Escape Studio "Hell Cinema"

Chapter 7 Danger Appears

"So how do we know we've survived?" Qian Cang noticed that the villagers ahead had stopped, all standing in front of a farmhouse.

"Do you know about that bus? If it appears in front of us, it means we've survived. Until we get on the bus, nothing can confirm that we've survived. By the way, let me say this: in movies, death is real death. Here, the definition of death is theoretical death, because in some movies, actors might have two lives. After the first death, they may revive, but if they die again, that's real death. That's what theoretical death means, being eliminated." After Hawkeye finished speaking, the two also moved closer to the place where the villagers were standing.

Perhaps it was a tacit understanding; both of them simultaneously pulled their attention back from the conversation.

A few villagers turned back to take a look at the two, and after exchanging a glance, they returned their gaze.

"Fortunately, the character I am playing, Shi Hai Min, is returning to the village from outside; otherwise, suddenly chatting so familiarly with the character played by Ying Yan, Zhang Zi An, would definitely raise suspicions," Qian Cang thought to himself.

The two stood outside the door for two minutes before the village chief, Shi Wen Wei, and his eldest son, Shi Hong Ye, walked out with very serious expressions on their faces. Then, Shi Wen Wei waved for a robust middle-aged man to come forward. This middle-aged man had a worried expression, as if he had encountered a sudden disaster.

Shi Wen Wei whispered a few words into the middle-aged man's ear, who then forced a couple of bitter smiles, nodded, and pushed through the villagers gathered at the door to walk in the direction of his home.

After this villager left, Shi Wenwei waved for a young man to come forward. The expressions on the young man's face were even more varied than those of the middle-aged man just now—anger, sadness, shame, and regret. It seemed as if all the emotions a young man could display were visible on his face.

Shi Wenwei also whispered a few words into the young man's ear, and the young man's reaction was the same as that of the middle-aged man just now—he too gave a **.

"The middle-aged man just now should be Shi Le'an's father, and this young man is probably Shi Mengtao's son. Shi Wenwei is mediating the relationship between the two families. Indeed, this is undoubtedly the wisest course of action. The village is not like the city; in the city, neighboring households might live and die without ever interacting, but it is different in the countryside. The whole village is so small, and when something like this happens, rumors are bound to fly. If the anger in the hearts of the two families is not resolved, perhaps before the case is even cracked, they could get into a bloody conflict due to their differences." Qian Cangyi was very affirming of Shi Wenwei's actions.

Then, Shi Wenwei dismissed the villagers, including the young man and his own son, Shi Hongye.

Among those present, only three people remained, besides Shi Wenwei himself, there were Zhang Zi'an played by Eagle Eye and Shi Haimin played by Qian Cangyi.

"Zhang Zi'an played by Eagle Eye definitely can't keep it a secret. He came here for geological exploration, and as an outsider, Shi Wenwei must provide an explanation to Zhang Zi'an. This is easy to understand, but why did I, playing Shi Haimin, also stay? Is it because of my inexplicable relationship with Zhang Zi'an, or because Shi Haimin has worked outside and understands the importance of calling the police, or is it that the deaths of these two are related to the death ritual?" Qian Cangyi analyzed in his heart.

"I kept you here because I want you to give me some ideas. You're different from them; after all, you've seen more of the world," Shi Wenwei said, filled with helplessness.

Qian Cangyi and Eagle Eye exchanged glances, then Eagle Eye spoke up.

"Shicunzhang, let's wait until I've looked things over before discussing anything." Hawkeye chose to use 'I' instead of 'we' here.

"Come in." Shi Wenwei understood Hawkeye's intention.

Although Qian Cangyi did not speak, it did not prevent him from following Hawkeye into the crime scene.

On the bed inside the room, there was a man and a woman, with the male lying on the female. If the two were alive at that moment, this scene would merely be an ordinary catch-in-the-act scenario. However, under Shi Wenwei's guidance, they approached the bed, and then they saw that the faces of the two engaged in intimate acts on the bed were filled with fear. Such an expression only appears when someone can no longer bear it; if either of them had heart conditions, their faces displaying such an expression would basically announce their death.

Shi Le'an's face was pale, his eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets, and his mouth was wide open, large enough to fit an apple inside. The same expression appeared on the face of Shi Mengtao, who was lying on the bed.

This must be... a death by fright?" Shi Wenwei rubbed his beard, "I've been the village chief for so many years, but I've never seen a death like this.

"Who discovered it first?" Eagle Eye asked.

"It was Shi Mengtao's son, what a sin! Alas!" Shi Wenwei sighed.

Hearing Shi Wenwei's sigh, Qian Cang glanced at him and said, "If it weren't for what happened last night, I might not care, but now, I don't understand whether your sigh is for the two deaths, or simply because the two were caught having an affair, or perhaps both reasons."

Village Chief." Eagle Eye shifted his gaze from the corpse to Shi Wenwei, "What do you think? Could it... be related to the death ritual?

Although Eagle Eye's tone was very calm, his words were extremely shocking to Shi Wenwei.

Shi Wenwei chose to avoid Eagle Eye's gaze, unsure how to respond for the moment.

"I think we should call the police." Seeing that Shi Wenwei did not respond, Eagle Eye said again.

"This..." Shi Wenwei's expression was very troubled.

"I'm not a professional, so I can't tell what's going on." Eagle Eye shrugged.

"Alright, I'll have someone call the police right away." Shi Wenwei chose to compromise.

Then, Shi Wenwei looked at Qian Cangyi, who was playing the role of Shi Haimin, and then glanced at Zhang Zian, played by Eagle Eye. "Mr. Zhang, I have something to discuss with Haimin. Could we…"

"Hmm." Eagle Eye nodded slightly and turned to leave the room.

After Eagle Eye left the room, Shi Wenwei opened his mouth, "Haimin, do you have any discoveries?"

None." Qian Cangyi shook his head, but thought in his heart, "Isn't this kind of question trivial? Why ask Zhang Zian to leave? There's no need to speak alone with me.

"So... do you know how I comforted the relatives of both of them? And do you know how I comforted the villagers of Yuxi village? Are you interested in any of this?" Shi Wenwei's sudden change of topic caught Qian Cang off guard.

Faced with Shi Wenwei's sudden inquiry, Qian Cang hesitat