Midnight Movie Viewing (2)
At first, the owl didn’t hear it.
This happened often. The elf’s voice was thin and sharp, like the sound of a gentle breeze passing by.
But soon, the owl felt a tiny, prickling sensation coming from its ear feathers.
It was the tip of the elf’s microphone poking its ear.
The owl snapped its head around, and unexpectedly, a tiny elf journalist collided into its field of vision.
Unlike the delicate, beautiful elves in movies, the elf journalist was a small gray-black lump.
Its insect-like body was tightly wrinkled, three pairs of wings unfolded behind it, covered with countless spots.
The limbs near its head resembled human hands, gripping the microphone tightly. Its long proboscis hung in front of its chest, twisted and strange.
But it was at least 40% similar to a butterfly.
The owl immediately froze, ears raised, alert. Its beak opened and closed, producing human speech, occasionally interspersed with sharp “cluck” sounds.
“Stinky butterfly! Cluck, get away!”
The elf journalist patiently repeated its previous words.
But it was useless; the owl, with its farsighted vision, still mistook it for a butterfly.
Communication failed. The elf fluttered its wings and flew next to the owl’s ear, inserting its long, thin proboscis inside.
With the elf nodding repeatedly, the owl’s face gradually took on a dazed expression, as if a part of its brain was missing.
Soon, the proboscis was withdrawn, and the elf flew away, satisfied.
Being bound by a mysterious butterfly at work, stuffed into a tiny gift box, and only rescued after a whole day and night—
What a fresh experience! Surely enough to inspire a blockbuster movie!
However, none of this could help in producing the movie “Kill the Butterfly.”
Sigh… who knows how that half-elf managed to ruin the cooperation with their partner?
The elf wondered curiously.
When Ying Yan woke up, it was already noon.
She saw a friend request. She was about to decline, but noticed it mentioned the “Round Table Meeting.”
After some thought, she accepted the request.
Though she had witnessed too many deaths in her past life and had become somewhat numb, she couldn’t look away from what was in front of her.
With classes in the afternoon, Ying Yan grabbed a quick bite and carefully examined the rogue app called “Weird Questions.”
The homepage displayed personal information; the second page listed three monthly missions.
Her attention focused on the dazzling array of films.
From the frequent appearance of the word “butterfly” on the last page, it was clear the app harbored hostility toward Mr. Butterfly.
At the very least, it indicated that the two mysterious forces were not in harmony.
This conclusion made Ying Yan slightly relax.
For now, it was a good thing that humans didn’t have to struggle for survival under the joint pressure of both strange forces.
At that moment, a message popped up from the friend she had just added.
Li Zi: Senior, your first mission should also be “Midnight Movie Viewing,” right?
Ying Yan saw it and replied with “Mm.”
The response came almost instantly. The Korat cat avatar was adorable, and the red dot kept blinking.
Li Zi: Senior, do you want to watch that movie? My brother and I plan to see The Stranger Call tomorrow at midnight.
Li Zi: This movie’s schedule is early, and it requires at least two viewers.
Li Zi: Senior, want to team up? [Cat excited]
Ying Yan didn’t respond immediately.
She carefully scanned all the movies on the first page. As for the later ones, the timing was too tight to consider.
The movie synopses were limited, giving only the plot outlines.
Three films caught her attention.
Besides Li Zi’s mentioned The Stranger Call, there were Ancient Tomb in the Deep Mountains and Heze Horror.
They had one thing in common: all credited “Sen Lan Huayuan” as the screenwriter, just like the Butterfly series.
It was unlikely to be a coincidence.
Ying Yan pondered carefully, wavering between the three films.
To make the optimal choice, she pulled up the synopses and compared them carefully.
The Stranger Call: A woman receives a call from a stranger, and they gradually get to know and love each other.
In the end, when she courageously tries to meet in person, she discovers that the other party had already died.
—Seems like a romance story with thriller elements.
Ancient Tomb in the Deep Mountains: A group of college students explore deep mountains, suddenly caught in heavy rain. A landslide reveals an ancient tomb.
Inside are countless treasures and several armored, historically rich figures (wrapped like zongzi).
—Feels like an intense battle royale.
Heze Horror: A lake, two couples.
—Too little information.
Moreover, except for the first, the other films require at least five viewers simultaneously.
Ying Yan had to consider a practical issue: there might not be enough people on the screening day.
She wasn’t sure what would happen if that occurred.
After weighing the pros and cons, she messaged Li Zi.
1346 (Ying Yan): Sure. Let’s meet tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at “Dream Café” next to the school to discuss the team arrangements. Is that okay?
—From Li Zi’s form of address, she could guess that the other person was a student at the same school, so the location didn’t need too many details.
Li Zi: (￣▽￣) No problem!
Yu Li had just barely fallen asleep around 8 a.m., only to be woken at noon by Zhuang Ji for lunch.
Half-asleep, she grumbled about her brother being unreasonable.
It wasn’t until she saw that the “大神” (great figure) accepted the friend request that she perked up.
She had admired him long before the Round Table Meeting, which was why she recognized him on their first encounter.
Each year, Qichuan University had a few notable students admired by countless peers.
In the past three years, the most outstanding had been Ying Yan.
She came from an orphanage, overcame countless obstacles, and entered Qichuan University as the top city scorer.
Not only did she secure school scholarships in her freshman and sophomore years, she also won nationally renowned awards—a true inspiration.
Yu Li once saw Ying Yan working while studying at “Dream Café” and was immediately captivated by her elegant appearance and calm, gentle temperament.
Of course, there were also some other reasons, which need not be detailed here.
Now that she had successfully added her as a friend, she couldn’t help but jump from her chair, her face flushed and eyes sparkling.
She paced back and forth, carefully thinking about what to message.
Zhuang Ji, sitting nearby eating, watched his little sister become a constantly moving, attention-grabbing bundle.
He silently rubbed his forehead, looked away, unwilling to watch her foolishness.
If he didn’t know Yu Li admired a girl, he would have had to call an emergency family meeting that evening to prepare for a possible romance.
Twenty minutes later, Yu Li calmed down a bit. “The great one agreed to team up and arranged to meet us tomorrow.”
Zhuang Ji responded, not very enthusiastically, “I’ve finished eating. Don’t forget to wash the dishes later.”
When Yu Li moved in, the siblings had already arranged chores.
Zhuang Ji cooked, Yu Li handled groceries and dishwashing.
As for cleaning, they tidied their own rooms and rotated cleaning the living room.
Yu Li remarked, “Brother, isn’t it time to cut your hair? It’s too long.”
Though her brother had long, smooth black hair that looked intimidating, he was often careless due to being absorbed in painting.
Now, about to meet her idol, she didn’t want him leaving a bad impression that could affect her.
Her little intention was obvious on her face. Zhuang Ji, just about to leave, turned back and rapped her forehead.
“Yo, Little Li, getting bold? Messing with your brother now?”
“Ouch!” Yu Li rubbed her head and shrank back. “Fine, don’t cut it. Stop hitting me or I’ll go silly!”
Apricot Blossom Road, 9 p.m.
Dim hallway lights cast a bleak yellow hue over the air.
Amid the half-dark shadows, the door number 104 was barely visible.
A rapid doorbell broke the silent night.
Inside, a family of three had just finished dinner in the living room.
The middle-aged woman in an apron instinctively set down her chopsticks, swallowed, and asked, “Old Wu, did you invite someone over?”
The middle-aged man, called Old Wu, looked surprised. “No! I didn’t sleep well last night. Why would I invite anyone?!”
The woman stood, heading to the door. “Whatever, let’s check—maybe it’s one of your business partners.”
As she reached for the doorknob, the man suddenly shouted, “Don’t move!”
He remembered the nightmare-like Round Table Meeting from the night before. His pupils widened, a cold sweat broke out on his back, soaking his shirt.
What to do! What to do!
The mysterious visitor had really come!
He forced himself to calm down.
Pushing his doubtful wife aside, he pressed his body against the door, eyes wide, peeking through the peephole to see the hallway.
The first thing he saw was a piece of black fabric. At first glance, it looked like a thick cylinder.
But this cylinder extended two thin, bamboo-like arms, its long claws pressing the doorbell repeatedly.
Sensing the gaze, the cylinder shifted, lowering its center of gravity.
A thin white slit appeared, and through it, a strange-toned voice clearly spoke to the man’s ear:
“I see you. Won’t you invite me in?”
The man jumped up, pale, and ran toward the master bedroom.
There was a window leading outside.
In a life-or-death moment, he couldn’t even remember his wife and young child.
The woman realized something.
She hadn’t been sent to the strange space, and she assumed Old Wu owed someone money and they were coming to collect.
But that didn’t fully make sense.
Seeing her bewildered son sitting at the table, she set aside her anger and gently said, “Xiao Yu, take your meal to your room. Mom will handle this.”
The seven- or eight-year-old boy nodded obediently and left with his bowl and chopsticks.
Once the child left, the woman glanced through the peephole.
Only one person was there. It seemed the situation hadn’t worsened beyond control.
After thinking it over, she decided to open the door.
She needed to know what was happening before planning her next steps, to avoid embarrassment.
She gripped the doorknob and twisted.
The door opened, revealing a strange “person.”
A 1.8-meter cylindrical figure in a neat black suit extended its bamboo-thin arms, removing the black hat that covered most of its face.
It revealed a pale, masculine face. From the thin white slit came a strange voice:
“Excuse me, is the homeowner here?”