C1 — Strange Tales by the Lakeside

Here’s the synopsis:

I Am The Villain On Infinite Studios

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“Down in the depths of my fiery home, the summons bell will ring.

 

 

Tempting you and all the earth to join our sinful kind.”

 

 

This was a 1991 song by Metallica, a metal band that swept across North America, and it was said that back in the day, many criminals loved it so much that even prisons played the song “Jump in the Fire.”.

 

 

Zhuo Yu listened to the song and gently tapped the armrest of the wheelchair with his fingers, as if he were tapping to the beat of the devilish singing voice.

 

 

“Listening to such loud heavy metal again.” A middle-aged man sat impatiently across from him and said, “It’s just noise.”

 

 

Zhuo Yu’s finger paused, and he retorted, “Strictly speaking, it’s heavy metal.”

 

 

“I’m not here to talk about music with you. The deadline is approaching, and the overseas publishers are intensely urging me. You…”

 

 

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the young writer’s slightly hoarse voice: “I’m going on a long journey.”

 

 

“Are you serious? You’re running around at this time? You can’t even move on your own in this situation; will you push the wheelchair yourself? It’s better to stay at home honestly.” The editor asked several questions, clearly disagreeing.

 

 

Zhuo Yu didn’t retaliate; he knew that this concern wasn’t unfounded.

 

 

 

The reason was that since three years ago, there had been a large number of cases of missing persons in the country, with more than seven million cases recorded alone. And this situation wasn’t only in the country but also abroad.

 

 

No matter how much manpower and material resources the police deployed, these innocent missing people were like stones falling into the sea, with no news being found. Scientists were also trying to find results in their own fields but still had nothing to show.

 

 

At first, the government could still keep it a secret, but when this kind of unexplained disappearance had already affected most people and become a world-class disaster, this unsolvable case could no longer be suppressed. In the first year, the people panicked and marched on the streets, but by the third year, they had become accustomed to it and even accepted the saying that “changes in the Earth’s magnetic field caused sensory disorders, making it particularly easy to get lost.”.

 

 

It was nothing more than not going out in the dark, choosing places with surveillance footage, and implanting with government-issued free positioning chips.

 

 

Human adaptability had always been strong, and most people continued to live as usual, even though the number of missing persons had reached an all-time high this year.

 

 

Zhuo Yu’s silence made the editor feel a bit embarrassed. He didn’t know if his words had offended the other party; after all, no matter how famous Zhuo Yu was, he was also a disabled person. And Zhuo Yu had always been very mindful about this.

 

 

When he first met Zhuo Yu, he had already scattered all his wealth on treating his legs. Even now, every time that expensive manuscript fee was received, it was invested in the treatment fund. However, that money was just a drop in the bucket; he completely didn’t understand the other’s pathological persistence.

 

 

In a silent atmosphere, the music was still playing.

 

“There is a job to be done, and I am the one.

 

You people make me do it

 

Now it is time for your fate and I will not hesitate.

 

To pull you down into this pit”

 

 

The violent sound of the electric guitar was like a chainsaw, causing the middle-aged man to feel a bit anxious. Just as he was hesitating whether to speak up or not, Zhuo Yu handed over a tablet, ending his inner conflict.

 

 

Above was an anonymous forum, and the domain name was very complex and secretive. On the first page, there was a floating red post with a bright red font.

 

 

[Fire friends, my cousin has come home, but there have been some changes in him that I cannot accept.]

 

 

The editor’s curiosity piqued, and when he clicked in, he found that the poster was very uneasy. He could almost imagine the clueless appearance of the other person. With his chaotic words, he pieced together a complete story.

 

 

The sunny and cheerful young man went missing for no reason after returning from school, but inexplicably returned three months later. His personality changed greatly, and he was extremely violent. However, what was most alarming was that this young man was once disabled.

 

 

When he was playing in his father’s factory as a child, his left hand was cut by the machine, but now it was intact. His left hand appeared out of nowhere, with the same mole that it previously had. This wasn’t something that could be scientifically explained.

 

 

Disability recovery… The editor was suddenly taken aback. He looked up and stared at Zhuo Yu; his heart suddenly had a bad association.

 

 

“I discovered this forum three years ago, and many missing relatives and friends gathered here on their own. Of course, there are also people like me who have been having nightmares for a long time and found the forum by following the clues.”

 

 

Zhuo Yu shrugged innocently, but the implied fanaticism in his tone made the hairs on the man across from him stand on end.

 

 

“According to my investigation, many missing people used to have strange dreams like me, in which they were all burned by flames and the pain was almost real. And after waking up, they involuntarily wanted to touch the flames.”

 

 

The editor swallowed his saliva and lowered his gaze unnaturally, afraid to meet Zhuo Yu’s eyes. Because the emotion in Zhuo Yu’s eyes seemed too hot, it seemed like some unnamed faith was born in vain, as if it were about to ignite the whole person.

 

 

“Come on, come on.

 

 

Jump in the fire.

 

Come on, come on.

 

Jump in the fire.”

 

 

The harsh music further exacerbated the panic, and the editor wanted to stop Zhuo Yu, but he couldn’t speak at all.

 

 

“I didn’t pay much attention to this matter before; I just tried my best to avoid being exposed to flames until I saw this post.” Zhuo Yu still maintained his smile: “Thirteen cases, I found thirteen cases of disability rehabilitation, which is not accidental.”

 

 

The middle-aged man couldn’t bear to listen anymore and said incoherently, “Why are you telling me these things? No, what are you really going to do? You…”

 

 

“Shh… shh.” Zhuo Yu pressed his finger to his lips and said, “Look into my eyes.”

 

 

The editor instinctively looked up, and his gaze collided with the dark and bottomless eyes of the other person. Soon, he calmed down, and the anxiety that was about to erupt disappeared. He found that every time he looked into Zhuo Yu’s eyes, he felt inexplicably calm, so he couldn’t get angry and agreed to many things in a confused manner.

 

 

“I just need a witness,” Zhuo Yu said. “You know I’m a very ceremonial person.”

 

 

As he spoke, he pulled out the necklace from his neck, and what was hanging on the necklace was a beautifully crafted, jeweled lighter. If you didn’t think about its function, it was almost a work of art.

 

 

“Don’t be impulsive!”

 

 

The editor exclaimed in surprise, and the newly calmed heartstrings were raised high again. He completely believed the other party’s fantastical remarks because, as Zhuo Yu said, he himself also had such dreams.

 

 

With a click, a cluster of vigorous blue flames emerged, and Zhuo Yu’s overly young and superiorly delicate face was illuminated by the flames, with a flickering flame in his eyes.

 

 

At the last moment the editor saw him, Zhuo Yu silently mouthed something.

 

 

— Friend, I’ll wait for you over there.

 

 

[Welcome intern actor “Zhuo Yu” to the set. The film “Strange Tales by the Lakeside” has been loaded.]

 

 

[This film is rated as’ Great Danger (10v1) ‘. Please survive until the end of the film. Good luck to all actors.]

 

 

Zhuo Yu was awakened by the night breeze, with the damp air mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees and the scent of soil after rain.

 

 

He opened his eyes and saw several strangers gathered not far away, each with fear-filled expressions on their faces.

 

 

“10v1, the system wants us to die! Ten people fighting against one boss; what a joke!”

 

 

“Damn it, not to mention us; those veteran actors may not be able to hold on either.”

 

 

“Wait, did the set match six newcomers this time?!”

 

 

As soon as the words fell, four men and women of different ages looked at Zhuo Yu, the despair in their eyes becoming increasingly clear.

 

 

“Not only is there a new guy, there’s a fu-cking paralyzed guy!”

 

 

A middle-aged man saw their anger; his face turned pale, and he stood up and shouted, “What’s new or not new? Where is this? I’m going to report it to the police! I tell you, kid-napping is a serious crime.”

 

 

The girl next to him was different. She looked at the pitch, the black sky, and the completely unfamiliar environment, trembling all over.

 

 

“This is the disappearance, so this is the disappearance.” The girl seemed to have thought of something, and she fell to the ground in despair, muttering to herself as she covered her face.

 

 

Zhuo Yu was getting a headache from the noise. He rationally looked down and found a dilapidated old wheelchair under him. In front of him was a spacious road, with several cars parked nearby. He was no longer in the living room.

 

 

Success! He really succeeded!

 

 

Unlike others, what he felt in his heart wasn’t fear and panic, but extreme ecstasy. However, he couldn’t express it and had to purse his mouth to restrain his overly strong emotions.

 

 

“I just went for a cigarette break; what the hell happened? Can someone explain it to me?”

 

 

“Help! I was cooking at home a second ago!”

 

 

The surroundings were in chaos, but no one was there to dispel their confusion. Their only similarity was that they touched the flames.

 

 

The group of four looked at the newcomers with a sour expression on their teeth, then leaned against the big RV to discuss something on their own, their eyes filled with dissatisfaction and anxiety. The muscular man in charge waved his hand and stopped their complaints, saying, “Don’t talk about that anymore; why don’t you think about how to survive?”

 

 

He finally turned his gaze to the newcomers and said seriously, “To make it short, you are currently in a horror movie. If you want to survive, you can only follow the tasks given to you by the system. All you need to know now is this.”

 

 

Zhou Wu raised his wrist and said, “Touch the tattoo on it; it’ll be more convincing than anything I say.”

 

 

Just like playing a game, time and text suddenly appeared in front of him, while a series of short announcements were scrolling in front of him.

 

 

【 Welcome, intern actors, to the set. The basic operation guide has been placed in your backpack. Please check it. 】

 

 

Zhuo Yu clicked on the backpack icon in the void as prompted, and three squares came into view. One of them was occupied by a manual, and with just one click, the content of the manual flooded into his mind.

 

 

Zhuo Yu quickly understood the purpose of the “menu interface.”.

 

 

Simply put, they were all selected by the “set,”  with a small portion unlucky enough to become “actors,”  while the majority of the remaining missing persons had actually become “audiences” of horror films.

 

 

As long as you complete this movie according to the system’s requirements, one could earn “Flame Points” as a reward, level up, exchange items, and even achieve things that were completely impossible in the real world.

 

 

Money, power, beautiful women in cars, and, for example, in exchange for completely healthy legs.

 

 

However, on the contrary, if actors were negligent in their work, they would be systematically punished. As for the punishment method, it was to make their nightmares come true, burning their souls with flames. This punishment wouldn’t k-ill them, and actors could only seek death wholeheartedly in extreme pain.

 

 

This was like a terrible game. Zhuo Yu didn’t want to explore the reasons behind the formation here, the significance of this k-illing show, or what the flames represented. He only knew that as long as he lived, his long-cherished wish could be fulfilled.

 

 

[It’s been detected that the intern actor is familiar with the basic operations, and the horror film ‘Strange Tales by the Lakeside’ is about to begin.]

 

 

[Actor Zhuo Yu, your current role is: traveler in a car accident.]

 

[Character quality: unknown.]

 

 

[Current task: Guide four students to the lakeside cabin.]

 

 

[When you’ve reached the target location, the main storyline will begin.]

 

 

In an instant, a memory entered his mind. In this world, Zhuo Yu was a traveler who hit a tree while driving to Golden Lake. After waiting for half a day, he finally met four students who were also camping at Golden Lake, as well as passersby who came to help.

 

 

Zhuo Yu raised his eyes to look and indeed saw a disabled mobility vehicle that crashed into a tree trunk not far away. The poor little car had already overturned with its four wheels up, and a stream of black smoke came out from time to time.

 

 

He recalled the few blo*od-red characters on the task thoughtfully; it was really strange. According to the guidebook, the goals of the actors were basically the same, which was to survive and escape from the hands of the boss in the film.

 

 

However, his task seemed to be different, and the word “guide” was used very subtly.

 

 

“Where the hell did the system throw us?” Zhou Wu’s voice interrupted Zhuo Yu’s thoughts.

 

 

Zhou Wu paced back and forth with his jaw clenched, rummaging through the RV and clothes on his body. Without a phone or map, he knew neither the location nor the time; it was a double blow.

 

 

“Is this high-difficulty set really not giving any prompts at all?” echoed the other senior players.

 

 

“Everyone…” Zhuo Yu interjected abruptly, “If you want to know where this is, it’s probably in the United States.”

 

 

Zhou Wu was stunned for a moment, then sarcastically said, “What do you know as a newcomer?”

 

 

He didn’t want to deal with people who would only delay at first glance. Only God knew why a paralyzed person was allowed to be on such a difficult set.

 

 

He ignored Zhuo Yu and looked at his task with some confusion. The red letter stated that he had arrived at the Golden Lake before dawn, and there was no other clue; he didn’t even know which direction to take.

 

 

Zhuo Yu wasn’t angry. He scanned the surrounding environment and spoke calmly, “This road is a two-way, twelve-lane road, which is very rare in our country. Secondly, have you smelled the fragrance in the air?”

 

 

Zhou Wu was taken aback by his words, and he nodded subconsciously.

 

 

“This is the smell of bitter orange flowers; they only bloom from April to June, and before I came here, it was in September.” Zhuo Yu tapped on the wheelchair armrest with his index finger. “So I’ve choose to believe the voice in my head; you guys are probably veterans of the so-called’set’?”

 

 

“By the way, I speculate that we are currently in Florida, USA.” Zhuo Yu pointed again to the speed limit sign not far from the highway, which was marked with the three capital letters FSH: “That’s the abbreviation for Florida Scenic Highway. Coincidentally, Florida’s specialty is oranges, and the state flower is bitter orange flowers, which are widely planted everywhere and are common green plants.”

 

 

The other senior players were speechless, and the three of them looked at Zhou Wu and whispered, “This kid seems to be very familiar with this place. Do you want to bring him with us?”

 

 

Zhou Wu came to his senses and nodded. Obtaining intelligence was an important part of the set. This newcomer seemed to be skilled in this field, and they also needed to be familiar with local people to be showed the way. Giving up on the other party when there was danger wouldn’t be a loss for them.

 

 

“Our roles are students who are taking a vacation outside the town, with the goal of going to Golden Lake.” Zhou Wu voluntarily revealed his task as a sign of sincerity, and he patted the RV: “Come on up.”

 

 

Zhuo Yu knew they had accepted him, so he rolled the wheels and came to the side of the RV. He was helped into the car, and the wheelchair was folded and fixed at the back of the car.

 

 

But the treatment for other newcomers was different.

 

 

“What nonsense are you talking about? I was still in the company a second ago; how could I possibly wake up and be in the United States?” The middle-aged man pointed to Zhuo Yu and the others and said, “I understand. You’re trying to scam me; maybe you even gave me hallucinogens. You know I just made 20 million yuan!”

 

 

The seniors looked at him with pity.

 

 

The middle-aged man seemed to be convinced of this and quickly ran into the nearby car. He turned the car key and pressed the accelerator, as if trying to escape, and drove forward with a buzzing sound.

 

 

Other newcomers also dared not trust the seasoned seniors who were constantly complaining. Coupled with the fact that they all had cars at hand and had the ability to leave here, they followed in the footsteps of the middle-aged man, driving towards the highway exit to wholeheartedly return home.

 

 

Only the girl who was muttering about the disappearance case didn’t leave. She pleaded, “Take me with you. There’s something wrong here, please!”

 

 

But no one paid attention to her. Zhou Wu didn’t even glance at the weak woman, so he closed the car door and completely sealed off her only hope for survival.

 

 

The RV started, and Zhuo Yu silently looked at the girl in the rearview mirror, who was getting farther and farther away. He took a sip of the mineral water handed over by Zhou Wu.

 

 

“Don’t look; we won’t take her with us even if you look at her.” Zhou Wu sat next to Zhuo Yu. “The fate of the incompetent is only death, including myself.”

 

 

He looked at the disabled newcomer as he explored and asked, “How did you analyze the location? You could really tell by just smelling the fragrance of the flowers?”

 

 

Zhuo Yu shrugged and said, “I lived in the United States for a few years to treat my legs. Actually, you can tell where you are by looking at your license plate number.”

 

 

Zhou Wu exclaimed in shock, “Then what were you talking about? With the smell of the flowers and road signs.”

 

 

“If I didn’t talk about that, you wouldn’t have taken me with you either.” Zhuo Yu smiled slightly and calmly patted Zhou Wu’s shoulder. “This can be considered a kind of ability to deceive people. We’ve come all the way here; you won’t kick me out of the car, will you?”

 

 

Zhou Wu laughed angrily, but instead he developed a slight liking for Zhuo Yu: “Good kid, you’re amazing.”

 

 

Zhuo Yu thought about his task and casually said, “Speaking of which, the air humidity here is very high, so the nearby area should be the destination.”

 

 

“You’re not fooling me again, are you?”

 

 

“How could it be?”

 

 

“Then follow the road and pay attention to the road signs,” Zhou Wu instructed his teammate, who was driving.

 

 

He was just joking. He didn’t think that Zhuo Yu, a disabled person, would be brave enough to deceive senior players. After all, in this dangerous world, Zhuo Yu was just a useless person. Without his protection, he would be the first to die.

 

 

Zhou Wu devoted himself wholeheartedly to the task, not realizing that he had also become someone else’s task.

 

 

Zhuo Yu hid the big characters “guide four students into the lakeside cottage” from his eyes, and the icons and scrolling announcements were also hidden, finally calming down the chaotic view.

 

 

At the same time, a huge screen was playing every move of the five people.

 

 

[Look, how unlucky is it that so many new actors came to a high-risk area?]

 

 

【 F-ck, there’s actually a paralyzed person. I’ve been alive for a long time and seen a lot. Shouldn’t he be protected as a beginner? How could he be assigned a difficulty level of Great Danger? 】

 

 

[He looks really suitable to be an actor. He looks very young, but unfortunately…]

 

 

[Hahaha, it’s really strange. I don’t know how he will die. Paralyzed people can’t swim, can they? Since it’s called The Strange Tale by The Lakeside, I bet he will drown.]

 

 

[Ignorance; this kid is definitely not as simple as he seems, but unfortunately we can’t see the tasks assigned to the actors.]

 

 

[So what? It’s just a paralyzed person. I bet he’ll be abandoned by his teammates and bitten to death by the monsters!”]

 

 

[It’s starting, it’s starting~]

 

 

As the comments got more intense, the number of viewers of “Strange Tales by the Lakeside” was increasing. For this film, which had a very low probability of appearing and was considered a rare object, most viewers hadn’t watched it. On the other hand, they wanted to see the second rare object—the paralyzed person in the high-difficulty film.

 

 

And Zhuo Yu, who knew nothing about it, enjoyed the scenery at leisure.

 

 

He looked out the window bathed in moonlight where the gentle breeze blew, the swaying branches and grass, and occasional bird songs all indicated that this was the real world, not just a thin roll of film. This was a supernatural force that humans couldn’t explain, but Zhuo Yu wasn’t afraid of the power of horror movies.

 

 

He was very at ease.

 

 

He even had unprecedented peace of mind.

 

 

As a critically ill perfectionist, he finally had the opportunity to become “complete.”.

 

 

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TN:

Lesssgoooooo!!! I’m totally excited for the drama that’s about to come! Updates will be daily for now. So see ya tomorrow.