Who says vengeful ghosts can't go on blind dates?

"this?"

"Yes, this is the video with the most viewers."

"Hmm. But... is this an adult film?"

"What?"

Seeing the bewildered expressions on the faces of both the octopus ghost and the manager, Ren Zhizhe immediately realized he had made a mistake and could only give an awkward laugh.

Is that not true?

He stared at the film title, which was so strange he couldn't even spell it, and remained silent for a while.

Hmm... it seems the censorship system in this world is quite lenient. Or is the movie title also a way to attract customers?

"Then give us two tickets."

"Yes, guest."

The manager readily agreed. But when he went to collect the tickets, he felt a little troubled.

There are two types of movie theater tickets.

The first type can be described as a movie ticket filled with malice.

These tickets come with the cinema's rules, which forcibly control the holder's entry into the cinema, forcing them to pay "ghost coins" and watch the movie.

Most commercial buildings rely on this kind of thing to force customers to come.

For example, the coffee shop from before.

The coffee shop uses something called "flyers" to forcibly control weak, vengeful spirits to enter the store.

It can be said that these trap-like "leaflets" are the nightmare of weak and wicked ghosts.

But sometimes, it's not entirely a bad thing. For example, if the "flyer" falls into the player's hands, it will forcibly lock the player's next weird game to the location of the "flyer".

The second type is the "regular" ticket. In a sense, it can be called a VIP ticket.

These tickets are used to share profits and attract evil spirits. Cinemas give away VIP tickets if they want to gain the support of evil spirits or forces.

Now, the manager faces a problem that is almost unavoidable—

Which type of vote should be given to that human?

VIP tickets?

He hesitated for a moment.

Allowing humans to hold VIP tickets? Does that human even deserve it?

If he does that, he'll become a laughingstock among vengeful ghosts tomorrow.

but……

The manager silently observed Ren Zhizhe's expression.

I can't see anything.

Unsure of Ren Zhizhe's attitude towards humanity, he felt somewhat conflicted.

The manager first took out two VIP tickets. But after thinking for a moment, he took out two regular movie tickets instead.

"Guest, we have two types of tickets left."

The manager didn't dare make the decision on his own. So, he decided to give Ren Zhizhe the choice of which movie tickets to buy.

"Two kinds?"

"Yes," he immediately began to explain, "These tickets offer you a private, private box. The other type is the regular movie ticket, where you'll have to squeeze in with other people..."

Is that all there is to the difference between the two types of tickets?

—Of course not.

The murder rules in a movie apply to holders of regular movie tickets. Those holding VIP tickets or vengeful spirits are unaffected by the movie's murder rules.

With the cinema's permission, VIP ticket holders were even allowed to freely take several ghostly items after the movie ended.

So the manager only gave a brief introduction. He didn't say a word more about the rules regarding murder.

"What do you think, sir?"

"Let me think..." Ren Zhizhe then sought Jiang Xiaowei's opinion again, "Which type of ticket do you want to buy?"

"Hmm? This..."

Jiang Xiaowei stammered.

isn't it?

To avoid attracting attention, she had been quietly hiding herself, almost becoming invisible.

Why am I still being dragged out by this anthropomorphic vengeful ghost to say a few words?

"Let's get a private room." Seeing that she couldn't avoid it this time, Jiang Xiaowei had no choice but to admit defeat.

Although it's unknown whether the so-called "private room" comes with any rules for killing, it's at least better than sitting next to other vengeful ghosts.

"Two VIP tickets." Ren Zhizhe paid with ghost money.

"Yes, guest."

The manager handed over two tickets with dark gold patterns.

When it was handed to Ren Zhizhe, his expression was quite respectful, even bordering on apprehensive.

When he handed it to Jiang Xiaowei, his eyes revealed obvious resentment.

But he quickly calmed down. Almost instantly, a smile returned to his face.

"Thank you." Jiang Xiaowei took the movie ticket.

The ticket felt extremely cold to the touch, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

This movie ticket doesn't feel like paper or leather; it feels more like some kind of treated jade.

Jiang Xiaowei flipped through the tickets several times.

On the ticket, dark gold patterns flowed slowly as if alive, outlining several distorted symbols that she couldn't understand.

Whenever her gaze tried to focus on the symbols, they would dart away like startled snakes, fleeing to the other side of the ticket.

Jiang Xiaowei looked away and carefully clutched the ticket in her hand.

But after handling the ticket for a long time, she soon felt her entire arm gradually going numb. To alleviate this discomfort, she had to move it back and forth between her hands.

"Take the guests to a private room," the manager ordered Octopus Ghost impatiently.

He no longer wanted to see Ren Zhizhe.

Communicating with someone whose strength is completely unknown is extremely dangerous and incredibly stressful.

Most importantly, if they accidentally violate the other party's rules of killing, the movie theater might not be able to protect itself.

"...Yes. Guest, please follow me." The octopus demon froze.

He was weak and could only obey the manager's orders.

Soon, eight tentacles began to wriggle on the ground, leading the human and the ghost through the completely dark corridor.

Ren Zhizhe was completely unaffected by the darkness, his steps never faltering. At that moment, Jiang Xiaowei was extremely grateful that Ren Zhizhe was holding her hand.

If you get lost in a place like this, the consequences would probably be dire.

"These posters on the wall are nice," Ren Zhizhe's voice came from the darkness.

poster?

What poster?

Jiang Xiaowei looked around.

She was surrounded by pitch-black darkness and couldn't see anything.

"The customer has excellent taste. This poster..."

Seeing that Ren Zhizhe was interested, Octopus Ghost immediately began to introduce the product.

These movie posters are all items created by unlucky, vengeful ghosts. Under the murder rules of movies, weaker, more vengeful ghosts can easily become these posters.

After being transformed into posters, their rules as vengeful ghosts changed. From then on, stripped of their self-awareness, they became an integral part of the movie theater, attacking unlucky souls in the corridors who triggered their own killing rules.

However, to avoid revealing the murder rules on the poster, Octopus Ghost only introduced the film's content. He didn't mention the poster itself at all.

At first, Jiang Xiaowei was eavesdropping on their conversation. But after realizing that she was unable to extract any useful information from their conversation, she gave up the idea of ​​continuing to eavesdrop.

"...Look, the private rooms are just ahead."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaowei looked up and glanced ahead.

She had expected to see darkness again, just like before.

However, as soon as she raised her head, her gaze froze completely.

It is light.

A dull, yellowish light.

There's light in this completely dark corridor?

Jiang Xiaowei looked up, following the light. This time, she easily saw the source of the light—the ceiling.

There were lights on the ceiling in the hallway?

"This movie poster looks interesting. What's the movie called? Is it being replayed...?"

Jiang Xiaowei followed Ren Zhizhe's gaze and looked over.

With the help of these lights, she finally saw the "poster" that Ren Zhizhe had mentioned.

The walls on both sides of the corridor were covered with movie posters.

The poster is extremely creepy.

Countless eyes open only in the darkness, faceless people slowly donning human skin... Some images are simply a mass of writhing flesh and blood, with a string of distorted, unrecognizable characters written below.

Every poster was alive. Under the corridor lights, the things inside the posters stared at them with lifeless eyes.

Just being stared at made Jiang Xiaowei feel a strange stinging pain in the back of her neck.

What are these posters?!

Could they all be vengeful ghosts?

"Gah—"

A pair of ghostly hands suddenly emerged from the poster and swiftly reached for Jiang Xiaowei's nape.

The ghost hand moved swiftly. Before Jiang Xiaowei could react, she had already been struck on the back of the neck.

"what!"

A scream.

However, it wasn't Jiang Xiaowei who screamed, but those ghostly hands.

The moment the ghostly hand gripped the back of Ren Zhizhe's neck, a chill ran through his hand. Then, as if pricked by a needle, the ghostly hand recoiled hastily in a single exchange.

The chill was very uncomfortable. Yet, even so, it was this chill that saved her life at the crucial moment!

She subconsciously gripped Ren Zhizhe's hand and instinctively moved closer to him.

At that moment, she seemed to forget that Ren Zhizhe was also a vengeful ghost.

Faced with those posters depicting ferocious ghosts, she simply held tightly to the hand Ren Zhizhe was holding.

She gripped it tightly, as if it weren't her hand, but a lifeline she was grasping at as she lay dying.

Even with the precedent of the Ghost Hand, the other posters still focused on the people and ghosts in the corridor.

They didn't just attack Jiang Xiaowei. Even the octopus demon would be attacked if the killing rule was triggered.

Jiang Xiaowei's heart pounded, and she grabbed Ren Zhizhe's arm with both hands.

If she hadn't been worried about disturbing Ren Zhizhe's walk, she probably would have grabbed onto that arm that seemed like a lifeline.

But she felt that this was not without cost.

Her body was the main battlefield where the posters and Ren Zhizhe were fighting against the rules.

Although the murder rules outlined in these posters were utterly ineffective against Ren Zhizhe, the discomfort of the chill penetrating his body was like a Damocles' sword hanging over his head. Once it fell, the consequences might be far more terrifying than imagined.

[Remaining game time: 14 minutes.]

There are 14 minutes left.

This was the only thing that truly made her feel at ease.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaowei slowed her breathing slightly.

almost.

Just 14 more minutes... just 14 minutes!

"Sizzle!"

The octopus demon pierces the poster with its tentacles.

As it turns out, there is a difference in strength even between weaker malevolent spirits.

For him, these things that have been turned into posters from movies are troublesome—but that's all they are.

Ultimately, he's still a full-time employee of the movie theater. When it comes to a clash of rules, the Octopus Ghost, backed by the theater's rules, has the upper hand.

"These posters..."

Staring at the light above his head, his heart sank to the bottom.

In the darkness, all the posters fall asleep, and only light can awaken them from their slumber.

Octopus Ghost's position in the movie theater wasn't high enough for him to control the lights.

However, the manager can.

The manager probably wanted to use these posters to kill that annoying human. But it seems that Ren Zhizhe has blocked all the poster attacks.

The octopus-like ghost kept muttering to itself.

Is this deliberate protection? No, that's not right.

Ghosts have no interest in protecting humans.

Moreover, vengeful spirits cannot suppress the impulses brought about by the rules of killing, and are therefore unable to take the initiative to protect humans.

So, did those posters inadvertently violate Ren Zhizhe's rules of killing during their operation?

But that's just too abstract.

I felt like I had grasped a bit of the clue. But upon closer reflection, it seemed like I hadn't completely figured it out.

The octopus demon looked at Ren Zhizhe with a gaze full of apprehension.

As expected. The rules governing the killing of ghosts of this caliber are truly unfathomable.

In the bizarre world, the ability to analyze the killing rules of other vengeful spirits is essential.

This applies to humans, and it also applies to vengeful spirits.

"arrive."

The octopus demon stopped in front of a carved wooden door.

He took out a fine brass key. A moment later, with a click, the lock on the private room door opened.

The door was slightly ajar. A dull, yellowish light peeked through the crack, giving it a rustic feel.

"Guest, here are the keys. Please keep them safe."

The octopus demon handed the key to Ren Zhizhe. At the same time, it didn't stop there; it gently pushed open the half-closed door with its other tentacles.

The decor inside the private room was surprisingly...simple?

Soft leather sofas, a small bar, and even a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the theater.

However, the glass of that floor-to-ceiling window had an eerie dark red color, as if it had been stained with blood.

Octopus Ghost did not enter the private room; he simply stood outside the door.

He faced Ren Zhizhe. His body trembled with fear, and he bowed as deeply as possible, saying:

"If there's nothing else... I'll be going now."

Having completed his task of guiding the way, he immediately wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Octopus Ghost still has a lot to do next.

The manager silently turned on the corridor lights. It seemed he had been completely discarded by the manager.

The manager is a cowardly, weak-willed bully. To avoid potential retaliation, I'm certain I'll be eliminated by him.

If he doesn't find a new backer soon, he'll probably have a hard time continuing to work in the movie theater industry.