Chapter 135: Chapter 129: Slogan
"Ghost screenplay?" Yang Xiao was startled, then as though suddenly remembering, "Are you talking about that box that suddenly appeared in my house?"
Song Yan nodded, "Yes, that box. Everyone who receives the Ghost screenplay gets dragged into the Nightmare World. Only by solving the secrets in the screenplay can we return."
"I... I thought that box was a hallucination. Not long after I opened it, the box disappeared. I told my girlfriend and she didn’t believe me. We searched the entire house but couldn’t find it." Yang Xiao’s acting was comprehensive, and the fear in his eyes became increasingly real.
"Heh, it would be strange if you could find it. Also, let me remind you, people can die in this world, and if you die here, you’ll disappear in the real world." The young man in the Skull Hoodie shrugged indifferently.
The young man’s words made the newcomers even more nervous, but eventually, it was Song Yan who stood up to reassure everyone, "Don’t be afraid. Although this world is dangerous, the duration isn’t very long, generally ending after about 3 days. If we work together, we have a great chance of surviving."
Song Yan was very persuasive, especially with his scholarly demeanor and exceptional eloquence, easily garnering trust in such moments. At his suggestion, everyone began introducing themselves one by one.
Lu Ji, the young man in the Skull Hoodie, was a short video blogger focused on gaming commentary.
Tang Cui, the girl with a tattoo on her neck, claimed to be a tattoo artist.
Xiang Xiaolin, around 25 years old, wearing light makeup, with sharp eyes—Yang Xiao had noticed her earlier. She had been silent up until now, standing on the edge, seemingly wary of everyone around her, and introduced herself as a makeup artist.
Then there was Song Yan, who introduced himself as a painter, running his own gallery.
These four were veteran players.
Pei Qiuyu, almost as tall as Yang Xiao, with chiseled features and dark skin, seemingly of mixed heritage, was still just about managing to stay calm. She introduced herself as a model.
Yu Mi, the girl who was crouching and crying on the ground, with her hair in braids, looked even younger than Yang Xiao had expected when she looked up—probably just of age. She was a college student, a sophomore in the humanities.
Luo Zhaoqing, close in age to Yang Xiao, small and thin but with a disproportionately large head, severely balding, presented himself as a programmer.
These three, like Yang Xiao, all claimed to be newcomers.
"What do you do?" Song Yan asked, looking intrigued by Yang Xiao.
"I... I’m currently not working. My girlfriend has a good income, and... she loves me a lot," Yang Xiao said somewhat embarrassedly, using the fake name Chu Xi.
Lu Ji sized up Yang Xiao and whistled, squinting with a smile, "Bro, you’ve got it made. Next time find me a girlfriend like that; I don’t want to work hard either, editing videos every day is killing me."
"My girlfriend and I have true love; it’s not what you’re thinking," Yang Xiao emphasized.
"Enough, this is not important," Song Yan interrupted the pointless conversation, reminding everyone, "Everyone, you must have read this edition of the Ghost screenplay. Our roles here are as newly invited actors, coming to participate in the shooting of a film. I hope each of us remembers our role, and everything we do and say should fit our characters."
A bus was approaching in the distance, heading straight for them. As it neared, it slowed down and eventually pulled up at the platform.
Surprisingly, there was a piece of paper stuck under the windshield with ’Middle School’ written on it—it turned out to be a school bus.
"Newcomers follow the veterans, speak less, and observe more. Think thrice before any action, and try not to be alone, especially at night," Song Yan urged, speaking quickly before the bus door opened.
As soon as he finished, the door opened, and a man emerged who was neither a student nor looked like one. He wore a cap and had a stubbly beard, giving Yang Xiao and the others a quick once-over, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, "You are the actors Ms. Shengnan found?"
After receiving an affirmative response, the man in the cap sighed, his expression a mixture of disappointment, "Let me introduce myself. My surname is Ding, and I’m the director of this scene."
"Director Ding," everyone greeted.
"Mhm." Director Ding nodded once, stepping aside, "Since you’re all here, get on the bus. The production team is on board, it’s a good time to meet them."
It was only after getting on the bus that Yang Xiao realized just how shabby the production team was. The coach was large enough for dozens of passengers, but including the eight of them, it was sparsely seated. He counted carefully, and including the driver, there were only seventeen people on board.
Yang Xiao’s eyes turned to two women sitting on the right row of seats. They seemed rather odd, sitting together, both wearing thick masks and caps, and not holding any equipment or prop cases, so they didn’t seem like crew members.
Everyone was seated towards the front, while various items and sacks of something were stowed in the back.
"Director Ding, do we have other people in the production team?" Xiang Xiaolin’s voice was sweet, a stark contrast to her previously cold demeanor.
To her surprise, Director Ding frowned at her words, his mockery undisguised, "What, you think the production team is too small to be prestigious? Let me tell you in advance, these are all the people. Don’t even think about having professional costume, prop, and makeup staff—we’re not at that level."
"Director Ding, you misunderstand. That’s not what I meant," Xiang Xiaolin said swiftly, not wishing to be targeted by an NPC just as she’d entered the Nightmare World.
