Chapter 38, Act Three Begins

The moment of Liu Ying's death was precisely at the stroke of midnight.

Now, that moment was drawing perilously close.

At this juncture, using the high heels was not an option. The current redemption points only allowed for a single use. If he failed to save Liu Ying in time, the points already deducted would be for naught. The only hope was to rescue her at the critical moment—if he could delay her death, even by a second, the redemption points would increase significantly.

As the second person to die after Wu Jun, Liu Ying seemed no more than a minor, inconsequential character in the grand scheme of things. Yet it was precisely such roles that were far more vulnerable to death. The protagonist, with their so-called luck or "halo," would always have a higher chance of survival, even if they were the second leads. But those in the background—those side characters—had little hope. If they were saved, the reward of redemption points would naturally be far greater.

Once enough redemption points were accumulated, the high heels could be used repeatedly, greatly expanding Allen's chances of survival. After all, the character he portrayed, Zhang Hua, was clearly a background figure, destined to perish before the protagonist. Even if he survived to the final scene, he would inevitably face a life-and-death crisis alongside the protagonist. Ten seconds of using the high heels once was simply insufficient.

Most crucial of all, if Liu Ying died around midnight, Allen would not receive a single redemption point.

If the clock ticked past midnight, they would enter Act Three. By then, the butterfly effect caused by Ivan's death would have dissolved, and the ghosts would have to follow the script's demands once again.

After considering everything, Allen's course of action became clear: delay the time, stretch it out until after midnight, and then enter Act Three. Once Act Three began, the script would be restructured. According to experienced actors, the butterfly effects caused by changes in the script would be minimized once the restructuring occurred, returning the storyline to its original trajectory.

After racing up to the second floor, Allen clutched Liu Ying's hand tightly, his eyes fixed on the time displayed on his phone.

11:58 PM.

Though the phone's clock might not be entirely accurate, it was close enough. He just had to hold on a little longer.

At this point, Allen could not use the high heels. The ten seconds had to be reserved for the final moment. According to his plan, his redemption points were sufficient for now.

Allen led Liu Ying in a continuous circle, returning to their previous location. During this time, nothing happened. His only task now was to stall, to drag out the time. The second floor was slightly more spacious than the first, but Allen knew full well that without the high heels, he was nothing more than a mortal, vulnerable to any misfortune. His hand remained firmly tucked in his pocket, ready to grab the high heels at a moment's notice.

He knew that stopping was not an option.

But at that moment, it felt as if every minute dragged on endlessly. He had no idea how many laps they had run, but even Allen was beginning to feel the absurdity of his actions. There was still a slight time gap before midnight.

The only hope was to save Liu Ying, to push them into Act Three—and that, at least, would offer a chance at salvation.

The seconds were slipping away, the midnight hour ever closer.

Sweat continuously beaded on Allen's forehead, his anxiety escalating with each passing second.

At last, he retrieved the high heels.

There was no more time to delay! The time on his phone and the script were bound to have discrepancies. With the critical moment so near, if he didn't act now, it would be his own death that followed.

This was the thought that consumed Allen.

Ten seconds... Everything hinged on those few moments!

He immediately seized Liu Ying's hand and pulled her into a room.

Though it seemed to limit their movement, it also reduced the number of places where the ghosts could vanish.

Once inside, they crouched by the door, the high heels gripped firmly in his hand.

In the darkness, he couldn't see clearly, but the heels, once removed, seemed to glow with an even more vibrant red, resembling the color of fresh blood.

However, the ten seconds would soon pass. Every time he used an enchanted object, the script would count down in his mind, notifying the actor of the passing time. Ten seconds was the threshold—any longer, and his redemption points would be halved!

The time on his phone read 11:59!

The tenth second arrived, and with a reluctant breath, Allen slipped the high heels back into his pocket. His redemption points had dwindled to just 14. And it would be another thirty minutes before he could use them again.

Hurry... Time...

Time...

Just then, the door in front of them suddenly jerked, and the doorknob began to twist violently!

Liu Ying, terror-stricken, turned pale. A pool of liquid spread beneath her as she wet herself in fear.

I'm going to die... I'm finished...

I'll never make it out of here alive...

But Allen didn't give up.

Without hesitation, he rushed forward, pulled out a soul-binding talisman, and slapped it onto the doorknob. The turning of the knob immediately ceased, and the talisman ignited in a blazing fire.

Allen quickly glanced at his phone.

As the talisman burned out, the time on his phone ticked over to midnight.

A deep sigh of relief escaped Allen's lips.

Act Two had ended! We were now in Act Three!

The redemption points surged in an instant! Earlier, after using the soul-binding talisman, his points had dipped by 136, leaving him with a negative balance of -136. Yet in that very moment, he gained 600 redemption points! His total now stood at 464!

With 600 points, it was as though the protagonist's pay in a low-difficulty horror film had been transferred to him. With 464 points, it meant that he could use the cursed high heels three times—provided he waited thirty minutes between each use.

Allen collapsed to the floor, exhaling deeply. Even Liu Ying, still in shock, couldn't believe she had survived.

The restructured script now guaranteed his safety, provided the storyline wasn't altered. From this moment until dawn, Allen was in the clear.

He helped Liu Ying to her feet and spoke the lines, "It's okay now, it's okay."

Then, with a steady hand, he turned the doorknob.

Outside the door... was an empty corridor.

Stepping out, they were greeted by the brilliant glow of lights. Cheryl, Wu Jun, and Zhao Xiaoya had gathered nearby.

"Are you all right?" Cheryl asked, glancing at Allen, who was unscathed, and Liu Ying, who appeared pale but alive. She couldn't help but admire the newcomer. How had he managed to survive?

Allen, too, felt fortunate. If not for acquiring the soul-binding talisman from The Haunted Bus, he might not have made it through the final moments. However, the 400-plus redemption points he'd earned in the process were well worth it. In the next two days, his chances of survival had just multiplied significantly.

"Are you all right?"

At that moment, Hank came rushing from the opposite end of the corridor.

In that perilous instant, he swiftly retrieved the severed finger, saving himself from imminent danger. Of course, the cost was steep—he was the protagonist, and thus his pay was higher than Allen's. He had already used the cursed object twice within a single day. His current stock of redemption points was insufficient to use the severed finger again.

No... In fact, no cursed object could be used again.

In other words, unless Hank could find a way to acquire more redemption points within the next two days, he would either be killed by a ghost or have to use a cursed object, at which point his redemption points would turn negative, sending him back to the cinema.

Naturally, he had no better option at the moment but to proceed step by step. Fortunately, his experience with six horror films had taught him how to navigate such a situation. If things went terribly wrong, he still had a last resort—he could rent out one of his cursed objects to other actors in exchange for redemption points. After all, he possessed two cursed objects.

Yes, besides Julian, Hank also owned two cursed objects.

One was the severed finger, and the other was a bell. The acquisition of the bell had been entirely accidental. At the time, it hadn't been considered a cursed object in the horror film, but after unwittingly touching it, Hank discovered it was a hidden weapon. Thus, this bell was his secret weapon.

However, this last resort wasn't guaranteed to work. Cursed objects still required redemption points to activate, and both Cheryl and Allen also owned cursed objects. Furthermore, the new actors, by default, didn't have many redemption points to begin with.

Hank felt a surge of irritation, but at this moment, there was no choice but to continue playing his role.

"It's fine now," Allen said, letting out a sigh of relief. "But this place... it really is strange."

"We woke up to find ourselves back in our own rooms," Cheryl said, visibly stunned. "What on earth is going on?"

"I've had enough!" Wu Jun shouted, clutching his head. "This place isn't normal! I need to get out! I must get out!"

He then rushed to the front door, frantically attempting to break it open with various tools. Of course, it was utterly pointless. No one bothered to stop him. After all, if they managed to break the door, they'd all be eager to escape. But everyone knew this was an impossible task.

That night, although many of them struggled to sleep, they eventually drifted off in the living room. According to the script, sleep was the one time they were truly safe.

When Allen awoke again, he noticed several people had already gotten up. Only Wu Jun, Liu Ying, and Cheryl remained asleep. Glancing at the wall clock, he saw it was just past six. Had Wu Jun finally exhausted himself after hours of pounding on the door?

Just as the script had predicted, he woke up precisely at this time. It seemed the script could even control the characters' sleep patterns. In The Haunted Bus, for instance, there had been an hour of missing time after the driver was killed. Allen had intended to stay awake, but as soon as he closed his eyes, sleep overtook him.

He rubbed his eyes, adjusted his slightly wrinkled clothes, and headed to the bathroom to wash his face. Along the way, he encountered Hank.

Act Three had begun. Today was the second day.

So far, only Ivan had met his demise. Things seemed a little better than expected.

But today, someone else would die.

There could be no relaxation, no reprieve.

As he washed his face, Allen carefully reviewed the script for Act Three in his mind. The contents of the basement room remained a mystery.

But soon…

The arrival of unimaginable terror would be upon them.