Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 654 Illusory Test: A True Account of Seeing Ghosts

The night was as dark as ink. The locust tree swayed in the wind, its branches and leaves rustling as if countless tiny claws were scratching the air.

Director Luo stared intently as Gao Dongxu walked up to the locust tree, opened the small bottle, poured water onto the trunk, and then placed his palm on the trunk.

"Cicada—"

A piercing noise came from the walkie-talkie. The next moment, Director Luo felt the temperature drop suddenly. His breath seemed to condense into frost in the air, and a thin layer of ice seemed to climb on the ground, with fine cracks spreading in all directions.

Thick fog seeped from the roots of the locust tree, initially just a few wisps of pale silk, gradually gathering into a rolling tide that submerged the courtyard.

The fog thickened, swallowing the last vestiges of moonlight. Although Director Luo had mentally prepared himself, he still called out as the fog engulfed him: "Dongxu—"

There was no response. He, who should have been restrained, stood freely in front of the church doors. Whispers came from the darkness, not from one direction, but from all directions simultaneously, like countless people whispering in his ear. The voices came and went, sometimes like pleas for mercy, sometimes like indistinct sobs.

In an instant, all sound vanished. The fog completely dissipated, and the dark doors of the Xiguan Church, which had been open sometime during the night, emitted the incredibly clear cries of children—one, two, three… The cries grew more numerous and louder…

Outside the illusion, Gao Dongxu withdrew his hand from channeling spiritual energy into the locust tree. Looking at the hideous, grotesque face of the foreigner that had appeared on the tree trunk, he chuckled mockingly, "Damn, you've gotten addicted to eating them—"

The spiritual energy that Gao Dongxu infused was undoubtedly a much-desired tonic for the earthbound spirit.

Ignoring the grimaces, Gao Dongxu strode over to the group of elites who had been selected for 749. Seeing them glaring angrily and struggling to free their hands and feet from their restraints, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Director Zhang—"

Just as Gao Dongxu was feeling a bit disappointed, five or six people suddenly called out.

"Hmm?" Gao Dongxu looked at the six conscious elites, a satisfied smile on his face, and said, "You broke free on your own?"

"Yeah." x6
“Very good—” Gao Dongxu immediately stepped forward, untied their restraints and said, “You all go and protect those experts immediately. Don’t disturb them as they experience hallucinations. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t do anything to harm themselves.”

The six people left quickly and efficiently, showing no signs of having just escaped from a terrifying environment.

Gao Dongxu watched them leave, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag. Through the swirling smoke, his gaze swept over the other members still struggling in the illusion, wondering how many would manage to wake up on their own.

Ten minutes later, more than a dozen people broke free from the illusion. Most of them were pale and their foreheads were covered in cold sweat, but their eyes had regained their clarity. Gao Dongxu untied them one by one and arranged for them to guard the priceless high-tech equipment—this equipment was recording each person's physiological reactions in the illusion, which was an important basis for the assessment.

"Not bad," Gao Dongxu commented briefly, but he had already formed a preliminary assessment of these people's potential.

However, the condition of the remaining members began to deteriorate. Their expressions became ferocious and distorted, their faces flushed, and they struggled frantically, their straitjackets ripping and creaking. Some began to scream, some wept bitterly, and some even banged their heads against the back of their chairs, blood seeping from their foreheads.

Gao Dongxu sighed and took out the Three Pure Ones Bell. The bell gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen in the moonlight. He infused it with spiritual energy and gently shook it—

"jingle--"

The crisp sound of the bell echoed through the night, like a clear spring flowing through a parched heart. After three rings, all the members who were still struggling jolted, their eyes gradually regaining their clarity. They looked around blankly, as if they had just woken from a nightmare; some couldn't even believe they were still sitting in the same spot.

"Let's rest for a bit." Gao Dongxu put away the Sanqing Bell and turned to walk towards the church. His back cast a long shadow in the moonlight, blending into the shadow of the church's spire.

Inside the church, the situation was even more complicated. The experts, scholars, and researchers invited to conduct the study lacked professional training and performed even worse at this moment.

Some collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath; others lay vomiting uncontrollably; still others roared hysterically, "I'll kill you!" An old professor huddled in a corner, repeatedly crying, "Children, run!" tears streaming down his wrinkled face. Gao Dongxu didn't hesitate and rang the Sanqing Bell again. The bell echoed beneath the church's soaring dome, carrying a purifying power. Gradually, the cries subsided, replaced by sobs and heavy breathing.

"Test complete." Gao Dongxu's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. He looked around at the scholars who were still in a state of shock, and his tone softened slightly: "Everything's fine now. Drink some water and rest. Check if the instruments are working properly and if the data collection was successful..."

After saying that, he quickly left to check on Director Luo's condition. However, when he returned, he saw Director Luo, covered in sweat, trembling as he took deep drags on a cigarette.

Upon seeing him, Director Luo smiled bitterly and said in a trembling voice, "I never expected the hallucinations to be so real, and my mind and brain have been completely distorted. The more I fear something, the more it appears..."

"You broke free on your own?" Gao Dongxu asked, somewhat surprised.

"Although hallucinations can be incredibly realistic and distort the brain's memories, I still noticed the problem and broke free from the hallucination," Director Luo said with a wry smile.

"Impressive—" Gao Dongxu smiled and flattered him, but it was also a genuine exclamation.

Director Luo shook his head and chuckled, then stood up and said, "Take me to see that so-called earthbound spirit—"

Gao Dongxu stepped forward, helped Director Luo up, and walked to the locust tree. He took out a magic whip from his coat pocket, channeled his spiritual energy, and lashed the tree with it.

Director Luo was taken aback at first, but the next moment he was so frightened by the hideous and ugly face that suddenly appeared on the tree trunk that he took a step back.

"Is this the foreign priest?" Luo asked, his face grim, his brows furrowed, and his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Ugh—" Gao Dongxu lashed out with the whip again, and the previously ferocious roaring face turned into a painful scream.

Director Luo looked at the whip in Gao Dongxu's hand with some curiosity and asked, "What is this?"

"The Taoist whip is a ritual implement I found when I was collecting antiques," Gao Dongxu explained with a smile.

Director Luo's eyes lit up, and he looked at Gao Dongxu with a smile, "Looks like you have quite a few good things."

"What kind of good thing is this? It's only good for bullying little devils." Gao Dongxu laughed as he put away the whip, then continued, "The experts are all awake now, would you like to go take a look?"

“Let’s go, let’s go take a look. I’m very curious to see if any relevant data has been collected.” Director Luo’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"There should be some progress. I saw earlier that the instruments were operating normally and were not affected by electromagnetic interference," Gao Dongxu said.

"That's good..." Director Luo looked relieved and led Gao Dongxu toward the church door.

Inside the church, the experts, now back to their senses, were examining the collected and recorded data with delighted expressions, engaging in lively discussions.

"So, did you find anything?" Director Luo asked eagerly as he led Gao Dongxu to the experts.

The experts, excitedly fiddling with the instruments, replied, "Everything has been collected and recorded; we are currently analyzing the data."

This experience has truly broadened my horizons and opened up a whole new world for us all.

"If you had told me before tonight that there were strange things in this world, I really wouldn't have believed it. To be honest, I came here with the mindset of exposing them and watching the excitement. I was too narrow-minded..." another expert exclaimed.

(End of this chapter)