Horror Movie Set: This extra is too good at playing the tricks.

Chapter 106 Hell Training Camp

The next morning, sunlight pierced through the thin mist and gently shone on the security windows of the residential area. Several sparrows hopped on the branches, chirping and discussing which family's food smelled better.

"ah--!"

A scream shattered the tranquility, startling the sparrows and shaking the dust off the windowsill.

Chen Zhongyi's home, bedroom.

Chen Zhongyi was spread-eagled, clinging tightly to the door frame.

"I'm not going, I really'm not going! I've only slept for three hours, brother! Even the donkeys in the production team aren't treated like this!"

Behind him, Ye Jianguo, dressed in a neat tracksuit, wore a kind but chilling smile.

He gripped Chen Zhongyi's nape with just two fingers.

"Comrade Chen, that's where you're wrong." His voice was strong and clear. "Last night, Comrade Adan entrusted me with the training task, which was a sign of his trust in me."

"You only have 89 hours left before you get into the script. Every minute is a countdown to your life."

"This is a countdown, not a death warrant!" Chen Zhongyi cried, his face contorted with despair. "Uncle Ye, Team Leader Ye, please spare me! My legs are still weak!"

"Legs weak?" Ye Jianguo raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip slightly. "Then you need to practice even more. On set, vengeful ghosts won't stop and wait for you just because your legs are weak."

Let's go!

With a wave of Ye Jianguo's arm, Chen Zhongyi, who weighed 140 or 150 pounds, was lifted off the ground and carried out of the house.

Downstairs, a black minivan had been waiting for quite some time.

Da Lu, in the driver's seat, rolled down the window, wearing sunglasses and a fried dough stick in his mouth.

"Hey, Old Chen, you're in good spirits, and your voice is pretty loud."

"Damn it, you call this 'spiritedness'?" Chen Zhongyi was shoved into the back seat, indignant.

"This is kidnapping, this is illegal detention!"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Chen Hua, in the passenger seat, turned around, toying with the baton that hadn't been fully extended in his hand, his eyes cold. "Shut up if you don't want to die, and fasten your seatbelt."

The car door closed, and Ye Jianguo sat next to Chen Zhongyi, completely blocking his escape route.

"Let's go, destination: the abandoned stadium in the west of the city."

Four days, 96 hours.

For the average person, this might be the length of a TV series they haven't finished watching yet.

But for Chen Zhongyi, this was a long, seemingly endless hell in his life.

This group of seasoned veterans on set devised a grueling training plan specifically for him, a complete newcomer.

On the first day, the abandoned stadium in the west of the city was overgrown with weeds, the track was uneven and full of potholes, and the midday sun was scorching the earth.

"Run! Lift your legs! Breathe! Quickly adjust your breathing!"

Ye Jianguo stood by the track, holding a stopwatch and shouting.

Chen Zhongyi felt as if two wads of burning cotton were stuffed into his lungs, and his legs felt like lead. "I can't take it anymore, I really can't..."

His legs buckled, and he was about to collapse to the ground.

"Whoosh—smack!"

A pebble landed precisely at his feet, kicking up a cloud of dust.

On the stands not far away, Lu Dan, wearing a sun hat, held a homemade slingshot and casually aimed at it.

"Old Chen, just a friendly reminder: if you stop now, I'll use you as a live target to practice my aim."

"My slingshot isn't very powerful, but if it hits your butt, it'll make it swell for at least three days."

"You shameless bastard, Lu Dan!"

Chen Zhongyi roared in grief and anger, sprang up from the ground, and continued running wildly.

"Very good, keep the anger going."

Ye Jianguo nodded in satisfaction, "Anger is also a kind of energy. In the script, when you're in a desperate situation, anger can often help you live a few more seconds."

In addition to running, Ye Jianguo also taught a simple and brutal method for slamming someone to save their life.

"What should you do if you fall down while being chased by a ghost?"

Ye Jianguo asked.

"Get up and run!"

Chen Zhongyi was panting heavily.

"wrong!"

Ye Jianguo swept his leg, causing Chen Zhongyi to lose his balance. Just as he was about to hit the ground face down, Ye Jianguo grabbed him by the collar and spun him around.

"Roll over to protect your head and neck, use the momentum to create distance, and then get up."

That day, Chen Zhongyi rolled around on the grass about 500 times, falling until he was covered in bruises and felt like his bones had been broken apart.

But he learned how not to hit his neck when he fell, and how to quickly crawl away after being knocked down.

When we rested in the evening, Da Lu brought over a pot of steaming stew, which was full of meat.

"Eat up, eat more." Da Lu patted Chen Zhongyi on the shoulder. "It'll help you recover. Tomorrow is Xiaoxiao's class, that'll be real mental torture."

The next day, the location was moved to Lin Xiaoxiao's home.

The environment was elegant, with soft music playing and a pleasant fragrance filling the air.

But Chen Zhongyi felt that this place was even more terrifying than the abandoned stadium.

Lin Xiaoxiao was dressed in a business suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, holding a pen in her hand, and her eyes were very gentle.

"Zhongyi, let's play a game," she said with a smile.

"What are we playing?" Chen Zhongyi asked, huddled in the corner of the sofa.

"Imagine you're playing a serial killer, and I'm your next prey."

"But you're injured now, so you need to gain my trust and get me to open the door for you." Lin Xiaoxiao pushed up her glasses. "Now, begin your performance."

Chen Zhongyi paused for a moment, then forced an awkward smile. "Um, beautiful, I tripped and fell. Could I borrow a Band-Aid?"

"Click."

The pen in Lin Xiaoxiao's hand was broken by pressing down.

The smile on her face vanished instantly, and her eyes became cold and empty.

"It's so fake." Lin Xiaoxiao leaned closer to Chen Zhongyi, their faces only a few centimeters apart.

"Your eyes are darting around, your fingers are unconsciously fidgeting with the seams of your pants, and the muscles around your mouth are stiff. In the script, I've already struck first and killed you."

Chen Zhongyi was so frightened that he dared not breathe.

"Remember, being out of character (OOC) is a capital offense." Lin Xiaoxiao's voice was gentle yet deadly. "To fool a ghost, you must first fool yourself."

Over the next few hours, Chen Zhongyi was forced to play 18 different roles, including a husband having an affair, a father who had just lost his child, and a beggar who found money.

If he even slightly loses his focus, Lin Xiaoxiao will stare at him with a "you're dead" look until he's drenched in sweat and has to start over.

During this time, Lu Dan sat in the corner flipping through the Joker cards, occasionally glancing up and interjecting a word.

"Make your eyes even fiercer, and think about how I hit you yesterday."

"Tone down that smile, don't look like a senile fool, okay?"

By nightfall, Chen Zhongyi felt like he was going to have a mental breakdown.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he was momentarily unable to tell whether it was Chen Zhongyi or the adulterous murderous beggar.

The instructors for the third day were Bao Ping and Chen Hua.

Bao Ping led Chen Zhongyi to a broken wooden door and took out a thin wire from his pocket.

"That old Chen," Bao Ping scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, "this isn't exactly a respectable skill, but in the script, encountering a locked door could very well save his life."

Bao Ping's fingers were very nimble; with a gentle pull of the wire in the keyhole, the lock opened with a click.

"Come on, try it. Don't use brute force. You have to feel the balls inside, like you're coaxing your wife..."

Chen Zhongyi struggled for a long time, breaking four or five wires before finally managing to pry it open once.

"Hey, not bad, not bad, you've got talent." Bao Ping praised without any principles. "With more practice, nothing will be able to stop you in the future."

Chen Hua's combat class was in the afternoon.

Chen Hua didn't teach any routines, only three moves: eye gouging, groin kick, and throat biting.

"We're not going there to fight."

Chen Hua demonstrated the action with a blank expression, saying, "Although it's despicable, as long as you run faster than your teammates in crucial moments, that's fine."

"Use whatever is most insidious, and strike wherever the target is vulnerable."

"If you have something in your hand, even a book, a pen, or a handful of sand, it can be a weapon."

As Chen Zhongyi watched Chen Hua demonstrate how to pierce a mannequin's eyeball with a key, he not only learned the move but also learned that he must never mess with this woman again.

On the last day, there were no specific classes. Lu Dan gathered everyone in his small living room, which was temporarily set up as a simple secret room.

"The time to test the results has come." Lu Dan pointed to the tightly closed bedroom door:

"Old Chen, go in. We've set up some simple traps inside. Da Lu is playing the ghost. Your task is to get out alive within 10 minutes."

Chen Zhongyi took a deep breath and pushed open the door to enter.

Ten minutes later, the bedroom door opened, and Chen Zhongyi walked out looking disheveled, his clothes torn, and several red marks on his face.

But he was clutching the key to the pass tightly in his hand—one of Lu Dan's slippers.

"Huff—" Chen Zhongyi gasped for breath, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "How was it? Did you pass?"

Lu Dan looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Barely passing."

"If Da Lu were really a ghost, his head would have already been ripped off by the time you went to search under the bed in the third minute."

However, Lu Dan changed the subject: "Considering that you were a fool who could only scream when something happened 4 days ago, you're already doing great. Now you're at least a piece of trash who can bite."

"Thanks for the compliment." Chen Zhongyi rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

He really changed in these four days. Although his passive skills haven't taken effect yet, he has adapted to the tense state ahead of time under the high-intensity, demanding training.

That evening, everyone ate hot pot around a small coffee table at Lu Dan's house.

The steaming mist blurred everyone's faces, and the spiciness of the hot pot broth dispelled the fatigue and seriousness of the past few days of special training.

"Come on, let's have a drink." Da Lu raised his beer, his face flushed from drinking.

"Congratulations to Lao Chen on his successful graduation, and best wishes to all of us for smooth sailing in our upcoming scripts."

"Cheers!"

The wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

During the meal, people stopped talking about heavy topics and started discussing their own preparations.

"I did some research."

Ye Jianguo picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks. Although his expression was relaxed, there was still some seriousness in his eyes. "There are similar records of scripts of this type, such as those set in darkrooms, in the official archives."

"These kinds of scripts are usually set in closed environments, similar to variations of extreme psychological experiments. Ah Dan, you need to be careful."

"Don't worry, Team Leader Ye," Lu Dan said casually, sipping his tripe. "I'm more worried about you guys than that."

"I'll most likely be paired with Xiaoxiao this time, what about you guys?"

"Hehe, mine is simpler." Bao Ping chuckled. "I exchanged all my points for reinforced wrenches, and now this little wrench can easily smash rocks."

"Furthermore, the number of times the barrier can be used has been restored to 3."

Chen Hua didn't speak, silently eating her food. Her hand, resting on the table, never left the black waist pouch containing a newly exchanged dagger.

The meal was eaten very slowly, as everyone seemed to be deliberately prolonging the time, because they knew that Chen Zhongyi would leave when the clock struck midnight.

Time passed by, second by second.

23 points.

Chen Zhongyi put down his chopsticks, and his phone screen lit up, showing a bright red countdown with only 5 minutes left.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense.

"Alright, stop making it sound like a life-or-death situation."

Lu Dan stood up, walked to Chen Zhongyi, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and handed it to him, and lit one for himself as well.

He tossed the lighter to Chen Zhongyi: "Take a puff before you go in to perk yourself up."

Chen Zhongyi lit a cigarette with trembling hands, took a deep drag, and coughed twice, choking on the smoke.

"Don't worry, I will definitely come back this time."

"Remember what you've learned in these four days." Ye Jianguo patted his head, his hand broad and strong. "Don't be reckless, but don't be a coward either. Come back alive."

"Remember to use your brain." Lin Xiaoxiao pointed to her temple. "Don't let your emotions control you."

"Hey, if you can't open a lock, don't force it. You can kick it open too," Bao Ping shouted.

"Run faster!" Da Lu waved his fist.

"Eye gouging and groin kick, don't forget that," Chen Hua said succinctly.

Chen Zhongyi looked at them, nodded vigorously, and finished smoking.

The countdown reached zero, and Chen Zhongyi vanished instantly, leaving the chair empty except for a cigarette butt still emitting wisps of smoke.

The cigarette smoke dissipated, the last wisp of smoke being dispersed by the living room ceiling light.

"I'm leaving." Ye Jianguo stood up, his movements swift and decisive. He straightened his collar.

"Then let's go." Da Lu patted his round belly.

"I also need to go back and check on my precious jars; I just redeemed a few new ones, I hope they don't get damp."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't speak. She walked to the window, glanced at the dark night, and nodded back to Lu Dan.

Bao Ping rubbed his hands nervously, as if he wanted to say something auspicious. After a long pause, he finally managed to say, "Brother Lu, if the water pipes at home break, wait for me to come back and fix them."

"Hurry up and go!" Lu Dan waved his hand.

The crowd filed out.

As the security door was locked, the lively atmosphere in the room was completely shut out.

Lu Dan stood in the center of the living room, showing no signs of sadness or sorrow.

In the precarious world of film sets, every parting could be a final farewell—this is common sense, and an environment we must get used to.

He turned and went into the workshop, opened a drawer, and took out a revolver.

In a darkroom, a space that sounds cramped, this gun might be surprisingly effective.

We still need to make some preparations and exchange some items.

For the next two days, Lu Dan was almost completely isolated from the world.

He didn't go out again, nor did he constantly check his phone.

He even spent an afternoon fixing the broken microwave oven in his house.

He is adjusting himself, bringing his mental state and emotional threshold to their optimal state.