Horror Movie Set: This extra is too good at playing the tricks.

Chapter 41 The Dead Need No Regrets

"Bang!"

The iron chair used as a door stop made a twisting sound, and the backrest dented inwards like a crumpled soda can.

Half a shoulder squeezed through the crack in the door, the bright red muscle, uncovered by skin, rubbing against the door frame, dripping with viscous fluid.

A giant leech poked its head out from behind Lu Dan's shoulder, its mouthparts, covered in sharp teeth, aimed directly at Lu Dan's neck, opening and closing as if rehearsing the bite to come.

Lu Dan braced himself against the table, slamming the log in his left hand onto the control panel; the blood-written characters on it looked like gibberish.

[Long, short, short, long-long, short, pause, long.]

"Lin Xiaoxiao, are you a secret agent?"

Lu Dan gritted his teeth, cold sweat dripping down his nose and landing on the red input keys.

The combination of long and short characters immediately brings to mind Morse code for anyone who has watched spy movies.

Without hesitation, he began tapping the red broadcast start button: long press – short press – short press – long press – long press – short press – pause – long press.

Following the rhythm of the log, he completed the typing in a few seconds.

The control panel was silent for a second, then the red indicator lights flashed wildly, and a cheerful, silly children's song suddenly blared from the speakers: "Under the bridge in front of the door, a flock of ducks swam by."

The cheerful voices of children echoed on the blood-soaked rooftop, a truly ironic and sarcastic remark.

"Depend on!"

Lu Dan cursed aloud.

The skinless security guard outside the door seemed to be enraged by the song, letting out a roar and suddenly pushing himself inside.

"Snap!"

The iron chair was completely ruined, and the door panel was wide open.

The skinless security guard had already squeezed half his body into the broadcasting room, his cold, bloody hands almost grabbing Lu Dan's collar.

"Incorrect password... Die!"

Death was imminent, yet Lu Dan's mind became unusually calm, and the flow of time around him seemed to slow down.

If it's not Morse code, then what is it? Length? Rhythm?

Lu Dan's gaze swept over a row of push buttons labeled with musical scales on the control panel, and a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

This is a school. What's the most common sound in a school? It's not the sound of telegrams, it's the sound of bells.

Ding-a-ling! Isn't that damned school bell just a melody with a combination of long and short notes?

Lin Xiaoxiao was not recording Morse code, but the time value of the tone.

Lu Dan lunged at the row of push buttons, Do (long) Re (short) Mi (short)... He pushed those buttons based on his intuition and terrible musical sense.

"Sizzle—"

The whistling sound of the electric microphone pierced my eardrums, and the red light continued to flash.

wrong!

A foul stench rushed from behind, and the leeches' mouthparts had already bitten into the flesh on Lu Dan's shoulder, causing excruciating pain instantly.

The skinless security guard had already grabbed the back of his neck with his other hand, the force of which was so great that it almost crushed his cervical spine into powder.

This was his last chance, and Lu Dan did not turn back.

He forced himself to ignore the pain in his shoulder, closed his eyes, and replayed in his mind every ringing sound he had heard at school, its rhythm and cadence.

His fingers landed on the push button again, this time without any panicked pushing.

Push, slide, pause, push again, and the last note falls, ding-dong—the red light on the control panel instantly turns emerald green.

The skinless security guard's hand froze on Lu Dan's nape, and the leech, which was about to feast, also stopped moving, as if it had been forcibly frozen by some higher rule.

Lu Dan suddenly opened his eyes, a blood-stained, maniacal laugh curling at the corner of his mouth.

He grabbed the dusty microphone and pressed the "school-wide broadcast" button hard.

The world outside, the playground.

The orange light curtain is about to shatter.

"Crack, crack," it was covered with cracks.

Each time the dean of students' hundreds of iron fists fell, they would create a chilling cloud of light.

Bao Ping knelt on the ground, the wrench in his hand had become dull and cracked, with only a faint glimmer of light remaining.

This was the last time; Bao Ping's hands were trembling.

This wrench was a gift from his perpetually ill daughter, and it was his only source of comfort on this brutal film set. As long as he had the wrench, he felt that his daughter was still waiting for him to come home.

If this wrench is used one last time, it will shatter completely, leaving nothing behind. But if it's not used, all three children will die.

"Little dumpling, Daddy is so sorry."

Bao Ping closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. He gritted his teeth, preparing to crush the last glimmer of light.

Just then, a dirty, blood-stained hand reached out and firmly pressed down on Bao Ping's wrist.

"Master Bao, don't press it!"

Zhang Kai's voice was soft, yet it carried an unprecedented calmness.

Bao Ping was stunned, and opened his eyes to look at Zhang Kai.

"Don't press it? You're insane! The barrier is about to shatter, you'll all die!"

"I know."

Zhang Kai looked at the wrench with a gentle gaze.

"Although I don't know what this wrench means to you, I can tell it's important. If doing it will make you regret it for the rest of your life, then you definitely shouldn't do it."

Zhang Kai smiled, a hint of relief in his smile. "The three of us were destined to die anyway, there's no reason for you to sacrifice your most precious possession."

After saying that, he released his grip and slowly stood up.

The headmaster outside the light barrier stopped attacking and stared at the people inside through the cracks.

Zhang Kai didn't look at the two monsters; he looked up at Li Mu and Su Ke beside him.

"I remember now."

Zhang Kai's voice was choked with emotion, but he smiled. "That night, I didn't actually hide in the security room the whole time. Did I starve to death? Or did I die of fright? I can't remember, anyway, I was already dead."

Tears streamed down his dirty face, leaving two clean streaks.

"The reason I keep feeling like I'm still alive is because I'm not reconciled. I'm not reconciled to this ending. I haven't saved Li Mu yet, and I haven't seen Su Ke get into university... It's this obsession that has trapped me here, making me wander in the other world like a fool for three years."

Li Mu and Su Ke also stood up.

Li Mu's face, devoid of skin, was expressionless, his blood-red eyes filled with sorrow and determination. Su Ke's face was half-covered in blood and gore, but the other half was beaming with an exceptionally bright smile.

"Being an idiot is fine."

Su Ke reached out and grasped Zhang Kai's hand. "We're both pretty silly."

Zhang Kai took a deep breath, grabbed at the air with his right hand, and a ripple appeared in the air, revealing a broken table leg with rusty iron nails.

"Only fools dare to challenge windmills, but we have three fools in total!"

Zhang Kai turned around abruptly and pushed Bao Ping out of the area where the light screen had shattered.

"Master Bao, move away, don't get splattered with blood!"

"Splash!"

The moment Bao Ping was pushed out, the orange light curtain shattered completely, turning into countless points of light that vanished.

Without shelter, the cold wind and malice poured in instantly.

Facing the towering headmaster and the dorm supervisor with his gaping maw, the three small figures did not retreat an inch.

"Charge!"

Zhang Kai roared, raising the broken table leg high like a general charging into battle. Li Mu's remaining arm transformed into a spear, and the half-skin in Su Ke's hand became a whip.

The three of them stood side by side and charged at the two invincible monsters.

Blood splattered, flesh tore apart; each collision tore away a large chunk of flesh, each attack accompanied by the sound of bones snapping. But no matter how many wounds they sustained, no matter how broken their bodies became, the three of them always wore smiles of youthful passion, free of any gloom.

This is their true expression, not a fake smile etched onto them by rules.