I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 760 - 760 Neighbor_1

Chapter 760: Neighbor_1 Chapter 760: Neighbor_1 Evening.

While enjoying his holiday at home, actor Shi Ming suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

In this villa area, there weren’t any insurance salespeople making house calls, so he thought it was his delivery, and he put on slippers to go to the door.

Through the door’s surveillance, he saw a person standing at his doorway. It was neither the delivery guy nor property management staff, but a man.

As Shi Ming looked at the image on the monitor, he was taken aback.

Isn’t that Lu Ban?

Although he knew that Lu Ban lived in Jiangcheng, the director hardly ever collaborated with China’s domestic film circle. Shi Ming couldn’t fathom why Lu Ban would pay him a personal visit.

Could it be that his new work was seeking his participation?

At that thought, Shi Ming became incredibly excited.

Lu Ban’s movies were all blockbusters that could go down in film history. For him, even a bit role would be more than enough.

He hurried to the door and opened it.

It was indeed Lu Ban, he had not been mistaken.

“Director Lu, what brings you here?” Shi Ming asked respectfully.

“Hm? You know who I am?” Lu Ban looked at the man before him, somewhat puzzled.

Of course, what Lu Ban meant was not that he was unremarkable. As someone who needed to wear a mask and sunglasses to go out, he was very aware of the high likelihood of being recognized. He simply wondered if he had met this new neighbor somewhere before. It would be quite impolite if, in theory, he was supposed to recognize the person but couldn’t remember now.

“Who wouldn’t know Director Lu’s name? May I know the reason for your visit?” Shi Ming complimented.

“Oh, right, I bought villa number 13. Although I might not live here often, I thought I should come by to say hello,” Lu Ban explained amiably. He was concerned about the possibility of unexpected situations arising at night, so he planned to get acquainted with his neighbors beforehand.

“Number 13… Ah? Director Lu, that house is not auspicious to buy.”

After pondering for a moment, Shi Ming realized that villa number 13 was the one where the recent incident had occurred.

Thanks to the murderer, all the homeowners in the neighborhood were rattled, causing real estate prices to drop significantly. Those who had hoped for a value increase due to the community environment were now in tears. How could Lu Ban have bought that villa?

Could he have been duped into being the sucker?

With this thought in mind, Shi Ming felt it was his duty to warn Lu Ban.

So, Shi Ming told Lu Ban everything that had happened in that villa.

Lu Ban didn’t interrupt him; he listened attentively instead.

The content was indeed much similar to the account given by the person in charge of the court auction.

“Did you say this villa had been unlucky from before? Are there any specifics I should know about?”

Lu Ban wanted to understand what had happened to the house in the past.

“Yes, I’ve owned this house for five years, and I like to stay here on weekends. Alone, free. Sometimes when I go for a walk, I would notice this villa strangely lit up, even though there’s supposed to be nobody home. You must know, Director Lu, this house has changed hands frequently. It’s often empty. I remember seeing the lights when there definitely wasn’t anyone living there!” Shi Ming recounted gravely.

“Moreover, some people walking their cats and dogs past the house have said that their pets would keep barking nonstop, appearing very restless. I remember the old man living at number 3 had a myna bird. When he was walking the bird by that place, the myna shrieked a few times and then just died.”

“That is serious.”

Lu Ban echoed.

“Exactly, so you see, Director Lu, it’s better if you don’t stay in that house.”

Shi Ming was extremely earnest.

“No problem, I’m just here to gather materials—it won’t be an issue.”

Lu Ban, however, waved dismissively, indicating it wasn’t a concern.

Upon reflection, Shi Ming realized that, indeed, horror films were Lu Ban’s forte. A malevolent house like this was certainly an excellent subject matter for him. Coming here for inspiration was perfectly reasonable.

“Director Lu has a new film coming up?”

He thus shifted the topic, hoping that if things went well with the conversation, he might even score a role.

“Still in the brainstorming phase.”

Lu Ban responded, adding,

“By the way, I’ll be staying here tonight. I might test the house a bit and make some noise. Please don’t mind it then.”

“Noise?”

Shi Ming was a bit puzzled but quickly nodded in agreement.

“Sure, no problem. I’ll let everyone know in the neighborhood group; they’re all familiar faces from the industry.”

He even enthusiastically pulled Lu Ban into the neighborhood’s WeChat group.

Leaving Shi Ming’s doorstep, Lu Ban continued in the same manner, questioning the surrounding neighbors.

The answers he received were rather consistent: sometimes, when no one was around, lights in the house would suddenly turn on, small animals felt uneasy near the villa, and the weaker ones would soon meet their demise. Furthermore, someone once saw figures moving inside the house; the previous residents appeared friendly at first but became reclusive and eccentric after living there for a while.

In short, classic horror movie stuff.

Lu Ban surmised that even if there were no mysterious entities here, there might be a ghost or two waiting to be delivered from purgatory.

The villa district had its perks but lacked the bustle of daily life. Just try to picture it—a wealthy individual residing in a multimillion or billion-dollar riverside mansion, sitting at a streetside fried rice stall at the community gate, eating egg fried rice. That kind of scene only happens in movies.

Not only was there a shortage of cheap and hearty eateries in this area, but even food deliveries were limited.

There was, however, a property management clubhouse that provided business meals and banquets.

Lu Ban grabbed a quick bite there and then returned to the house, turning on the lights.

Perhaps the bulbs were old, but even with the lights on, the house seemed dim, and in the large, empty house, walking around echoed.

But after a while, Lu Ban began to feel the space was somewhat crowded.

“If there’s something supernatural here, then it must follow certain rules. The punishment from these rules probably isn’t fatal, or there would have been a multitude of deaths here already. Perhaps it causes pollution?”

Lu Ban speculated, much like an elusive “friend” under the bed, creating fear and siphoning it, bringing slight contamination. If the villa’s supernatural entity operated under similar conditions, then the residents, after long-term exposure and accumulated contamination, would inevitably suffer mental health issues and might end up committing suicide, abusing drugs, or murdering, which would be understandable.

For instance, Lu Ban felt there might be a supernatural entity in this world that was an “office ghost.” The moment a person sat down to work in an office, it would trigger its rules, resulting in increasing fatigue, resistance to work, and reluctance to go to work. Because it’s not deadly, no one has noticed it; they simply think they really don’t want to go to work.

Such supernatural entities were probably the most common and the most covert, but over the long haul, they continued to evolve into terrifying beings that preyed on life.

Thinking this, Lu Ban felt the lights flicker.

Then, the living room TV suddenly turned on.

The broadcast was from an unknown channel, the picture blurry. Judging by the host’s outfit, it had a retro vibe, reminiscent of the ’90s.

“…news…reporting…”

Lu Ban listened as the host seemed to be saying something.

He moved closer to listen.

*

I worked a bit of overtime today, so the update schedule might be a bit unstable for a while. I will try to adjust during the weekend.

Requesting recommendations and monthly votes!