Chapter 102: The Cinema Phantom
Chapter 102: The Cinema Phantom
After being escorted to the reception room inside the cinema, Chen Chuan was offered tea by a waiter. Before long, a middle-aged man with a plump build hurried in, panting heavily with sweat glistening on his temples.
Upon seeing Chen Chuan, the man eagerly shook his sweaty hand and introduced himself, "I'm Huang Dacheng. You must be Mr. Chen, the one who was entrusted with this matter?"
Chen Chuan didn't mind the sweat on the man's hand and shook it, saying, "I'm Chen Chuan. I'm just a student at Wu Yi Academy, not the entrusted party yet."
Huang Dacheng's enthusiasm remained undiminished. "It's alright, Mr. Chen. We know you are young and capable, and we've heard you're an expert in this field. Our facilities here are simple, but we'll do our best to accommodate you. Please follow me, Mr. Huang."
Following Huang Dacheng up an open-style staircase, he continued his introduction, "Our Orchid Fragrance Cinema has an investment from Ink Orchid Corporation and can accommodate five thousand people watching movies simultaneously. We also offer a range of services, including dining, balls, and concerts. Many large-scale social events in the city are held here..."
Huang Dacheng continued his enthusiastic monologue as they walked, and soon they arrived at his office. The room was decorated in a vintage foreign style with genuine leather sofas, a grand writing desk with gilded accents, a wine cabinet displaying imported fine wines, colorful arched glass, black and white checkered floor tiles, and a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. In one corner stood a grand phonograph with its golden horn aimed at the entire room.
The curtains were drawn, allowing soft sunlight to filter in from outside. Chen Chuan took a few steps and noticed that from this angle, he could see the square below, where well-dressed men and women came and went, and occasionally, luxury cars of unknown brands drove by.
At that moment, he heard a melodious tune and turned around to see that Huang Dacheng had turned on the phonograph.
Huang Dacheng approached him with a smile and said, "Mr. Chen, our cinema is located in the best area in the south of the city. As the end of the year approaches, citizens with free time often choose to watch movies here, but..." He sighed.
Chen Chuan turned to face him and said, "Mr. Huang, I'm here to solve this problem."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Mr. Chen. Oh, please have a seat..." Huang Dacheng invited Chen Chuan to sit on the sofa and asked, "Mr. Chen, would you like something to drink?"
"Plain water will do," Chen Chuan replied.
Huang Dacheng gave a thumbs-up and said, "Mr. Chen, that's a great habit. Alcohol is harmful to the body, and beverages are too sweet. But for a moment's pleasure, plain water is best. It's the drink of the noble-minded."
He personally poured a glass of water for Chen Chuan and respectfully handed it to him.
Chen Chuan took it and said, "Thank you."
Huang Dacheng waved his plump hands and said, "No need for thanks, Mr. Chen. I should be thanking you for coming all this way to help us solve this problem."
Chen Chuan didn't continue with the pleasantries and got straight to the point, "Mr. Huang, how long has this issue been going on? The information I received mentioned about a month, but is there a specific date?"
Hearing Chen Chuan bring up the matter at hand, Huang Dacheng immediately became serious. He thought for a moment and replied, "It's been about twenty-five days."
Chen Chuan asked further, "Has this happened before?"
Huang Dacheng sighed, "Before I took over, I'd heard some rumors, but I thought they were just urban legends created to attract customers. As you know, these kinds of stories are more intriguing, and everyone has a curiosity for the mysterious."
Chen Chuan understood this, as he too was curious about such mysteries. But he was more interested in the underlying causes and the power behind them, "Mr. Huang, have you seen it with your own eyes?"
Huang Dacheng shuddered and shook his head vigorously.
"Has it happened at other times?" Chen Chuan asked.
Huang Dacheng shook his head, "Not yet. It's only been happening between eight o'clock and midnight."
Chen Chuan looked at him intently, "Apart from the employees mentioned in the report, have there been other casualties among the staff or customers? I want the truth."
Huang Dacheng paused, then nodded and held up a finger, "There was one drunk customer whose body we found the next day. We don't know how he ended up there. Just one, I swear."
Chen Chuan didn't probe further but thought for a moment. "I'll take care of this matter. My only condition is that no one should be near the cinema during that time."
Huang Dacheng nodded repeatedly, "Of course, of course. I'll make sure of it. By the way," he took out a card and presented it with both hands, "This is our cinema's VIP card. It grants you exclusive access to a private box and free entry to movies and performances throughout the year. Please accept it, Mr. Chen."
Chen Chuan took the card without hesitation, "Thank you, Mr. Huang. Can we go and see the place now?"
Huang Dacheng agreed but didn't dare go himself. Instead, he sent a trusted assistant to guide Chen Chuan to the auditorium where the incidents had occurred.
This auditorium could accommodate three hundred people. After a quick tour, Chen Chuan sat in the middle and waited. Soon, the lights dimmed, and with the projection from the rear, the large screen in front lit up, playing the latest popular movies.
In his past life, Chen Chuan had been a movie enthusiast, covering his room with movie posters, and spending his allowance on movies. His favorites were the Swordsman Series and the Mysterious Cave Series. However, in this life, he had been diligently training in martial arts, leaving no time for movies. The films playing now were carefully selected by him, a way to make up for his past regrets.
During the movie, a female waiter pushed a cart with soft drinks and snacks. Chen Chuan didn't touch the soft drinks but sampled the snacks, finding the crispy mushroom chips most to his liking. They had a satisfying crunch and flavor, rivaling the potato chips of his past life.
Because he was there to deal with a problem, the seats around him were not for sale to the public, so it was almost like he had the entire theater to himself. He watched one movie after another, uninterrupted.
When it was time for dinner, he stepped out, enjoyed a hearty meal at the restaurant downstairs, had a brief chat with Manager Huang, and then returned to his seat, still occupying the same spot. He continued watching the screen, with the light occasionally reflecting on his face.
Time ticked by, and after another movie ended, he glanced at his watch; it was almost midnight, the time when the issue had occurred.
He put his hand down, not doing anything extra, but instead, he slightly adjusted his breathing to stay alert, and then resumed watching the screen.
At that moment, the movie reached a critical juncture. The protagonist entered a mysterious, deep cave, and the light dimmed accordingly. The protagonist turned on a flashlight with a click, illuminating the cave's interior. In that instant, he suddenly noticed a person abruptly appearing two rows in front of his seat, where only a moment ago there had been no one.
It seemed to be a woman, with long hair covering both shoulders.
Chen Chuan stared at the silhouette, thinking, "She's here."
This was the urban legend of Yangzhi City, the Midnight Phantom of the Orchid Fragrance Cinema. If someone was still watching a movie at midnight in the cinema, and they were alone, a phantom audience member would suddenly appear to keep them company.
But at this moment, one must never greet the phantom audience. Because if you do, the next day when you return home, it might be the phantom audience member, not you.
He silently observed, recalling the information Cheng Zitong had given him, which warned him about this urban legend. If he watched movies consecutively for three days during this time frame without leaving, the phantom would automatically disappear.
Indeed, during this process, one must never speak to the phantom. Most importantly, one cannot leave during the movie, and under no circumstances should one approach the phantom to see its face.
This was probably the experience of those who had dealt with this before. He had no intention of deviating from this advice; there was no need to take unnecessary risks when there was a simple solution. So, he remained seated, unmoving.
At this moment, he glanced at his "Second Self," and as expected, a faint dematerialization appeared on his Second Self, similar to what had happened when he encountered the well doll. It seemed that this phenomenon would continue for some time, and due to the unique nature of this urban legend, it might even last longer.
In the end, he glanced at his watch and decided to just sit and watch the movies honestly.
The night was still long.
So, he refocused his attention on the screen. After approximately three hours, and two movies later, he felt something unusual, not from the phantom, but from within himself.
He realized that the growth of his altered tissue had slightly accelerated, but this process was subtle. If not for He Xiaoxing's observation technique, which made him more sensitive to his altered tissue, he might not have noticed it at all.
At this moment, a realization struck him. Could the dematerialization on his Second Self be related to this? Was it similar to how drugs stimulate altered tissue, causing damage to the body to some extent?
In that case, could the urban legend also have this effect to some degree?
No, it was probably more than that.
He pondered for a moment, thinking that there might be other unknown consequences that he wasn't aware of, but for now, his Second Self was bearing the brunt of them.
An idea then occurred to him: could he use this urban legend to guide the growth of his altered tissue?
In truth, he didn't want to complicate matters, but at this very moment, he was in the process of correcting and adjusting his altered tissue, especially in the intricate details. He couldn't afford to let the altered tissue grow on its own without control, not even a slight deviation, as it might lead to potential problems in the future.
So, he decided to use his breathing technique to guide the growth direction.
Several hours passed in a flash, and when it was around four in the morning, he casually looked up and realized that the phantom had disappeared at some point.
He sat for a while longer, then got up and left the theater. He walked down the corridor and found the waiter who had been anxiously waiting outside. The waiter immediately ran to inform Manager Huang.
Manager Huang, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief, hurried over upon hearing the news. When he saw Chen Chuan, he asked anxiously, "Mr. Chen, how was it?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I saw her."
Manager Huang's face relaxed, and he stuttered, "Then... then what happened?"
Chen Chuan said, "This urban legend will take about three days to clear. I'll be coming here for the next few days."
Manager Huang breathed a sigh of relief and showed his gratitude. "Great, then we'll trouble Mr. Chen for his hard work. Afterward, we'll definitely express our gratitude with a generous gratuity."
Chen Chuan nodded and left the cinema. He took the cinema's car back to school, took a short nap, and then continued his regular training.
The next day, he didn't go during the day. Instead, he arranged for the car to pick him up around six in the evening. When he arrived at the cinema and entered the theater, he sat down in the same spot as before.
Manager Huang was very considerate. He had changed the movie selection, including several new releases. Chen Chuan watched until around midnight, but at that moment, he didn't see the phantom.
Wait, it wasn't that the phantom didn't appear.
The phantom was there, but in a different location from the previous night. Instead of being two rows in front, it was... right next to him.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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