My Cell Prison

10. Chapter 10 Nightmare · Chapter 10: Nightmare · Completely unaware of the film's plot, the group could only stay close to Granny Wang. Through Han Dong’s role as translator, they gathered as much information as possible. · During their conversation, they learned that Granny Wang primarily engaged in "fortune-telling" and the "Spirit Substitution Ritual." This was the first time Han Dong had heard the latter term. · According to Granny Wang, it was essentially a specialized form of exorcism. · The method involved finding a surrogate—usually a paper effigy—and transferring the subject's illnesses and suffering onto the surrogate to achieve a cure. · The process was complex and tedious, typically requiring three hours or even longer. · Halfway through the interview, Granny Wang’s husband, Uncle Liu, suddenly stepped forward. He interrupted the session, stating that someone in Wangzigang had been possessed and urgently needed a Spirit Substitution Ritual. · Granny Wang was somewhat reluctant. After all, Wangzigang was remote and far away; it would take at least a five-hour drive to get there. · However, as soon as she heard her husband mention that the "price" had already been negotiated, she calculated the time and immediately prepared to set off. They should be able to arrive before dusk. · To Han Dong and the others, it was clear that Wangzigang was the location where the incident was set to occur. · While Granny Wang and her husband packed their necessary belongings, the group used the five hundred yuan provided by the system to purchase a series of essentials locally. · These included flashlights, compressed biscuits, bottled water, and other supplies for emergencies. · The bald man, Delion, even bought a machete for self-defense. · In reality, equipping such an ordinary weapon was unnecessary. Supernatural entities like malevolent spirits were not things a blade could solve; carrying such an item would likely only hinder his movements. · Everything was ready. · Considering the documentary crew, Uncle Liu had secured a spacious van. The back row was just large enough to seat six people. · Next, they simply had to wait to arrive at their destination. · A five-hour drive would normally be enough time to catch some sleep... but due to worry, anxiety, and a deep-seated fear of death, most of the group found it difficult to drift off. They stared blankly at the rural scenery passing outside the windows. · Han Dong was different. · Because his past scientific research required him to work through the night, he had developed the ability to self-regulate his biological clock to a certain extent. He had also learned a rapid sleep technique online. · Using the sleeping techniques of World War II pilots to completely relax his body, Han Dong leaned against the window and quickly fell asleep. · If he could get five hours of sleep to replenish his mental energy before the event began, he would be able to focus his mind on analysis and management, regardless of what strange occurrences happened during the night. · This was the first time Han Dong had slept in the seven years since his reincarnation. · Once fully asleep, however, Han Dong was met with a bizarre dreamscape. · Vroom! · Inside the dream. · Han Dong returned to the familiar University of Florence. · Holding his teaching materials, he walked into a lecture hall. · Unlike the past, not a single student had skipped his dry and tedious cellular biology course. The massive lecture hall was packed to capacity. · What was even stranger was the students' appearance. · Every student wore a hooded jacket with the hood pulled up, their heads bowed low so their faces were invisible. · Walking to the lectern, Han Dong habitually took out a USB drive and plugged it into the interface of the multimedia console. · At that moment, a grotesque scene unfolded. · The tip of the USB drive transformed into a slimy tentacle, which burrowed into the multimedia console as the device itself "fleshified." · The cellular biology courseware that was supposed to appear on the projection screen changed into a bizarre symbol that Han Dong could not understand. · Simultaneously, every student in the lecture hall raised their head and threw back their hoods, revealing faceless visages with no features at all. · "Faceless..." · Buzz! · Accompanied by a burst of tinnitus, Han Dong jerked awake. · Night had fallen. · When Han Dong woke up, the vehicle had just arrived at the location of the incident—in front of an abandoned farm-stay in Wangzigang. · Before the van stood an old, nearly derelict rectangular building. · The two-story structure had once served as a "hostel." The second floor was divided into eight individual guest rooms, with a central staircase connecting them. · Rows of large red lanterns were hung neatly along the second-floor corridor, looking somewhat eerie in the night. · The client and the possessed individual were currently living inside this building. · As everyone stared at the dilapidated building through the vehicle's windows, Han Dong, having just startled awake from his nightmare, felt somewhat unwell. He kept his hands shoved deep into his waist bag, his expression abnormal... as if he were deliberately hiding something. · 『You have arrived at the event area. The countdown has begun. The requirements are as follows: · 1. The active area for all participants is the Abandoned Villa and the surrounding five-hundred-meter radius. Individuals leaving the designated range for more than ten seconds will be erased. · 2. Group living is prohibited. Each participant must choose a separate room to sleep in. · Between 23:00 and 06:00, if two people occupy the same room simultaneously, a warning will be issued for the first offense; the second offense will result in erasure. · 3. During the event, you are free to communicate and interact with story characters without restriction. · 4. After the seventy-two-hour countdown ends, survivors will be teleported away.』 · As the group stepped out of the van, an honest-looking young man about thirty years old stepped forward to greet Granny Wang. At the same time, he asked, "Master, who are these people?" · "International students filming a documentary. They will be recording the entire Spirit Substitution Ritual... You don't mind, do you?" · "As long as it doesn't affect the Master's ritual, I don't mind. It's just... I might not have prepared enough for dinner." · Han Dong quickly stepped forward and said politely, "It’s fine, we brought our own food. Just let Granny Wang and Uncle Liu eat; don't worry about us." · After a period of excuses and negotiations, they successfully entered the ground floor lobby of the building and met the subject of the possession. · Contrary to their imagination of a possessed person being tied to a large bed or locked in a room, screaming, self-mutilating, or eating insects, the subject appeared to be a refined, long-haired rural woman. Her outward appearance was completely normal; she was even responsible for washing and cooking the vegetables. · After dinner, they got down to business. · The young man living there introduced himself and explained the situation regarding the "possession." It turned out he and the possessed woman were siblings. · The young man was named Da Qing, and the possessed woman was named Chen Li. · They used to run a farm-stay here, and business was quite good... but a few years ago, it was abandoned because the tourist area was relocated. · As for his older sister Chen Li, her condition was peculiar. She behaved normally during the day and only suffered episodes at night. · According to Da Qing, they had already seen doctors in the city. The diagnosis was schizophrenia, but Chen Li was certain she didn't have schizophrenia. Instead, she believed something was "inhabiting" her body. · That was the gist of the situation. · Da Qing hoped Granny Wang could use the Spirit Substitution Ritual to transfer the entity inhabiting his sister into a paper effigy. · "I can't do it now. The Yin energy is too heavy at night; the thing inside your sister might not be drawn out... besides, we just arrived and are quite tired. The Spirit Substitution Ritual is a ceremony that consumes a great deal of vital energy and spirit. We have to wait until tomorrow." · Granny Wang's statement meant that everyone would have to stay here for the night. · Da Qing looked hospitable. "Alright... I'll take you to the rooms on the second floor to rest. Our conditions here aren't very good; I hope everyone can make do." · The six members of the film crew, Granny Wang and her husband, and the possessed Chen Li. · Together, they exactly filled the second floor of the building where the large red lanterns hung. · (End of Chapter) · [END]