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

Chapter 47 Time Difference

The tea in the rough porcelain bowl was covered with a layer of murky foam, and a few old leaves hung precariously in the middle.

Lu Dan carried the tea tray, his smile simple and honest.

"Grandpa Village Chief, these leaders have come all the way from the city without even having a hot meal. If we don't explain the situation in our village clearly, and the higher-ups blame us, I, the junior who led the way, will at most get a scolding, but you..."

Lu Dan abruptly cut off his words, glancing at Ye Jianguo's neatly trimmed leather jacket. He had mastered the art of using someone else's power to intimidate others.

The old village chief huddled in his armchair, his deeply lined face wrinkled like a walnut. He glanced at the four city folks whose auras were clearly off, then at the unusually clever Adan, and finally sighed, "It's not that I'm being nosy, it's just the village custom, a tradition passed down from our ancestors to honor the gods."

The village chief lowered his voice: "Shuangshan Village worships twin gods. The gods love cleanliness. Everyone, regardless of gender or age, must be in bed by 9 p.m., with the lights off and eyes closed. No one is allowed to wander around in the dark."

"9 o'clock?" The fat man called Da Lu pushed up his glasses. "Isn't that too early? Even in the countryside, people don't rest this early."

"Hmph, early what?" The village chief glared at him. "You can't get up until 9 a.m.! Getting up early is disrespectful to the gods, that's the rule!"

Lu Dan handed the teacup to the village chief, and Ye Jianguo, who was standing next to him, said, "How about today? I see everyone got up quite early."

"Today is Saturday." The village chief was getting anxious, not even having drunk his tea. "Saturday is the day the gods rest, so they don't have to get up early to kneel in the temple and can relax a little. But that only applies to the mornings; the rule at 9 p.m. is ironclad and will not be broken."

At this point, the village chief suddenly stood up: "Alright, I've said everything I need to say. The broadcast will go on five minutes early every night. As soon as you hear it, get into bed. Ah Dan, these distinguished guests are in your care. I still have some pig feed stewing at home."

Before anyone could react, the old man nimbly dashed out of the courtyard gate, almost losing his pipe in the process.

The main room was now completely silent.

Ye Jianguo's sharp eyes were fixed on the direction where the village chief had disappeared, then he turned to Lu Dan: "Comrade Dan, listen to these rules, they're more or less... a bit feudal and superstitious."

"That's just how the local customs are," Lu Dan chuckled, not intending to delve deeper into the topic.

He turned and pointed to the two side rooms on the east and west sides: "Since you're going to stay in the village permanently, you need a place to live. It's not a wealthy family's home, the conditions are simple, so please make do with it, leaders."

"Team Leader Ye and Comrade Da Lu will stay in the east wing, the two female comrades will stay in the west wing, and I will sleep on the floor in the middle hall to keep watch for everyone."

This arrangement, seemingly hospitable, is actually extremely cunning.

With the east and west wings sandwiching the main room in the middle, Lu Dan would have time to react to any movement from either side. Moreover, keeping these four people of unknown background under his nose was better than letting them roam freely throughout the village.

Ye Jianguo nodded, which was considered as permission.

……

The afternoon's census work was extremely difficult.

Even though it was broad daylight and the sunlight was dazzling, walking on the village road always made me feel a chill down my spine, as if countless eyes were peeking through the cracks of a tightly closed door.

"Is anyone there? It's the census."

Da Lu knocked on the wooden planks of a house; the door was as thick as a coffin lid.

"Squeak—"

The door opened a crack, revealing a cloudy, yellowish eye that stared intently at the people outside.

"How many people?" Da Lu asked, holding up his notebook.

"One bite." The voice from inside the door was hoarse and dry.

"How could there only be one bite?" Da Lu frowned, pointing to two identical pieces of clothing hanging in the yard, differing only slightly in size. "These clothes are clearly for two people."

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut, sending dust flying and covering Da Lu's face.

"Hey, what kind of attitude is this?" Da Lu was so angry that he was about to kick the door.

Lu Dan quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, a simple smile on his face: "Don't be shy, don't be shy, this family... they're a little bit mentally challenged... shy, shy."

The next few families were even more outrageous. Some of them, as soon as they saw them approaching, would grab their children and run towards the back of the mountain, running until their shoes fell off, but they didn't dare to look back.

Some simply hung a big lock on the door, sat inside, and pretended to be deaf and dumb, refusing to open the door.

Lu Dan was caught in the middle, his lips almost worn out from talking so much. One minute he was explaining that it was a village custom, the next he was saying that there had been a recent infection and they were afraid of spreading it to everyone. He made up so many reasons that he almost believed them himself.

Ye Jianguo remained silent, merely observing coldly. The young woman named Zhang Min turned pale with fright, while Chen Hua, with short hair, stared thoughtfully at the closed door.

They worked until the sun was setting, and only four households had been registered. In the real world, this efficiency would have made the census taker so angry that he would have resigned on the spot.

"Alright, it's getting dark." Lu Dan looked at the sky; the setting sun, like congealed blood, dyed the entire village crimson.

"The village chief said we still need to listen to the radio to sleep. People need to eat, so let's go back and get something to eat first."

……

For dinner, we ate sweet potatoes.

Lu Dan tossed a few sweet potatoes into the stove, the firelight illuminating his calm face. Nothing is more comforting than eating a hot, sweet roasted sweet potato in this eerie village; if there is, then eat two.

The four census takers were clearly starving, and they didn't mind the simple food, eating around the stove until their mouths were covered in soot.

"Sizzle—"

Just as the last sweet potato was eaten, the loudspeaker at the village entrance blared, making everyone's scalp tingle.

"Attention, villagers! Attention, villagers!" The voice on the loudspeaker was a woman, speaking very quickly and with a sense of urgency.

"It is 8:55 PM now, 5 minutes until bedtime. For your safety and the peace of the gods, please turn off the lights immediately, go to bed, and close your eyes. No matter what you hear, do not open your eyes; no matter what you feel, do not move. Sweet dreams—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

The atmosphere in the room became somewhat tense.

Lu Dan dusted off his hands, stood up, took out the Exorcising Revolver disguised as a slingshot from his pocket, and put it in the most convenient spot in his clothes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Please get into bed quickly."

Ye Jianguo gave Lu Dan a deep look, and without saying a word, he led Da Lu into the east wing. Chen Hua and Zhang Min also quickly slipped into the west wing.

Lu Dan blew out the kerosene lamp, plunging the whole room into darkness.

He lay on the hard bed board in the main room, the cotton quilt exuding a musty smell.

"sleep?"

Lu Dan lay awake in the darkness, his "roommate" on his left ankle hissing softly against his ear.

He wanted to endure it; he wanted to see what this so-called "forced sleep" mechanism was all about. If that younger brother really existed, what was he like?

Time ticked by, minute by minute.

The second hand skips the last tick and points to exactly 9 o'clock.

Lu Dan felt as if the power cord had been forcibly removed, and his consciousness instantly went blank.

……

……

"call--"

Almost the next second after his consciousness went blank, Lu Dan took a deep breath and sat up in bed.

He instinctively reached for his pistol, but it wasn't there. Then he found something hard in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that the pistol had turned into a slingshot.

He muttered a sarcastic remark: "Normal my foot!"

Then, following his usual routine after waking up, he got out of bed, put on his shoes, walked to the heavy curtains, grabbed them, and pulled them taut.

"Whoosh!"

Outside the window was a thick, indistinct expanse of ink.

Two red lanterns hung on the old locust tree at the village entrance, swaying in the wind and radiating a blood-red glow.

By the eerie red light, Lu Dan saw that the streets outside were full of people.

The villagers stood at their doorsteps, dressed in neat funeral clothes, carrying white paper lanterns, their faces expressionless as they faced the center of the street, seemingly waiting for a grand parade.

Lu Dan tapped his fingers lightly on the glass.

"Looks like I might be the younger brother..."