Escape Studio "Hell Cinema"

Chapter 11 Deterioration

The two returned to their respective residences.

In the room, Qian Cangyi thought about asking Shi Xi about Shi Haimin's childhood or telling Shi Xi what Shi Jingfu had said to force her to reveal something about the last death ritual. However, after careful consideration, Qian Cangyi decided against it for a simple reason. The first question could be asked casually, but asking it specifically would obviously raise suspicions, and regarding the second question, Shi Jingfu's words could not compel Shi Xi to disclose anything related to the death ritual.

Unless the events of last night are revealed, once this matter is exposed, Qian Cangyi does not know what the subsequent developments will be. It can be said to be completely uncontrollable. If what happened last night comes to light, the impact on Yuxi Village would be no less than that of a bomb.

Just like that, another day went by. Although both of them made some gains, they still did not find the truth behind the death ritual.

At night, Qian Cangyi had many dreams again, but this time the dreams were very ordinary and continuous. The content of the dream was him browsing forums online, discovering many interesting posts, each of which, posted by the forum master, was very explosive, and could even be described as big news.

In the morning, Qian Cangyi was woken up again, but this time it was not by noisy sounds, but by Hawk Eye's knocking on the door.

"Shihai, are you there?" The tone of the eagle's eye was very urgent.

"Here!" Qian Cang replied as soon as he spoke.

"Get up quickly, I'm waiting for you outside." Although the eagle's eye did not say exactly what had happened, Qian Cang could sense the implication behind the eagle's words. Stone Xi was still in the room, and yesterday Shi Wenwei had asked him to keep silent about Stone Xi's death during the affair between Shi Mengtao and Shi Le'an. Although Stone Xi had not suspected anything, if the eagle's eye came out saying "something major has happened," it would certainly pique Stone Xi's curiosity.

"Okay!" Qian Cang sprang up from the bed.

After greeting Shi Xi, Qian Cangyi went out. At the door, he saw Eagle Eye standing outside waiting for him.

"Let's talk as we walk." Eagle Eye's gaze went past Qian Cangyi and looked inside the door.

"Mm." Qian Cangyi also didn't waste any words.

For the two of them, unless it was each other, no one else was worth trusting.

Another two people have died." After walking to a safe distance, Hawkeye spoke up. He didn’t wait for Qian Cang to respond and continued, "It’s Shi Jingfu and Shi Xuezhen; their bodies were found in Shi Jingfu's home, completely naked. Now Shi Wenwei is very angry, and his tough stance has suppressed the matter.

"This..." Such explosive news left Qian Cang at a loss for words.

Could they be...? Well, I’m increasingly baffled by the darkness of this village. Just how chaotic is Yuxi Village?" As Qian spoke, he shook his head. "Just yesterday I had begun to get closer to Shi Jingfu, and I never expected such an incident to happen today. Perhaps there are even more shocking secrets in Yuxi Village, and what do these incidents have to do with the death ritual?

Hawkeye did not answer Qian Cang's last question and continued to talk about Shi Jingfu and Shi Xuezhen. "The expressions on their faces were extraordinarily terrified, just like the expressions on Shi Le'an and Shi Mengtao when they died. By the way, I had Shi Wenwei report the incident to the police yesterday. He sent someone, but that person came back last night and told us that he couldn’t get out of Yuxi Village no matter how hard he tried. He spent the whole afternoon wandering in the mountains, but could not escape. It seems we can only rely on ourselves from now on."

“If that's the case, things have become even more confusing. What should we do?” Qian Cangyi looked at Hawkeye with an expectant gaze.

Although Qian Cangyi performed well in this movie, he is still a novice and unfamiliar with many techniques. Hawkeye, on the other hand, has at least participated in one film and gained some experience.

“My intuition tells me that the dead offering has already begun to affect the villagers of Yuxi Village. Perhaps the deceased villagers did not die voluntarily. They are dead and cannot defend themselves. As for why the dead offering has such an effect, I currently have no clue.” Hawkeye pondered for a moment and continued, “By the way, are you going to see Shi Jingfu? After all, the character you are playing is Shi Haimin. It seems inappropriate from any angle not to see your good friend if they have passed away.”

“Huh? Didn’t you say Shi Wenwei suppressed this matter with great force? If this kind of thing spreads within Yuxi Village, it will definitely have a very adverse impact.” Qian Cangyi countered.

"Not including you." Hawkeye's response was very short.

The breeze slipped through his fingertips. Although the sun was high in the sky, Hawkeye's words made Qian Cangyi feel a chill in his heart. This statement was certainly not what Hawkeye meant to express; as performers, they had no need to emphasize this point. Therefore, this sentence must have been said by someone else, and combining it with Hawkeye's earlier words, it was clear that this person was the village chief.

As the village chief, Shi Wenwei was overly concerned about Qian Cangyi's portrayal of Shi Haimin.

Although Qian Cangyi knew that Shi Wenwei had a deeper relationship with Shi Xi, even with this additional layer of connection, it still seemed excessively caring, as if the relationship between Shi Haimin and Shi Wenwei was not just this, and should go further.

The answer is almost self-evident.

"Hawkeye, do you think that Stone Haijin might be… the son of Stone Wenwei?" When Qian Cangyi said this, his expression was very strange. Although he was just an actor, he was affected a little by the situation he was in. Even from an observer's perspective, his feelings about this relationship were very complicated. If it were Stone Haijin himself who understood this, it would not be surprising if he went into a mental breakdown, according to Qian Cangyi.

Hearing this, Hawkeye raised his eyebrows high. He did not answer immediately but thought for a moment.

There might be such a possibility." Hawkeye knocked his right fist on his left palm. "Regardless of whether this is the case or not, it is a fact that Stone Wenwei treats you very well. Maybe you can take advantage of this.

"Utilizing this point? Last time I asked about the dead ceremony, he didn't respond. I think this kind of concern is just to make me follow the path he envisioned. It shouldn't be that heartfelt care, merely... a kind of psychological comfort." Qian Cangyi shook his head, not quite agreeing with Eagle Eye's view.

"Are you talking about psychological compensation? There is indeed this possibility." Eagle Eye said thoughtfully.

As the two walked, they arrived at the house where Shi Jingfu lived. Unlike yesterday, there