Chapter 805: Horror Movie

805. Horror Movie

"It's fine, I don't really have anywhere specific I want to go anyway."

Alice might need to go back at any moment. She had originally just wanted to come over and say hello to Lin Ye, but after feeling the atmosphere of this city, she wanted to stay a little longer.

"Alright, come with me then."

Perhaps sensing Alice's emotions, Lin Ye took her hand and led her away from the street selling shoddy goods. He hailed a taxi at the street corner and headed straight for the city center.

The driver was a sticky blob of flesh covered in pores. As he drove, he made a sizzling sound like meat being grilled, and there was a faint aroma of roasted meat inside the car.

Lin Ye didn't quite understand what the driver was trying to express. It seemed like some kind of performance art.

Before long, the taxi stopped near the central plaza of the city. The driver hadn't said a single word during the entire trip, as if he was committed to maintaining his "roasted meat" persona.

Lin Ye tossed a spiritual coin into the cash box and led Alice out of the roasted meat space.

"...What was that all about?"

Alice wore a confused expression as she watched the taxi gradually drive away.

"Some things don't need to be understood. Everyone has their own way of living."

Lin Ye didn't think it was anything bad.

Alice stared absentmindedly at the building on the street corner.

It was a movie theater with a large storefront, looking very upscale.

"I've hardly ever been to a movie theater. I prefer watching horror movies in a cramped room, but I think everything deserves to be experienced at least once."

Lin Ye reached out his hand to Alice. After a moment's hesitation, Alice placed her hand in his and let him lead her into the movie theater.

The ticket prices were surprisingly high. Lin Ye gave the ticket seller six spiritual coins just to buy two tickets.

"It looks like a horror movie. Do you like horror movies?"

Lin Ye didn't think Alice, who had spent a long time in the Great Hollow, would be scared of horror movies. But not being scared didn't mean she liked them.

"It's okay. I prefer watching cartoons."

Alice bought drinks and popcorn, handing one portion to Lin Ye.

The two entered the screening room. The seat numbers on their tickets were in the first row.

The screening room was packed with audience members, with only the first row empty.

When Lin Ye and Alice sat down in the first row, the audience behind them erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

"Although this is my first time at a movie theater, isn't this a bit... off?"

Alice glanced back at the audience. All of them were staring at them.

"Oh, this seems to be a spiritual movie theater. Only those who meet the conditions can sit in the first row to watch."

Lin Ye picked up the viewing guide placed beside the seat and casually put the fully enclosed helmet on his head.

"...Is that really okay?"

Alice didn't put on the helmet. The movie would generate its plot based on the real experiences of the first-row audience, allowing the rear-row audience to experience a genuine horror story firsthand.

She didn't think she had any experiences exciting enough to be made into a movie.

"It's fine. I can control the spiritual information I provide. I'll lower the difficulty a bit for them."

This was the first time Lin Ye had encountered a movie theater that was so eager to court death.

Information transmission was never a safe thing.

Alice looked at the big screen. The movie had already started.

"Let's call the movie 'Maze Exploration.' They need to explore the red maze and find a way to escape it."

Lin Ye took off his helmet and picked up his drink for a sip.

An actor's perspective appeared on the screen. He had just gotten up from the ground when a blood-corpse burst into the room and chewed him to death.

An audience member in the back row took off his helmet, glancing awkwardly at the front row. As the first one to die, he would have to pay the full ticket price.

The perspective immediately shifted to another actor. He killed the blood-corpse that charged into the room and found a weapon inside its body.

But before he could do anything with that weapon, messy footsteps echoed from the corridor. A massive blood-corpse, fused with countless corpses, forced open the door and bit off his head in one gulp.

The perspective kept changing. One by one, audience members sitting in the back took off their helmets. Before long, only a few lucky survivors remained in the movie.

Those survivors gathered together, killed the fused blood-corpse, and began discussing how to escape the red maze.

But soon, they noticed some dark red liquid appearing on the ground.

This liquid was seeping into the red maze's interior. If they didn't act quickly, they would be submerged by this dark red liquid.

As the plot progressed, the actors died gruesomely for various reasons, until only the male and female leads remained alive.

It wasn't that the experiences Lin Ye provided weren't dangerous enough. Someone had secretly been supplying the male and female leads with various powerful items, probably because the organizers didn't want the movie to end too hastily.

Alice watched the movie very seriously. This was her first time watching a movie in a theater.

Seeing how seriously Alice was watching, Lin Ye put his hand back on the helmet and secretly modified some of the plot. Otherwise, once the Abyss fissure appeared, the male and female leads would be doomed.

With Lin Ye and the organizers' help, the male and female leads overcame countless obstacles and finally escaped the Red Sea in a submarine.

In the final scene of the movie, the submarine surfaced, opening its top like a convertible sports car. On that crimson sea surface, the male and female leads, who had transformed into grotesque fleshy monsters, embraced and kissed each other before jumping together into the Red Sea.

The rear-row audience stood up and applauded. The theater erupted with thunderous applause.

"Was it good?"

Lin Ye removed his hand from the helmet. Those two actors were way too weak. He had almost failed to maintain the plot's integrity.

"It was really good. Too bad they both turned into monsters in the end."

Alice closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat, as if still savoring the movie's plot.

"Can't be helped. I... they tried their best."

Lin Ye finished off the popcorn. A staff member brought them a spiritual cube that had stored the movie's experience.

Alice accepted the cube and followed Lin Ye out of the movie theater.

Outside the theater was a very stylish animal café. Lin Ye and Alice sat outside and ordered two drinks and some desserts.

"This fruit tart is pretty good."

Alice squinted her eyes as she tasted the dessert, revealing a pleasant smile.

"Indeed. Much better than those shoddily made snacks from before."

Lin Ye ate some cheesecake while scanning the city block.

The animal café was the most normal shop here. All the other shops looked very strange.

But the café owner was an animal wearing a stuffed toy costume, which was a bit of a letdown.

"I need to go back. I can't stay away from there too long."

Alice was like a prisoner out on parole, only able to stay here for a short while through her illusions.

"Goodbye. Feel free to come by anytime."

Lin Ye didn't try to keep her. Unless Alice wanted to leave the Great Hollow, he wouldn't interfere in such matters.

"Goodbye. I had a really great time today."

The illusion shattered and disappeared. Lin Ye finished his cheesecake, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the seat, ignoring the silhouettes that were approaching him from all directions.

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