Midnight Movie Viewing (6)
The traces of time passing were erased by the almost unchanging darkness, leaving only faint stains—a reminder of certain vanished presences.
Ying Yan roughly estimated the hours by carving a single stroke of the character “正” in the corner of the room with her fruit knife every hour.
If the watch on her wrist hadn’t disappeared, she wouldn’t have needed such a crude method of keeping time.
In a dark, silent space, losing the concept of time is dangerous.
The two neatly carved “正” characters in the corner reminded her that ten hours had already passed.
The bad news: she hadn’t found any way to escape the locked room.
The good news: she was still alive.
Ying Yan looked at the neatly arranged wires and realized her current state was unusual.
After spending a long time in a resource-scarce enclosed space, she hadn’t felt suffocated, nor had she noticed hunger or thirst, and she hadn’t even felt the urge to use the bathroom.
It was very abnormal.
Moreover, why could items like the fruit knife and gloves be brought in—but not the watch?
At first, Ying Yan suspected she was under some strange curse that could freeze the passage of time for living beings, but as her vision gradually recovered, she dismissed that idea.
What was the real reason?
She rested her fingers on her wrist, marking time while silently pondering.
But with such limited information, her thoughts quickly reached a bottleneck.
Unhurried, she switched her approach, attempting to find answers in the content of the movie itself.
On the surface, the film The Stranger Call appeared to be just a youthful romance, with maybe a hint of thriller elements to add a layer of poignant regret.
The only noteworthy detail was the old-fashioned telephone, incongruous with the poster’s time period.
Following that clue, her thoughts still quickly stagnated, like a mud ox sinking into water.
Something was surely being subconsciously blocked. She tried self-questioning to unlock key points.
Why would a modern city woman keep an old-fashioned telephone?
Before she could come up with the best explanation, a loud clang shook the entire space.
One of the corner lights turned on, emitting a faint green glow, somewhat like a traffic light’s green signal.
Then came the crackling hum of electricity as two differently colored wires connected end to end, forming a circle.
“Hello… hoo hoo… is anyone there?”
Ying Yan was startled and confused.
Among the half-bear, half-human roars, how could Yu Xiaoli’s voice mix in?
She leaned toward the “green light” in the corner and tentatively asked, “Yu Li, is that you?”
Ying Yan’s voice was clear, precise, and carried a gentle Jiangnan warmth, highly recognizable.
Yu Li rubbed her bruised head, holding the phone with her bear paw, struggling to keep it from slipping.
“Senior, yes, it’s me! Where are you? Do you need help? I’m pretty awesome now, roar roar roar!”
Ying Yan paused, then asked, “You’ve turned into a bear?”
“Yeah! I woke up like this. You and my brother weren’t there—it scared me to death! But later it was fine, I found a beehive and caught a snow chicken, and only in the evening did I make it here.”
Yu Li intentionally emphasized the positives, trying not to worry anyone—a typical “report good news, not bad.”
Ying Yan knew very well how difficult it must be for a girl suddenly turned into a bear, navigating the snowy mountains alone.
Predators shaped by the cruel laws of nature weren’t something an untrained person could handle.
But she didn’t reveal this harsh truth, instead smoothly changing the topic:
“I actually do need your help now. Can you describe your surroundings?”
Her powerful, gentle senior asking for help!
Yu Li immediately felt a sense of responsibility, and her weariness faded.
She straightened up, brushed snow off herself, instinctively puffed out her chest.
Her fluffy head banged on the ceiling, suffering secondary injury.
The phone carried her senior’s concerned voice: “W-what happened? Are you okay?”
Yu Li nearly cried at her own incompetence.
She hurriedly picked up the phone from the table, flustered: “It’s nothing, just a small situation. I can handle it. You want to know about this booth, right?”
After receiving confirmation, she sniffled and said, “I’m in a completely red, old-fashioned phone booth. The interior is small, the floor has a red carpet, and there’s an old-fashioned phone right in the center.”
“Roar roar roar, just like in the movie, only much newer. Also, there’s a heavy iron lock outside, but it’s rusted, opens with a light bump.”
Hearing this, Ying Yan confirmed her recent suspicion.
She chose her words carefully, keeping her tone calm: “Okay, I understand. I’m safe, not lacking food or clothing, just in a special situation—don’t worry.”
—Special, indeed! She had actually turned into a ghost!
Ying Yan hated illogical events the most.
Urban legends always topped her list of dislikes; the strange app quickly surpassed them to second place, and ghosts weren’t far behind.
And now, she had become one of the most detested species herself.
Honestly, it was infuriating!
But Ying Yan was used to keeping her emotions in check, only showing her calm, composed self to others.
So to Yu Li, she just mentioned it lightly.
As expected, oblivious Yu Li didn’t notice anything strange. “Oh, senior, is my brother with you?”
Though she knew her brother would be fine as long as he didn’t encounter multi-legged creatures, her worry was unavoidable.
Ying Yan replied softly: “No.”
Yu Li acknowledged, frowning, sighing heavily.
Yet her bear face was fluffy; even a worried expression looked cute.
Senior wasn’t there either—where had her brother gone?
Her rare, one-of-a-kind brother!
No choice. Even without him, information still needed collecting. Escaping, handling questions—she couldn’t ignore it.
Yu Li never overestimated her luck, thinking the next gamble would also succeed.
Her glance fell on the partly eaten beehive, a sense of crisis rising.
Edible resources were scarce in the snowy mountains; she didn’t want her hard-earned energy reserves wasted.
Recalling the gaunt snow leopard, she shivered.
“Senior, do you know what a brown bear can eat in the snow mountains?”
Ying Yan thought briefly: “Brown bears are omnivores with diverse diets.
“You can look for tender plant shoots under the snow, young grass, leaves, roots. If you find a forest, gather wild fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
“Brown bears also hunt fish, frogs, bird eggs, rodents, marmots, hooved animals, and their young. If extremely hungry, they can even eat carrion raw.”
A brown bear’s stomach is far stronger than a human’s, adaptable to complex environments.
Yu Li had a vague understanding; the snow chicken and honey had been eaten raw with no problem.
Parasites are powerless against strong stomach acid.
Still, listening to this made her scalp tingle—compared to a bear, her “non-picky” diet seemed fussy.
Survival truly brings out potential.
“Senior, I found a frozen lake—how do I get the fish?”
Ying Yan patiently explained: “Brown bears can use their strength and sharp claws to break ice and fish.
“If you can swim, try it. Even if you catch nothing, get out of the water quickly—the lake freezes fast in cold weather.
“Sometimes natural cracks or gaps appear on the ice. If safe, wait patiently for oxygen-deprived fish to surface, or hunt other small animals.
“Never challenge food you’re not confident in handling.”
Yu Li’s eyes sparkled, sincerely impressed: “Senior, you know so much!”
Ying Yan paused: “Nothing, just read some books when bored.”
They discussed briefly, forming a simple plan.
Ying Yan would stay put, gathering useful information from incoming calls.
Yu Li could move freely, exploring while meeting basic needs, ideally mapping terrain and searching for Zhuang Ji—no pressure if she couldn’t find him.
Soon after, the phone carried her yawns.
Yu Li had been walking ten hours, handling the beehive and snow chicken, utterly exhausted.
Finally in a warm place with a familiar companion, sleepiness swept through her, eyelids stuck together.
Ying Yan noticed, calling softly: “Yu Li?”
Yu Li forced her eyes open, struggling against overwhelming sleep, her voice weakly floating: “Senior, I’m here.”
Ying Yan reminded: “If you sleep, remember to brace the door. Good night.”
Yu Li mumbled in response, placing the phone back, pressing her body against the door, legs curled.
She fell asleep instantly, like unconscious.
Elsewhere, the green light in the corner flickered, then went out.
The wires hanging from the ceiling snapped taut, the circular connection dismantled, returning to its original state.
Ying Yan immediately noticed the call had ended.
She wasn’t sleepy; her brow furrowed with concern. The delicate snow-like flowers on the branch were now shrouded in faint black mist.
But within ten minutes, she adjusted her mindset, beginning to test her suspicions.
Ying Yan pulled gloves from her pocket, covering her hands and half of her wrists.
Using memory, she located the two previously connected wires and attempted to dial out.
“Beep… beep… beep…”