CH 1

Ch 1 ⎼ Welcome trainee actor “Zhuo Yu” to the set.

“ Down in the depths of my fiery home, 

The summons bell will chime

Tempting you and all the Earth,

To join our sinful kind ”

This is a song written by the band “Metallica” in 1991. The metal wave swept across North America. It is said that in that year, many criminals were fond of it, and even in the prison “Jump in the Fire” was played. 1

While listening to the song, Zhuo Yu lightly tapped his fingers on the armrests of the wheelchair, as if beating along to the demon in the song.

“Listening to such loud heavy metal again.” A middle-aged man sat impatiently across him: “It’s just noise.”

Zhuo Yu’s finger paused and retorted, “Strictly speaking, it’s thrash metal.”

“I’m not here to argue over music with you. The deadline is approaching, and overseas publishers are in a hurry. You…”

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the slightly hoarse voice of the young writer: “I’m going on a long trip.”

“Are you serious? Running around at a time like this? You can’t move on your own in this situation, you push the wheelchair? You should stay at home honestly.” The editor asked several questions in a row, clearly disapproving.

Zhuo Yu didn’t say anything back, he knew his worry was not without reason.

Since three years ago, there have been a large number of cases of missing persons across the country, with more than seven million cases being recorded. And this kind of situation is not limited to the country alone, even abroad it’s happening one after another.

No matter how much manpower and material resources the police deploy, these disappearances are like stones dropped into the sea, without any news. Scientists too tried to find results in their fields, but still couldn’t find anything.

In the beginning, the government was able to keep the situation under wraps, but when these kinds of unexplained disappearances affected a large part of the population and became a world-class disaster, these unsolved cases could no longer be suppressed. In the first year, people panicked and marched in the streets, but by the third year, everyone got used to it, and even accepted the rhetoric that “the changes in the earth’s magnetic field have caused people’s senses to be abnormal, and it has become particularly easy to get lost.”

Nothing more has been done, other than not going in the streets when it’s dark, choosing places with surveillance video and implanting location chips distributed by the government for free.

Human beings have always been very adaptable; most people now continue to live as usual, even though the number of missing people this year has reached the highest level ever recorded in history.

The editor became a little embarrassed by Zhuo Yu’s silence, and wondered if his words offended him, after all, as famous as he was, he was also a person with a disability. And Zhuo Yu has always been very concerned about this.

When he first met Zhuo Yu, he had already spent all his wealth on the treatment of his legs and still does, every time the exorbitant payment of the manuscript arrives, it’s all put into the treatment fund, but that money is simply squandered. He could not understand the other party’s morbid obsession at all.

In the silent atmosphere, the music was still playing.

“ There is a job to be done and I’m the one

You people make me do it

Now it is time for your fate and I won’t hesitate

To pull you down into this pit “

The violent sound of the electric guitar was like a chainsaw, making the middle-aged man a little anxious. Just when he was hesitating to say something, Zhuo Yu handed over a tablet, ending the battle between heaven and the man in his heart.

An anonymous forum was opened on the screen, and the domain name looked very complicated and secretive. On the first page, there was a red post with a scarlet and dazzling font.

[ Firefriends, my cousin is home, but something has changed in him that I can’t accept …... ]

The editor’s curiosity aroused, he clicked in, and found that the person who posted the post was very disturbed, he could almost imagine the headless chicken appearance of the other party. From the chaotic words, he pieced together a complete story.

A sunny and cheerful teenager disappeared after school for no apparent reason, and inexplicably returned three months later, the entire person’s temperament was changed to extreme violence, but what was most alarming was that the teenager was disabled.

When he was a child, he had his left arm cut off by a machine while playing in his father’s factory. Yet now, he is intact, his left hand had appeared out of nowhere, with the exact same moles on it as before. This is not something that can be explained by science at all.

Recovery from a disability…

The editor was stunned, he raised his head and stared at Zhuo Yu, and suddenly formed a bad connection in his mind.

“I discovered this forum three years ago. Many people with missing relatives and friends gathered here on their own. Of course, there are also people like me who have had nightmares for a long time and found it by following the clues.” Zhuo Yu shrugged innocently, but the implied fervour in his tone simply made the man’s hair stand on end.

“According to my investigation, many missing people before often had weird dreams like me. In the dream, they were all burned by fire, and the pain was almost real.  And after waking up, they couldn’t help but want to touch flames.”

The editor swallowed, and lowered his eyes unnaturally. He didn’t dare to look at Zhou Yu; the things in Zhuo Yu’s eyes were too hot, as if some kind of nameless belief was born in vain, as if it could burn the whole person in fire.

“ So Come on,

Jump in the fire! 

So Come on, 

Jump in the fire! “

The piercing music added to the panic, the editor wanted to stop Zhuo Yu but couldn’t open his mouth at all.

“I didn’t pay much attention to this matter before, just tried my best to avoid touching the flames, until, I saw this post.” Zhuo Yu kept his smile, “Thirteen cases, I found thirteen cases of disability recovery; This cannot be a coincidence.”

The middle-aged man couldn’t listen anymore. He said incoherently, “Why are you telling me this? No, what are you going to do, you ……”

“Shhh …… shhh.” Zhuo Yu put his fingers on lips his lips, “Look into my eyes.”

The editor subconsciously raised his head and collided his eyes with the other party’s dark, bottomless ones. Soon he calmed down, and the anxiety that was about to burst into flames disappeared. He had found that every time he looked into Zhuo Yu’s eyes, he would feel an inexplicable calm, so he couldn’t get angry anymore, and agreed to many things in a daze.

“I just need a witness.” Zhuo Yu said: “You know I am a ritualistic person.”

He said and pulled a necklace from his neck, hanging from it was a beautifully crafted, jewel-encrusted lighter, which was almost a work of art if you didn’t know its function.

“Don’t be impulsive!”

The editor shrieked, and the heartstrings that had just subsided rose high again, he completely believed the other man’s pie-in-the-sky talk because…… as Zhuo Yu had said, he himself was having such dreams.

There was a click, and a cluster of exuberant blue flames emerged, lighting up Zhuo Yu’s delicate face, which was too young and too privileged, his eyes seemed to have fire dancing in them.

At the last moment when the editor saw him, it was the silent whisper of Zhuo Yu’s lips.

I’m waiting for you over there, my friend.

*

[ Welcome trainee “Zhuo Yu” to the set, the movie “Strange Tales of the Lakeside” is being loaded~ ]

[ This film is classified as: Murder (10v1). Please survive until the end of the film. Good luck to all the actors, ]

Zhuo Yu was awakened by the night wind. The humid air was mixed with the fragrance of plants and trees, there was also the smell of soil after rain.

When he opened his eyes, he saw several strangers gathered not far away, with fear written on all their faces.

“10v1, the system is asking us to die! Ten people against the BOSS, are they kidding!”

“Damn, don’t talk about us, even those senior actors may not be able to hold up.”

“Wait, the set matched six newcomers matched this time?!”

The words just fell, and four men and women of different ages looked at Zhuo Yu, and the despair in their eyes became more and more real.

“Not only newcomers, but there is also a fucking paralyzed man here!”

A middle-aged man disrupted the indignant anger in air. His face was pale as he stood up scrambling and yelled: “What’s new or not? Where is this? I’m going to call the police! I’m telling you, kidnapping is a crime!”

The girl next to him had a different reaction. Looking at the dark sky and the completely unfamiliar environment, she trembled.

“This is missing, so this is the missing…” The girl seemed to think of something, and fell to the ground in despair, she buried her face and mumbled to herself.

Zhuo Yu had a headache from all the noise. He regained consciousness and found a dilapidated old wheelchair under his body. There was a spacious highway in front of his eyes and several cars parked nearby.

This was no longer the scene of the living room.

He succeeded…He really succeeded!

Unlike others, what he felt in his heart wasn’t any fear or panic, but rather, extreme ecstasy. But he couldn’t show it; he pursued his lips and restrained his overpowering emotions.

“I Was Just smoking a cigarette, Can someone explain What the hell just happened?”

“Help! I was cooking at home a second ago second!”

The surroundings became chaotic, but no one was there to solve this puzzle for them. The only thing they had in common, was that they had all come in contact with the flames.

The group of four seniors looked at the newcomers with aching teeth, then leaned against the large caravan to discuss something among themselves, their brows full of discontent and anxiety. 

The leader of the group, a muscular man, stopped them complaining with a wave of his hand, “Stop talking about it, it’s better to think about how to survive.

At last, he turned his gaze to the newcomers and solemnly said, “To make a long story short, you are now in a horror movie, if you wish to live, you can only do so by following the task given by the system, for now, it’s enough to know this much.

Zhou Wu held up his wrist: “Touch the tattoo on the top, it’s more convincing than me.”

Zhuo Yu lowered his head when he heard those words, and sure enough, there was a flame-shaped red tattoo on his wrist. When he touched it with his fingertips, his vision was suddenly occupied by strange icons.

Just like playing a game, the time and text appeared in front of his eyes, and scrolling in front of his eyes was a series of brief announcements.

[ Welcome to the set trainees, the basic operation guide has been put in your backpack. Please click to view it. ] 

Zhou Yu clicked on the backpack icon in the void according to the given instructions and three grids came into view, one of which was occupied by a manual. With a touch, the entire contents of the manual flooded into his brain.

Zhuo Yu quickly understood the use of the “menu interface”.

To put it simply, they were all selected by the “studio”. A small number of unlucky people became “actors”, while most of the remaining missing persons actually became “audiences” on the horror set.

As long as the film is completed according to the requirements of the system, you can get “flame points” as rewards, upgrade your level, exchange items, and even do things that are completely impossible in the real world.

Money, power, beautiful women in cars, and, for example, perfect healthy legs.

But on the other hand, if an actor fails to do his job, he will be punished by the system. Speaking about the punishment, his nightmare will come true, and his soul will be burned in the fire. This type of punishment won’t kill anyone, the actor can only plead for his death in extreme pain.

This is simply like a scene of an evil game, and Zhuo Yu doesn’t want to explore the reasons for the creation of this place for the time being, or the significance of this killing show, and what do the flames represent, he only knows that as long as he survives, his long-cherished wish will be fulfilled.

[ It has been detected that the trainee actors are already familiar with the basic operations, and now the horror movie “Strange Tales of the Lakeside” is about to begin… ]

[ Actor Zhuo Yu, your current role: A traveller who suffered a car accident. Character    

Quality: Unknown. ]

[ Current task: Lead four students into the lakeside hut/house. When you reach the target location, the main storyline will start. ]

In an instant, a memory filled his mind. In this world, Zhuo Yu was a traveller who crashed his car into a tree on his way to Golden Lake. After waiting for half a day, he finally met four students who were also camping at Golden Lake, and a passer-by who came to help.

Zhuo Yu looked up, and sure enough, not far away, a disabled vehicle was crashed into a tree trunk. The poor car was overturned, with its four wheels up, and black smoke coming out from time to time.

It’s strange, he thoughtfully recalled about the big, bloody characters of the mission. According to the guidebook, the actors’ goals are basically the same, to escape from the BOSS of the film and survive till the end.

However, his mission seems to be different, the word “lead” was used very subtly.

“What the hell did the system throw us into?” Zhou Wu’s voice interrupted Zhuo Yu’s thoughts.

Zhou Wu paced back and forth while pinching his chin, he rummaged through the caravan and his clothes, he didn’t have a mobile phone or a map. He didn’t know the place or the time. They were in complete dark…

Other senior people echoed: “Are there really no hints at all on this difficult set”

“Everyone ……” Zhuo Yu interjected somewhat abruptly, “If you want to know where is this, it’s probably in the United States.”

Zhou Wu froze, then sarcastically said, “What do you know about as a newcomer.”

He didn’t want to talk to a person who would only drag his feet at first sight. God knows why a paralyzed man was put in on a difficult set.

He ignored Zhuo Yu and looked at his mission with some confusion; the red letters directed them to arrive at the Golden Lake before dawn, But there aren’t any clues at all, he didn’t even know which direction to go.

Zhuo Yu did not get angry, he scanned the surrounding environment, and with a calm tone, he said: “The highway we are on has two-way twelve-lane lanes, which is very rare in our country. Secondly, do you smell the scent in the air?”

Zhou Wu was taken aback by what he said, he subconsciously nodded his head.

“It’s the smell of bitter orange blossoms. They bloom in the months of April to June, and before I came here, it was September.” Zhuo Yu knocked on the armrest of the wheelchair with his index finger: “So I choose to believe the voice in my head. And you all must be the so-called ‘veterans’ of the studio?”

“By the way, I guess where we are now in Florida, USA.” Zhuo Yu once again pointed to the speed limit sign not far from the road, which was marked with three capital letters FSH: “That is the abbreviation of Florida scenic highway. And As it happens, the speciality of Florida is orange, and the state flower is the bitter orange flower, which is widely planted everywhere and is a common greenery plant.”

The other senior people became dumbfounded, the three of them looked at Zhou Wu and said quietly, “This kid seems to be familiar with this place, should we bring him along?”

Only then did Zhou Wu come to his senses and nod. Obtaining information is an important part on the set, this newcomer seems to be adept at this, and he also needs someone familiar with the area to lead the way. In case there is a danger, it wouldn’t be a big deal to abandon the other party, there was nothing to lose for them.

“Our role is of a student who came to vacation outside the town, and the goal is to travel to the Golden Lake.” Zhou Wu took the initiative to report the task to show his sincerity, and patted the caravan, “Come up.”

After knowing they accepted him, Zhuo Yu rolled the rims and came to the caravan, and was helped into the car. The wheelchair was also folded and fixed at the rear of the car.

While the treatment of the other newcomers was a little different.

“What nonsense are you talking about? I was in the company a second ago. How could I wake up and go straight to the United States!” The middle-aged man pointed to Zhuo Yu and others: “I get it, you are cheating me, maybe you even gave me hallucinogens, you must know that I raised 20 million yuan!”

The Senior just looked at him with pity.

The middle-aged man seemed to be convinced. He quickly ran into the car next to him, turned the car key and stepped on the accelerator; as if wanting to escape from this road, and drove forward with a buzz.

Other newcomers also dare not trust these nagging seniors. Moreover, they have cars at hand and the ability to leave; so they followed the footsteps of the middle-aged man and drove towards the highway exit, in the hope to get home.

Only the girl who was muttering about missing cases didn’t leave, she pleaded, “Take me with you, something is not right here, please!”

But no one paid any attention to her, Zhou Wu didn’t even look at the weak girl, and closed the car door, completely blocking her only hope of survival.

The caravan started, Zhuo Yu silently looked at the girl in the rearview mirror getting more and more distant. He drank a mouthful of mineral water handed over by Zhou Wu.

“Don’t, we won’t take her with us.” Zhou Wu sat next to Zhuo Yu: “Incompetent people only end up dead, including me.”

He looked inquiringly at the disabled newcomer and asked, “How did you analyze the location? Can you really tell just by smelling the flowers?”

Zhuo Yu shrugged his shoulders: “I used to live in the United States for a few years to cure my leg, In fact, I knew where we were by just looking at the license plate number.”

Zhou Wu was startled “Then what are you talking about all those flowers and road signs earlier?

“If I hadn’t talked about that, you certainly wouldn’t have taken me with you” Zhuo Yu faintly smiled and calmly patted Zhou Wu’s shoulder: “Fooling people is also a kind of ability. You won’t kick me out of the car because of this, or will you?”

Zhou Wu laughed angrily, but on the contrary, his impression of Zhuo Yu rose to a higher level: “Good boy, you are amazing.”

Zhuo Yu thought about his mission, and said casually: “Speaking of which, the air humidity here is very high, and the destination should be nearby.”

“You’re not fooling me again, are you?”

“How it could be”

“Then follow the road and pay attention to the road signs.” Zhou Wu instructed his teammates who were driving

He was just joking, he did not think that Zhuo Yu, a disabled person, would be bold enough to swindle a senior. After all, in this dangerous world, Zhuo Yu is considered a useless person and without any protection, he will be the first one to die.

Zhou Wu was so focused on the task that he didn’t know he already became someone else’s task.

Zhuo Yu blocked the words “Lead four students to the lake house” from his eyes, and the icons and scrolling announcements faded away, finally clearing his cluttered vision.

At the same time, a huge screen was broadcasting every move of the five people.

[ Quickly take a look at this, there are so many new actors in this high difficulty area, how unlucky it must be? ] 

[ Grass2, there is actually a paralyzed person, didn’t see one for a long time. Shouldn’t this kind of person be in newbie protection? How could he be assigned to the murderous difficulty? ]

[ He looks good for being an actor and is very young too. What a shame! ]

[ Hahahahaha how rare, I wonder how he will die? A paralysed person can’t swim, right? I bet he’ll drown since it’s called “Strange Tales of the Lakeside”~ ]

[ Ignorance, this kid is definitely not as simple as it looks. It’s unfortunate that the tasks assigned to the actors cannot be seen. ] 

[ So what, he’s just a paralyzed man, I bet he’ll be abandoned by his teammates and bitten to death in a horde of monsters! ] 

[ It’s on, it’s on~ ]

With the barrage in full swing, the number of viewers of “Strange Talk of the Lakeside” kept increasing. In addition to the fact that this film has a very low probability of appearing, it is considered a rarity, and many viewers have never seen it. On the other hand, they want to meet the second rarity – the paralyzed man in the difficult film.

Zhuo Yu, who knew nothing about it, was currently enjoying the scenery leisurely.

He looked out of the moonlit window; the breeze, the swaying branches and grass, and the occasional chirping sound of birds, all showed that this was the real world, and not a thin roll of film. This was a supernatural power that humans can’t explain, and Zhuo Yu was not afraid of the power of “horror movies”.

He was very relieved.

More at ease like ever before.

As a terminally ill perfectionist, he finally had the chance to become “whole”.