Hong Kong films: Starting from Shaolin Temple

Page 202

The company's staff was also largely replaced. Apart from a few local Hong Kong employees who remained, most were new faces transferred from Europe. They were all well-dressed and elegant, but their brows all carried a lingering, sickly pallor.

Zhang Ling knew that this place was a vampire's lair.

The interviewer for the "religious advisor" position he applied for was none other than the legal advisor named Lester.

Lester seemed unsurprised by Zhang Ling's self-invitation to the Taoist priest, and instead, he quizzed him on many questions about Eastern metaphysics with great interest.

Zhang Ling answered fluently, and even drew a few talismans on the spot, explaining the principle of "mutual generation and mutual restraint of the five elements," which left Lester completely bewildered.

Ultimately, Lester, with his signature smile, made the decision on the spot and hired Zhang Ling.

"Master Zhang, welcome to 'Eternal Night Films.' Our upcoming film is titled 'The Blood Curse Puppet.' It's a story about Southeast Asian black magic and Chinese zombies. I believe that with your professional guidance, the film's horror atmosphere will reach a whole new level," Lester said politely.

Zhang Ling sneered inwardly.

"The Blood Curse Puppet"? More black magic and zombies? These Western zombies really have a penchant for Eastern sorcery. They probably didn't make this film for art, but rather to use filmmaking as a pretext for some unknown...evil research.

In this way, Zhang Ling successfully infiltrated the enemy ranks.

He soon met Wang Xian'er, who was being "confined" there.

Wang Xian'er lived in a luxurious suite on the top floor of the company building, with windows sealed shut with specially made bulletproof glass. Two expressionless bodyguards in black always stood at the door. Although she was meticulously cared for in her daily life, she actually had no personal freedom whatsoever.

"Master Zhang? You... how come you're here?" When Wang Xian'er saw Zhang Ling at the script discussion meeting, she was so surprised that she could hardly speak.

"Shh—" Zhang Ling winked at her, then said in a serious tone, "Miss Wang, I am Zhang Ling, the newly hired religious consultant for the film crew. If you have any questions about folk customs and taboos during filming, you are welcome to consult me."

Wang Xian'er, being exceptionally intelligent, immediately understood Zhang Ling's intention. A warm feeling welled up in her heart. She knew she wasn't fighting alone; her companions from Wulong Academy hadn't abandoned her.

The film crew was quickly assembled.

The director was brought in from Hollywood; he was known for his B-movies with a style of gore and violence.

The male lead is someone no one expected—Charlie Cho!

That's right, it's Charlie Cho, the one who was reported in the newspaper to have "mysteriously died"!

When he appeared at the opening ceremony, all the local Hong Kong reporters and staff were terrified.

The man before them, Cao Charlie, was pale, his eyes vacant, his movements stiff, and a strange, unchanging smile played on his lips. Although he could still speak and walk, everyone could see that this… was not a living person at all!

He was like a puppet being manipulated... on strings!

"My God..." In the film crew, an old local Hong Kong production assistant was trembling with fear. "This...this is the legendary 'walking corpse'! I heard that the sorcerers in Southeast Asia have this kind of evil magic that can turn the recently dead into obedient puppets!"

Zhang Ling looked at the zombie-like Cao Charlie, then glanced at Lester standing not far away with a smile on his face, and his mind was already clear.

Vladimir not only killed Charlie Cho, but also turned him into a "walking corpse" so that he could come back and continue playing the male lead in this movie!

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What a vicious and darkly humorous demonstration this is!

He was telling everyone, especially Long Yan: Look, in my eyes, the lives of mortals are nothing but toys. I can kill them at will and then bring them back to life in another way to continue working for me.

And what can you do to me?

From the very beginning, the atmosphere on set was eerie and terrifying.

Besides Charlie Cho, the walking corpse, there were many other strange "actors" in the crew. Some of them were from Europe and were said to be artists skilled in physical performance, but they always operated in dark corners and looked at people with eyes like venomous snakes.

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Others were "stunt performers" brought in from Southeast Asia. They had dark skin, were taciturn, and always exuded a strange aura mixed with spices and blood. Zhang Ling knew that these people were probably the real sorcerers or witch doctors.

The entire film crew was a chaotic place, a "night parade of a hundred ghosts" where all sorts of people, demons, and monsters mingled!

Zhang Ling was in a precarious situation. During the day, he had to act as a "religious advisor," explaining to the director and actors how to "scientifically" pretend to be supernatural; at night, he had to secretly place some inconspicuous "warning signs" and "detection signs" in various corners of the film set to monitor every move.

He discovered that this Vladimir had never shown his face at the company. Everything was handled by Lester. This terrifying "Shaper" was like a ghost hiding behind the scenes, controlling everything.

Their filming was also extremely bizarre.

They seem to disregard the artistic merit of the film, instead demanding meticulous attention to rituals involving sacrifice, curses, and corpse refining, even using real animal blood and some unknown herbs.

Zhang Ling realized that they were likely using the guise of filming a movie to conduct a large-scale, evil sacrificial ritual!

The ultimate purpose of this sacrifice was probably to facilitate an even more terrifying conspiracy.

He had to find a way to get this message back to Wulongyuan Dao.

Chapter 160 Heaven and Earth are Boundless, Borrowing the Laws of Heaven and Earth!

The night was as deep as ink.

The Gothic building housing "Eternal Night Pictures" resembled a crouching behemoth under the moonlight, exuding an ominous aura.

The daytime hustle and bustle faded away, and the entire film set became deathly silent. Only a few bodyguards in black, acting as security guards, stood like statues at each exit.

Zhang Ling's room was pitch black.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes closed, his fingers forming a peculiar mudra, his entire being entering a state of deep meditation where he was oblivious to the world around him.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide, a glint of light flashing in them!

He felt that the "breezy charm" he had secretly pasted in the corner of the photography studio during the day had been touched!

The "Gentle Breeze Talisman" is one of the most basic detection talismans of the Maoshan Sect. It has no offensive power. "670" will only transmit a faint airflow to the caster when an object with spiritual energy fluctuations approaches.

Something entered the photography studio in the dead of night!

Zhang Ling rose silently, like a nimble cat, without making a sound. He scurried swiftly towards the photography studio, hiding in the shadows of the corner.

Inside the photography studio, it was pitch black.

Zhang Ling took out a modified "night vision talisman" from his pocket and stuck it on his eyelids.

Suddenly, the world before my eyes transformed into a green ocean, and the outlines of all objects became clearly visible.

He saw that in the very center of the studio, on the huge altar that had been used to film sacrificial scenes during the day, a person was now standing.

That man was one of the "stunt performers" brought in from Southeast Asia. He had dark skin and a thin build, and he was facing the altar, chanting incantations.

At his feet lay the very same person who had been active on set during the day... Charlie Cao, the walking corpse!

The sorcerer then cut his finger and dripped black blood onto Cao Charlie's forehead. At the same time, he took out a jar filled with poisonous snakes and centipedes from his pocket and poured all the poison onto Cao Charlie.

The poisonous creatures, as if they had seen the most delicious food, frantically tore at Cao Charlie's lifeless body.

Meanwhile, the sorcerer was performing an extremely bizarre dance on the side, his incantations becoming increasingly rapid.

"Corpse refining..." Zhang Ling, hiding in the shadows, felt a chill run down his spine.

This sorcerer is actually using props from the film set to perform a real "corpse-refining evil art" with the walking corpse, Charlie Cao! He's "feeding" this walking corpse, making it absorb more venomous energy, and making it even more ferocious and invulnerable!

Vladimir and his gang were definitely up to no good! They weren't just making a movie; they were "forging" a terrifying army of zombies and monsters!

Zhang Ling was horrified. He knew that this news had to be spread immediately.

He didn't alert the enemy, but quietly left the studio and returned to his room.

He knew that the entire "Eternal Night Film Studio" building was shrouded in an invisible magical field. Any electronic device would be severely interfered with here and would be completely unusable. Trying to contact Long Yan using a mobile phone was absolutely impossible.

We must use the methods of the esoteric school.

Zhang Ling carefully took out three items from a hidden compartment in his bag: a palm-sized talisman made of gold foil; a talisman brush specially made of wolf hair and cinnabar; and a small bottle of his own fingertip blood.

This is the Maoshan Sect's most advanced communication technique—"Thousand-Mile Voice Crane".

This secret technique is extremely energy-consuming, requiring not only expensive materials but also the caster's own vital essence and blood. It should never be used lightly except in extremely critical situations.

But now, it's clear that the time has come.

Zhang Ling took a deep breath, dripped his fingertip blood into the cinnabar, and mixed it well. Then, he picked up his brush, held his breath, and began to write rapidly on the gold foil talisman paper.

What he wrote was not words, but an extremely complex spiritual pattern composed of countless tiny runes. He infused everything he had discovered—corpse refining, sacrifice, and his speculations about Vladimir's ultimate goal—into this talisman through spiritual encoding.

When the last stroke was completed, Zhang Ling's face had turned a fraction paler.

He gently folded the gold foil talisman he had written on into the shape of a paper crane.

"Heaven and earth are boundless, borrowing the laws of heaven and earth! With the divine crane as the guide, swiftly!"

He gave a low shout and threw the golden origami crane out the window!

The golden origami crane, upon contact with the outside air, grew longer in the wind, transforming into a streak of light that instantly pierced through the magic field surrounding the building. Like a golden meteor, it streaked across the night sky and flew swiftly towards the direction of Wulong Academy!

However, just as the crane that could travel a thousand miles took flight...

Far away on the top floor of the villa, in Vladimir's study, where he had never appeared before.

A man dressed in a black tailcoat, looking like a classical nobleman, was quietly looking at an old medical book when he slowly raised his head.

His face was so handsome it seemed otherworldly, yet it also carried an inhuman, pale, sickly quality. His eyes were a deep gray, like lifeless glass beads.

He is Vladimir, the "Shaper".

A playful, chilling smile curled at the corner of his lips as he muttered to himself, "Oh? A little mouse from the East has sneaked into my lab and is even trying to send messages out... Interesting... How interesting..."

He didn't get up to stop him; he simply extended a long, pale finger and gently tapped the table.

"Leicester."

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to ring directly in Lester's mind, even though he was in another room.

"Your Highness, what are your orders?" Lester's voice replied respectfully.

"Let's get our 'artists' ready. Since the little mouse from the East loves playing hide-and-seek so much, then... let's play along with him."

"Upgrade the security on set to 'Bloody Alert'. I don't want to see any more... disobedient bugs before my 'canvas' is finished."

Vladimir's voice was cold, yet filled with... anticipation for the upcoming "artistic creation."

Chapter 161 Long Yan Emerges from Seclusion

The golden, telepathic crane, like a bolt of lightning tearing through the night, sped toward Wulong Academy at a speed beyond the limits of human vision.

It carries not only the urgent intelligence that Zhang Ling transmitted at the cost of his vital energy, but also the only hope to break this bizarre stalemate.

Wulong Temple, a forbidden area in the back mountain.

Long Yan sat cross-legged on a huge blue stone, having been in meditation for three full days.

His aura blended perfectly with the surrounding environment; if not visible to the naked eye, his presence would be almost imperceptible.