Read Novel Full Chapter 1073: "Mang" Makes its Official Debut
Chapter 1073: "Mang" Makes its Official Debut
Outside the narrow, dark residential building, an old Taoist priest in a Taoist robe with a white beard stormed down the stairs, followed by another middle-aged man.
"Master, Master, don't go! You haven't dispelled the evil spirits in the house yet!"
Behind him, another woman's voice said, "Dad, I've already told you he's a liar! Why are you so stubborn?"
Then, this group of people hurriedly left the residential building.
The Taoist priest charged ahead, his face showing annoyance and guilt at being exposed. Behind him, the middle-aged man remained engrossed in superstitious tales, unable to extricate himself even after witnessing the scientific truth. His daughter, on the other hand, was filled with anger and resentment: "Dad! What exactly do you want? Are you planning to destroy this family?"
The narrow residential building was surrounded by more residential buildings, densely packed and layered. The somewhat gloomy weather at the beginning was now brightened. The once silent residential buildings were now filled with the sound of old windows being moved, and some curious people were peeking out of their houses.
In an instant, the terrifying atmosphere that had been building up vanished.
Even the seemingly gloomy and dilapidated residential building has become more lively.
But the argument among the people in front of the building had not stopped.
—And the culprit who caused all this was the one who, while holding the black cat, walked slowly to the handrail on the second floor of the stairs and looked down.
Meow~
The black cat meowed softly, but the sound was drowned out by the background noise. Only the young man holding it chuckled, picked it up and held it in front of him, saying helplessly, "Don't scare people around here again, or you'll get beaten to death by someone else."
The black cat, its tail tucked behind its back, gazed at him silently with its bright golden eyes, which seemed to possess a spirit. There was no fear or curiosity in its eyes, but rather a divine sense of compassion for all living beings.
This, however, piqued Zhou Zhiyi's interest even more.
"They say black cats have spirits, so you and I are somewhat destined to meet. In a little while, I'll take you to a suitable family to ensure you a life of wealth and prosperity. In the future, you'll bless me with great fortune and riches, how about that?"
The black cat glanced at him, but naturally didn't answer. It just slowly licked its paws.
But its raised hand gesture led Zhou Zhiyi to mistakenly believe it had agreed, so he grinned and reached out his other hand, grabbing its paw and giving it a squeeze: "Deal!"
So after meeting the employer and receiving the money, Zhou Zhiyi actually took the black cat to a good home.
By the time we got back to the office, it was already dark.
...
The opening plot is relatively simple, mainly revolving around Zhou Zhiyi's "anti-metaphysics work". Through a simple task, his background and personality are clearly explained.
Although most of the plot is designed to create a dark and terrifying atmosphere, the overall story is relatively lighthearted and humorous, with a small twist that prevents the reader from being completely immersed in the horror.
And indeed, no one expected that Zhou Zhiyi's opening statement wasn't exactly that of a Celestial Master... uh, no, he was indeed a Celestial Master, but how should I put it... the life of a suspected Celestial Master was not easy, he was forced to oppose superstition and feudalism, and embarked on the righteous path of anti-metaphysics, becoming the first person to promote science.
Haha, to be honest, just looking at Xiao He's face, he doesn't seem like a Taoist priest at all; he looks more like a cunning conman.
Shu Yuxiu's physiognomy is still going strong!
Besides, at the beginning, with this old Taoist priest standing with this young man Zhou Zhiyi, who would think that Zhou Zhiyi is the real Celestial Master?
The old man's white hair and beard gave him an air of otherworldly grace!
Let alone Chinese people themselves, even foreigners comparing the two would stereotype them as choosing the older man!
So Zhou Zhiyi, you really didn't lose your job unjustly.
-
However, as everyone knows, in the early stages, people are lured in first and then killed.
The opening of a horror movie is peaceful, serene, friendly, and funny—making you lower your guard. But when things really start to get out of hand in the second half, that's when it truly defines what a horror movie is.
As a result, viewers can see that the originally lively atmosphere takes a sharp turn for the worse after the "anti-metaphysics" team takes over the hospital.
The monster named "Lang" has officially made its debut.
This was the first time Xiao He had seen the special effects of "Long" in a movie.
Unlike when filming with the crew, when he acted alongside special effects actors or Wei Feng, although they all wore special effects makeup, there were still many flaws in their performances or movements in front of high-definition cameras.
Therefore, this part relies entirely on post-production special effects and editing.
Xiao He was actually quite curious about what it would be like in the movie.
Then he saw the disgusting monster covered in pus, quietly lying on the ceiling staring at Zhou Zhiyi and the others below.
As the camera zoomed in, some audience members behind him couldn't help but gasp.
—On the center of the big screen, the monster suddenly looked at the camera.
Its body was covered in a mixture of red and yellow blood and pus. Its open mouth revealed wolfhound-like fangs, with bits of flesh and blood sludge stuck between its teeth. Its face, mostly occupied by its mouth, was neither human nor sculpted. While it possessed a human mouth, short, cut nostrils, empty eye sockets, and tangled fur, it was precisely these features that made it resemble a vestigial ape rather than a human.
Even more bizarrely, its limbs could easily climb onto the ceiling without it falling.
However, some people noticed that as it silently climbed and followed the ceiling, it left a long trail of blood-red marks behind it, as if it had produced its own slime, completely deviating from the realm of purely human or ape creatures.
This uncanny valley effect, where something seems neither human nor tangible, sends chills down your spine.
Even Xiao He gasped in surprise.
"Director Zhuang, you're really not holding back at all because you're sending the film overseas!"
He even gave a close-up of such a bloody and disgusting scene.
And it was even successfully included in the main feature!
They're not even pretending anymore!
Director Zhuang, your taste is way too heavy!
Such a close-up shot, it feels like that guy's bad breath is practically spraying in the audience's faces! Is this really okay?
Then, amidst the gasps of other spectators, Xiao He was quite certain that he heard Zhuang Hongyi let out a barely perceptible laugh.
—A satisfied laugh, like the kind that comes from a prank that has finally succeeded.
Xiao He glanced to the side and, sure enough, saw that while others were horrified and disgusted, Zhuang Hongyi was laughing heartily.
Xiao He:...So, after the ruthless capitalist and the seasoned anime fan, Director Zhuang has also gained a dark and eccentric taster?!
However, to be fair, Xiao He also thought the special effects were quite well done.
After all, the feeling of liquid flowing on a monster's body cannot be achieved with items; it can only be added later.
But they added way too much, making the monster feel sticky all over, like it had just crawled out of a pool of putrid corpse fluid...
Thinking this, Xiao He suddenly paused again.
Well, according to the plot, maybe it really is true?