612 Only Hope
“Tang Yi, you told us this is a normal shoot, but you’re actually livestreaming? That is so impolite.” Han Fei knew that before the show started, but he believed it was better if he pretended that he had just found out. After all, Tang Yi was an important industry character. Han Fei checked the phone and used the angles to find the hidden camera locations. He wiped away the bloodstain on the wall to reveal the high-tech hidden cameras stuck into the wall. Han Fei stood before the camera and then studied the chatroom. It was exploding.
“It’s over now!”
“This is so awkward. I feel like I’ve been caught with my pants down.”
“It’s rare that I can feel like a voyeur. Why do you have to destroy it?”
“You just threw the murderer over your shoulders! Are you an actor?”
“What is the murderer doing? Stand back up!”
“The other actors would worry about their image when they were on variety shows, but not Han Fei.”
“I was furious when I heard Bai Cha earlier, and the six of them ran when the danger happened! How could they expect the murderer to face Han Fei alone? Aren’t they worried about the murderer?”
“But Bai Cha looks injured. Is there some kind of accident?”
“The few actors have abandoned their only hope.” The chat was rolling by so fast that Han Fei couldn’t keep up. When he discovered the livestream, his popularity burst again. His room was more popular than the others…
Tang Yi was also nervous. He had planned a long time for this. He created this ‘reality tv’ using the latest gadgets. When the industry was making pop idols, he wanted to create another miracle. He wanted to livestream the celebrities’ real reactions for the audience. Tang Yi knew this would offend the celebrities, so he only invited B and C list actors. He didn’t dare to invite any A-list actor.
Reality proved that he was right. His new show was a hit. When the seven celebrities were trapped and confused, Tang Yi’s show had already appeared on the top spot of every video platform. Outside the show, the seven celebrities had complicated relationships. The audience included those who wanted to watch the show, the drama, and the plot.
Everything went as Tang Yi planned until the short security started to go out of control. At the time, Tang Yi also panicked. But something even more unpredictable happened. Han Fei apprehended the guard and discovered the livestream. If Han Fei said something bad, then everything Tang Yi prepared would be ruined. The cost behind the set was astronomical. If he failed, he would fail spectacularly.
Tang Yi regretted not treating Han Fei better. He quickly had people send messages to the guard’s phone. He told Han Fei, “I can give you more money.”
Han Fei read the message. He removed the camera from the guard and fixed it to his shirt. “Boss Tang, I understand that you want to give everyone a surprise by reconstructing the set as close as possible. However, this set is still not as good as the real crime scene.” Han Fei looked at the camera. “I will break down this set in the hopes that you will create better and more authentic shows in the future. I also hope that the audience can understand it is not easy for the police to track down criminals. They are always in danger.”
Han Fei was not mad, and he didn’t expose Tang Yi either. If anything, he continued to play the game. If this were another celebrity, people would suspect them of being Tang Yi’s stooge, but Han Fei’s resume was placed online. The chatroom burst again. Han Fei saw the new message from Tang Yi. He begged him to continue the game. Han Fei ignored the messages. Han Fei found the livestream room that focused on Xia Yilan. The woman was wandering alone in the dark. She had her head lowered so no one could see her face. No one knew what she was doing. Even the chatroom was filled with question marks. Only a few viewers came to praise her acting. She really looked possessed.
“She is on the seventh floor?” Han Fei believed he saw the number seven on the wall. “What is she doing over there? Did someone summon her?” Han Fei still needed Xia Yilan to give him info. Han Fei pressed the elevator button, and the lights above him went out. The doors slowly opened, and the elevator panel glowed creepily green. The stench of paint and blood flowed out of the booth. More Deaths appeared. Most of them looked fresh. Han Fei dropped the body into the booth. The cracked screen showed the number seven.
“The floor where Xia Yilan is?” Han Fei thought he would get more clues, but he waited until the elevator closed again, and he got nothing else. “I guess my next destination is the seventh floor.” Han Fei glanced at the livestream. It was very different. People who didn’t know better would think he was playing the murderer, chasing after the other six.
Tang Yi sighed in relief after he heard Han Fei was willing to play. He cooperated with Han Fei. He transferred images from the security guard’s camera and provided a first-person angle for Han Fei. Before the elevator door closed, Han Fei dragged the heavy prop out again. He lacked a weapon, and he didn’t want to use a conventional weapon, for he was afraid of accidentally injuring others. The dead body had no sharp edges, so it wouldn’t hurt people.
…
When darkness fell, Xiao Chen and Bai Cha forgot their gentlemanly behavior. They abandoned the ladies and ran. The six of them ran into the stairwell. They reached the third floor and Bai Cha, who ran the fastest, finally stopped. He shone the phone behind him to make sure that the murderer wasn’t following them.
“We should rest. The crazy guard is not chasing after us.” Bai Cha leaned against the wall and panted.
“No, wait! Han Fei is not with us!” Wu Li’s face blanched. “I heard sounds of knife cutting and heavy thing falling from downstairs. Did the guard get Han Fei?”
“Hasn’t he helped the police with many cases? He’ll be fine.” Xiao Chen had no idea if Han Fei was fine or not, but he refused to go back to check.
“There is no light, and he doesn’t know the place. Even Han Fei can’t handle a man with a knife easily.” Li Feng looked around seriously for hidden cameras. “This is more than a variety show. We need to have Tang Yi stop the shooting.”
“But we’ve signed the contract. If we violate it, we’ll pay a lot of money.”
“Is money really important now? Can’t you see that Bai Cha is injured? If Han Fei didn’t push him away earlier, he would be dead already!” Li Feng said coldly.
“Wait.” Bai Cha touched the light wound on his face. “Something’s not right!”
“What is it?” Li Feng frowned.
“When we first arrived at the first floor, before the lights went out, Han Fei was already looking at the abandoned stairwell! Think about it. The guard hadn’t shown up yet!” Bai Cha said like this was something important. “How could Han Fei know the guard would appear there? The answer is, this is all part of the plot, and Han Fei is in on it!” The pain on his face and the shameful way he had reacted made Bai Cha feel awkward. His face was twisted. “The guard charged at us like crazy. The lights flickered. Everyone was caught by surprise, but Han Fei managed to react so fast and save me?”
“That’s right,” Xiao Chen nodded. “All of us ran, but he stayed. He saved Bai Cha at such a coincidental moment. He has to have discussed this with Tang Yi! Perhaps he has a hidden script!”
Bai Cha and Xiao Chen came from good families. They were young and handsome. It was impossible for them to admit that they were scared and weak, so they found reasons to blame others.
“You should be thankful that you’re only injured. If Han Fei didn’t push you away, you’d be dead already.” Li Feng retorted.
“Now that you bring that up, I shouldn’t even be injured in the first place. This is Han Fei’s fault for not cooperating well with the guard. Their carelessness ruined my face. After the shoot is over, I’ll have my company talk to Tang Yi about it.” Bai Cha was a newbie, but he had Deep Space Tech behind him.
“Since you think this is all fake, why don’t you go downstairs to check?” Li Feng pointed at the darkness. “Han Fei is down there. You can go back to save him like how he had saved you from the guard.”
Bai Cha’s face reddened. “There’s no need for that. I won’t steal his thunder.”
“Just say you’re scared. You ran the fastest among us, and yet you have the most the say.” Li Feng knew Bai Cha and Xiao Chen were not reliable, so she turned to A-Lin and Wu Li. “Things happened too suddenly. But we can’t leave Han Fei there alone. This might be just a show, but we should go back to check on him.”
A-Lin hugged Han Fei’s shirt. She had cried several times already. She was conflicted. Wu Li also thought he should help Han Fei, but a voice in his head stopped him. The complication of human nature was shown then. The five stars paused for about ten minutes on the third floor when Xiao Chen heard the sound of tables moving come from upstairs. “Did you hear that?”
Everyone turned to Xiao Chen. Then, they held their breaths to listen. The sound of wood brushing against the floor came from between the third and fourth floors. The sound was very weak.
“It comes from upstairs?” The few looked at each other in confusion. The scratching sound became louder. They approached the stairs and aimed their flashlight upwards. The sacrificial table that was in the middle of the fourth-floor corridor had been moved to the landing between the third and fourth floors. The giant faceless death portrait leaned against the banister like it was staring at them!
“Who moved this here?” Xiao Chen’s knees wobbled. The others were stunned too.
Among the silence, the scratching sound began again. The five actors saw the table slowly move towards them!
“It is coming!” The death portrait fell from the table. The faceless woman pounced on them. None of them was willing to stay. They started to run madly.
There was a murderer on the first floor, the table was moving from the third floor, the five actors had no choice but to run into the second floor with the red cake.
