Chen Chuan was led to a reception room inside the cinema, where a server brought him tea. He didn’t have to wait long before a chubby, middle-aged man ca toward him. The man was panting and sweating at his temples, as if he had run all the way there.
Upon seeing Chen Chuan, he ca forward and grabbed his hand with a sweaty palm, saying enthusiastically, "I’m Huang Dacheng. You must be Mr. Chen?"
Chen Chuan didn’t mind the sweat. He shook the man’s hand and said, "My na is Chen Chuan. I’m just a Wuyi Student for now, not a commissioned consultant."
Manager Huang’s enthusiasm didn’t wane. "It’s no problem, no problem at all! We know you’re young and promising, Mr. Chen. I hear you’re an expert in these matters. The conditions here are a bit simple, please forgive our humble hospitality. Please, follow ."
Chen Chuan followed Manager Huang up an open staircase. As they walked, the manager explained, "Our Lanxiang Cinema is backed by an investnt from the Molan Company. We can accommodate five thousand people at once and offer comprehensive services including dining, dances, and concerts. Many of the city’s major social events are held right here..."
He chattered on as he led Chen Chuan to his office, a room decorated in a foreign, vintage style. It was furnished with a leather sofa, a large gilt writing desk, a liquor cabinet displaying a row of imported spirits, arched stained-glass windows, and black-and-white checkered floor tiles. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and in one corner stood a gramophone, its golden horn aid at the entire room.
The curtains were drawn, allowing soft sunlight to stream in from outside. Chen Chuan took a few steps forward. From this angle, he could see the square outside, with a constant stream of well-dressed n and won coming and going. Every so often, a luxury car he couldn’t na would drive past.
Just then, he heard a lodious tune. He turned to see that Manager Huang had started the gramophone.
Manager Huang walked back over to him and said with a smile, "Mr. Chen, our cinema has the best location in all of South City. It’s almost the end of the year, you know? When people have free ti, they choose to co see a movie, but... *sigh*."
Chen Chuan turned around and said, "Manager Huang, I’m here to solve that very problem."
"Right, right! Thank you, Mr. Chen! Oh, please, have a seat, have a seat..." Manager Huang ushered Chen Chuan to the sofa. Once he was seated, the manager asked, "Mr. Chen, what would you like to drink?"
Chen Chuan said, "Just water is fine."
Manager Huang gave him a thumbs-up. "An excellent habit, Mr. Chen! Alcohol is bad for your health, and sugary drinks are just a mont’s pleasure. Plain water is best—it’s simple and serene. The drink of a gentleman."
He went and personally poured a glass of water for Chen Chuan, handing it to him with utmost respect.
Chen Chuan took it. "Thank you."
Manager Huang waved his chubby hands. "There’s no need for thanks! I should be thanking you, Mr. Chen, for coming all this way to help us solve our problem."
Chen Chuan cut through the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Manager Huang, exactly how many days has this been going on? The file I received said about a month. Do you have a more precise tifra?"
Hearing him get down to business, Manager Huang imdiately straightened up, his expression growing serious. He thought for a mont and said, "It should be twenty-five days."
Chen Chuan asked again, "Has this happened before?"
Manager Huang sighed. "Before I took this position, I had heard so rumors. But I thought they were just ghost stories deliberately spread to attract custors. You know how it is, Mr. Chen, the stranger the tale, the more it draws people in. Everyone has a taste for the bizarre, after all."
Chen Chuan understood this. He, too, was curious about mysterious phenona. ’But I’m more interested in investigating the underlying cause, and the source of that power.’ "Manager Huang, have you seen it with your own eyes?"
Manager Huang shivered and quickly shook his head.
"Has it happened at any other tis?"
Manager Huang shook his head again. "Not yet. For now, it’s only between 8:00 PM and midnight."
Chen Chuan looked at him. "Besides the employees ntioned in the file, have there been any other casualties, staff or custors? I want the truth."
Manager Huang hesitated, then nodded and held up one finger. "There was one drunk custor. We didn’t find his body until the next day. We have no idea how he ended up there. Just the one, I swear."
Chen Chuan didn’t press the issue. He thought for a mont and said, "I have a general understanding now. I’ll stay tonight to handle this."
Manager Huang was overjoyed. He ca over and grasped Chen Chuan’s hands. "Excellent! I’ll be counting on you, Mr. Chen. Whatever conditions you have, I will do my best to accommodate them."
Chen Chuan said, "My only condition is that no one cos near the area during that ti."
Manager Huang nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course. Absolutely. Oh, right," he took out a card and offered it with both hands, saying respectfully, "This is our cinema’s VIP card. It grants you exclusive use of a private box and free admission to all movies and performances for the entire year. Please, Mr. Chen, accept it."
Chen Chuan accepted it without ceremony. "Thank you, Manager Huang. Can we go see the place now?"
Manager Huang quickly agreed, but he was too afraid to go himself. He had a trusted assistant lead Chen Chuan into the auditorium where the incidents had taken place.
The auditorium could seat three hundred people. After looking around, Chen Chuan sat down in a central seat. After a short wait, the surroundings darkened. A beam of light shot from the projector behind him, and the large screen up front lit up, beginning to play a current movie.
’Co to think of it, his predecessor had been a movie lover, too. His room at ho was covered in movie posters. He spent most of his allowance on them, not even willing to buy new clothes.’
’In his own past life, Chen Chuan’s favorites had been the *Swordsman* series and the *Mysterious Cave* series. But since coming to this world, he had been engrossed in his training and the pursuit of Martial Arts, leaving no ti for films. The movies playing now were ones he had specially selected, a way to make up for his predecessor’s regrets.’
While he was watching, a waitress pushed a cart over with sodas and snacks. He didn’t touch the soda but tried a bit of each snack. He found the fried arrowhead chips most to his liking; they were crispy and flavorful, every bit as good as the potato chips from his past life.
Since he was there to handle the problem, the surrounding seats hadn’t been sold. He essentially had the entire auditorium to himself, watching one movie after another.
When dinnerti arrived, he went out and had a hearty al in the restaurant downstairs. After a brief chat with Manager Huang, he returned to the auditorium, sat back down in the sa seat, and continued watching the movies.
The space around him was empty. He sat all alone beneath the enormous screen, its flickering light occasionally illuminating his face.
Ti trickled by. After finishing another movie, he raised his wrist to check his watch. It was approaching midnight—the ti when the incidents usually occurred.
He lowered his arm. Without making any unnecessary movents, he regulated his breathing to stay alert and continued to watch the screen.
At that mont, the movie’s plot reached a critical point. The protagonist entered a deep, unknown cave, and the light on screen dimd accordingly. Then, with a CLICK, the protagonist switched on a flashlight, illuminating the cave’s interior. In that very instant the light flared, Chen Chuan suddenly realized that soone had abruptly appeared in the seats two rows in front of him.
It seed to be a woman. He could only see her long hair from behind, which covered both of her shoulders.
Chen Chuan stared at her back. ’She’s here.’
This was one of Yangzhi City’s urban legends: the Midnight Phantom of the Lanxiang Cinema. If you were watching a movie alone at the Lanxiang Cinema at midnight, another spectator would suddenly appear to keep you company.
But you must never, ever greet this spectator. If you do, the one who returns ho the next day might be the spectator, not you.
He observed the figure silently. The file Cheng Zitong had given him explained the thod for dealing with this urban legend: simply watch movies during this ti for three consecutive days without leaving the auditorium, and the phantom would disappear on its own.
The process specified not to speak to the phantom, and most importantly, not to leave the auditorium. And under no circumstances should one walk to the front to see the phantom’s face.
’This must be the thod figured out by those who ca before ,’ he thought. He had no intention of deviating from it. ’There’s no need to take risks when a simple solution exists.’ So he just sat still in his seat.
At that mont, he glanced at his "Second Self." As expected, a faint shadow had appeared on it, just like when he had encountered the Well Doll. ’It seems this state will last for a while,’ he mused. ’And given the nature of this urban legend, it might last even longer.’
He glanced at his watch. ’All I have to do now is sit tight and watch the movie.’
The night was still long.
So he turned his attention back to the screen. But after about three more hours and two movies, he sensed sothing was wrong—not with the phantom, but with himself.
He discovered that the growth of his Mutated Organization had actually sped up slightly. The process was subtle and imperceptible; if not for an observation technique He Xiaoxing had taught him, which made him more keenly aware of his own Mutated Organization, he would have barely noticed.
At this point, it suddenly dawned on him. ’Could this be the reason for the fading on my Second Self? How similar is this to stimulating the Mutated Organization with drugs, which also causes a certain degree of damage to the body?’
’So, urban legends can have a similar effect?’
’No, it’s probably more than that.’
He pondered for a mont. ’There is likely so other form of harm happening here that I’m not aware of. It’s just that the Second Self is bearing the brunt of it.’
An idea then surfaced in his mind. ’If that’s the case, could I use this urban legend to guide the Mutated Organization?’
He didn’t really want to complicate things, but he was at a critical juncture in correcting his Mutated Organization. He was working on so very fine details and absolutely could not allow the Mutated Organization to grow on its own in such a chaotic way. Even the slightest deviation could beco a hidden danger in the future.
So, after a mont’s thought, he began to use his breathing to guide the growth, attempting to bring its direction under his control.
Several hours passed in a flash. When the ti reached four in the morning, he happened to look up and noticed the figure was gone.
He sat for a little while longer, then stood up, walked out of the auditorium, and went down the corridor to the lobby. He said a word to the server who was waiting there nervously, and the server imdiately ran off to inform Manager Huang.
When Manager Huang heard Chen Chuan had co out, he hurried over, wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. Seeing him, he quickly asked, "Mr. Chen, how did it go?"
Chen Chuan looked at him. "I saw her."
Manager Huang’s face went pale. He stamred, "A-and then...?"
Chen Chuan said, "This urban legend will take about three days to clear up. I’ll be coming here for the next few days."
Manager Huang breathed a sigh of relief, his face breaking into a joyful expression. "Good, good! We’ll have to trouble you then, Mr. Chen. Afterward, we will certainly present you with a satisfactory gift of thanks."
Chen Chuan nodded to him, then left the cinema. He took the cinema’s car back to the school, took a short nap, and then resud his daily training.
The next day, he didn’t go during the dayti. Instead, he had the car pick him up around six in the evening. Once he arrived at the cinema’s auditorium, he once again sat down in the sa seat.
Manager Huang was very considerate; he had arranged for a new lineup of movies today, many of them recent releases. Chen Chuan watched until around twelve o’clock, but after midnight struck, he didn’t see the figure.
’No, that’s wrong. It’s not that she didn’t appear.’
’It’s just that her position was different from last ti. She was no longer two rows ahead, but... right beside him.’
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