The Haunted Cinema

At this moment, the dining hall buzzed with conversations about the release schedule of the new horror films. Much of the discussion centered around Job, while Donna, the lead actress of Room 1404, garnered little expectation or hope from anyone. Instead, most were focused on acquiring cursed artifacts from the deceased in these films to ensure a smoother journey through Ghost Festival 3.

The difficulty of Ghost Festival 3 was unparalleled, even among the most terrifying films in the Ghost Cinema. Such a horror film rarely included new actors and often required collaboration with performers from other cinemas. In these films, curses struck without warning, and what seemed like ordinary conversations could be abruptly interrupted by gruesome deaths. Victims often didn't even realize they had perished. For Allen, with his meager survival skills, entering such a film would mean near-certain death.

Soon, the cast of The Confined Room—Hank, Ivan, Cheryl, and Allen—gathered in a private booth within the dining hall. The secluded space was ideal for a meeting.

"Allen," Hank began, showing particular concern for the newcomer, "listen carefully. While The Confined Room is considered a low-difficulty horror film, you absolutely cannot let your guard down. Your survival skills are still too underdeveloped, and your stock of death redemption tickets is woefully inadequate. Once inside, unless the script or an unavoidable situation dictates otherwise, you must stick close to me. If that's not possible, stay with either Tianbai or Cheryl. Both have far more experience than you."

"I understand," Allen replied humbly. He was well aware of his inexperience and knew he couldn't compare himself to these seasoned veterans.

Promotional posters for The Confined Room had already appeared, though their numbers were sparse and their designs largely similar. Each poster depicted a tightly shut door, with the unknown lurking beyond. The film's synopsis, while relatively detailed, outlined the main plot and provided an idea of what lay ahead.

"This is a classic suspense horror film," Hank explained with the air of a seasoned expert. "Such films dominate the cinema's repertoire. Their defining trait is the complexity of their puzzles, often making them difficult to unravel. Moreover, they tend to expand upon the original script unpredictably. While we can't know exactly what will happen, it's clear that in a confined villa like this, it's better to spend a few more redemption tickets and avoid splitting up. Never act alone, no matter how confident you are in your survival skills. Delia's death serves as a harsh reminder—never underestimate low-difficulty films!"

"Is that really necessary?" Ivan interjected, his expression one of dissatisfaction. "Wasting redemption tickets for this? Allen's a rookie—of course, he should stick with you. But the rest of us? No way! I get that Ghost Festival 3 is coming up and that you're anxious, Hank, but you don't need to be so uptight about it."

Though Hank was a seasoned performer, his authority didn't quite match that of figures like Julian or White Edith.

Cheryl echoed Ivan's sentiment. "Exactly. You should understand, Hank, that prioritizing safety above all else might let you survive, but it will leave you with a pitifully small number of redemption tickets. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Without taking risks, it's impossible to accumulate more tickets. And you know as well as anyone that only by holding enough redemption tickets can we truly enhance our chances of survival."

Hank was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long pause, he finally said, "Fine, suit yourselves. Your lives are your own responsibility. I won't force you. But Allen, you should stick with me as much as possible."

"I understand, sir," Allen replied, his respect for Hank growing even stronger.

Hank continued, "Also, since we're entering the horror film right before Ghost Festival 3 premieres, borrowing cursed items from others is out of the question. Losing them in the film would be a huge blow to me. You all know this is likely the final installment of the Ghost Festival series, which means... ensuring that all the participants survive will be exceedingly difficult."

As soon as these words left his lips, a heavy silence fell over the group.

Everyone was aware of the risks; it was an unspoken reality. Each horror film came with significant dangers. For actors with formidable survival tools, complete survival wasn't impossible. However, for high-difficulty horror films, entering without sufficient preparation or means often led to the worst-case scenario: total annihilation.

Thus, everyone spared no effort in their preparations. Borrowing cursed items from other actors was now unthinkable, especially with Delia's recent death serving as a grim reminder.

Allen had a basic understanding of the cursed items belonging to Hank, Ivan, and Cheryl. Among them, Hank undoubtedly possessed the strongest survival tools. His most powerful cursed item was a severed finger acquired from a previous horror film. If blood dripped from the nail of that finger, it would emit a potent curse, repelling any "unclean entities." However, the curse also posed a risk to Hank himself, so the finger could only be used for ten seconds at most. Any longer, and the curse would turn against him, leading to his own untimely demise.

As for Ivan and Cheryl, Allen hadn't yet learned much about their cursed items.

"Pardon me, seniors," Allen humbly addressed Ivan and Cheryl, "but may I ask about your respective cursed items?"

"That's the proper way to address us," Cheryl said with a satisfied smile. "My cursed item... is a painting."

"Well, that's rich," Ivan muttered under his breath. "Everyone knows you took it off a dead actor."

"And what of it? You, Ivan, weren't above borrowing cursed items from others in the past!" Cheryl retorted nonchalantly. "Yes, it's a cursed painting I acquired from a horror film titled..."

The group continued discussing their strategies and precautions. Aside from Hank's specific instructions for Allen to stay close to him, they also agreed to assist the other newcomers as much as possible within their capabilities. The film featured seven supporting workers, while their group consisted of four people, meaning the remaining three were undoubtedly novices.

"Finally, Allen, let's talk about the issue of NG. You were lucky not to encounter it in the last film," Hank said, bringing up a topic that had been lingering in Allen's mind for days.

NG—or "no good"—was originally a film industry term for mistakes like missed lines or poor performance. In real horror films, minor deviations from the script usually only resulted in a slight deduction of survival coupons. However, crossing the narrative's fundamental boundaries would trigger NG.

"First, let me explain: there are two types of NG," Hank began. "One is accidental NG, and the other is deliberate NG. Let's start with the latter. If an actor is driven to a desperate situation—out of survival tools and on the verge of death—they might choose to trigger deliberate NG to force a reshoot. This way, even an actor who has already died in that scene can be revived."

Allen, who had speculated about the possibility of NG reviving actors, remained composed and asked, "But surely the cost of deliberate NG must be extremely high. Otherwise, it would be the ultimate survival tool, wouldn't it?"

"Exactly. While NG is limited to three instances per actor, just one instance comes at a steep price. A deliberate NG deducts ten times the fixed payout for that film. For example, if the payout is 500 survival coupons, you'd lose 5,000. Even Julian doesn't have that many coupons! Such an astronomical cost makes deliberate NG practically unfeasible. Even if you had enough coupons, you'd be reluctant to spend them unless it was a matter of life and death."

Five thousand coupons—half the amount required for ultimate escape. For films with higher payouts, the tenfold penalty would be even more devastating. A deliberate NG might save a life, but the actor would likely die afterward due to a negative coupon balance.

"Now, let's discuss accidental NG. If it's purely unintentional, each NG deducts three times the film's payout. Using the same example, that would be 1,500 survival coupons—still a significant number. For actors with fewer resources, even that could be unaffordable. Do you understand the circumstances that can lead to NG?"

"Yes," Allen said, though his understanding was still somewhat vague. "It's crucial to act according to the character's logic to avoid NG."

"Precisely. For instance, if your character knows there's a ghost in the room, but another actor playing your family member is inside, and you flee out of fear... that's a violation of the character's behavior logic. Such an action doesn't just result in a deduction; it triggers an NG. In horror films, you're not merely playing a role—you are the character. You must embody their thoughts and feelings completely. Only then can you avoid NG."