Chapter 41: Fans' Gifts
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Just now, Qian Cangyi checked the option for carrying a special prop slot, which cost 10 cast credits, leaving him with 30 cast credits—far from enough to purchase the Mind-Soothing Pill.
"The usage restrictions for the Mind-Soothing Pill are quite strict. Even if I were to buy something, I should go for a special prop with a broader application range, like the First-Aid Spray. Of course, the First-Aid Spray might require more cast credits, but its cost-effectiveness is also much higher. Besides, I wonder if I can obtain special props from within the film worlds. If so, I could save my cast credits entirely, and who knows, special props acquired inside the film worlds might even be more powerful."
Qian Cangyi felt a tinge of regret. In truth, had he possessed enough cast credits, he would have still wanted to exchange them for the Mind-Soothing Pill. After all, no one knew how long they would live, and dying with unspent cast credits always left one feeling cheated.
The items added to the cast credit exchange counter were scarce, numbering just one or two.
Before long, Qian Cangyi shifted his gaze to the third email—the one titled "System Upgrade Notice."
The background of the email was a temple deep within a mountain range. Above the temple, dark clouds churned, carrying the imposing momentum of heavy clouds threatening to crush the city.
[To enhance communication among actors during non-performance periods, the system is now undergoing an upgrade. Duration: two weeks.]
The content of the notice was brief, yet the amount of information packed within it was substantial.
"Enhancing communication during non-performance periods? Could this mean forming teams in the future?"
"Even if teaming up isn't possible, exchanging techniques and insights, or even just receiving psychological counseling—such as how to adapt to the changes in real life—would be of immense help."
A sense of anticipation stirred within Qian Cangyi.
"Two weeks. I should seize the time to train, especially in climbing. If I had been able to climb to the top of the spiral stairs alone back then, perhaps I wouldn't have been caught by the Moon God at all."
Qian Cangyi’s expression grew serious, his gaze resolute.
At that moment, a new email appeared in his inbox, bearing the subject line: "A Gift from a Fan."
A gift from a fan?
Qian Cangyi was quite surprised; he had not expected fans to actually exist within Hell Movie.
He moved his cursor and clicked on the email.
The content pane shifted, displaying a backdrop of the eerie sights of Hefang Island, followed by a video that slowly materialized.
Qian Cangyi moved his cursor to click the play button, and the next second, the melodious sound of a violin drifted from the speakers.
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In the center of the video, a pair of book title brackets slowly emerged from the darkness, inside of which appeared the characters for "Hefang."
The scene began to shift as line sketches of five actors surfaced from the darkness. Each person's likeness was drawn with considerable detail, highlighting their key traits.
Master Mind stood right in the center of the five, slightly lowering his head, his right middle finger resting against the bridge of his glasses as he pushed them up.
Qian Cangyi and Ningjing stood to the left and right of Master Mind respectively, both raising their heads with their gazes fixed straight ahead.
Xiao Tian and Rouguang stood beside Qian Cangyi and Ningjing. Their profiles were turned toward the camera, and like Master Mind, they kept their heads lowered.
This frame froze for five seconds. Then, the figures in the drawing gradually faded. A crimson blood moon appeared in the upper right corner of the video, while in the lower left corner, a black sightseeing boat slowly drifted into view across water reflecting a red glow.
This exact scene depicted the five actors arriving on the island.
Two seconds later, the imagery shifted once again.
On a beach shrouded by the blood moon, the five actors participating in the film lay inside their respective tents—the tents rendered merely as wireframe skeletons. Suddenly, a black shadow holding its own severed head slowly materialized beside the five of them.
The scene within the video shifted once more. The five sat conversing in a clearing amidst the dense forest, with five tents facing five different exits. Notably, inside the backpacks resting beside each of the five, a corresponding severed head was drawn, and a hint of crimson had also crept into the dark eyes of all five people.
The tempo of the violin suddenly turned heavy.
The perspective rotated, revealing the staircase leading up to the palace, followed by the figures of the five. Four of them stepped onto the stairs, preparing to advance, but Rouguang stood at the base of the stairs, quite a distance away from the other four, facing away from them and straight toward the camera.
The next image appeared: the five had been reduced to four. Ahead of the four lay a path extending to the palace entrance, both sides of it densely lined with countless blood-stained stakes, atop which various human heads were painted.
The previous imagery gradually faded as a new scene slowly surfaced.
Two parallel spiral staircases occupied the majority of the screen. Qian Cangyi and Ningjing stood upside down on the underside of the upper spiral staircase, while Master Mind and Xiao Tian stood on the top surface of the lower spiral staircase—except that Xiao Tian's body did not match his head at all, appearing much taller.
The next second, blood tears streamed from Xiao Tian's head.
By now, the sound of the violin was growing softer and softer.
The imagery continued to transform.
A thin line split the screen down the middle. On the left were the figures of Qian Cangyi and Ningjing as they stepped into the lunar phase doorframe. The color palette was dim, yet color remained visible. On the right was the figure of Master Mind, lying upon the path covered in blood-stained stakes; aside from the crimson blood moon in the sky, every object and person was rendered in monochrome black and white.
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Subsequently, the imagery on the right side expanded to fill the entire screen.
Master Mind sat at the palace entrance, accompanied by a figure whose appearance and build were identical to his own.
The lower half of this figure's body was blurred and indistinct, and its feet did not touch the ground. Then, the figure slowly raised its head, gazing at the crimson blood moon in the sky with a calm expression.
The thin dividing line reappeared, splitting the screen into left and right halves once again.
On the left, Master Mind and Ningjing stood together in the forest clearing, a downward-leading abyss before them. However, this time, Ningjing was in full color while Master Mind was rendered in black and white.
On the right, Qian Cangyi stood before the red Moon God with an astonished expression, followed by the appearance of a red line across his neck.
The next second, both images began shifting rapidly at the same time, the frame rate spiking instantly.
On the left, Master Mind and Ningjing stood before the Moon God Altar—Ningjing in front, Master Mind behind. Ningjing was tilting her head up to gaze at the Moon God atop the towering structure, her expression pious.
Shortly after, two black figures stepped out from their respective bodies, though Master Mind's body remained strictly black and white.
"Are they making a wish? So that's how it is. My previous guess was correct; I just never expected the Moon God Altar to be located underground." Qian Cangyi watched, utterly absorbed.
Subsequently, Master Mind and Ningjing passed through the Moon God Altar and walked toward the lunar phase doorframe situated directly behind it.
On the right side of the screen, Qian Cangyi's head and body severed and flew apart, tumbling down into the large pit.
Following that, the imagery on the left claimed the entire screen. Master Mind and Ningjing stood before the lunar phase doorframe on the spiral staircase, appearing to argue.
The sound of the violin had vanished entirely, yet human voices now emerged from the speakers.
"Sometimes, I feel that this world is simply too unfair to someone like me."
Qian Cangyi recognized the owner of the voice; it belonged precisely to Master Mind.
"Being chosen as actors in Hell Movie is a misfortune in itself, and the most unfortunate part of that misfortune is—losing one's humanity."
"After losing our humanity, are we still human? I want to change this situation. I don't want to have to be on guard against humans who share the same misfortune while inside a hellish movie."
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