Water Prison Trial

In Director Sun's eyes, Zhang Guangmu was merely an appendage to Seven Stars' Li Xiaoxiao.

If Wolf Fortress wanted to ride on Li Xiaoxiao's fame, it had to show her some respect.

So Director Sun, whose professional standards were far from weak, had temporarily tailored an assassin supporting role for Zhang Guangmu. It did not have much screen time and had no name, but it fit Zhang Guangmu's subconscious perfectly.

That counted as going above and beyond.

As for someone like Director Qian Yiyuan, who practically wanted to hide Zhang Guangmu away for an exclusive collaboration, that was simply too much.

In Director Sun's eyes, Director Qian was the perfect example of "treasuring one's own junk." An assassin or Death Warrior was the role best suited to Zhang Guangmu.

By a stroke of luck, Zhang Guangmu had somehow managed to make a good movie. His subconscious itself, whether in type or potential, was not particularly impressive.

The same kind of luck would be hard to find a second time.

"Judging someone by a single performance isn't advisable..."

Director Sun shook his head. A commercial smile reappeared on his face as he went to greet a formally dressed young man. "Yang Chi! You finally made it! I've been waiting here for quite some time!"

The young man opposite him wore a white suit and leather shoes, with his hair slicked back with gel. He was dressed exceptionally maturely, and not a speck of dust clung to him. With his handsome face and sharp brows and bright eyes, he was the very picture of a classic leading man.

He merely kept a stern expression at all times, making it difficult to discern his emotional changes from his face.

The young man named Yang Chi turned his head toward Director Sun and said evenly, "Director Sun, you're too kind."

Director Sun smiled and flattered him. "This film, 'Wolf Fortress,' couldn't be made without you!"

What did it mean to be mature beyond one's years?

What did it mean to conceal one's abilities?

Yang Chi was exactly that!

As a Newcomer Subconscious Actor from the previous year, Yang Chi was currently on the upswing of his career. His acting path had only just stabilized, his fanbase was highly cohesive, and he had enough popularity. Most importantly...

His subconscious type was exactly the sort Director Sun admired most!

To wait for Yang Chi's schedule, Director Sun had waited a full year!

Even in his dreams, the person Director Sun saw was Yang Chi—pressure pushed to the limit before rebounding, an eruption after enduring in silence, a single cry that shook the world! That was the extraordinary subconscious in Director Sun's heart!

Zhang Guangmu?

He could not be called worthless, but his subconscious was still only in the supporting-role tier. He was just missing that certain something.

That was what Director Sun thought, but a smile still spread across his face.

Having Zhang Guangmu serve as Yang Chi's foil would be quite good as well.

A red flower always needed green leaves to set it off!

Yang Chi did not even mention Zhang Guangmu. He got straight to the point. "I heard that Li Xiaoxiao, ranked sixth among this year's supernovas, also joined 'Wolf Fortress' at the last minute?"

After receiving confirmation, a flame called fighting spirit seemed to ignite in Yang Chi's eyes. "I'll prove that I'm no worse than any of the supernovas!"

Director Sun nodded repeatedly.

He knew that Yang Chi had happened to rank eighth the previous year, perfectly missing out on all the benefits given to the supernovas.

One step behind meant falling behind at every step.

Watching the most outstanding people of his generation take off one after another with the help of "The Path of the Great Emperor," while he could only move forward slowly like a snail, "supernova" had gradually become an obsession deep in Yang Chi's heart.

Zhang Guangmu lay down in the Infiltration Pod. As drowsiness welled up, he gradually closed his eyes. In his consciousness, a string of pale-blue fluorescent text flowed down like a waterfall.

World code verification complete...

Anchoring Film World...

Establishing Mental Link...

Virtual memories and character background construction complete...

Temporarily reshaping surface consciousness...

Infiltration successful!

When Zhang Guangmu opened his eyes again, he found himself immersed in a pitch-black Water Prison.

The cold, damp environment made every second feel unbearably long.

I was originally a helpless orphan. If not for the Fort Master's kindness, there was no way I would have survived until now in this Chaotic World!

The Fort Master has shown me kindness. I absolutely cannot disappoint him!

In this "Water Prison Trial," I must become the one who holds out until the very end!

I will definitely become the sharpest blade in the Fort Master's hand and cut down every enemy in his path!

Script Hint disguised as inner thoughts surfaced in Zhang Guangmu's mind.

Oh!

Having benefited from Li Xiaoxiao's fame and joined the production as a connected newcomer, his treatment really was different from his previous opening.

Last time, he had known from the Script Hint alone that he was cannon fodder. This time, he was clearly a supporting character with actual screen time!

The broadcaster might not give him many shots, but it was already a tremendous improvement!

Only...

Zhang Guangmu looked around and discovered quite a few young men in the Water Prison who were in the same situation as him.

Some of these people had already acted in several films, but because their films had received poor reviews or their own performances had been terrible, they were still newcomers who had not even obtained a one-star Subconscious Actor rating.

Otherwise, Zhang Guangmu, who had spent the past month lying at home binge-watching updates, would certainly have recognized them.

The Xuanlong Empire had excellent social welfare. As long as one was not unlucky enough to contract certain special illnesses, even if one did not work, wore a subconscious helmet, and stayed in a small wooden house watching films every day, one would not starve or die of thirst. One did not even need to pay the electricity bill.

Because of that, most people might not have lived in luxury, but they could hardly have experiences like Zhang Guangmu's.

Although these young men had the support of virtual memories and Script Hint guidance, they had never truly suffered.

Before long, someone chose to give up.

"It's so cold! I feel like I'm about to freeze to death!"

"Can anyone really hold out through the Water Prison Trial?"

"I give up! I want to go home!"

"Someone nearby passed out! Come quickly! If no one helps him, he'll drown!"

The young men's teeth chattered as they spoke.

In the dim dungeon, orange-yellow candlelight flickered faintly.

People wearing Wolf Bone Masks entered the Water Prison without a sound and silently carried away the failures of the "Water Prison Trial."

Seeing this, Zhang Guangmu was just about to say something encouraging to the others when the Script Hint began a new round of guidance.

These people are utterly intolerable!

The weak and incapable have no right to live!

Compared with the strong who died horribly in this Chaotic World, they do not deserve to be alive!

Zhang Guangmu blinked. He had no intention of tearing the script just yet and decided to lie low and develop first.

This situation was different from the previous one.

In this film, Zhang Guangmu's physical condition was that of a normal, healthy adult. He was only slightly stronger than an average young man, and not by much. It was impossible for him to dismantle the Water Prison with his bare hands.

Zhang Guangmu knew very well that even if he wanted to save them, he was powerless to do so. He might instead be regarded as an unstable factor, causing the Production Team to guide some character through the Script Hint and have him imprisoned to death here.

"I'm a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river—I can barely save myself..."

Thinking this, Zhang Guangmu, whose clothes were already soaked through, simply lowered his eyelids and sat cross-legged in the water.

The water in the Water Prison was not very deep. Even sitting cross-legged, it only barely reached his chest.

The most torturous thing here was mainly the low water temperature.

There was nowhere in the Water Prison to brace himself against, and the walls were damp and slick. No matter where he was, the water would rapidly carry away his body heat and cause him to go into shock.

"Fuck, it's cold!"

Zhang Guangmu sat cross-legged in the water. Before long, his heart jolted. "That damn director's not treating people like humans!"

Was this even a place fit for a human being?

To maintain his cool image and show that he was different from the others, Zhang Guangmu still wore a calm and unruffled expression, as though nothing could shake his state of mind.

At that moment, clusters of White Balls drifted over to Zhang Guangmu, excited as though Columbus had discovered the New World.

"Shou Mu Ren reporting for duty!"

"What the hell is a gravekeeper?"

"Are you all this newcomer's fans? That title's seriously cursed!"

"What do you mean, newcomer? My Cub is incredibly strong! If he hadn't taken so few roles, he'd very likely be among this year's supernovas!"

"I hate listening to people brag. Supernova, my ass—I've never even heard of him!"

"I don't really know where this poser came from, but right after the broadcaster sent me here, I knew I'd enjoy watching someone get tortured."

"This boy is pretty handsome, but he looks a little frail. I doubt he'll make it through this Water Prison Trial."

These two chapters totaled around 5,500 characters. My condition has stayed pretty decent these past few days! Keep it up! Let's strive for steady improvement!

Front-row reminder: The core of "Wolf Fortress" is completely different from that of "Endless Food Bag." You could say they're polar opposites. Interested readers can try analyzing the text, hahaha.

Thanks to Flowing Years for the 1,500-point tip!

Thanks to Where is my dried fish for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to LZHI for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to You Mingyunsheng for the 100-point tip for "Birth of a Drama Queen"!

Friends, see you tomorrow!