"Give yourself a name..."
Zhang Guangmu spoke calmly, as if recounting someone else's story. "I dwell in darkness, yet my heart yearns for the light."
"I long to bathe in radiance and live beneath the sun like everyone else, instead of walking forever through the darkness."
"I want to become light as well, illuminating the world."
The Shou Mu Ren in the White Ball gradually grew excited. They had already been preparing to flood the screen with comments when Zhang Guangmu blurted out, "So, you can call me Tian Guang!"
Originally, Zhang Guangmu had planned to be more straightforward and simply give himself the stage name "Long Aotian." But after thinking it over, he decided to lie low and develop for a while, acting a little more honestly.
After all, Director Sun seemed like a sinister old schemer at a glance. If Zhang Guangmu stole too much attention here, the other man might use a Script Hint to swiftly eliminate him.
The basic World Setting of "Wolf Fortress" differed from that of "Endless Food Bag." It did not come with built-in "super recovery," and Zhang Guangmu currently lacked the capital to run wild everywhere. He still needed to keep a low profile and develop for a while.
As for the name Tian Guang, the ordinary viewers did not find anything wrong with it. They only felt that Zhang Guangmu's chuunibyou sickness had penetrated deep into his bones and marrow, perfectly embedding itself in the deepest reaches of his subconscious. He could already be diagnosed with "chuunibyou cancer."
In the eyes of most viewers, the most exciting part of this plot segment was the confrontation between Zhang Guangmu and Lin Xuan. Everything else was merely filler.
At most, it was a little Extra called Zhang Guangmu getting a name and evolving into a minor supporting character.
But when Zhang Guangmu's fans heard the first half, their expectations soared. They were waiting for him to name himself "Zhang Guangmu" or "Guang Mu."
And then...
The facts proved that keeping up with Zhang Guangmu's train of thought was indeed a considerable challenge.
"Tian Guang."
Lin Xuan furrowed his brow deeply and gave two explanations in an instant. "The radiance in the sky? Or... 'The Light of Natural Wisdom'?"
He sized Zhang Guangmu up and down, realizing that the man before him might not be merely a simple-minded fool.
That made sense.
If Zhang Guangmu were a pure fool, he could never have become a Wolf Rider, much less obtained such a powerful "other half."
At that moment, Lin Xuan belatedly realized something. "Wait!"
"You were an orphan adopted by Father, and now you've become a Wolf Rider, so..."
He looked at Zhang Guangmu as if he had seen a ghost. "You're the 'Companion Slayer' who emerged victorious from this year's Water Prison Trial?"
The title "Companion Slayer" did not sound very pleasant, but those five simple words clearly and completely depicted Zhang Guangmu's achievements upon his debut.
When Zhang Guangmu had previously said that his hands were covered in blood, Lin Xuan had thought he was bragging nonsense.
But thinking back now...
Perhaps he had not been exaggerating at all. Everything he said had been true!
Hearing that nickname, Zhang Guangmu could not help wanting to complain.
"Companion Slayer? How long has it even been..."
Did the actors recruited by the "Wolf Fortress" Production Team all possess some hidden gossip-related trait?
He had merely killed in self-defense, striking back at someone who had tried to kill him, hadn't he?
Zhang Guangmu muttered the new title under his breath, speaking as if to himself. "It feels a little undeserved. I'm unworthy of this title..."
"Should I find a chance to kill a few more people in the future?"
This was not pure nonsense. There really was a "future."
When he signed the contract, Zhang Guangmu had learned that the entire filming period for "Wolf Fortress" would consume roughly three days of Real World time.
Although the entire process would not exceed four days at most, once reflected into the Film World, the span of time would be far longer than in "Endless Food Bag"!
As everyone knew, the ratio between the flow of time in different Subconscious Films and that of the Real World varied. The precise ratio depended on the outcome of the Production Team's battle of wits with the Empire's relevant departments.
According to the entire story told in the "Wolf Fortress" script, including its Side Quest, barring any major accidents, the current Film World's timeline would span roughly three months. At that ratio, the world could exist for four months at most.
According to the Imperial Iron Law, once filming exceeded the predetermined time limit, Director Sun would most likely end up in prison like Director Qian Yiyuan, and might even spend longer behind bars.
As for the cat at home...
Zhang Guangmu had stocked enough cat food and water at home, so he was not worried about Mooncake at all.
If it had merely relied on its species and Appearance Value to Muddle Through, that Orange cat could never have become Household 002 of that house.
"Kill a few more?"
Lin Xuan, who had just begun thinking about befriending Zhang Guangmu, felt a chill sweep across the back of his head at those words. Goosebumps rose all over his arms.
He chewed up the words that had reached his mouth and swallowed them, not mentioning befriending him again.
"Then, until we meet again."
With that, Lin Xuan fled down the street with his Little Flame Wolf King in tow.
High above Wolf Fortress, Director Sun, who had transformed into a Golden Little Lightball, fell silent.
After a long while, he suddenly began to comment. "Zhang Guangmu... is rather interesting."
"I underestimated him."
The other Little Black Balls in the Production Team saw their leader speak and did not dare let the conversation die. They rushed to pick up the thread.
"He's only a newcomer, and he's only filmed one work before. The sample size is too small, so it's indeed difficult to judge his potential."
"Zhang Guangmu is, after all, a one-star Subconscious Actor officially rated by the Empire. It would be strange if he had no ability whatsoever."
"That's right... Zhang Guangmu has only filmed "Endless Food Bag." No matter how outstanding his performance was, there was still too little footage for everyone to see. Even a super director capable of directing "The Path of the Great Emperor" might not be able to accurately judge his abilities!"
"The Director is right. Zhang Guangmu's performance just now was indeed quite good. He's absolutely qualified to play a minor supporting role!"
Director Sun smiled and said meaningfully, "You only saw the surface and failed to notice the essence."
"Given Yang Chi's personality and subconscious, when faced with this kind of humiliation, he would normally suppress the humiliation and anger in his heart and use them as motivation to advance, just as I did when I was driven out of the Subconscious Actor industry and forced to become a director."
"He would study quietly, treat himself like a sponge, greedily absorbing knowledge and experience as if soaking up water. He would accumulate strength in silence, and when he finally spoke, he would astonish the world and unleash a brilliance no one could ignore!"
"Most precious of all, even when Yang Chi was weak, he was skilled at using words as weapons to protect himself. He could often maintain parity in a situation, or even gain a superficial advantage."
"That would make it easy for viewers to continue following the story, preventing them from finding it too dull and giving up."
Director Sun spoke at length, only to discover that the staff members who had transformed into Little Black Balls beside him were being completely perfunctory. Some were trying to curry favor, and none seemed interested in truly learning much from him. He sighed and changed course. "But!"
"During his conflict with Zhang Guangmu, Lin Xuan, played by Yang Chi, fell into a disadvantageous position."
"This was not because the strength, authority, reputation, wealth, or status he possessed was inferior to Zhang Guangmu's."
"It was because Zhang Guangmu had already seized control of the entire conversation and its rhythm!"
"If this was merely an accidental flash of talent and inspiration, then I can only say that Zhang Guangmu is a highly gifted actor. Such talent is extremely rare. In the future, he might become a qualified Assassin-type Actor with his own unique competitive edge."
"But if this wasn't accidental, and was instead an instinct engraved into his subconscious, then I can only say..."
"He's truly terrifying!"
Director Sun shook his head. All that happened was that the Golden Little Lightball trembled in place. He gave a self-mocking laugh. "Thinking about it carefully, we know this is unlikely. Wisdom and experience require time to accumulate."
"Whether Zhang Guangmu ends up disgraced and ruined like Hou Zhengbeng, regresses instead of advancing, or becomes a star in the future, it doesn't really matter."
"In my eyes, Yang Chi is a mature and outstanding actor, ready to be used immediately!"
"Zhang Guangmu has a promising future, but he is filled with uncertainty."
"So..."
"To me, Yang Chi is stronger than Zhang Guangmu."
One Little Black Ball, unable to read the room, jumped out and voiced an objection. "In "Endless Food Bag," Zhang Guangmu first subdued Zhao Zhengrong, the 'Newcomer Crusher,' and later defeated Chu Fan, the Plot Protagonist. He already has experience rising from an Extra. Could Yang Chi also crash and burn?"
Director Sun was viewing Yang Chi through a filter. He seemed to regard Yang Chi as his younger self, finding him more pleasing the more he looked and wanting to make up for his regrets and old obsessions through him.
He confidently gave his answer. "The production of "Wolf Fortress" was specially tailored for Yang Chi. I invited several outstanding scriptwriters and subconscious researchers to design it for him."
"This is Yang Chi's home ground. The Lin Xuan he plays will be invincible!"
"Not to mention a mere Zhang Guangmu..."
"Even Lin Yan, played by Zhu Tiannan, won't be Yang Chi's opponent!"
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