Chapter 115: We Are All Actors

The most spectacular scene had no witnesses. The mysterious man stood in utter desolation, letting the flames from the explosion bake him; the fire posed little threat to him anyway, as the bandages wrapped around his body were crafted from fireproof material.

He had learned from past mistakes and would not allow fire to destroy his clothes again, leaving him exposed in front of a crowd.

That was a past too humiliating to mention. Zhao Qing gritted his teeth as he thought about it. He had originally intended to display his strength just enough to keep those small-time opportunists from testing him, and to guide them into acting according to his script.

"I just went to use the bathroom. It was just for a blink of an eye, so how did the swarm get out of control? Damn it, things were progressing so smoothly; why did I have to go to the bathroom? Wouldn't it have been better to just hold it?"

Zhao Qing stomped his feet in frustration. He could not fathom why the swarm had suddenly turned berserk, causing events to unfold far too rapidly.

According to experimental data, the reproductive capacity of Subject X-07 should not have reached this level, yet it had happened in such a bizarre fashion. Who could he blame for that?

The rapid reproduction of the swarm forced Zhao Qing to detonate the explosives he had planted in the workshop ahead of schedule to prevent the swarm from multiplying indefinitely. Otherwise, the "Horror Adventure" program would suffer a production failure.

It might as well have been renamed "Wilderness Survival," telling the story of a group of people hunted and devoured by the organism designated as X-07. And for the story to end before the protagonist had even appeared—what a tragic tale!

As the director and screenwriter, Zhao Qing would undoubtedly have to take responsibility for the failure. He didn't want to retire early, or worse, become the protagonist of the next production.

The audience of "Horror Adventure" never feared things getting out of hand; they relished it when events spiraled in unpredictable directions. Dramatic twists pushed to the extreme were the kind of cinema they craved.

Having the director of the program become the protagonist of the next installment would undoubtedly capture everyone's attention. Unlike a standard cameo in a film, according to the protocols of "Horror Adventure," actors were treated as disposable consumables.

If they marketed it as "The Final Film of Director So-and-So," it would surely be a box-office smash! On the surface, it would be to commemorate a lost life, but behind the scenes, it was all just business.

"Where exactly did the problem arise?" Zhao Qing scratched his head in annoyance. Could the issue be with the extras? He didn't think so.

They were seasoned background actors whose professional standards were reliable; it was impossible for them to disrupt the filming process. Even the supporting actors, who were sponsors appearing as a favor, knew how to follow the rules. As members of the ruling class, the one thing they detested most was someone who didn't play by the rules.

Acting according to the rules they established was the status quo they worked hard to maintain, as stability meant profit, and long-term, stable profit was what they sought.

Lin Ke had joined this potential film purely out of interest, and he certainly didn't want the entire project to fail because of his own mistakes.

Zhao Qing was re-evaluating everything, carefully reviewing every detail that could have led to the failure. Yet, from his own perspective, it was hard to find any faults.

Humanity’s ability for self-correction was abysmal, because it is difficult for a person to view the world objectively from a third-person perspective, unless they invite someone else to point out the errors.

"Could the problem be with Chu Ning?" Zhao Qing frowned in deep thought. Knowing Chu Ning’s destructive potential, he had been specifically assigned to manage him.

To ensure everything went off without a hitch, Zhao Qing had avoided having the voice actor appear on screen, requiring him only to recite the lines from the script. His film specifically required the image of an elderly, demented man with a gravelly voice.

Zhao Qing knew this trope was overly cliché and placed high demands on the actor's performance, but due to the program's limited budget, he chose not to have the character appear on camera.

This not only saved on production costs but also created a sense of mystery, making the actors who were on camera appear more authentic.

In a movie theater, everyone knows it is a fabrication, so it is hard to feel genuine fear. But for those experiencing it firsthand, it is difficult not to be deceived by his smoke-and-mirrors act.

Judging by the performance on site, the plot he designed was quite successful, especially with Tanya cooperating so well with his production, which gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

As for the execution of the order to hunt down Tanya, Zhao Qing claimed he knew nothing about it; he had no desire to take the fall for someone else! Cleaning up someone else’s mess was never a pleasant task.

After checking every link in the chain, Zhao Qing finally realized the problem might lie with Chu Ning. Given that the surroundings were filled with extras, Chu Ning and his companions were among the few actual actors.

Did they really think they could be perfectly synchronized, all pulling out gas masks at once? That was a social benefit required for the extras! As the production team, they had to provide the necessary tools for the extras; that was the rule of the trade.

"A mistake, truly a grave mistake!" Zhao Qing lamented bitterly. He felt a deep pang of regret over the destruction of the swarm. He had also been tasked with observing and recording Subject X-07, as test products must undergo evaluation before being officially put into use.

It was only because of his film's requirements that he had seized the opportunity to take on this task. Alas, he could now officially declare the mission a failure.

Even though he had discovered the major anomaly in X-07's mission, without ironclad evidence, those lunatics in the Research Department would not easily believe him; they would require multiple experiments to confirm it.

Zhao Qing decided to report his findings. Even if verification took a long time, he didn't care. It was something he had gained for nothing, so the timeline for the benefits didn't matter.

To recoup his losses, Zhao Qing decided to find his target as soon as possible and accelerate the plot. He needed to quickly correct the story before it veered further off course; otherwise, even he, as the director, could not predict what might happen.

For example, the note pasted on the wall—it had been pieced together from words clipped from a newspaper, and the paper itself was ordinary A4, making it impossible to trace the source!

It seemed the other party was truly cautious, leaving no evidence that could be used to identify them.