DipNovel Chapter 11 [On Set]
Chapter 11 [On Set]
They survived, but not completely.
A phantom pain shot through my left ankle, and a cold, sticky sensation crept up my nerves.
Lu Dan looked down at the shadows, which were even thicker than usual under the lamplight, and a self-deprecating sneer appeared on his lips: "Enjoy living together, new roommate."
The phone screen lit up and automatically downloaded an app called "Film Set," whose icon itself exuded an ominous aura. The interface then popped up.
The interface is extremely simple, with black background and white text, without any fancy design, exuding a cold indifference that suggests life and death.
[Personal Center] [ID: Lu Dan (Passerby A)]
[Level: Trainee Editor (1/5 sessions)]
[Remuneration (points): 300 points]
[Current Production Team: Faceless Writer]
Lu Dan's finger hovered over "300 points" for a moment before he opened the forum.
After browsing some of the pinned posts, he discovered that what is just a string of numbers to ordinary people is life on set.
A newcomer's minimum guarantee for a script is 100 points. Even if they work their butt off to finish a script, it's only enough to buy a one-time life-saving service.
He clicked on the item shop next to him, and a dazzling array of goods instantly filled the screen:
[Disposable Substitute Paper Doll (Low Quality): Can withstand one fatal supernatural attack in scenarios below B-grade. Price: 100 points.]
[Yin-Yang Eyes (Temporary Version): 10-minute duration, 50 points.]
[Corpse Oil Candle: Burning in a maze-like environment can guide you to safety. Price: 80 points.]
The social bubble in the bottom right corner of the app popped up.
[Friend request.]
A genius screenwriter who can't be a good actor isn't a good cook.
[Request to add you as a friend.]
[P.S.: I'm Lin Xiaoxiao. Designer Lu, shall we chat?]
Lu Dan clicked "accept," and a chat window popped up immediately. Lin Xiaoxiao replied quickly, clearly having been watching the phone the whole time.
Lin Xiaoxiao: [I survived. When we were settling the accounts just now, I thought I was going to die in that black hole.]
Lu Dan: [Where is Master Zhang?]
Lin Xiaoxiao: [No such person found. I searched the forums, and there's no such person in the real world. That old man was just data left over from the first playthrough, a pure NPC. He was reset or erased when the scenario ended.]
Lu Dan stared at the screen, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.
Perhaps in the eyes of a higher-dimensional "audience," he and Lin Xiaoxiao are nothing more than slightly more advanced data.
Lu Dan: [Let's get down to business. How much do you know about this film set?]
Lin Xiaoxiao sent me a picture.
Lin Xiaoxiao: [The industry we're in has a strict hierarchy, from lowest to highest: trainee screenwriter, full-time editor, senior editor, top-tier screenwriter, and then the legendary master screenwriter.]
Lin Xiaoxiao: [Including this one, I've completed four scripts in total. One more is needed to be promoted to a full-fledged screenwriter.]
Lu Dan lit a cigarette; the nicotine slightly eased his tense nerves.
Lin Xiaoxiao: [There's something even more important. The system has assigned us to the same production team—the Faceless Writers. This means we'll most likely be tied together for the upcoming scripts. The Faceless girl on the rooftop is probably the manager of this team, or some kind of high-ranking being.]
Lu Dan recalled the little girl in the red dress on the rooftop who rewrote the ending with chalk.
The screenwriter seems quite interested in this kind of extra who's good at exploiting loopholes.
Lin Xiaoxiao: [7 days. We only have 7 days to rest. If we don't enter the script after 7 days, we'll be forcibly eliminated. Lu Dan, don't waste your points. Go check the forum for guides and buy some useful items. You might not be so lucky next time.]
Lu Dan: [Okay, talk to you later.]
After ending the conversation, Lu Dan did not rush to browse the forum.
His gaze fell on the postcard soaked in coffee.
The ordinary clown that was originally depicted has now undergone a bizarre transformation.
His posture has become even more contorted and comical, standing on one leg with the other hand raised high, holding a bright red high heel.
Lu Dan reached out his hand, and the moment his fingertips touched the card, a burning sensation instantly spread through him.
The card flipped automatically, revealing lines of charred text on its previously blank back.
The first act of the performance did not end satisfactorily.
[Given your outstanding ability to cause trouble in Qingyun Old Building and your profound understanding of the character of Passerby A, the production team has arranged a new appointment for you.]
[Script loading...]
[Title: The Abandoned School Building] [Genre: School Fantasy/Rules-Based]
[Character Bound to: Night Shift Security Guard]
[Character Salary: 150 base salary plus performance bonus]
[Synopsis: Chengde Private Middle School is a prestigious boarding school with an extremely high college entrance examination pass rate, but after lights out at 11 pm every night, it transforms into another world.]
As a newly hired night shift security guard, your duties are simple—patrol the teaching building every hour with a flashlight.
Remember, no matter what you hear reading aloud, or how many students are in a classroom, do not go in.
[Because Chengde Middle School was closed down three years ago, there are no living people here.]
[6 days and 23 hours until the performance.]
"security guard......"
Lu Dan toyed with the card in his hand. "Last time it was delivering takeout, this time it's guarding the gate. Does this system have some kind of misunderstanding about me? Why does it always assign me this kind of hard labor?"
But then he thought to himself, "Security guards are good."
Security guards in horror movies usually meet one of two fates: the first is that they hear strange noises within the first 5 minutes, go to investigate, and are then dragged away by monsters and sacrificed; the second is that they remain hidden in the security room and sleep soundly until the main characters are all dead, at which point they wake up and call the police.
The system had clearly assigned him the first option, but Lu Dan insisted on choosing the second.
He stood up, walked to the window, and saw the city lights shining brightly, with cars and people bustling about, a scene of peace and tranquility.
No one knows that beneath this glamorous facade, unspeakable undercurrents are surging, much like those on a film set.
Everyone walking on the street might receive this damned invitation the next second and become a piece of rotten flesh in the script.
Lu Dan took out his phone and entered the name "Chengde Middle School" into the search engine.
The webpage redirected and displayed a deluge of news articles:
Cradle of Genius or Hell? Unveiling the Secrets of the Mass Hysteria Incident at Chengde Middle School
The Sound of Reading at Night: A Visit to a Ghost School Abandoned for Three Years
Shocking! Famous paranormal livestreamer goes deep into Chengde high school, livestream interrupted and still missing.
The background of this script is obviously more complex than the previous one. The previous one was simply about vengeful spirits seeking revenge, but this time, it seems to involve some kind of collective curse.
Rule-based fantasy is a genre that designers both love and hate, because rules mean restrictions, but also loopholes.
Lu Dan reopened the store interface, this time with a clear objective.
[Skill: Night Owl (Beginner)]
[Effect: Significantly enhances nighttime visual acuity and slightly improves agility; reduces personal visibility in the dark by 10%.]
[Price: 250 points]
This is a useless skill for some main characters, but for Lu Dan, who can only play the role of a background character to the extreme, it is a god-like skill.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pressed the buy button, and his account balance instantly shrank to a pitiful 50 points.
Lu Dan immediately felt a cool sensation in his eyes, as if he had been given peppermint eye drops.
He turned off the light, but the darkness did not engulf his vision; instead, it made everything around him clearer and more layered.
He could even see the spider weaving its web in the corner of the wall.
as well as......
On the table lay a Joker card. Besides the plot summary, a tiny, crooked line of text had appeared on the back: "Don't turn around, even if someone calls your name, even if someone taps you on the shoulder. A security guard's job is to patrol, not to turn around."