"A pale little kid?"
Everyone froze at Gong Yao's words, feeling a chill in broad daylight.
Tao Lele's face went pale, but he still said loudly, "Yao, you must have seen wrong! There's no such thing as ghosts!"
Meng Tian said, "But that description... why does it sound familiar?"
Director Li slapped his forehead. "Oh! Do you mean Li Qing, our production assistant? Qing! Qing?!"
With Director Li calling so loudly, Li Qing couldn't very well keep hiding. He squeezed through the crowd. "Director Li."
Gong Yao's eyes lit up the moment he saw him. "Yes, him! He's the one I saw!"
Li "pale little kid" Qing: "..."
"So you're our production assistant." Gong Yao gave him a brilliant smile. "I look forward to working with you over the next few days!"
Li Qing nodded coolly.
Director Li sighed in relief. "Misunderstanding cleared up, haha! No ghosts or monsters here. Really, Qing, why did you have to go and dye your hair white...?"
Li Qing said, "I'm going inside to help."
Director Li said, "...Go on, then."
Gong Yao said, "Hey..."
Ignoring Gong Yao, Li Qing headed straight into the Castle.
He could still hear Tao Lele behind him. "Yao, what do you think about me dyeing this stuff on my head white too?"
"Your skin's too dark. Better not."
"..."
The crew had only rented the Castle for one day, so everyone moved straight on to filming the scenes of the seven friends throwing a lively party inside.
When night finally fell, everyone perked up.
Time for the main event!
The empty room in the Castle's attic had been dressed, and filming began on the first supernatural scene-the Table-Turning Immortal!
Meng Tian, who played the second female lead, was the first to suggest playing the Table-Turning Immortal game. "I hear supernatural games really work in old buildings like this!"
Bai Cha, the second male lead, immediately agreed with enthusiasm. "Sure! Let's get started!"
And so the seven began their journey of courting death.
Gong Yao remained quiet and said softly, "You guys play. I'll watch from the side."
An Ya immediately stood up. "I'll stay with you..."
"Coward," Bai Cha sneered.
Gong Yao glanced at him without arguing.
Yu Xiaohe said quietly, "Stop it. Hasn't Gong Yao always been like this...?"
The lights in the room dimmed.
Apart from Gong Yao and An Ya, the other five placed their fingers on an antique plate turned upside down. "Table-Turning Immortal, Table-Turning Immortal, please come forth..."
A cold gust suddenly swept past.
With a bang, a loud noise suddenly came from downstairs, as if a door had been slammed shut.
Everyone jumped, including Director Li behind the monitor.
Director Li looked around blankly. Clearly, this wasn't part of the crew's setup.
But the eerie atmosphere was excellent right now, so he didn't call cut.
The actors continued, "Table-Turning Immortal, Table-Turning Immortal, please come forth..."
After they repeated this three times, an icy presence enveloped the room.
Gong Yao gazed into empty space, his brows slowly drawing together.
-in this film, the male lead had Yin-Yang Eyes, and his reaction signified that the Table-Turning Immortal had arrived.
With his Work ID hanging from his neck, Li Qing stood behind the filming crew, arms folded, watching quietly, thanks to Gong Yao's "special attention."
But he was watching something else-
By the Castle's window, an enormous, deathly pale face pressed against the glass, its hollow eyes fixed on the five people playing the Table-Turning Immortal game.
Then, like a puddle of sludge, it squeezed through a gap in the window and hovered over the table.
Meng Tian said shakily, "Is it here...?"
Bai Cha said, "Stop wasting time. Ask it something!"
"Oh, okay... Table-Turning Immortal, Table-Turning Immortal, will I... will I find a boyfriend this year?"
He Li jerked his head up to look at her.
Under everyone's terrified gazes, the plate began moving, slowly settling on "No."
Tao Lele blushed. "If I... if I confess to the person I like, will they say yes?"
The Table-Turning Immortal's answer was still "No."
His round eyes drooped, and he stole a glance at Yu Xiaohe opposite him.
Looking preoccupied, Yu Xiaohe asked next, "Will my confession succeed?"
The answer was still "No."
Yu Xiaohe trembled all over and abruptly stood up. "This plate hasn't moved at all! This Table-Turning Immortal stuff is all fake!"
With a clatter, she hurled the plate to the floor.
Everyone immediately erupted into panic. "What are you doing?! We haven't sent the Table-Turning Immortal away yet!"
A fierce gust suddenly blew the window open, sending the paper with the answers written on it flying off the table.
Li Qing's gaze had been following the "Table-Turning Immortal" all along. He watched it excitedly open its huge, bloody maw at Yu Xiaohe, then burrow into the crown of her head!
Li Qing: "..." People are going to start dying just like that? The players don't have any way to deal with this.
Just then, the "Table-Turning Immortal" popped back out of Yu Xiaohe's head.
Li Qing: ?
The "Table-Turning Immortal": ???
It tried the same thing again, attempting to possess Yu Xiaohe.
...Only to bounce back out a second time.
After its third attempt failed, the "Table-Turning Immortal" circled the table twice, looking a little anxious and a little disappointed, then slipped away through the gap beneath the door.
Li Qing: "..."
Filming ended just then. Li Qing immediately left the room and followed the "Table-Turning Immortal" into the second-floor corridor.
"Table-Turning Immortal!" he called from behind.
The writhing white figure stopped and turned to look at him, its face dejected.
Li Qing opened the door to the Tool Room. "Come in. Let's talk."
"I'm not the Table-Turning Immortal," the white figure said, its voice ethereal, as though drifting in from another time and place. "Perhaps you could call me the King of Hell."
[Name: King of Hell] [ID: N-B0021001 (NPC)] [Level: 1] [Status: Normal]
A level 1 King of Hell?
And an NPC?
Then where's the boss?
Puzzled, Li Qing asked, "Why is your level so low...? I thought you'd be the boss of this Dungeon Instance."
The King of Hell looked at him in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"
Li Qing rephrased his question. "Why did you fail just now?"
The King of Hell said, "I don't know either."
Li Qing fell silent.
The King of Hell said, "Fine, I do know a little. Materialism reigns supreme in this world, after all. Forget gaining power-we ghosts can barely even manifest."
Li Qing asked seriously, "Then what use are you as the King of Hell?"
The King of Hell said, "I wait for people to die in ways consistent with materialism, of course, then take their souls away."
Li Qing: "..."
A Dungeon Instance about filming a horror movie, but no ghosts hurting anyone? Did that make scientific sense?
The King of Hell said, "Ah, there aren't any ghosts to speak of in this world, or anyone who can see us. You're the first human who's ever talked to me. You're really brave."
Li Qing said, "I'm used to it."
The King of Hell said, "All right, I need to get back to work."
Li Qing tilted his head slightly. "Work?"
A huge grin spread across the King of Hell's deathly pale face.
"Tonight, right here in this house, I'll get to take a soul away!"
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