On the evening of the fifth day...
Yan Junxiong, Fang Siying, and three others would be residing at the Youteli Grand Hotel for five days. That is, until the conclusion of the fifth day... Of course, lacking knowledge of the subsequent script, one cannot ascertain the precise duration of their stay; however, from the discourse of the actors from the Eighth Circle of Hell Cinema, it is largely implied.
Edith, through the script, conveyed the directive for collecting dues. The individual in question was named Yu Xin, indeed one of the actors from this Eighth Circle of Hell Cinema.
"On the night of the fifth day..." Allen displayed a profound expression of confusion, eager to probe further, yet apprehensive that such inquiries might diminish the value of the redemption ticket.
Yu Xin cast a glance at him, fully grasping his intent, and then involuntarily rubbed his thumb against his index finger several times with his left hand.
This gesture was undoubtedly a signal for additional compensation.
Allen immediately felt a twinge of dissatisfaction; he was certain that Edith had already compensated him, yet the other party still sought further benefits?
Edith glanced at him and remarked, "Luo Feng, you are taking this far too seriously. Ignore his ramblings. Let's go."
Human patience has its limits. While intelligence gathering is indeed crucial, the other party seemed excessively demanding. She was confident that the information provided was not substantial; otherwise, why had Yue Kangxiong not collected any redemption tickets previously? She was certain that Carol had offered Yue Kangxiong money. This information had not been monopolized by Yu Xin; after all, the earlier 500 redemption tickets were no small sum—some novice actors might not earn that much from an entire horror film. If Yu Xin remained unsatisfied, then Edith certainly would not be a fool to part with additional funds. Ultimately, it would require some extra effort, but why waste more money?
Upon hearing her words, Yu Xin's brows furrowed. In truth, his information was scant, but since he had it readily available, how could he not sell it to these actors from the Thirteenth Circle of Hell Cinema? He had heard that Edith, this medium, would be participating and assumed she would not be short on funds. Moreover, the appearances of some well-known figures would be transmitted through the memories of actors to others' minds for intelligence trading. Thus, he was aware of Edith's appearance. Gathering information about mediums was a crucial rule of the Twentieth Circle of Hell Cinema; not only must one not offend such individuals, but they could also rely on their protection and need to purchase information from them. However, Yu Xin was unfazed; he deliberately lingered here, waiting for the opportunity to offer them intelligence.
"You..." As Yu Xin began to utter a word, he abruptly halted. Yet, he found himself at a loss; if the other party refused to purchase the information, there was little he could do. After all, what he knew was not exclusive to him. Nevertheless, this situation risked offending the medium. He had assumed that such actors, with ample resources, would not mind spending a bit more; now, however, he felt a twinge of regret.
At that moment, someone approached from the opposite side of the corridor, causing Allen to come to an immediate stop.
Before him stood a strikingly beautiful woman with remarkably delicate features—it was Long Ni'er! She approached, gazing at Allen and Edith, then her eyes fell upon the smoking Yu Xin behind them. According to the original script, he should not have been smoking here.
She barely acknowledged Allen and Edith but instead walked towards Yu Xin and inquired, "Wen Long? What are you doing here?"
"Nothing much," Yu Xin chuckled awkwardly, "just having a smoke."
However, Long Ni'er was not convinced; she had already deduced his intentions. At this moment, she could not afford to confront him and instead said, "Smoking too much is detrimental to your health. A typhoon is approaching; you should return to your room and rest."
One must admit, seeing Long Ni'er up close accentuated her beauty, and Allen found himself captivated, stealing a few more glances. After all, merely gazing upon a beauty is quite a feast for the eyes. A few more looks surely wouldn't hurt.
Long Ni'er, of course, noticed Allen's lingering gaze but paid him no mind. Her beauty was akin to that of an idol; such reactions were entirely expected from someone like Allen. However, she had no particular feelings towards him, considering him merely an ordinary actor from the Thirteenth Circle of Hell Cinema, uncertain of his survival in this horror film. The true focus of her concern was Edith, the medium. She understood that this horror film would heavily rely on her.
After a considerable time, Allen and Edith moved away. Long Ni'er watched them depart, her mind already formulating plans. First, she needed to wait for the actors from the Thirteenth Circle of Hell Cinema to uncover what had transpired exactly a year ago and how her character, Wu Yinchun, was intertwined with it all. Subsequently, she would procure information from them. Moreover, mediums were exceptionally valuable; the mediums from the Twentieth Circle of Hell Cinema were not numerous, and their own Eighth Circle of Hell Cinema had none at all.
She was unaware of what Yu Xin had discussed with them but hoped that nothing unpleasant had transpired. Regardless, it was imperative to never offend someone like Edith.
For Allen, the current gains were sufficient. After all, there was no way to leave the fifteenth floor, so he wandered around aimlessly and returned. However, Edith seemed unperturbed, despite having some of her death tokens deducted. At least, she had gained some clues. From the current situation, it was clear that the receptionist's facial expressions were due to the room selection, as well as the timing.
Of course, even if they knew all this, they could not escape the hotel. Doing so would result in immediate disqualification. They could only leave the hotel within the confines of the script. After all, the script would likely follow the same pattern as the horror films, with the main characters refusing to believe the ghost stories and consequently falling into misfortune.
Around six o'clock, the five of them, according to the script, went down to the self-service restaurant for dinner. The storm showed no signs of abating, and the lobby was flooded with water. In the restaurant, everyone was discussing the sudden typhoon.
The typhoon was intensifying. The area around Tianming Lake was located on the higher ground of Tianming Mountain. Due to the typhoon, the road leading up the mountain was completely blocked. Even those who wished to check out were unable to leave. Thus, the plot had evolved into a stormy mountain lodge scenario.
Upon entering the restaurant, they immediately noticed that Lingni was sitting nearby, dining with Jia Kangxing.
"That's the person from before," Nathan exclaimed, "And the woman beside him, I've seen her before. She's incredibly beautiful..."
Lingni noticed Carol and the others' arrival but, as per the script, showed no significant reaction. For now, it was best to stick to the script.
"Let's not bother with them," Carol said, knowing that they would not gain much information from them.
The investigation for information began. Regardless, they needed to know what had happened in room 1505.
Meanwhile, Allen noticed that the number of diners in the restaurant had significantly decreased. Clearly, no one was coming up the mountain to stay at the hotel due to the typhoon.
They found a seat, and everyone remained relatively calm. After all, they were in a public place, and the script was in its safe period. The real danger would come at night. However, the first act would not involve any deaths.
From a distance, Jia Kangxing's gaze lingered on them briefly before he looked back at Lingni.
"The time is approaching. What should we do?" Jia Kangxing asked, reciting his line, which he did not understand.
Lingni took a bite of her meat, chewed it, and swallowed before responding, "Indeed, a year has passed. If we still cannot resolve it, the situation may worsen. Before that, we must find out who is responsible."
At that moment, she saw three more people enter the restaurant. Among them was Yu Xin, followed by two others—a forty-something man with glasses and a cane, and a young woman with twin braids, who was not exceptionally beautiful but had a pleasant appearance.
These two were also actors from the Hell's Eighth Degree Theater, named Zhang Li and Li Yuxin. Their arrival naturally caught the attention of the Hell's Thirteenth Degree Theater actors. It was likely that they were also actors from the Hell's Eighth Degree Theater.
Thus, all ten actors in the film were assembled in one place.
They sat together with Jia Kangxing and Lingni. The eldest among them, Zhang Li, placed his cane aside and said, "This typhoon came rather suddenly."
Li Yuxin sat down and looked at Lingni, "Spring, what should we do in the next few days? By the fifth night, it will be exactly a year. If... if it still doesn't work... will we die on the fifth night? I don't want to die. I really don't want to die."
Silence lingered for a long time before Lingni finally spoke, "Buck up. It's not certain that we will die. This is just our assumption. In any case..."
After finishing dinner, Carol and the others left the restaurant. Allen walked straight to the front desk. Upon reaching the front desk, he cleared his throat and asked the receptionist, "Miss, I have a question about my current room, room 1505. It seems to have some problems..."