Chapter 78: "The Man" and the Ghost Seed

With forty-five minutes remaining until the film's conclusion, Julian glanced at his watch after rolling up his sleeve and informed those around him.

At that moment, Donna downed a glass of beer in one go, crossed her legs, and surveyed the room with a disdainful gaze. "It would be such a pity if Edith were to perish in a low-difficulty horror film," she remarked.

"Job is also present," Julian added. "After all, even 'the Man' has heard of her."

Upon mentioning "the Man," a surge of intense loathing flickered across Donna's otherwise composed eyes. Her hand, gripping the beer glass, trembled uncontrollably.

"Julian, you're probably the only one who dares to mention 'the Man' in my presence," Donna said, her face revealing undisguised murderous intent, her expression turning particularly sinister.

"I've already stated... 'the Man' cannot be offended," Julian responded, seemingly unperturbed. "Even Edith and I dare not say much when we see him. If you act rashly, it will only..."

"That's why I've said it before. I will sever ties with you. We are merely collaborators using each other for mutual benefit. Therefore, 'the Man' won't vent his anger on you. If you're so worried, just kill me. Don't put on that hypocritical facade!"

"Donna," Nathan interjected from the opposite sofa, his fingers intertwined and his cold eyes fixed on the dark-skinned woman exuding boundless hostility. "Are you still not clear? To survive, we must rely on 'the Man.' A single command from him, and no cinema would dare trade with us again! Not only that, but we would become enemies of every cinema. Then, many would be eager to kill you and offer your head to 'the Man' as a token of loyalty. We have struggled to survive in this hell; we can't afford to fall into another crisis because of you!"

Donna drained her glass of beer coldly and continued, "Afterward, regardless of the outcome, I will die. Once I'm gone, none of you will have these worries anymore."

"As the leader of Hell's Thirteenth Degree, I am responsible for all the actors," Julian declared angrily. "Don't you understand? We don't have the power to oppose 'the Man'!"

Suddenly, Donna hurled her beer glass at Julian's face. He barely managed to dodge in time, and the glass shattered against the wall behind him.

"You..." Julian rose, enraged, while Donna waved her hand dismissively.

"After Edith returns, tell her her coffee was excellent, but next time, add some cream for me." With that, Donna ignored Julian and walked away.

Julian sank back into the sofa, exhaling deeply.

"Have I made a mistake? Survival is truly arduous."

Nathan pondered for a moment before asking, "Shouldn't we tell Edith about this matter? She's too intelligent; she's already guessed something. Is it wise to keep hiding it from her?"

"Let's continue to keep it from her," Julian replied, rubbing his forehead. "Apart from Donna, only you, Carol, and I know about this. It's my decision. 'The Man' is too terrifying; we can't afford to offend him in the slightest. Reality isn't a fairy tale. As the team leader, I must prioritize our survival. But I know Edith's character. If she finds out about this..."

Meanwhile, within the horror film New Neighbors , the cooldown period was slowly approaching. Job had already made up her mind.

With less than a minute left in the cooldown, the chilling air began to coalesce. Edith remained unconscious in Carol's arms, while everyone else braced themselves as if facing an imminent threat. Even Wu Zhaotian fell silent.

Finally, the moment arrived!

"I'll go check outside," Job whispered softly. She descended the stairs leading to the attic and then closed them behind her. Carol quickly pulled up the stairs.

Job pressed herself against the wall, her hand clutching the ghost bone in her pocket. She moved cautiously, recalling the words whispered in her ear by "the Man": "I hold you in high regard. I hope to see you again."

If those words were ever made public, they would cause a tremendous uproar. Proud as Job was, she disdained using "the Man's" favor to intimidate others. Her pride ran deep within her bones.

Navigating through two corridors, she noticed anime posters plastered everywhere, each containing talismans. However, without Edith awake, these talismans were useless. Moreover, once Edith fell into a coma, she wouldn't wake unless naturally revived, even if all her respiratory organs were blocked.

She must be getting close...

She couldn't tell if the malevolent spirit had already reached the other end of the corridor. Lacking spiritual mediumship, she couldn't foresee this.

Cursed objects always had a certain range limitation, but the exact distance was unknown. The information sold by Hell Cinema was chaotic; some claimed the curse could reach up to a hundred meters away. Who knew what was true? Many people sold fake information to redeem their lives. Who dared to verify? If someone died, could anyone take responsibility?

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in her peripheral vision. Instantly, she aimed the ghost bone at it. Upon closer inspection, the shadow collapsed to the ground—a corpse cloaked in a black robe!

Not the ghost!

She rushed around the corner, brandishing the ghost bone. The temperature of the bone grew increasingly frigid. Had Edith been there, she would have heard the agonized screams of the ghost bound to the bone.

Continuing like this might lead to the curse's resurgence!

She had no choice but to put the bone away, unsure if it had any effect.

Before her now lay the stairs leading to the first floor, deserted but emanating a chilling aura. Job's face betrayed her terror as she backed away slowly, sensing something lurking in the darkness, ready to strike.

Suddenly, she felt a black hood envelop her head, the cloak draping over her shoulders. Behind her, a presence exhaled icy breath onto her back!

In that instant, the scent of death enveloped her.

Realizing she had no other option, Job murmured an incantation incomprehensible to others.

Job's fame across the entire Twentieth Degree of Hell Cinema, alongside Julian and Edith, wasn't solely due to the ghost bone. Although it was a top-tier cursed object, she wasn't the only one in the cinema with such an item. What truly set her apart was that she was one of the rare few whom "the Man" had implanted a ghost within.

Her eyes turned vacant, and hair began to emerge from her lips, causing her mouth to swell into an O-shape.

Had someone been there, they would have seen a ghastly white, terrifying ghost face inside Job's mouth!

Gradually, the icy presence behind her dissipated. With great effort, Job recited a new incantation. The hair strands that had surged to her chest finally retreated back into her mouth, and her lips returned to normal. Exhausted, she collapsed, unable to speak.

Within the Twentieth Degree Ghost Cinema, she was the sole individual harboring a ghost within her body!

Facing mortal peril, she could invoke the incantation to release the ghost inside her—an act even more terrifying than the "Dead Man's Cursed Object." For if her mouth were torn open completely, rendering her unable to chant, she would surely perish. However, this method had its advantages: it required no redemption tickets and wasn't subject to cooldown periods. This was because it signified the curse's revival. In a previous horror film titled Ghost Curse , she drank the blood of a vengeful spirit extracted from a cursed object by an ancient shaman, thereby planting the spirit within her. The shaman taught her these two incantations.

Only in life-or-death situations would she resort to this method, given its extreme danger—far surpassing Donna's deadly tattoos. When Allen learned Job had a new film role, Nathan and others hinted at her uniqueness, avoiding alarming Allen. They weren't being coy; they feared scaring him.

After swiftly returning to her original position, Job ascended the attic stairs again.

Once the ladder was secured, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, though Edith remained unconscious. How long she would sleep was uncertain—perhaps dozens of minutes or an hour. Without her, all talismans were mere scraps of paper. Fortunately, they still had the stilettos and soul-summoning talismans, though the blood-red palm could not be used at this time. As for the ghost-seeding curse, Job wouldn't use it again, knowing luck might not always be on her side.

Certainly, the ghost bone could sustain its effects for a considerable duration—long enough to last until the third act concluded. Whether it could endure until Edith awakened, however, remained unknown.

Time passed swiftly. After retrieving the ghost bone, the air filled with a bloody scent, accompanied by faint whispers. While ordinary cursed objects could only expel spirits, the ghost bone influenced human actors as well. If exposed for too long, they might start seeing ghostly hallucinations. Such an occurrence would be tragically ironic. Exceeding ten seconds almost certainly guaranteed the curse's resurgence.