"I only know a little — why are you asking about that?" The man clutched his white cane, trying to put distance between himself and
"A friend of mine went missing while watching a movie in this screening room. I want to do the same thing he did, see if I can find any clues." Chen Ge's tone was casual as he stood quietly in the darkness, sweeping his gaze across the entire screening room.
Rows upon rows of seats, uneven in height, looked like figures crouching or standing one by one.
"Are you insane? It's past two in the morning and you come to a place like this expecting me to screen a movie for you?" Setting aside all the terrifying rumors, the man felt that no normal person would do what Chen Ge was doing — running into a nearly abandoned movie theater in the middle of the night to watch a film.
"I'm perfectly lucid, and I know exactly what I'm doing." Chen Ge directed his phone's flashlight toward the various pieces of equipment nearby. "If it's inconvenient for you, just tell me how to operate it and I'll do it myself."
Chen Ge was a very quick learner, picking up new skills wherever he went. It was precisely because of this that he had mastered so many "abilities."
"You'd better think this through. What I told you before wasn't some made-up story — it really happened." The man's eyelids fluttered. He was well aware of his current predicament. He set his white cane aside and began groping across the table with his hands.
His movements were slow, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
Chen Ge stood right beside him, watching his every move, and the more he observed, the more something felt off about this man.
His hands were far too nimble. His eyes were clearly closed, yet he knew the location of every piece of equipment with perfect precision.
There were two possible explanations. The first was that before going blind — or even after — he had repeatedly operated this same equipment over and over, and practice had made perfect, allowing him to run it smoothly with his eyes shut.
The second possibility was that he wasn't blind at all.
"The main breaker is on the second floor. Could you flip it for me?" The man had finished connecting all the wires. He found the power panel but tried several times without success.
"The second floor?" Chen Ge picked up his Skull Crusher and walked out of the screening room. He climbed the stairs to the second floor but didn't go inside. Instead, he stood at the stairwell entrance, watching the exit of the screening room below.
In just five seconds, a man's face peeked out of the screening room.
He cocked his ear and listened for a moment. After confirming nothing seemed unusual, he immediately bolted into the darkness ahead.
Two sets of footsteps echoed through the silent night. The man hadn't gone far before a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"How could you just leave me there alone?"
Chen Ge's voice reached the man's ears, and he froze as if struck by lightning.
"I couldn't find the main breaker. Let's go together." Chen Ge guided the man back up to the second floor and flipped the main breaker.
With a loud bang, every light in the screening room flickered.
"I just want to watch a movie here and find my missing friend — that's all. If you keep getting in my way over and over again, then I'll have no choice but to assume my friend's disappearance has something to do with you."
Chen Ge activated the power panel, and the projector started automatically. The man then flipped the hard drive switch, and once the loading was complete, he raised his head. "Pick whatever movie you want. But I'll give you one last piece of advice — whatever you do, don't watch a horror film. It'll really cause serious problems."
Watching a movie in a private screening room was only the first part of the Left Eye Trial. It was already past two in the morning, and if things didn't wrap up soon, Chen Ge would likely be unable to complete the remaining tasks tonight.
With that in mind, Chen Ge scanned the playlist and decided to pick the shortest film available.