Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 121 Ghost Movies Without Ghosts
As night fell, the villa area of ​​Yihai Camp was gradually revealed.

Xu Yinqiu, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchen. On the gas stove was a pot of soup emitting a spicy aroma.

Jiang Jin sat at the dining table, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the tabletop.

Yu Tianlun's gaze fell on an old, faded team photo—in the photo, Lin Ye was still wearing that doctor's white coat, a faint smile on his lips.

After returning from Yimin Convenience Store, Jiang Jin told Yu Tianlun about Dr. Lin's death. Yu Tianlun was greatly shocked and remains quite melancholy and sorrowful to this day.

A bottle of whiskey was placed on Yu Tianlun's dining table, which was extremely unusual for him, as he usually only drank Erguotou and Wuliangye.

“Lin Ye used to like Western liquor, so I went out of my way to buy some today.” He spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing something. “His seventh day memorial service is coming up soon, so let him have a little. Don’t come looking for me on that day; I prefer to stay on the Materialist Layer.”

Jiang Jin nodded and said nothing more, after all, he didn't know about Yu Tianlun and Lin Ye's past relationship and feelings.

Did he suffer in the end?

Yu Tianlun suddenly asked, his eyes fixed on the amber liquid inside the whiskey bottle.

Jiang Jin's Adam's apple bobbed as the horrific scene flashed through his mind: how those three ghostly customers tore off Lin Ye's limbs like dismantling a toy, and finally...

“No.” Jiang Jin took a sip of wine. “He killed the ghost in an instant.”

He felt that telling a white lie at this moment would make Commander Yu feel better.

Xu Yinqiu walked over carrying a pot, the steam blurring Jiang Jin's vision.

"Okay, let's not talk about this while we eat."

She placed the scalding pot on a heat-resistant mat. The pork belly, tofu cubes, and kimchi floating in the red broth were incredibly tempting, especially for Jiang Jin, who always loved spicy food.

However, Jiang Jin could tell that Xu Yinqiu didn't seem to have any feelings for Lin Ye and had basically let go of his death.

Yu Tianlun nodded and said, "Come on, Jiang Jin, I heard you say you like spicy food, which is the same as my taste. This is Korean spicy tofu soup. Since we're going to a Korean horror game instance next, let's do as the Romans do and get used to Korean food."

Then, he gestured for Xu Yinqiu to sit down and said, "Yinqiu has always been an excellent cook. She can learn any cuisine from different regions in no time. During the time she's been with me, she's been cooking for me all this time. If I were to cook for myself, it would be a complete disaster."

“Sister Yinqiu’s cooking skills are naturally superb,” Jiang Jin said with a smile. “Just the smell of this soup is enough to whet your appetite.”

Xu Yinqiu said proudly, "That's right, cooking is one of my proudest skills. Jiang Jin, don't worry, I can make more for you if it's not spicy enough. If you think it's not spicy enough, I have some chili sauce over there. Oh, by the way, you can try this tofu first, see if it's flavorful enough?"

Yu Tianlun picked up a soup ladle and ladled steaming hot spicy tofu soup into each person's bowl. Tender white tofu cubes floated in the bright red broth, garnished with emerald green scallions and kimchi, as well as a few tempting pieces of pork belly.

"Try this kimchi pancake." Yu Tianlun picked up a golden and crispy pancake and put it in Jiang Jin's bowl. "This kimchi has been fermented for three months. The sour and spicy flavor should be strong enough."

Xu Yinqiu lifted the lid of another casserole, and a rich aroma immediately filled the air.

"This is ginseng chicken soup, and I simmered it for four hours."

Then, she carefully skimmed off the oil from the surface and served Yu Tianlun a bowl: "Commander, I know you like spicy food, but there has to be a balance of mild flavors."

"Commander, Sister Yinqiu is so thoughtful, she's definitely a great helpmate."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yinqiu blushed and said, "No...no, Jiang Jin, don't talk nonsense."

Jiang Jin immediately suppressed a laugh, feeling that he was actually acting like a third wheel.

The two people in front of them clearly had feelings for each other; it was so obvious it couldn't be clearer.

The chicken was stewed until it was very tender; Yu Tianlun could easily remove it from the bone with a gentle touch of his chopsticks, revealing the glutinous rice, red dates, and ginseng stuffed inside.

Jiang Jin lowered his head and took a sip of tofu soup. The scalding hot soup made him hiss involuntarily, but he immediately showed a satisfied expression.

"The spiciness is just right." He picked up another kimchi pancake and took a bite. The crispy outer layer and the sour and spicy kimchi burst in his mouth. "Sister Yinqiu, your cooking skills are good enough to open a restaurant."

Xu Yinqiu's eyes curved into crescent moons: "When I was a child, I watched 'The God of Cookery' and became a huge fan of Stephen Chow. I loved cooking back then."

Yu Tianlun laughed and said, "Compared to that, I admire your ability to find a usable kitchen in any horror dungeon even more." He scooped a spoonful of glutinous rice from the ginseng chicken soup. "I remember there was a dungeon where the whole town was rotting, and you were still able to stew such a delicious soup."

"Don't even mention it." Xu Yinqiu made a face. "That pot of soup was eventually fed to the ghosts."

She suddenly remembered something, got up and took out a few small dishes from the refrigerator: "I almost forgot these, my pickled crab and spicy seaweed salad."

Jiang Jin picked up a piece of orange-red crab roe: "Did you guys always have such a high standard of food when you went on missions?"

The sweetness of the crab meat was so delicious that he couldn't resist taking another piece.

“It was only when Yinqiu was around that we could do this.” Yu Tianlun picked up a piece of chicken: “Once in a desert instance, we ate compressed biscuits for half a month.”

He paused, a hint of sadness in his eyes: "Lin Ye even joked back then that he'd rather go to a haunted house to find a kitchen."

When forestry was mentioned, the atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly froze for a moment.

Xu Yinqiu quickly changed the subject: "Try this." She pushed the plate of spicy seaweed salad towards her.

Jiang Jin, understanding the implication, continued to change the subject: "Speaking of which, what do you think is the scariest thing in Korean horror movies?"

He picked up a piece of seaweed with his chopsticks: "I think it's the makeup and the camera work. Koreans are really good at making movies."

“I think it’s the sound design,” Yu Tianlun said. “Those faint footsteps and the barely audible breathing sounds…we experienced a Korean horror game before…”

He imitated the sound effects from the movie; "Like this, click...click...click..."

The three of them ate and chatted, talking about everything from horror movies to dungeon strategies, from local delicacies to interesting stories among reincarnators.

Empty plates gradually piled up on the table. The spicy tofu soup was almost gone, the kimchi pancakes were just crumbs, and even the ginseng chicken soup was reduced to just a few bones.

The night outside the window grew deeper, but the warmth inside dispelled the tension of watching a horror movie.

Xu Yinqiu turned off the lights, and the TV screen lit up. Following the beam of light from the projector, the opening credits of the Korean horror film "A Tale of Two Sisters" appeared on the screen. The old-fashioned DVD image made Jiang Jin quite nostalgic, but he couldn't understand Korean.

“I’ll provide simultaneous Korean interpretation for you,” Xu Yinqiu said, bringing over a blanket. “I’ve purchased a language crash course package.”

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Yinqiu."

The game automatically learns the language when entering a horror instance, so it's not a big problem.

After the movie started, Yu Tianlun stared at the pale face of the female lead, Xiuwei, played by Lin Xiujing, on the screen.

When Jiang Jin saw Moon Geun-young playing Soo-ryun, he said, "Isn't this the girl who played the younger version of Song Hye-kyo in 'Autumn in My Heart'? My mom used to love watching Korean dramas and would even make me watch them with her."

“Yes, it’s her.” Xu Yinqiu nodded.

On the projected screen, as the story began, Xu Yinqiu adjusted her posture and started translating in a low voice.

At the beginning of the film, the father drives his two daughters back to their villa in the suburbs. The older sister is named Xiuwei, and the younger sister is named Xiulian. They also have a stepmother.

Yu Tianlun leaned back on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the screen. The movie's visuals had a cool tone, and the scenery of the river and reeds looked beautiful, yet inexplicably made him uneasy.

As the plot unfolds, more and more strange events occur in the villa—dead birds, a hysterical stepmother, a father with bizarre behavior, and two seemingly helpless sisters.

Xu Yinqiu's translation was precise and calm, but Jiang Jin could still sense that she frowned slightly in certain scenes.

The older sister clearly loves her younger sister and is hostile towards her stepmother. Obviously, the stepmother is a mistress who took over the position, and her beautiful appearance hides a heart of a venomous snake.

The following plot unfolds like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, gradually revealing the truth—

It turns out that the younger sister, Xiulian, had already died in the wardrobe. At that time, the stepmother had just discovered that her sister was trapped under the wardrobe and was about to go out to find someone to rescue her when she encountered the older sister, Xiuwei, who was full of hatred towards her and spoke ill of her.

The stepmother harbored resentment because of this and deliberately kept the younger sister's condition a secret, letting her die. She used this method to take revenge on the older sister, making her feel that she was the one who killed her younger sister.

However, the stepmother's revenge was too successful, even exceeding her expectations. The older sister, Xiuwei, couldn't accept reality and developed two personalities: the "younger sister" and the "wicked stepmother." She was sent to a mental hospital for treatment. The younger sister and stepmother figures appearing at the beginning of the film are all self-directed, self-acted, and self-spoken!
The entire horror scene in the movie was a hallucination she experienced after her mental breakdown.

“The real stepmother only appears at the end,” Xu Yinqiu explained in a low voice. “The stepmother Xiuwei imagines abusing her sister is actually her self-blame for not being able to save Xiulian.”

When the end credits rolled, the living room fell silent.

Yu Tianlun analyzed: "It seems to be a typical case of dissociative disorder. She projected her unbearable guilt onto the role of her stepmother."

Xu Yinqiu pondered, "The most terrifying thing isn't ghosts, but human nature. The evil of the scumbag and the mistress has made two innocent children bear the brunt. If only my sister could have faced reality sooner..."

“Then she might have gone crazy long ago,” Yu Tianlun said calmly. “Sometimes, hallucinations are a form of self-protection.”

"Wait a minute?" Jiang Jin rubbed his temples. "Is that guy named Li Taijun just fooling us? Isn't this like those domestic ghost movies, all hallucinations and schizophrenia?"

Yu Tianlun looked at Jiang Jin and said, "No, he's not fooling us. Because these kinds of horror movies without ghosts can become real horror movies with ghosts under the influence of meme contamination. For example, most ghost movies in mainland my country don't have ghosts, but the horror movie that the terminus of Line 14 leads to is a horror world with ghosts."

“Yes,” Xu Yinqiu said, “I estimate that in the horror dungeon world, the stepmother and younger sister will transform into evil spirits in the mysterious layer or even the lost layer, while for the materialistic layer, the older sister will just be mentally ill.”

"Is this...is this okay?"

"Alright, let's move on to the next one. Hmm... this one will do... 'Teacher's Grace'."

Jiang Jin felt the name was somewhat familiar: "It seems like I watched a short video movie review back then, but I can't remember the plot. After Edo fell, these kinds of short videos couldn't be made anymore."

Yu Tianlun said, "Judging from the title, it's probably one of those horror movies with a heartwarming ending?"

“No…” Jiang Jin replied, “I vaguely remember that the ending was a very scary twist. And, like ‘A Tale of Two Sisters,’ it was a horror movie without ghosts.”

"Well, let's take a look first."

And then... a new horror movie began.

(End of this chapter)