Chen Chuan calmly glanced at his Second Self. As expected, the ethereal effect had appeared, and it was even more pronounced than yesterday.
He rembered the warning from the docunts: he absolutely must not look at the front of the figure. So his gaze did not shift in that direction, instead remaining fixed on the movie screen.
However, he couldn’t ignore the stimulation of his Mutated Organization. To prevent it from growing uncontrollably, he had to continue guiding it with his Breathing Technique.
Ignoring the unpredictable side effects, the impact this ti was actually far greater than the effect of the drug infiltration.
He completely ignored the external disturbances and focused single-mindedly on his task, just as he did during training. He had his Second Self as a line of defense. As long as the Second Self existed, he didn’t have to worry about anything else.
Ti slowly passed. At a certain mont, he suddenly noticed that the ethereal signs on his Second Self had vanished completely. He took a breath, waited a mont longer, and slowly turned his head to the side. The seat was empty. There was nothing there.
He regulated his breathing slightly, stood up, and walked out of the theater. Once in the hallway, he had the waiting assistant tell Manager Huang that he would be back tomorrow, then left imdiately.
Outside, it was still early morning, and the sky was a dim gray. After he got into the car the cinema sent to take him ho, he suddenly felt that sothing wasn’t right.
He felt his clothes and noticed so threads had co loose. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but under the light, they also seed to have faded a bit. This gave him pause.
The docunts Cheng Zitong had given him made no ntion of the figure changing its position, so naturally, they offered no explanation or solution for this situation.
’What could have caused this? Is it because I guided my Mutated Organization?’
’It’s not impossible. The only different thing I did was guide it. I doubt anyone has ever tried that before. But I had to do it. I can’t just let the Mutated Organization grow unchecked; I have to restrain it.’
He thought about it again. ’It takes three days to eliminate this paranormal phenonon. On only the second day, it moved right next to . I have to wonder what will happen on the third day. Will it rge with ? Or move sowhere else?’
’If that happens, how should I deal with it?’
He decided he would ask Cheng Zitong about it when he got back. After all, his teacher had studied these matters in great depth.
After returning to the school, he took a short nap. He rose a little after eight in the morning, washed up, and prepared to go out. He had intended to wear the sa coat as yesterday, but when he picked it up, he confird that it had indeed aged. It was just the coat, though. His inner clothes and his watch seed unaffected.
After a mont’s thought, he changed his clothes, went to a public telephone, and dialed a number.
Once the call connected, Cheng Zitong’s voice ca through. "Xiaochuan, calling at this ti? Have you run into a problem?"
Chen Chuan said, "Teacher, I do have a question. It’s like this." He then briefly recounted what had happened a few hours before.
After listening, Cheng Zitong thought for a mont and said, "This isn’t sothing we should discuss over the phone. Don’t worry. I’ll co find you at noon. I’ll think of a solution for you."
Chen Chuan agreed and hung up the phone.
He was not particularly affected and continued his daily training. When noon arrived, Cheng Zitong found him and said, "Let’s go. We’ll eat first and talk as we eat."
Chen Chuan knew his teacher was busy and short on ti lately, which was why he needed to make use of their alti, so he followed Cheng Zitong. The two of them went to a private room in the faculty dining hall. After they sat down and ordered their food, Cheng Zitong asked for a few more details, thought for a mont, and then spoke.
"I’ve never heard of the position changing before. Your situation is rather unique, but it could very well be related to you guiding your Mutated Organization.
"Judging from past records, both in ancient texts from the old era and in modern accounts, we Fighters are the ones who most frequently encounter these paranormal phenona. It seems there’s a natural attraction between us and them.
"Of course, when ordinary people encounter such things, they either don’t survive, or if they’re lucky enough to live, their stories are never recorded. So we can’t make any definitive judgnts based on that. Now, regarding your problem, you think the figure might move again, possibly even to the very spot where you are sitting?"
Chen Chuan said, "I have indeed considered that possibility."
Cheng Zitong said, "There’s one very simple solution: just abandon the commission. A paranormal phenonon like the ’Cinema Phantom’ is fixed to a specific area. As long as you leave, there’s basically no danger. At worst, so people might fall ill or suffer from poor ntal health for a period of ti."
"Teacher, if I choose to withdraw, will the phenonon just remain there?"
"Yes. And it might beco even more dangerous."
Chen Chuan looked up. "Then I won’t give up. Teacher, are there any other thods?"
Cheng Zitong smiled. "I knew you wouldn’t. Actually, the simplest thod is just to close your eyes. The greatest taboo is seeing the phenonon’s face. Avoid that, and you’ll avoid most of the danger. However, given the unusual circumstances, that’s not quite safe enough. I have an item that can help you."
He reached for his briefcase and took out a rusty, tarnished Ancient Mirror, its surface almost impossible to see. "This is a Lost Object, left behind after another paranormal phenonon was dealt with. Take it with you tonight and place it in the row behind you. Rember, it must be the row directly behind you."
Chen Chuan took it. "Teacher, is that all?"
Cheng Zitong said, "That should be enough. I may have never encountered your specific situation, but after studying these phenona for so many years, I’ve got a few counterasures up my sleeve. I wouldn’t have let you take this commission otherwise.
"But you need to know, it’s hard to say these things are completely foolproof, and it’s not like there are no other solutions. You should remain vigilant. These phenona are extrely dangerous to ordinary people—often fatally so. We Fighters are more resilient. The one you’re facing isn’t the most dangerous kind, so I believe you can handle it."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you, Teacher."
Cheng Zitong smiled. "Let’s eat first."
After the al, Chen Chuan returned to his dormitory and imrsed himself in training once more.
At six o’clock that evening, he made his preparations, slung his satchel over his shoulder, and left with his blade.
The cinema’s car arrived on ti and drove him to Lanxiang Cinema. He was familiar with the route by now. After a quick word with Manager Huang’s assistant, he went directly into the auditorium.
Once inside, he took off his satchel and hung it outside the door. Then he took out the mirror, walked to the middle of the auditorium, unfolded the wooden stand on the mirror’s back, and placed it squarely upon the seat in the row behind his own.
After doing this, he went to his own seat and sat down to watch the movie.
As expected of the largest cinema in South City, its film library was extensive. Today, they were again showing several movies he hadn’t seen. This ti it was a foreign film, giving him a glimpse into other parts of the world.
As the movie played, the ti gradually approached midnight.
He hadn’t worn his watch this ti, so he couldn’t tell the exact ti. He simply waited in silence.
After what felt like a long ti, the large screen flickered abruptly. He thought he felt a chill, and at almost the sa instant, the ethereal signs on his Second Self manifested once more.
’However, I don’t see the figure. It doesn’t seem to be in the seat next to , either. If the Ancient Mirror is working, the phenonon should be sitting behind right now.’
Chen Chuan watched his Second Self. The ethereal effect had already surpassed the limits of the drug’s efficacy. Even without using the Breathing thod of Qi Breathing, he could feel his Mutated Organization becoming abnormally active. This intense stimulation was causing the Mutated Organization to grow and spread, more forcefully than before.
He was ntally prepared for this. Closing his eyes, he used the Breathing Technique taught by He Xiaoxing to guide the energy, preventing it from expanding without restraint.
During this process, he discovered that the ethereal signs, far from weakening, were actually intensifying. ’This ans the phenonon is getting closer,’ he thought, ’and might even end up rging with .’ Yet he remained unmoved, completely imrsed in guiding his energy.
This continued for a very long ti. Then, at the precise mont it turned four in the morning, everything abnormal—the ethereal signs, the chilling cold—vanished abruptly. Whether by coincidence or due to a malfunction, the movie on the big screen also stopped dead.
Chen Chuan waited a mont before slowly opening his eyes. He stood, reached over to the adjacent seat, and fumbled for the flashlight he’d left there. He switched it on, waved the beam around, then walked to the row behind him and retrieved the Ancient Mirror.
But just as he was about to leave, he sensed sothing. He shone the flashlight beam around again, reached out to feel around, and pulled a dusty old photograph from the gap between the seat back and cushion.
He shone the flashlight on it. The photo was about two inches wide and appeared to be of a woman. It was old and yellowed, making her face hard to see clearly. He could only vaguely make out her slender figure, a thin braid of hair falling to her ankles, and what looked like an old-fashioned opera costu.
He thought for a mont, put the item away, and walked out of the auditorium. After a word with Manager Huang’s assistant, the man hurried away. A few monts later, Manager Huang ca running over, panting. He wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and asked hopefully, "Mr. Chen?"
Chen Chuan told him, "Manager Huang, the matter is resolved."
Manager Huang was overjoyed. He rushed forward, grabbed Chen Chuan’s hand, and shook it vigorously. "Thank you, Mr. Chen! Thank you so much! You’ve been a trendous help."
Chen Chuan said, "You’re too kind, Manager Huang. I ca here to deal with this matter, after all."
"Still, I must thank you. We tried to hire so many others, but they either refused to co or were completely helpless. It really had to be you, Mr. Chen! You’re truly an expert. You ca in and solved this massive problem right away."
Manager Huang’s face was filled with gratitude. "From now on, Mr. Chen, you are a VIP at our Lanxiang Cinema. Whenever you visit, we will be sure to offer you our finest hospitality."
Chen Chuan thought for a mont, then took out the old photograph and showed it to him. "Manager Huang, I have a question. Do you recognize the person in this picture?"
Manager Huang leaned in to look, then shook his head. However, he seed to rember sothing. "Mr. Chen, please wait. Soone else might recognize her. May I borrow the photograph?"
"Of course."
Chen Chuan handed him the photograph.
Manager Huang told his assistant to look after Chen Chuan while he ran off with the photo. After about ten minutes, he ca running back, panting heavily. Once he caught his breath, he said, "Mr. Chen, I found out. The person in the photo is wearing an old opera costu from the theater’s early days. She must have been an actress from a past troupe."
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