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

Chapter 23 A Dilemma

Zhang Kai stepped through the door, the thick smell of ink instantly enveloping him. He turned around, gripping Lu Dan's arm tightly, his eyes pleading: "Uncle, come on, let's go in together."

Just as Lu Dan was about to lift his leg, an invisible repulsive force erupted at the door frame, like an invisible high-pressure rubber wall, forcefully blocking him outside, as if declaring "No unauthorized personnel allowed."

Zhang Kai was clearly unprepared for this turn of events. He pulled with all his might, trying to drag Lu Dan inside. His fingers turned white from the force, and his arm muscles tensed: "Come in! Push! How come you can't even get through the door?"

Lu Dan stumbled as he was pulled. He knew very well that it was foolish to go against the rules on set.

Looking at Zhang Kai's face, which was flushed from exertion, Lu Dan sighed inwardly—this kid's scenes in the inner world were finished, and what followed was his solo storyline.

Lu Dan suddenly grabbed Zhang Kai's wrist and pulled it outwards, then raised his foot and kicked Zhang Kai in the buttocks without any hesitation.

This kick wasn't driven by any personal grudges; it was purely for the purpose of giving someone a push.

"Ouch! Uncle, what are you doing?"

Zhang Kai exclaimed in surprise, lost his balance, and stumbled into the white light inside the door.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Dan slammed the mahogany door shut the instant Zhang Kai's figure was swallowed up.

"Bang!"

The door sewed shut, the suction and repulsion disappeared simultaneously, and the corridor returned to silence, leaving only Lu Dan standing at the door, straightening his crumpled security guard uniform.

......

Table World, Building B, 4th Floor.

Lin Xiaoxiao stared at the stairs leading to the third floor, wondering what to do if the director suddenly came out.

Just then, a strange ripple appeared on the once pristine white wall at the end of the corridor, like a pebble being thrown into a calm pond.

"vomit--"

The wall emitted a muffled thud, like someone vomiting, and then a figure, as if being forcefully vomited out of an indigestible stomach, flew out of the solid wall with a cloud of dust.

"Smack!"

The figure landed face down on the smooth floor, slid half a meter before coming to a stop and remaining motionless.

This was so extraordinary that both of them were stunned for a second.

"This...this wall can even produce offspring?" Bao Ping held up a wrench, his eyes wide with surprise.

Lin Xiaoxiao reacted the fastest; she rushed over and saw the person on the ground clearly.

He was a boy in a dirty school uniform, covered in blood and mud, clutching a table leg with nails in his hand—his appearance was completely out of place in the bright and clean campus environment, like a beggar who had wandered out of a garbage dump.

"It's a student, still alive, just unconscious. Master Bao, give me a hand, get him inside first."

Although Bao Ping muttered something unlucky, he was quick and agile, hoisting the boy onto his shoulder and rushing into the counseling room.

With a "bang," the door slammed shut, cutting off all sight of the corridor.

Bao Ping placed the boy on the carpet.

Su Ke, who had been sitting on the sofa in a daze, subconsciously glanced at the boy on the ground.

Just one glance.

Su Ke suddenly covered her temples, her originally delicate and perfect face instantly contorted, as if a red-hot steel needle had been inserted into her brain.

The world began to turn upside down in her eyes, colors were stripped away, and she saw countless afterimages superimposed on the dirty boy on the ground, sometimes a boy laughing in the sunlight, sometimes a survivor of ruins crying in the rain.

The intense dizziness made her gag.

"Su Ke, are you alright?" Lin Xiaoxiao reacted quickly, grabbing the swaying Su Ke and pressing her fingers on her hand to try to bring her back to her senses.

Lin Xiaoxiao keenly glanced at Li Mu on the other side. Strangely, Li Mu, who had first said that someone was spying on him, was now sitting there like an outsider, staring at the boy on the ground with a look of unfamiliarity and numbness, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

"Cough cough... cough..."

The boy on the ground coughed violently and slowly opened his eyes.

Zhang Kai felt as if all the bones in his body had been dismantled, and his vision gradually became focused.

What came into view was the familiar ceiling, the familiar layout of the counseling room, and those two faces that had haunted his dreams for three years.

"Su...Su Ke? Li Mu?"

Zhang Kai sat up abruptly, the movement aggravating his wound and causing him to wince in pain. But he didn't care and scrambled to the sofa, tears streaming down his face, mingling with the dirt and grime on his face, making him look extremely disheveled.

"You're alive! That's wonderful... truly wonderful! I've finally found you!"

Zhang Kai reached out to grab Su Ke's hand, but Su Ke instinctively dodged away.

Su Ke was pale and trembling, huddled in Lin Xiaoxiao's arms, her eyes filled with fear.

"Who...who are you? I don't know you. Teacher Lin, who is he?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Zhang Kai's burning heart.

Zhang Kai stood frozen in place, his hand hovering in mid-air, somewhat incredulous. He looked at Li Mu beside him: "Li Mu, don't you recognize me? I'm Zhang Kai. The three of us grew up together, haven't you forgotten? You wanted to be a scientist, and I wanted to play basketball..."

Li Mu looked at him indifferently, shook his head, and said in a flat tone, "Excuse me, which class are you in? I've never seen you before."

Zhang Kai was on the verge of collapse. He pulled out the letter that Lu Dan had pieced together from his pocket.

"Su Ke, this is the letter you wrote."

Su Ke stared at the letter, her pupils dilating violently, her head throbbing with pain, yet she couldn't piece together the fragments of memory. She clutched her head and screamed, "I didn't write that! I don't remember! Take it away, take it away now!"

The situation briefly spiraled out of control.

Seeing this scene, Lin Xiaoxiao had already made up her mind.

The memories are fragmented, or rather, these "perfect students" have been reset.

"Excuse me, please calm down," Lin Xiaoxiao stood up and stood in front of Su Ke, speaking in a caring older sister tone, but her eyes were fixed on Zhang Kai. "It seems you come from a 'far away, dirty' place. Although your friends may not remember you for now, surely someone in this school knows where you came from."

She emphasized the words "very far away, very dirty" and subtly pointed to the end of the corridor—the place where Zhang Kaifei had come out.

Although Zhang Kai was a simpleton, he had spent three years in the Otherworld and still retained his sense of danger. Looking into Lin Xiaoxiao's meaningful eyes, he suddenly realized something, wiped away his tears, and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

"Yes, there was a security guard..." Zhang Kai took a deep breath, his voice hoarse, "He brought me here."

Bao Ping chimed in from the side, "This school has security guards? Why didn't they answer the phone when we called earlier?"

"A middle-aged man who never spoke, but was incredibly ruthless," Zhang Kai said through gritted teeth. "He's helping me."

Lin Xiaoxiao's pupils suddenly contracted.

Is Lu Dan trapped over there?

......

The Otherworld, Building B, 4th floor.

Lu Dan stood in front of the mahogany gate, watching the luster on the doorknob gradually dim until it turned into a rusty piece of scrap iron.

Zhang Kai made it through; although the process was a bit bumpy, the ending was good.

Now the question arises: Lu Dan pulls out his patrol manual from his pocket.

The patrol route is fixed from Building A of the teaching building to Building B of the teaching building, and then to the dormitory building.

The next stop is the dormitory building. Logically, after patrolling Building B, we should go downstairs, cross the playground, and head to the dormitory.

Lu Dan turned and walked towards the stairwell.

The staircase is still there, but it's been sealed off again.

Lu Dan arrived at the cement wall with the words "Bad kids are not allowed to tattle" painted on it and knocked on it.

This is awkward.

As a dedicated security guard, if I am unable to reach the next checkpoint due to a terrain bug, is that considered absenteeism?

Lu Dan leaned against the wall, took out a cigarette, lit it, and stared at the ceiling.

If the conventional route is blocked, then we have no choice but to take the unconventional route.

What's above the ceiling? The 5th floor? The rooftop? Or...?

He looked up, and the beam of the flashlight shone directly on the moldy, blackened plasterboard above him. Amidst the mold, he could vaguely make out a handle.

That's the cover for the access panel.