Chapter 784: Zhuang Hongyi: Why didn’t it scare anyone...?
"These devices look like they're fixed directly. How is she supposed to rest later?"
Xiao He looked over the special effects fur covering the other person's body and asked with some concern.
This "non-human creature" not only looked bizarre, but even its back had a separate external "spine," making it look very rugged, like a beast arching its back, ready to attack at any moment.
Given the person's current situation, they probably couldn't even sit in a normal chair, let alone find a place to lie down and rest.
But today, they were definitely going to be filming scenes related to this side for the whole day, and in such a hot environment, they couldn't just leave someone standing like this the entire time, could they?
"We've naturally taken that into consideration!"
Another staff member responded, and then several other staff members carried something up from downstairs—
Xiao He followed their gaze and discovered that what they were pushing up was actually a swing!
Of course, calling it a swing wasn't entirely accurate; it was two triangular bars cast from steel, with a rope strung between them. It looked very simple, but Xiao He understood at a glance. This way, the special effects actor only needed to sit on the swing with other parts of their body suspended as much as possible. This was convenient and meant they didn't have to actually sit on a chair, which would prevent the special effects props on their back and below the waist from being rubbed off.
"The Film Crew has thought of everything."
Xiao He couldn't help but nod.
They had a place to rest, and in this dilapidated building, the air conditioning was kept on, so the actor wouldn't have too hard a time.
After staying in Hong Kong for these few days, Xiao He realized how muggy it was here. Especially in July, it really felt like everyone was living in a steamer, so hot it made people breathless.
Being able to participate in a special effects shoot in such heat really required a lot of courage.
"Actually, Director Zhuang said that after we finished her makeup, we should let her go to the upstairs lounge to wait for a while," Feng Songyue said with her arms crossed and a hint of regret. "Unfortunately, the workload was indeed too large. You guys usually arrive early, and we just finished the makeup when you all showed up. There's no surprise left at all."
Xiao He was confused for a moment before immediately reacting. His mouth twitched slightly, and he said in disbelief, "Director Zhuang—don't tell me he was planning to wait until filming started to let it out and catch us off guard?!"
"Ahem—"
Feng Songyue gave a light cough, not answering the obvious question. Coincidentally, Zhuang Hongyi also arrived at the Film Crew at this time.
Seeing the group huddled together, he immediately came over to check the situation.
As a result, he unsurprisingly discovered that Xiao He and the others were already standing at the door.
"Why are you all here already?"
Zhuang Hongyi quickly scanned Xiao He and then looked at the special effects actor who had already "sat" down. He said with great regret, "Didn't I tell you that you could come to the Film Crew a bit later today? Why did every single one of you arrive so early?"
Xiao He was speechless, having already seen through everything.
As expected! Director Zhuang was planning to use this character to give them a fright later!
To be fair, if it were filmed according to the atmosphere set in the plot, everyone really would be scared when this "non-human creature" jumped out.
Whether others would be scared was hard to say, but Xiao He really couldn't guarantee that after being startled, he wouldn't instinctively throw a punch for some physical exorcism.
"Director Zhuang, you wouldn't be the kind of director who deliberately hides things before filming ghosts and monsters, then has them jump out suddenly during the actual shoot to scare the actors, just to make the scene more immersive... right?"
Xiao He asked rather resentfully.
Unfortunately, Zhuang Hongyi was exceptionally thick-skinned. Facing such teasing, he only raised an eyebrow slightly and then answered very calmly, "Isn't that just to help everyone get into character quickly? But this time, my good intentions were indeed wasted. I didn't expect the makeup time here to be a bit later than scheduled."
Feng Songyue immediately explained from the side, "The weather in Hong Kong is too hot, and the actor's face sweats easily, causing the glue to come off. So I applied a few extra layers to ensure the facial special effects makeup doesn't fall off. I've truly done my best in this matter."
Zhuang Hongyi coughed lightly. "So, since you weren't scared, if you don't get into character once we start filming, I'll have to find a few dogs to chase you around."
To stimulate some adrenaline.
Xiao He:...
The other two actors:...
Uh, hey, is there a possibility that we're still sitting right here?
Director Zhuang, aren't you afraid people will say the Film Crew is mistreating actors by openly saying you'll set dogs on us?
But clearly, Zhuang Hongyi hadn't relied on his humanity to get to where he was today.
By the time Xiao He and the others arrived at the next filming location, they felt like even the air exhaled in the corridor carried a deathly chill.
-
This entire corridor was deep and narrow, with no end in sight. The walls on both sides were clean, styled like a Hospital corridor. Even the single light overhead was a warm white bulb with a vintage feel, swaying back and forth in the wind that swept through the corridor, flickering dimly.
This lobby corridor, which should have had people passing through, had actually become so empty, as if it had turned into an abandoned site in the blink of an eye. Yet clearly, before they came, there were doctors, nurses, patients, and their families walking around on the upper floors. But this specific floor was deserted, as if it had been forgotten by everyone in the entire Hospital.
"Whew—"
The girl walking in the middle rubbed her arms. While cautiously observing her surroundings, she imperceptibly moved closer to the back of the person in front of her, seeking a tiny bit of security. However, she only felt as if her entire body was being tightly wrapped by something cold and sinister, to the point where even her breathing became somewhat stagnant.
Zhou Zhiyi had a toothpick in his mouth and didn't stop walking. He looked nonchalant, only tilting his head slightly and slowing his pace a bit.
"Have you noticed anything?"
Behind the girl was a fat man also wearing short sleeves. Although it wasn't that cold here, he also felt that invisible gaze of death in the air. He couldn't help but pinch the talisman paper in his hand while asking the girl in a low voice.
"No, nothing. There's nothing here."
The girl's gaze swept back and forth across the surroundings. It was clearly "clean" to a terrifying degree, yet she only felt fear and dread.
As someone born with Yin-Yang Eyes, the two places she feared most were Hospitals and cemeteries.
Because those places had the most ghosts.
Trying to pretend she couldn't see those "things" among a crowd of normal people was still a bit of a struggle for her.
Especially when facing those terrifying "dead people," she simply couldn't manage to walk straight through their bodies with her eyes open as if nothing had happened.
So, if it weren't for the large order the employer had placed this time, she really wouldn't have wanted to come here.
She had already encountered several "fellows" just now when they were coming downstairs.
But...
The girl frantically clutched the clothes of the person in front of her, her voice trembling, and her gaze couldn't stop wandering. "Zhou, Brother Zhou, it's really so quiet here!"
It was simply not normal for a Hospital to be this "clean."
—Unless there was something even more terrifying present!