The Haunted Cinema

Time passed, each second heavy with a sense of impending doom.

As the hour of the film's release drew nearer, Allen stood in his room, taking a shower to rouse himself, clearing his mind and awakening his senses. He also carefully hid the remaining three talismans on his person.

Staring into the mirror, he took two deep breaths and murmured to himself, "I will not die. I cannot die! I absolutely will not die!"

At last, his fists clenched tight, and he felt a cold, unwavering calm wash over him.

When he arrived at the theater, many had already gathered—Julian, Edith, Nathan, and Martin were all present.

Hank, Cheryl, and Ivan had arrived early as well.

As Allen approached, he saw Julian still speaking earnestly to Hank. Though Hank appeared to have only the one severed finger, Allen suspected that he had more tricks hidden up his sleeve, tricks he had yet to reveal. But Allen knew that, like Julian, Hank would never abandon his comrades. Hank had even said, when the time came, Allen should follow his lead.

At that moment, Allen's gaze landed on Martin. This could be their final meeting. Although they had known each other for a short time, they had shared a life-and-death experience together. Moreover, Allen felt a strong connection to her, and her earlier words had left a deep impression on him.

He walked toward her, and upon reaching her side, he began, "I…"

But in that instant, words seemed to fail him.

Martin regarded him silently, not speaking.

"Never mind," Allen said finally, shaking off his hesitation. "I will make it back alive! This is not goodbye. We'll talk when I return!"

Martin met his gaze and gave a slight nod.

Then, Allen followed Hank and the others into the theater.

"Just pick any seat," Hank told Allen. "It doesn't matter where. You can sit together or apart—it's all the same. Allen, are you nervous?"

"Not really," Allen replied, his face composed. He knew that the more nervous he became, the more likely he was to make a mistake. In moments like this, calmness was essential.

He chose to sit with Hank in two seats in the 16th row, while Cheryl and Ivan each sat in separate spots.

Then, the door to the theater closed. The dim lighting faded to black, and, just seconds before the movie began, all lights went out.

The entire theater was plunged into darkness.

And finally, the screen flickered to life!

As the film began, four enormous blood-red characters slowly emerged on the dark screen.

"The Locked Room"

Then, the screen… transformed, resembling a 3D movie. It began to consume everyone's attention as the four blood-red characters gradually emerged, seemingly pulling closer, inch by inch…

Soon, that blood-red hue overtook Allen's entire vision.

In the next instant…

He snapped back to reality.

This place…

Was an internet café.

Yet, everything around him was frozen in time. Numerous people were browsing the web, appearing to be immersed in a typical summer day, most of them dressed in short sleeves. Allen, too, found himself wearing a casual short-sleeved shirt. Of course, the soul-binding talisman was still securely tucked on him.

Before long, the ambient noise of the café returned.

On the screen in front of Allen, a job-seeking website was open.

The first scene of the script flooded into Allen's mind. However, his lines were minimal. He… was still just a supporting character. The total number of Redemption Tickets was even fewer than last time, a mere 150.

But he quickly settled into his role. The character he played was named Zhang Hua, an utterly ordinary name. He was a jobless drifter, currently searching online for work. Given his education, finding a permanent position was nearly impossible, so he decided to try for temporary employment.

Following the script's instructions, he clicked on one of the job listings.

"Temporary Caretaker Wanted

Location: XX Road, Binhai District, Coastal City

Dates: July 1–3, 2012

Job Responsibilities: Care for a person with mental disorders

Salary: 100,000 yuan per day."

"What? Did they add two extra zeros?" Allen exclaimed with disbelief, "How can it be so high?"

Upon uttering this line… his scene was over. After all, his role was merely a supporting thread woven into the main plot, which centered around the protagonist, Hank.

What Allen had to do next was simple—accept the job. And this was the red-line portion, meaning even with Redemption Tickets, he could not violate the script. Of course, this was already expected.

Recalling Hank's words, he fully immersed himself into the character…

Fully immersed!

Then, Allen began to speak his own scripted lines, as this period of the story was a blank slate. As long as his actions flowed logically with the next parts of the script, there would be no penalty on his Redemption Tickets.

"How can the pay be so high for a job caring for a mentally ill person? There's got to be something fishy about it…"

He continued reading.

"Requirements: Male or female, aged between 18-30, 4-7 people needed.

Contact number: XXXXXXXXXX"

Allen took out his phone, snapped a picture of the webpage, and quickly closed the tab.

Then, he left the internet café.

He knew where he was staying; some of the basic information would be provided in the script. After all, this wasn't like last time, when he found himself in a desolate mountain range with very little character detail.

Stepping out of the internet café, he looked around. Towering skyscrapers surrounded him. Vehicles flowed endlessly along the streets, while countless pedestrians passed him by.

This place…

Was the world of a horror film.

The Horror Bus, set in the deep mountains, had not felt as real. But here, everything seemed unmistakably authentic—the people passing by were alive, and this world felt tangible. And yet, they were all living in a movie.

Allen knew they couldn't be actors. Was this a real world, or a vast studio set? His mind involuntarily drifted to the classic film The Truman Show.

However, Allen knew that his purpose in this world was merely to participate in the making of a horror film. As for anything beyond that... it was not his concern.

Nevertheless, after spending so many days in the oppressive and isolated realm of the Ghost Cinema, returning to the familiar sights of the city felt almost like stepping back into reality.

Allen lifted his feet, merging with the bustling crowd, and followed the directions provided by the script to reach Zhang Hua's residence.

Zhang Hua, at twenty-four, still lived with his parents. With low academic qualifications and no work experience, and without any relatives who could leverage connections, he had remained unemployed at home. This strange job offer, however, promised an astounding salary of three hundred thousand yuan if successfully accepted! For someone with no career prospects, the temptation was undeniable.

"Hm, should I take this job?"

Allen hesitated, muttering to himself, "Although it seems rather odd, maybe the employer is rich enough not to care about the expense... But no, that's strange. For such a large sum, hiring a caretaker would be more than enough. Why would they need so many people? Something doesn't add up. Will they really pay such a high salary?"

Before he knew it, he had arrived at his doorstep.

It was an old apartment building, and his home was in Room 302.

At this moment, his parents were not home. He pulled out his keys, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

According to the script, today was June 28th. In just two days, he would have to decide whether to take the job. The job posting clearly stated that the deadline for applications was June 30th, and applicants were expected to arrive that very night.

Once inside, he shut the door behind him and immediately noticed a photograph resting on a table. In the photo were himself and two middle-aged individuals—a man and a woman—standing together.

However, Allen was certain he had never taken this photo, nor did he recognize the couple in the picture. He could only surmise that they were Zhang Hua's parents. The photo appeared completely unretouched, and in it, he smiled with a look of sheer joy.

This world, it seemed, held the genuine past of Zhang Hua.

At that moment, the script's focus shifted to Hank.

"Are you serious? Such a high pay?" Hank's character, Liu Haiping, was currently sitting in a university dorm room. At twenty-four, Hank wasn't unfamiliar with playing the role of a college student. He was currently browsing through the same job listing Allen had seen earlier.

From the very start, they had all split up. They wouldn't reconvene until June 30th.

This time apart allowed them to investigate the details surrounding the job. However, Hank knew from experience that in mystery horror films, uncovering any clues during the early stages was rare. Reaching into his pocket, he felt his trump card… the severed finger, still in his possession.

Cheryl, Tian Bai, and the newcomer Allen...

The first act of the script had already been given. But soon, they would enter a void in the narrative. These next two days were unlikely to bring any horrifying events, allowing them to pass without much incident. And then... it would all begin.

Time passed quickly, and by evening...

Allen heard the sound of keys turning in the lock. The door swung open, and the middle-aged woman from the photograph entered, carrying several bags of groceries.

"Ah Hua! I bought your favorite mandarin fish today!" The woman smiled at Allen as he emerged from the bedroom. "Look, the fish is fresh!"

It seemed as though a person named Zhang Hua had truly existed in this world before.

"Mom, let me help you with the groceries."

Allen's heart ached as he saw the woman, and he rushed over to take the bags from her, one of which contained a live mandarin fish.

A short time later, the man from the photograph, Zhang Hua's father, returned home. He wore glasses, his face was covered in a thick beard, and he carried several newspapers.

"Dad, you're home," Allen said with a smile.

"Mm." Zhang's father was stiff and formal, setting down the newspapers before sitting in the living room to read.

Soon, Zhang Hua's mother finished preparing dinner. The three of them sat down to eat, and his parents began to chat about various family matters. Allen also joined in, discussing other random topics, before finally saying, "Dad, Mom, I… I'd like to travel with some friends for three days in July."

His father furrowed his brow. "Travel? You've been out of school for so long and still haven't found a job, and you want to go on vacation?"

"Dad, precisely because I haven't found a job yet, I think I need a break… to relax."

The job posting required applicants to stay on-site for three days, with no option to return home.

"Hmph… You're so lazy! Do as you wish!"

His mother laughed good-naturedly. "It's good for you to get out and see the world."

Allen quickly grabbed the yellow wine bottle from the table and poured his father a drink. "Thanks, Dad. I'll buy you a gift when I come back."

With three hundred thousand yuan, there was no shortage of gifts, and Allen thought this line was perfectly reasonable.

Everything... would unfold on June 30th!