Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 272 Midnight, Premiere

This trip was "accidental" for Sister Shang. She happened to be in Cannes to support Chi Ye, which was a great opportunity given her proximity to the festival.

Pliers didn't come... She had been waiting for Ikeno to invite her, but Ikeno was a bit of a jerk and didn't mention it to Pliers at all.

So, Shi Jinwei stood outside the Cannes hotel, watching Cannes begin, watching many big names participate in this grand event, and probably waiting for the premiere of "Flu" so she could smell the aroma from outside.

Ah...this feels so wonderful.

"Sis, if it really doesn't work out, we can do what we always do and tell Professor Chi that I forced you to come... We can't just be here and waiting outside. We have to go and support him."

When the red carpet event was about to end, the assistant couldn't contain herself and offered her suggestions to Shi Jie.

Shi Jinwei immediately felt that this was a bit unreliable. What did you mean by "forcing" me to come?
You think you can force me? Even a fool wouldn't believe that.

"...Since he won't say, then I won't go. I'll just stay here."

"So how long are we supposed to stay?"

"do not know."

"what?"

The assistant was completely bewildered.

do not know?
What an incredible answer!

Shi Jin glanced at her and said, "It depends on my mood."

The assistant understood instantly.

"See my mood" means "See when Ikeno talks to me".

"...Sister, I'm not trying to be mean, but why do this? Professor Chi knows exactly what kind of person you are. If you ask me..."

"Have you gotten any more capable lately? You're even talking about me now?"

Assistant: "...Alright then, I won't say anything more, Sister Shi. Let's just wait like this for the 'Emperor' to favor you."

"Hey……"

Sister Pliers raised an eyebrow and couldn't resist pinching her assistant's ear, but the assistant nimbly dodged it: "Sister, aren't you just like what I said... Don't deny it, others may not understand you, but I do..."

"Professor Chi, this premiere is very important. Are you really not going to go see it? It starts in just a few hours."

Sister Pliers paused, her sapphire blue eyes gazing at the "lively" inner area, her mind silent.

……

The importance of the Cannes premiere of "Flu" needs no further explanation. At 7 p.m., the world-renowned Cannes red carpet officially ended, and the main creators of the competing films and guests had already finished their duties and entered the main red carpet hall and secondary screening rooms to prepare for the screening.

On the first day of Cannes, the best time to watch the films in the main competition (19:00 PM - 22:30 PM) is undoubtedly reserved for the films in the main competition.

The midday slot before the main competition is a segment for attention. (Starting tomorrow).

The midnight screenings will follow these two sections.

The Cannes Film Festival typically lasts 12 days, with each section screening 1-2 films each day.

The main competition section occupies a prime time slot the previous week, which is the time when Cannes has a dense schedule of broadcasts.

—Ikeno and the creators of "Flu" don't need to care about these things.

Because they are in the midnight screening section and not in the competition section, and because "Flu" got the excellent screening time on the first day of the midnight screening, this day is the moment of life and death for "Flu".

11:30 p.m., Debussy Cinema, the exclusive screening room for the Cannes Midnight Screenings section.

The cinema is located on the west side of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, and is a separate building, facing the Lumière Grand Theater, the main competition venue.

The theater has 1068 seats, arranged in a steep, tiered layout with a 30° incline to ensure unobstructed views of gory scenes.

The environment is very "commercial," equipped with a Dolby Atmos immersive sound system to enhance the sound impact of genre films.

This is so special, in order to fit the theme of the midnight screening section and create a more private horror/thriller atmosphere.

At this moment, the theater was packed with people. As the first film to be screened in the midnight screening section of Cannes this year, even though the lead actors and creators were not that famous, it still could not stop the enthusiasm of movie fans around the world.

The cleaning staff had already started cleaning the red carpet area in the front row, and the creators of "Flu" would come forward to give a speech in ten minutes.

In a certain spot, Ling Bingbing and Ling Han sat together, observing the crowd around them.

"I didn't expect there to be so many people."

"Of course, Gege is a top star in Asia, how could no one pay attention to him?"

Ling Bingbing glanced at her younger sister: "I think you've lost your mind. You keep yelling 'cut cut cut' nonstop. Who's your brother?"

"...Sis, I really like Chi Ye, he's so handsome...Don't you think he's handsome?"

"He's handsome."

Ling Bingbing nodded first, then sighed: "But he is our 'opponent'."

"What kind of competitor is he? You're just jealous of how much money he makes, and he doesn't share it with you... Sis, to be honest, I think what we're doing is wrong. Just because someone isn't willing to give you money doesn't mean you should think they're losing money on you, right?"

Ling Bingbing looked at her sister with surprise, but this time she didn't refute her.

Because she is a pillar of the Beijing social circle, she naturally knows that what her sister said is true.

But... there's a saying... your perspective is determined by your position, and she's always been considered a "conservative" in the industry.

Regarding her attitude towards Ikeno, she has never advocated targeting him, but she has not opposed it either... because it is not in her interest. At most, she can only refrain from being sarcastic in public and maintain the greatest "respect and distance" from him.

But my younger sister is a bit different; she seems to have really become obsessed with her idol lately.

"Don't you like Yu Yan anymore?"

Ling Han's expression froze, and she said guiltily, "Ah... I like it, I like everything... but I think Yan-ge's mental fortitude is really a bit weak... such a small setback, and I feel like he's about to collapse, on the other hand, Gege..."

"He's been through so much at Yue Na, and since then he's always been working on his own. He's even faced us along the way... yet we've never seen him act like he's going to die... Sister, don't you think a man like that is more attractive?"

Ling Bingbing listened in silence for a while.

There is one thing to say, indeed.

She skipped over the topic and looked around: "Several traders have come."

The Cannes Film Festival is glamorous on stage, with a dazzling array of stars, and behind the scenes, it's also a gathering of big names. These big names refer to film distributors, operators, and major distribution companies from all over the world who have decision-making power.

Dividing by region, there are the three giants from the French-speaking region of France, who have consistently controlled the most prestigious main competition segment, as well as the Central European organizers, and those from the Nordic and Mediterranean regions, etc.

The film studios they contacted before Cannes were actually representatives of these giants.

For example, the three well-known global genre film giants: NEON (USA), XYZ Films (USA), and High Octane (Germany).

And Asia's three major...

The target audience for "Flu" at Cannes this year was genre film producers and distributors. There were already preliminary cooperation intentions from Asian countries, but the results from European and American countries were not ideal.

The three major Asian films are only preliminary intentions, similar to the idea of ​​making a quick buck like "Girl" and "Big Boss". As for truly treating "Flu" as a special guest, Ikeno has obviously not demonstrated any box office ability in this regard before.

and so…

"Those who come here are only doing so because of Cannes. Look at those few people, they're not even representatives, they're just here to make up the numbers."

Uncle Li Qian, standing behind him, turned his head and said with a smile.

Ling Bingbing and Ling Han paused, neither of them saying a word.

There were quite a few people at today's premiere. Although several circles in the Chinese entertainment industry didn't pay much attention to Chi Ye at Cannes, they naturally came to see the film now that "Flu" was being released.

There were only her and Ling Han in the Beijing circle, and a few more people in the Northwest circle. Teacher Zhang was currently sitting on the other side. Further ahead were the major oligopoly film distributors, licensed buyers in the film market, and film critics from Europe, America, and Asia (mostly genre films, since this was a midnight screening).

Further back are the many ordinary moviegoers who were lucky enough to snag tickets.

Most of the attendees were of Asian descent, but because it was Cannes, many European and American attendees also came in out of curiosity.

—The Singaporean tycoon was one of the "lucky audience members".

She was the wealthy female fan who wanted to steal her father's antique collection to give to Chi Ye; she had connections in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Ever since Chi Ye sang "Blue and White Porcelain" at the Spring Festival Gala, she has been completely captivated and fallen into a frenzy of idol worship.

However, since she is usually not in mainland China and rarely comes back, she has very few opportunities to meet Ji Chiye.

Coincidentally, she and her family were on vacation in Europe when she heard about the "Flu" incident. She then took the opportunity to sneak off to Cannes with her best friend and, through her financial resources, managed to get tickets.

At this moment, the two girls sat in the back row of the audience, feeling inexplicably scared by the various "strange arrangements" of the surrounding theater and the dim environment.

"Won't it be too scary...? I heard that midnight screenings are all about gory and violent movies, and this chair... you can see it all too clearly... will we not even have anywhere to run after this?"

My best friend asked, trembling.

"Look at your cowardly nature."

The rich woman curled her lip in disdain, but her knuckles were also a little white... because she had never been very brave since she was a child, and if it weren't for Chi Ye, she would never have made a special trip to watch a "bloody and violent" movie.

Hmm... does "influenza" count?
"Judging from the name, it doesn't seem like it."

"You can't just look at the name. It's not allowed to be broadcast in mainland China, but it was selected for Cannes and scheduled for this time slot. Just imagine, the visuals must be very exciting."

"Ah... I'm so scared. Can I still back out? Can we come in after the movie is over...?"

"Since you're here, just make the best of it, don't you understand?"

"Hey, why would you say that?"

"I specifically learned this... The words left by our ancestors make a lot of sense..."

As the two girls were talking, a soft round of applause broke out in the audience. It was time for the film's creators to come on stage, say a few words, and then quietly leave to wait for the film to begin.

Well... the audience's reaction and feedback were not very strong.

Because it wasn't a home game, apart from a couple of enthusiastic cheers from fans in China and Asia when Ikeno was speaking, most of the applause was perfunctory.

The rich woman glanced around, especially at the numerous film distributors, media reporters, and others in the front row, and noticed that everyone looked listless. At this hour, in this environment, she really felt sleepy.

hum.

Suddenly, a deep sound rang out, and the top-of-the-line sound system roared through the theater, instantly rousing the drowsy audience and media alike, who looked up at the giant screen in front of them—

The flu has begun.

……

As night fell over Taipei Station, the last train bound for Kaohsiung slowly pulled into the platform.

The platform was dimly lit, and there was a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.

As the mechanical doors opened, the train slowly came to a stop, the doors opened, and passengers disembarked one after another.

The platform was deserted, except for the train conductor standing at the door of the driver's cab, watching the platform lights gradually disappear outside the train window.

He stood at the cockpit door, his right hand reaching for the walkie-talkie at his waist, his knuckles turning white with tension.

"Today is my last day on duty..."

He murmured to himself, his brow furrowing slightly, as if sensing a hint of unease.

Ling Han looked up at the scene and felt that the composition and shooting technique were indeed a bit oppressive. In addition, the few shots and one line of dialogue seemed to foreshadow the tone of the entire film... something was about to happen.

The camera turned.

Inside carriage number two, a pregnant young woman is telling her daughter a bedtime story.

The little girl curled up in her seat, her tiny hands clutching her mother's clothes tightly, moonlight streaming through the car window onto her innocent face.

"Mom, I'm scared."

"It's okay, we'll be in Kaohsiung soon."

The pregnant woman tried to hide her unease with a smile, but she felt that the atmosphere was unusual today, and even the air seemed thick and sticky.

……

The train conductor returned to the driver's cab, his gaze falling on the numbers flashing on the instrument panel.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded.

He stood up abruptly, cold sweat trickling down his face.

An urgent shout came through the walkie-talkie: "Report an anomaly! Suspicious items found in carriage number two!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the train suddenly shook violently, and the train conductor stumbled, his back slamming heavily against the wall of the driver's cabin.

He endured the pain and strode quickly toward carriage number two.

Inside carriage number two, a man in a white protective suit stood in the aisle, carrying a black box in his hand.

The box was covered with fine water droplets and emitted a nauseating stench. The man's eyes were empty and lifeless, and a strange smile hung on his lips.

"What...what is this?"

A security guard shouted in a Taiwanese accent.

"The test and quarantine samples must be sent to the laboratory in Kaohsiung."

The train conductor broke out in a cold sweat. He noticed that the train was accelerating, but the dashboard was displaying completely opposite data.

His vision began to blur, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Something's wrong...this train...it has its own consciousness..."

……

in the carriage.

The pregnant woman held her daughter tightly, who had already developed a high fever. The little girl's face was pale, and her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

The little girl murmured sweetly, "Mommy...I'm so cold..."

"Don't be afraid, Mom is here."

Rumble!
The next moment, the screen suddenly went dark, and a terrifying sound wave burst through the big screen, directly into the ears of everyone in the theater—the train roared out of the tunnel, and under the moonlight, countless black shadows were swirling in the distant sky.

The train conductor saw the black shadows open their blood-red mouths and let out a chilling shriek.

He closed his eyes in terror, and the next second, the train crashed into an abandoned building, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

buzzing...

The tinnitus was piercing and muffled. The light returned, and the train conductor's consciousness blurred. A faint cry for help reached his ears: "Save my daughter..."

He finally opened his eyes and saw a passenger in a strange posture, his head rotated 180 degrees, one eyeball hanging from his mouth, opening his blood-red maw and swallowing his "head".

Beside it, the eerie black box was oozing a viscous black liquid, like it was bleeding.

A nightmare has begun.

(End of this chapter)