Chapter 16: Cannot Stop

Intellect glanced at Xiao Tian and retorted, "To Hell Movie, all actors are merely ants. If ants do not unite, their chances of survival are even slimmer."

"I have my own principles. In a movie world, if I want to kill someone, I will tell them to their face; I do not stab people in the back."

"Perhaps you might scoff at that, but a principle is a principle."

"Now, I can tell you that I have never harbored any intention of killing Rouguang, nor do I intend to kill any of you, including you, Xiao Tian."

When he spoke these words, Intellect’s presence was completely different; even the robustly built Xiao Tian was overshadowed by him.

Qian Cangyi heard an air of absolute confidence in Intellect's words.

"Actually, I have wondered if you, Intellect, might have let Rouguang die on purpose. After all, she slapped you, and her tone was quite nasty. Even though that was Yan Ruoxuan’s doing, the hand that struck and the mouth that spoke both belonged to Rouguang," Ning Jing said as she took a step forward.

She paused for a few seconds before continuing, "I’m sorry, Intellect. I apologize to you."

"I once participated in a movie where I played a mother who moved to a small town with her child, but children in that town frequently went missing."

"Later, when the child went missing in the park, I searched with a few other actors and ended up in a wasteland."

"During the search, the route I took was quite remote and I was alone, so I accidentally fell into a dry well."

"The weeds around the well were very tall, and the location was quite hidden. Even though I kept calling for help, it was hard for anyone to find me."

"Eventually, my voice grew hoarse, and I was hungry, tired, and exhausted, so I could only sit in the well and look out."

"Would anyone come to save me? I didn't know. The wasteland wasn't safe either, and the other actors had no reason to risk their lives to rescue me."

"Just as I was despairing, that cry of 'Ning Jing, are you in there?' made me ecstatic. I cried and shouted 'I'm here.' I remember that feeling clearly to this day."

"So, Intellect, I want to know, did you try to save her? Perhaps Rouguang’s situation at that time was the same as mine in the dry well. If you had just lent a hand, she might have been saved."

After speaking, Ning Jing let out a long sigh, waiting for Intellect’s response.

"She turned her head and begged me to save her. I ran over and reached out my hand..." At this point, Intellect extended his right hand and grasped at the air. "But my hand passed right through her; I couldn't touch her. So, I tried to grab her body, but the body began to fade as well, turning into a phantom and being dragged into the ground."

Upon hearing this, Ning Jing bit her lower lip, her eyes brimming with moisture.

Intellect looked up at the sky and said softly, "If I had a special item capable of traversing space, perhaps I could have saved her, but I don't."

He then turned to look at the three of them and asked, "Do you?"

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, swirling the food bags on the ground.

All three shook their heads almost simultaneously.

Intellect looked at the new exit and said, "If that's the case, let’s go. Perhaps there is still a chance to save Rouguang. I remember Yan Ruoxuan said that one could make a wish to the Moon Goddess."

With that, he put on his backpack and took a step forward.

Qian Cangyi sighed softly and followed behind Intellect. He was inclined to believe him; based on his past behavior, Intellect did not seem like someone who would intentionally harm others, and it was hard to accept that someone would commit murder over a slap.

However, many news stories surfaced in his mind—in places without legal constraints, anything could happen, and human desires could be magnified infinitely.

Moreover, actors in Hell Movie lived under high-pressure environments, and not everyone could withstand it.

Xiao Tian’s words were the best proof of this; he doubted Intellect almost every moment, and this distrust had no apparent cause.

Thinking of this, he moved a little closer to Intellect.

The four of them stepped onto the exit of the dense forest; this journey was far longer than the previous one.

As time passed, the sun gradually climbed to its zenith. The path ahead suddenly opened up, but instead of the clearing with the tents, it was a long, upward-sloping stone staircase.

Qian Cangyi stopped and looked up. The stone staircase was so long that the end was not visible, and it was wide enough for ten people to walk side by side.

"Finally, we've made it out," Ning Jing remarked.

"It’s not over yet." Qian Cangyi looked down at his shadow; the cracks were becoming increasingly distinct.

The cracks in their shadows continued to serve as a warning.

"Let’s continue, hurry," Intellect said, his right foot resting on the first step as he turned to look at the three of them.

Qian Cangyi followed closely behind.

The four began to climb.

The sun shone on Qian Cangyi, but it brought him no warmth at all.

Having just entered Heifang Island, they were already facing such a dilemma; he couldn't even imagine what kind of difficulties lay ahead.

With every step, Qian Cangyi felt the soreness in his thighs, but it remained within a tolerable range and did not hinder his movement.

After about ten minutes of walking, Qian Cangyi looked back. The forest below resembled a green ocean; when the strong wind blew, the leaves swayed in unison like wheat waves.

Beyond the forest lay the real ocean.

The sunlight shone on the sea surface, shimmering like bright scales.

If one were to ignore what happened the last two nights, the beauty of Heifang Island would indeed make it a place for tourism, but in many things, there are no "ifs."

Qian Cangyi turned his head back, kept his eyes on the path ahead, and lifted his right foot once more.

Finally, the four reached the mountainside.

Just as Qian Cangyi bent over, his hands resting on his knees, he gasped at the sight before him.

Ahead of the four was a broad, open road with a reddish-black surface and a pungent odor. That in itself wasn't unusual, but lining both sides of the road were countless pale-red wooden stakes. Each stake was about 1.5 meters tall, and at the top of every single one was a human head.

Different heads were mounted on different stakes—men, women, old, and young, of all appearances.

At this moment, all the heads had their eyes closed, their faces filled with a serene expression, yet this only made the sight all the more terrifying.

"This... what kind of place is this?" Ning Jing couldn't help but swallow hard.

Qian Cangyi gripped the straps of his backpack tightly, the words "Run" and "Get out of here" echoing in his mind.

At this moment, the four stood motionless, as if any slight sound would disturb the heads before them.

Stay calm, I must stay calm.

Qian Cangyi kept reassuring himself, forcing his attention to focus on the heads.

He scanned them one by one until, suddenly, he spotted a head that stood out from the rest.

It was the head of a woman with long hair and plain features, but unlike the others, her eyes were not closed. They were wide open, and her pupils were looking directly at where the four of them stood.

"They aren't dead!" Intellect said softly.