sofa nearby, smoking. The man looked up at Allen and Edith, his expression briefly betraying a hint of surprise.
Allen immediately guessed that this man was likely another actor from Hell's Eighth Cinema. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, dressed in a suit, with deeply tanned skin.
Allen led Edith over and sat down across from the man.
"Sir, are you here for vacation as well?" Allen asked casually.
The man tapped the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray on the table before responding, "No. I've been staying here for quite some time."
Just as I thought—same as Yang Tieyan!
"Do you happen to know Mr. Yang Tieyan in Room 1504? He stopped by to see us earlier."
"He came to see you?" The man glanced at them, then at the direction they had come from, before speaking again. "Don't tell me… you're staying in Room 1505?"
"Yes. Is there some connection?"
The man paused for a moment, taking a long drag from his cigarette. Then he finally said, "You're not very lucky. You'd best not stay here for the next few days."
"The next few days?" Allen latched onto the phrase immediately, his instincts kicking in. "Why? What's going to happen?"
But the man fell silent.
Allen and Edith both realized that this man wasn't going to speak freely without incentive.
Edith quickly issued a trade request through the script, offering 500 Redemption Coupons in exchange for information. The man hesitated for a moment before accepting the offer. After pocketing the coupons, he leaned forward slightly and said, "Before the night five days from now, you'd better move out."
With that, he extinguished his cigarette and left in a hurry.
Allen had been watching the man's every expression and movement. He immediately deduced that Edith's use of Redemption Coupons had prompted the disclosure of this crucial piece of information.
Five days… before the night five days from now.
What would happen before then? What horrors awaited them?