My Cell Prison

9. Chapter 9 Wang Po · Chapter 9: Granny Wang · In his previous life, Han Dong was no mere bookworm or research-obsessed nerd. He had his own hobbies; he simply lacked the time to indulge them frequently. · During long periods of waiting for experiments to complete, Han Dong would pass the time by watching movies in the lab. · Film itself is an art. In Han Dong's view, some movies possessed a depth that, when observed seriously, could help expand his analytical thinking. · Science fiction was Han Dong’s favorite, while horror films were something he watched far less often. · It wasn't out of fear; he simply lacked interest in spectral entities that science couldn't intuitively explain. He considered them products of human fear combined with real-world biology—mere fantasies with little observational value. · Furthermore, the phrase "domestic horror film" was synonymous in Han Dong's mind with low-quality, cash-grab garbage. · Then there was the Kyushu film, Exorcism. · Han Dong vaguely remembered reading a brief introduction and review of Exorcism while posting his own film critiques on a website. · [A novice director crafted this horror film on a shoestring budget of seventy thousand—which even included twenty thousand in medical expenses for the lead actor's on-set injury. Yet, the final product crushed domestic "thrillers" with budgets in the millions or tens of millions, standing toe-to-toe with horror films from around the globe. It garnered numerous awards but ran into trouble on the eve of its release. One wonders if the production team itself was truly "possessed."] · Han Dong had been curious at the time and tried to search for the movie, only to find that resources for Exorcism were incredibly scarce—harder to find than adult films. · During his search, Han Dong discovered that the scheduled release of Exorcism had been abruptly cancelled... seemingly linked to some strange occurrences. · One significant incident took place at a Hong Kong international film festival. During a screening, a female audience member became so stimulated that she began sprinting frantically through the theater, suffering a mental breakdown. · Han Dong believed that a film using a mockumentary style could resonate with an audience to such an extent that this woman likely saw something similar in her childhood. She had been completely drawn into the film and spiraled into "panic." · Because he couldn't find the film at the time, and his experimental interval ended—requiring him to immediately perform bacterial isolation—he eventually forgot about the movie. · "A pity! If I had watched that movie back then, our survival rate would be much higher. I only remember it was filmed as a mockumentary... it tells the story of two university students who go to the countryside to film a documentary about fortune-telling and encounter supernatural events along the way. I don't know anything else. Evil spirits... it seems we really will encounter ghosts and monsters that science cannot explain. Three days. As long as we survive, we can become 'Returners' in the eyes of the Holy Knights. Based on the information so far, the mortality rate is extremely high. One wrong move could lead us to a point of no return. Time to get serious; I need to cherish this life." · It was impossible not to be nervous. · When any living organism faces an insurmountable unknown, the primal emotion of fear gushes forth. However, different people have different resistances and reactions to fear. Having already experienced death once, Han Dong could suppress the horror in his heart to a great extent. · ………… · The six-member squad. · Besides their change in attire, every team member was equipped with a handheld camcorder, a student ID, and five hundred yuan in cash. Of course, the clockwork devices on their wrists remained, their countdowns reset to exactly 72 hours—three days. · Moving as a group, they soon arrived in front of a courtyard where many simple, rustic villagers had gathered. · "Look, even foreigners have come to find 'Granny Wang' for a reading... this really brings pride to our village." · Han Dong used a Western-accented Mandarin to make inquiries. · He learned that this was indeed Granny Wang's home and that these people were all waiting in line for fortune-telling. However, Granny Wang wasn't home; she had gone to a "house call" in a village to the east. · Upon receiving this information, the group rushed to the eastern Liba Village and found the house where Granny Wang was located. · At that moment, the ritual had entered its final stage. · A strange red paper doll was placed at the door. "Granny Wang" stirred talisman water in a bowl with her finger and made a sickly-looking woman drink it. · Han Dong whispered to the leader, "Edward, we have half an hour left to establish a relationship with Granny Wang. Out of courtesy, let's wait for the ritual to finish before approaching her... I need to go to the toilet, I'll be back shortly." · "Fine, go ahead." · The village had many public latrines. · Of course, Han Dong's purpose wasn't the toilet. He wanted to use this time before the event officially began to understand something extremely important—something involving his own circumstances. · Han Dong went to a small grocery store and first checked the current date via a calendar: November 5, 2015. · "Hello, how much for the public phone?" · "…Just use it, no charge." The proprietress was seeing a foreigner in the countryside for the first time; she wasn't going to quibble over a few cents. · "Thank you." · "Your Mandarin is more standard than mine, that's impressive." · Han Dong gave a polite smile and picked up the receiver. · Screeeech—! · The moment the receiver touched his ear, a sharp, splitting noise rang out in his mind. · 『Direct or indirect use of communication equipment to contact the outside world is prohibited within the event scenario.』 · "You could have told me sooner..." Han Dong sighed helplessly. · In truth, he was trying to find a system exploit. He wanted to call his friends from his previous life to confirm if the current movie world was the same as the world he had lived in. Even if it wasn't... Han Dong intended to procure resources on horror films from the outside. Even if they were useless for the current event, they would surely be useful in the future. · Since the "path" to the outside world was blocked, Han Dong used the five hundred yuan provided by the system to buy some items that "might be useful" from the grocery store, stuffing them all into a hiking backpack. · Just then, the ritual ended. · Granny Wang and her husband bid farewell to the family they had "cleansed." · "Hello, Granny Wang, we are..." · Han Dong presented the student IDs and introduced the group. · A group of international students traveling a long distance to the countryside to film a documentary was hard to turn away. Naturally, Granny Wang had her own selfish motives—if she became famous through the documentary, her business would surely improve. · Thus, Granny Wang readily agreed to the interviews and filming. · At that moment, the system's voice returned. · 『A relationship has been successfully established with the key figure 'Granny Wang'. Please follow 'Granny Wang' and board the vehicle to the incident location.』 · [END]