Working Records in a Weird World - 77

 

| WRIAWW | What Great Charm Lele | 77

Indeed, the director's calculations proved correct.

Upon announcing the supporting actress's death, the venue erupted in chaos. In an instant, camera flashes lit up the room as reporters scrambled to call their newspapers or message their editors, racing to break this sensational story first.

It was inevitable that tomorrow's headlines in Guiyi City would read:

【On Qixi Festival, Horror Film Actress Hangs Herself Mirroring Movie Death— Was it fate or is there another hidden story?】

【Qixi Nightmare! "Matchmaker" Actress Dies Mysteriously, Hanged Both On and Off Screen— Is it a Curse or Murder?】

Seeing such an enthusiastic response, the director decided to drop another bombshell: "The body is still in the restroom. Would you all like to take a look?"

Guiyi City had no media ethics prohibiting photographing corpses. The nature of this incident made it prime sensational material, and the reporters naturally couldn't resist, charging toward the restrooms with their equipment in tow.

"These NPCs are downright insane... using something like this for publicity," remarked one survivor, shaking their head in disbelief. "Squeezing every last drop of value from a dead person, that's exploitation to the extreme."

"Don't be so quick to judge," interjected a sharp-eyed A-level, noticing the lead actors' panicked expressions. "There's probably more to this story. That supporting actress's death is definitely suspicious."

Following the director, the crowd arrived at the women's restroom entrance, which had been cleared out except for a few uniformed officers.

Zong Le, who had been in Guiyi City for so long and handled countless illegal incidents but had never seen a policeman, took a few more glances when passing by, and found that the director skillfully went up to shake hands with the sheriff and handed him a cigarette, and both of them smiled.

Soon after, the police personally removed the police tape, gesturing for the crowd to enter. "Don't worry, we haven't touched the body. The forensic doctor is on the way."

"Much appreciated, Officer Wang."

With formalities settled, the director pushed the restroom door open. Sure enough, a woman's body hung from the ventilation pipe above the sinks.

Because it was the premiere, the main cast were all dressed in their costumes from the film.

The supporting actress playing the matchmaker naturally wore that fiery red dress from the scenes. But eerily enough, her limbs were densely wrapped with crimson strings at every joint, like puppet strings dangling from her sleeves and skirt hem.

The thickest of these red strings dug deeply into her pale skin, leaving dark purple bruises around her neck and wrists, it formed a striking contrast to the delicate embroidery on her costume.

A few of strings were even dripping blood. A chilling draft swept through, making the corpse sway slightly.

This scene happened to perfectly mirror the final shot of the movie, it was almost identical.

Most importantly, the angle and the way the strings were wrapped made it impossible for this to be self-inflicted, so the possibility of suicide can be ruled out first.

Yet no one present seemed to care.

Cameras frantically captured the corpse while the director passionately declared, "During filming, our supporting actress often mentioned hearing someone singing at night, sometimes hearing them sing 'The Song of Everlasting Regret', other times 'The Romance of the Western Chamber'. That’s the typical performance of an actor fully immersed in their role. After watching the film, I’m sure you were all amazed by her performance. She was quite shy when we first started, but she improved tremendously."

"Especially in the final take, there was no NG. It was shot in one-shot. The resentment and malice she portrayed were absolutely lifelike!"

The media applauded in agreement.

All of this unfolded beside a gruesomely murdered corpse, making the scene even more unsettling.

After seeing the body, several actors in the crew looked visibly disturbed. The male lead, in particular, had turned deathly pale, clearly unnerved by something.

Joshua barely glanced at the corpse in the restroom before casually striking up conversations with the main cast. Somehow, he effortlessly extracted information that other survivors had failed to uncover.

Once satisfied with filming the corpse, the director invited everyone to write live reviews.

The crowd began dispersing.

Then suddenly everything changed.

The surrounding colors faded instantly, spreading from a central point until the entire Taile Cinema was engulfed within seconds.

A Weird Domain!

None of the survivors were surprised. An A-level large-scale mission without a Weird Domain would be strange. But the center point of this one...

Soon, the absent-minded leading actress, trailing at the back, let out a piercing scream.

"What’s wrong?" The director jumped.

"Red strings!" She held up her wrist, now wrapped with a thin red string. "There’s a red string on me!"

Not just her, everyone discovered faint red strings on their wrists. Some were barely visible, like Joshua’s and Zong Le’s, while others, like Bluebeard’s and Su Yuchen’s, were glaringly bright.

The survivors fared better overall, but the main cast had darker strings, especially the director’s, which was so dark it looked black.

"Why are you suddenly making such a fuss?" The director rolled his eyes at her: "Isn't this the little easter egg we prepared for at the beginning of the movie? Everyone has a red string tied on their hands, did you forget?"

At that, the crowd relaxed, except for the survivors, who remained tense.

"Really? Did I remember it wrong..."

"Who tied this damn thing on during the movie? It was clearly added after the weird domain activated. Who are you trying to fool!"

Seeing Zong Le's confused expression, Joshua considerately lowered his voice to explain: "It's memory alteration."

"Some weird domains come with this ability, it's similar to weird walls. They alter or blur certain memories. The main effect is making illogical things seem reasonable while hiding lethal conditions within. But usually, it's not a big deal for survivors with enhanced bodies. Only NPCs with weak resistance and willpower get affected."

As expected, nearly the entire movie crew except the lead actress had fallen for it.

Everyone naturally believed these were easter eggs distributed during the premiere. Only the female lead insisted her memory wasn't wrong, but the director, wanting to calm her distress, had her agent take her away to change clothes and temporarily leave the scene.

"I see." Zong Le nodded in understanding.

While doing this, he subtly took two steps back to put some distance between himself and Joshua.

Zong Le had noticed something odd, ever since this mission started, the silver-haired bad guy behavior had become strangely different.

He helped him out inexplicably, and naturally held his hand. When he wanted to talk, he always took two steps closer and invaded his personal space. Especially when he talked in a deliberately deep voice that made people's ears itchy.

"Are you sick?" Zong Le asked curiously. "Why does your voice sound so hoarse all the time?"

Joshua: "......"

Sometimes being this oblivious wasn't a good thing, it was like winking at a blind man.

He was rarely annoyed but maintained his smile as he walked away.

The group returned to the movie theater. It was now completely transformed. A red carpet covered the center, adorned with champagne towers and exquisite pastries and fruits, turning the venue into what resembled a banquet hall.

Movie promotional posters stood nearby. Each survivor went forward to collect paper and pens for writing on-site reviews.

When Zong Le went to get his paper and pen, the director standing there suddenly went "Huh?"

"Have I met you before?"

Studying the handsome black-haired youth's striking features, long limbs, and excellent proportions, the director gradually recalled a vague memory: "That time by the roadside, I gave you my card because I thought you had great physique."

Zong Le: !!!

Cold sweat nearly broke out as he quickly waved his hands: "No way, you must have mistaken me for someone else. Look at me, with my thin arms and legs. Do I look like someone with great physique?"

The director met too many attractive people to remember clearly. If he hadn't seen him on the roadside last time and was fascinated by his skills and the simple and wild charm on him, he would not have remembered him.

Faced with Zong Le's denial, he grew uncertain: "Alright, maybe I remembered wrong."

Though upon closer inspection, this young man was quite good-looking too and very much to his taste.

The director then smoothly pulled another business card from his pocket and handed it to him with practiced ease. "I think your features are very suitable to show on the big screen. Here's my card. I'll be in dressing room number two during the reception. I happen to have a few promising roles available right now. You know what I mean, right?"

Zong Le: "......"

That sounded awfully familiar.

With mixed feelings, he accepted the card, only to turn and see Joshua holding a wine glass, smiling at him with amusement.

"You are so charming, Lele."

Zong Le startled, unsure how much of the earlier conversation Joshua had overheard. His heart pounded as he asked nervously, "How long have you been standing there?"

He even forgot to protest the overly affectionate and slightly nauseating nickname "Lele."

"Just now." Joshua's eyes curved into crescents, his silver hair glowing softly under the lights.

—Yeah, right.

He had been standing in the shadows for quite some time and stumbled upon a shocking secret. This secret could not only explain why Zong Le had appeared in Guiyi City last time despite not being on a mission, but also why he possessed such superhuman strength.

But for now, he would have to keep this incredibly thrilling and fascinating discovery to himself.

"That's good, that's good." Zong Le let out a sigh of relief before finally remembering to explain himself. "I just thought there was something off about that director and wanted to see if I could find any clues from him. That’s why I took his business card."

"You don’t need to explain anything to me. We’re not friends, after all."

Joshua shrugged, clearly still holding a grudge over Zong Le’s earlier rejection to be friends.

He had cleverly set a trap, if Zong Le pressed further, he could naturally reveal his identity as a suitor and break the ice. Otherwise, given Zong Le’s blockheadedness, who knew how long it would take for him to catch on?

But to his surprise, Zong Le’s expression suddenly brightened with realization. He clenched his right hand into a fist and smacked it against his open left palm. "You’re right. Alright then, I’ll be off."

Watching the black-haired young man’s retreating figure, Joshua took a deep breath.

Previous TOC Next

TL: Haha ML's plan backfired again