APP: Chapter 69

Early the next morning, Xie Chi received an item from the app. The app explained that it was sent to him as a reward for the short movie Hide and Seek. The formalities had just been finished.

Xie Chi remembered there were no items for Horror Skewers since the program group was so stingy. Even if the difficulty was unbalanced, they only compensated each actor with 20 points. Xie Chi always felt that this unexpected reward had little to do with Horror Skewers and might have a hidden secret.

Xie Chi looked at the dagger that was currently on the desk. Xie Chi didn’t know if he should call it a dagger or a knife. It had the length and appearance of a dagger but the blade was curved like a silver-black crescent.

Light shone on the dagger and the blade was so chilling that Xie Chi felt a pain on his skin despite being 30 or 40 metres away. There was a faint black air around the blade like fog. It sometimes spread and sometimes converged. It was like a mussel opening and closing. There was a type of mysterious and evil vitality.

The blade was very exquisite. The tip of the blade could cut iron like it was mud and the handle was engraved with a black dragon or snake. It looked simple, elegant and noble.

The app sent a message in a timely manner.

[This item is special and isn’t bound. It can only be used after a master is recognized.]

[Item Introduction: This item is called Evil Spirit Blade and is produced from the western evil spirit movie of the same name, Evil Spirit Blade.

The plot outline of the movie Evil Spirit Blade: A collector bought an inconspicuous dagger on the black market but the people around him were injured or dead. The collector finally discovered the truth after many investigations. This dagger has an evil spirit in it. This dagger originally belonged to a murderer and the murderer used it to kill countless people. After he died, his soul possessed it and coexisted with the dagger. Those who are weak in mind will be possessed by the evil spirit and commit sins. Those who are firm in mind but weak in spirit will be bitten by the evil spirit and injured. The collector finally sent it to the church to save himself.]

[Do you want to try being recognized as the master?]

[Warning: If you aren’t determined enough and end up possessed by the evil spirit, you will be regarded as dead.]

[This item is demonic. Only those who have the same or heavier evil spirit can control it.]

Xie Chi frowned and was even more certain this wasn’t from Horror Skewers. The conditions for the item were so harsh that it was impossible for it to be a bonus. This dagger definitely had a great background.

Even so, it didn’t matter to Xie Chi and he directly reached for the dagger. The black air around the dagger felt the intrusion and immediately became manic and ferocious. The black air condensed and took the shape of a dragon or snake. In the illusory fog, the snake-like head was aimed at Xie Chi’s hand, ready to attack him at any time.

The closer Xie Chi got, the more intense the pain of the cut and the more extreme the cold. The cold sensation made his fingers stiff and the sharpness was like cutting through white tofu.

Sweat oozed on his forehead and a deep cut appeared on the centre of his palm. The opening was originally white but the next second, blood flowed, trickling down and staining the tabletop. At the same time, the snake-like black energy seemed to lick the blood and the black energy grew stronger with the help of the blood. The evil was more arrogant than ever.

The cut on his hand was still widening. Xie Chi knew he couldn’t do it and spoke maliciously. “Brother, it is bullying me.”

A few seconds later, Xie Chi’s slender fingers relaxed and his eyes became sharp. The Evil Spirit Blade seemed to have met its nemesis and the black energy trembled a few times. It seemed to be angry and started to open its teeth and claws.

Xie Xinglan didn’t say a word. It was as if he couldn’t feel the cutting sensation and sharp coldness as he passed directly through the black energy and held the handle.

The black energy burst out in an instant and intertwined with Xie Xinglan’s white hand. The black energy seemed to be struggling to death. However, after dozens of seconds, it retreated like a mouse into its nest. It didn’t seem reconciled and the snake hissed from time to time. It seemed to be yelling threats but it was just a fake tiger.

“It’s pretty,” Xie Chi suddenly said.

Before he had time to be happy, a bit of worry surged in his heart. This dagger seemed to have been given to Xie Xinglan on purpose. Did someone know Xie Xinglan’s existence? What type of mentality did they have when sending this gift?

Xie Chi was lost in his thoughts and Xie Xinglan frowned. “I don’t like it. It isn’t so obedient. It flatters and surrenders when you are strong. However, if you are weak and dying then it won’t protect you. It is very possible it will take this opportunity to eat its master and escape. This is a small matter. It might actually occupy the master’s nest and take the opportunity to possess the master. This dagger won’t always surrender to its master. The evil spirit in it is cunning and evil. It is always looking for a way out for itself.”

Xie Chi listened to Xie Xinglan’s feelings and said, “Is it like decorating something already perfect? It will add strength but it won’t provide help in our time of need for better or for worse?”

Xie Xinglan nodded. “Yes but I can feel that it is very powerful. It is good for temporary use but we need to guard against it.”

Xie Chi thought about it. “I know.”

Then the app suddenly rang.

[The Evil Spirit Blade has recognized its master. You have succeeded in binding the Evil Spirit Blade.]

[Applicable scope of the Evil Spirit Blade: All horror movies with spirit bodies, this includes but is not limited to ghosts, evil spirits, souls…]

[Evil Spirit Blade effect: The dagger is effective against spirit bodies due to the evil spirit. It will deal a certain amount of damage to spirit bodies. The degree of damage is mainly determined by the quality of the movie as well as other reference factors.]

Xie Chi knew that the Evil Spirit Blade couldn’t be brought into things like zombie movies. It was because zombies were beings with physical attacks. The Evil Spirit Blade also couldn’t be used in alien science fiction movies like ‘Alien’.

The degree of damage was determined by the quality of the movie. This also indirectly showed that the higher the quality of the movie, the stronger the evil spirit. After all, the actor had become stronger. If the dirty things were still as strong as before, it would be too easy to break through. The balance went both ways.

Xie Chi sent a message to Yan Jing, After a while, he learned that the dagger belonged to the movie emperor he had heard about several times.

Xie Chi was a bit surprised but he had no time to think about what Shen Yi really meant. People who weren’t on the same level could only guess in vain. It was because he didn’t understand Shen Yi’s interests. From top to bottom, the top would always understand while the bottom would never understand. It was because the bottom person hadn’t climbed up and had limited information. Once Xie Chi had enough strength, all intentions would be revealed.

Xie Chi put away the Evil Spirit Blade. He dared to do so because he could afford to. It was just a weapon.

***

Six days later, Xie Chi joined the filming of the new movie. In the first three minutes of entering, the name of the movie was announced. The movie was called 1552 Haunted House.

Xie Chi had decided to go and Lu Wen was afraid that Xie Chi would be alone. He finally gave up on the selected zombie movie and went with Xie Chi. Now Lu Wen also saw the name of the movie.

“A haunted house?” Lu Wen questioned.

“It should be,” Xie Chi replied.

The app loaded for a while and then a movie poster appeared.

The poster showed a three floor mansion that was a combination of Chinese and Western styles. The exterior was grey-black and was a bit like a castle. It had a round shape but had a pointed Gothic roof. The wooden walls were covered with dead creepers.

In front of the mansion was a bare tree with no branches that was blackened all over. There was a thick bottom and a narrow top. The shape was a bit like spring bamboo shoots. In thick areas, adults might not be able to hold it with both hands while the narrow areas were extremely sharp. If someone fell from upstairs then they would be instantly killed by the tree.

The background of the poster was a cloudy sky with thick clouds. From a certain angle, Xie Chi could even see the face of the devil hidden in the thick clouds. This was probably the effect the poster wanted to achieve.

Xie Chi frowned slightly. “It feels like a combination of Chinese and Western elements. The horror elements are quite mixed but it doesn’t matter. No one cares about the confusion. The quality is pros outweigh the cons. In essence, it is still a ‘movie’ rather than reality. It is artistic processing and reference and imitation are normal.”

Lu Wen nodded.

Xie Chi once again browsed the information. “1552 should be the house number. Adding 1552 is 13. In the west, 13 is an extremely evil number.”

Lu Wen also knew this.

Legend had it that Jesus held the last supper with his disciples before he was killed. The 13th person who attended was Judas, Jesus’ disciple. Judas sold Jesus to the authorities for 30 silver and caused Jesus to suffer. The last supper was attended by 13 people and the date coincided with the 13th, so 13 was a symbol of misfortune.

Xie Chi wondered, “Have you noticed the decorative patterns in the shape of ‘6’? They are in groups of three and are close together.”

“What’s the problem?” Lu Wen knew very little about ghost movies.

“Maybe I am thinking too much or it might be an element of the app. 666 is the codename of the devil in the Bible and refers to the devil, Satan. The number might be for intimidating the audience.”

The hairs on Lu Wen’s body were standing up. “How do you know these strange things?”

“I just so happen to know them.” Xie Chi smiled. “It seems that the details of this movie should be done well.”

Each movie could reach a certain quality. There were advantages and disadvantages. Not all reversal climaxes were of high quality. Each movie had a different emphasis.

The introduction to 1552 Haunted House appeared.

[Zhao Jinhua won a prize and got the opportunity to live in a luxury house for six days. She excitedly called her family and friends to go with her but horror incidents occurred in the house one after another. The group of people received injuries or died and they fell into despair…]

Lu Wen inquired, “Why not seven days? It isn’t a day trip, three day trip, five day trip or seven day trip in China?”

Xie Chi thought about it. “God created the world in seven days. Seven means perfection, sacredness and blessing. Six is missing one and means incompleteness. These are all small elements.”

“Zhao Jinhua is You Jing’s mother. The introduction to the movie wrote her name which means she is taking part and has a big role.” Lu Wen was worried.

Xie Chi nodded.

[You will play Zhao Jinhua’s relatives and friends as you explore the secrets behind the haunted house.]

[Being transferred, please wait.]

***

Xie Chi opened his eyes again and found himself in the back seat of a car. He instinctively looked out the car window and found that the car was driving on a winding mountain road. The mountains spread out in the distance and the winding mountain road was very wide. However, there were only three cars. It was deserted.

He was in one of the black cars. In addition to the driver, it could carry up to five people.

These three cars must all be carrying actors and should be on the way to the haunted house. The car was a bit old and relatively cheap. The distance between the front and back seats was very narrow. Xie Chi had no place to put his legs. Since the car was full, he squeezed against the door.

The driver was also a newcomer who had no intersection with Xie Chi. Xie Chi remembered that his name was Lu Ming. The one sitting in the front passenger’s seat was a strange actress.

Xie Chi was sitting uncomfortably. He wanted to tell the person next to him to move over. Then he turned his head and saw Ren Ze with a stinky face. Ren Ze exuded a suffocating air that didn’t allow anyone to get close and his eyes were eager to kill Xie Chi.

Xie Chi looked down and found that Ren Ze was sitting in the middle of the back row… where the butt bar was. There was no way. This car was too old. Xie Chi held back his smile, mouth twitching slightly. He took back his words and consciously moved to the door to make room.

Ren Ze watched his actions, secretly gritted his teeth and hid his bare arms. Xie Chi wondered if Ren Ze’s resentment was too big.

[Hahahaha after the last time when Ren Ze was killed, they collided again.]

[It is about to start, right?]

[Hahahahaha #Ren Ze body hair#]

[Hey, did you find out…]

[Damn! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahaha Ren Ran, you are too good!]

[What are you laughing about? I’m confused…]

Lu Wen wasn’t in the same car as him. They should be able to meet after a while. Xie Chi was thinking and lowered his head. Then he inevitably saw Ren Ze’s arms exposed by the short sleeves. Xie Chi froze for a few seconds before turning his head silently and smiling at the car window.

It wasn’t that the signature was still there. Ren Ran had shaved Ren Ze’s arm hair. There wasn’t a single hair left.

---

Proofreader: Purichan