My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 223: Strange Incidents Frequently Occur on Set

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Strange Incidents Frequently Occur on Set

Han Fei collapsed to the ground as soon as he took off the gaming helmet.

His heart was beating extremely fast, and his brain, seemingly overstimulated, caused his vision to blur, and his breathing became difficult.

Pain surged through his body incessantly, leaving him completely drained of strength.

Lying on the cold floor, it took quite some time before Han Fei’s eyes regained focus.

"I can’t believe I got myself into this mess just to save an NPC."

The pain in Deep World was real, and Han Fei had no idea how he had managed to hang on until the child was far away.

"Perhaps the optimal solution at the start was to run away, but after all, humans and beasts are not the same."

Han Fei didn’t regret his decision; if given the chance, he would still rush in.

The cold ground slowly brought Han Fei back to a state of calm, and he began to ponder a very serious question.

"What should I do the next time I log on?"

Beast Alley is a hidden map full of deadly steps, traps everywhere, and the terrifying pig-faced monster.

In the game, Han Fei had injured his calf, his shoulder was bitten to the bone, and one arm was severely fractured. He was having trouble even walking, let alone running for his life.

Under these circumstances, how was he supposed to survive in Beast Alley?

"That pig-faced monster, driven by hunger, has lost its sanity; it probably won’t endure the torment of hunger and stay put to watch over me. When I log on next time, it’s very likely it has already gone elsewhere in search of food."

"As long as it doesn’t camp my corpse, there’s still a chance for me to survive."

"I need to find a place to heal. I have some stitching items and books in my item bar, which I could now use on myself."

When Huang Ying first entered Deep World, he had taken some things out of his item bar to thank Meng Shi for the porridge she made for him.

Back then, Han Fei put all Huang Ying’s medical books and skill training items into his item bar, never imagining that one day he would use those things on himself in such a way.

"Fortunately, back in Happiness Residental Community, I practiced a bit while waiting to log off."

All efforts yield rewards, and this ordeal had made Han Fei determined to learn even more, such as diving, rock climbing, pharmacology, first aid, and so on.

"Others study hard and then play games for a break. I’m desperately studying all sorts of things for the sake of playing the game."

Glancing at the wall covered with victims’ photos, Han Fei was a bit-part actor before he encountered "Perfect Life"; acting was his entire life.

Now it was different. Not only had his acting improved significantly, but he also self-studied criminal psychology, management, became proficient in investigation and counter-surveillance, adept at tracking and mixed martial arts.

He used to think he was bad at learning, but only recently did he realize that he hadn’t fully tapped into his potential back then.

"Brother Huang Ying might have similar troubles to mine; in the future, I can help him become a better version of himself."

Regaining some strength, Han Fei got up from the ground, fetched something to eat from the fridge, and then burrowed into the blankets.

The warm coziness of the covers seemed to have a magical power that could heal a weary heart.

At a little past eight in the morning, Han Fei was awakened by his alarm. Today was the first day of the official shooting of "Mystery Novelist."

After a quick shower, Han Fei rushed out of his room; the police had been waiting for some time.

He had originally planned to split up from the police, but an officer responsible for the surveillance and capture of Butterfly assured Han Fei that Butterfly might take action at the filming site and that they couldn’t afford to be careless.

Trusting the police, Han Fei decided to cooperate with them.

Arriving at the Xinhu North Suburb Meat Factory in an unmarked police car, Han Fei joined the set.

The first day of shooting saw everyone bursting with energy; both the actors and the crew were filled with great expectations for the film.

When Han Fei arrived in the morning, Bai Xian and Li Ran, the two most famous actors, had already started working. They were very busy with multiple engagements after shooting "Mystery Novelist".

"It’s not easy to gather everyone here. I hope you all present your best acting skills and leave no regrets," Director Zhang arrived at the Meat Factory with the crew early at around 6 in the morning, inspecting the set and props personally. It was evident that the experienced director really wanted to make a run for another major award with this film.

The intentions were good, but once filming actually began, problems followed one after another.

First, Little Tong, playing the personality of a college student, failed to hit the emotional notes, causing multiple NGs; then Candy, the child playing Ameng, was bitten by an unidentified insect in the Spider Room, wailing in pain.

Issues with the actors were one thing, but many unforeseen events also occurred at the repeatedly checked film set. Cracks appeared on the light-blocking boards out of nowhere, and cameras, fully charged one moment, displayed low battery only minutes into shooting.

Such strange incidents were plenty, and the shooting of this suspenseful supernatural film itself became a sort of mystery and supernatural experience.

The minor problems were tolerable, but when it came to a key scene shot around noon, where Spider falls completely from reality into his own personality consciousness.

In Spider’s mind, this scene is portrayed through death. He falls from the fourth floor in a daze and despair, his body struck by the branches of a large tree on the verge of the building. As his consciousness becomes increasingly blurred, it seems that during the fall, he sees another self-standing on the fourth floor.

The id, ego, and super-ego are split in Spider’s mind between reality and imagination, his brain area also seems different from that of the average person.

Such an abstract scene was a challenge for both the director and actors. Director Zhang planned to shoot everything in reality and find a stuntman to safely perform Han Fei’s fall from the fourth floor.

Director Zhang isn’t too fond of using CGI for scenes; he is one of the few directors still insisting on filming on location.

The stuntman doubling for Han Fei was also renowned in the industry, specially brought in from another province by Director Zhang.

Everything was ready, but during the shooting, the experienced stuntman made a mistake.

He didn’t jump to the pre-set area, which resulted in injuries from tree branches.

Director Zhang had anticipated such an event and had a backup stuntman ready, but the second one made the same mistake.

For stuntmen, a mistake often could be fatal, so they would think through every movement hundreds of times. Yet, in such a scenario, both stuntmen made mistakes.

When Director Zhang went to check on the injuries, the two stuntmen revealed something terrifying.

They felt as if something had suddenly grabbed their legs when they jumped from the Spider Room.

It would have been one thing if only a single stuntman had said this, but they both spoke in unison, despite not knowing each other, providing the same reasoning.

"So weird?"

Somebody in the crew secretly spread the story. At first, no one believed it, but as it was told more widely, everyone started to feel uneasy.

Some suggested that Director Zhang might be better off using virtual technology, but he didn’t believe in ghosts at all. He took Han Fei with him to personally inspect the Spider Room.