Trembling in the Skies

Chapter 13: Life Is Like a Play

“Hahahaha…” Gao Fei burst out laughing again at Li Teng’s question, though this time his laughter was tinged with a touch of awkwardness. Li Teng remained silent, waiting for him to finish laughing. “After I got off the helicopter, I was checking my points on the terminal when a mission to prank a newcomer suddenly popped up on the screen. Of course, it was also a mission to help the newcomer earn points, so I just went ahead and accepted it,” Gao Fei explained to Li Teng. “I was pranked when I first arrived on the island, so now it’s my turn to prank the newbies.” “The mission told me where you’d arrive and explained how to operate the wax museum—like moving some of the wax figures to block the door, or making all the figures look at a specific person in the room.” “If I successfully prank the newcomer—scaring them so badly they wet their pants—I’ll get a 5-point reward.” “If I don’t scare the newcomer so much that they wet their pants, but I do manage to enrage them—resulting in me getting a good beating—I’ll still get a 5-point reward.” “Also, if I explain the rules of filming to the newcomer and successfully escort them to the set, I’ll get another 5 points.” “Basically, whether I scare you so much you wet your pants or make you so angry that you beat me up, I’ll still get 5 points. Then, if I answer your questions and take you to the set, I’ll get another 5 points.” “Those 10 points were way too easy to earn, which is why I seemed so happy at the time.” Gao Fei explained in detail why he was happy even after getting beaten up. “I think you’re just a masochist at heart,” Li Teng said, shooting Gao Fei a contemptuous glare. “Brother Tang still hasn’t answered my question. How did you spot me among all those wax figures just now?” Gao Fei changed the subject. “The other wax figures in the room moved or turned as a single, motionless unit, without making a sound. Only you were walking on two feet—how could I not notice?” Li Teng replied to Gao Fei. “But I was clearly right behind you, and I only moved quietly while you were completely absorbed in looking at the painting. I didn’t notice you turning around to look at me…” Gao Fei was still a bit puzzled. “The metal frames of those paintings are as smooth as mirrors. Did you think I was just looking at the paintings? I was checking for any movement behind me,” Li Teng revealed the answer. “I see! Brother Tang, you’re truly a master!” Gao Fei gave Li Teng a thumbs-up. Li Teng wore an unconcerned expression… In a situation like this, only a fool wouldn’t pay attention to what’s going on behind them. “I’m guessing your last name isn’t Tang, and your first name isn’t Donald, right?” Gao Fei eyed Li Teng and chuckled. “Li Teng—‘Li’ as in ‘Muzi,’ and ‘Teng’ as in ‘soaring.’ ” Li Teng revealed his real name. “Nice to meet you, Brother Li. I got here a few days before you, but I wouldn’t say I have much experience either. We’ve become friends through a bit of roughhousing—one more friend means one more option. Later on set, when everyone’s out for themselves, if we can lend a hand to each other, let’s do it.” Gao Fei stopped and held out his hand to Li Teng. Li Teng reached out and shook his hand, effectively forgiving him for his earlier prank. “By the way, today’s scene starts shooting at noon. It’s called *Dead End Speed*. As extras, we’re just participating in a small scene. Once we finish this scene—as long as our characters don’t die—we’ll get a 10-point bonus. As for the specific plot and the roles we’re assigned… no one knows until we actually start filming,” Gao Fei began formally explaining today’s scene to Li Teng. “*Dead End Rush*? Sounds like a car chase movie—but the style doesn’t quite match the posters I saw at the wax museum,” Li Teng asked. “Brother Li, you really have a keen eye—you noticed that. Hehe, the wax museum we saw earlier houses actors who died in disaster movies. There are many such wax museums on this island, each dedicated to actors who died in other genres—horror, sci-fi, action, and so on. For example, if we were filming *Deadly Race*, after our characters die, they wouldn’t end up in the disaster movie hall—they’d probably go to the action or racing movie hall,” Gao Fei replied to Li Teng. “In the movie we’re shooting today, what are the odds that our characters will bite the dust?” Li Teng asked a crucial question. “Not very high. Since we have newcomers joining the cast, the difficulty level is usually pretty low. Out of the eight actors, normally only one or two will die—unless they go out of their way to get themselves killed or act stupidly during their scenes, in which case there’s nothing we can do,” Gao Fei shook his head. “If I survive today’s shoot, will I be able to take on missions to prank newcomers and earn points in the future?” Li Teng thought of another question. “Yes.” “How do I snag them? Is there a trick to it?” “Heh, there’s no secret to it. Once you get off the helicopter and arrive at the film studio, hurry to the street and find a terminal—any one will do. After inserting your card and logging in, if there’s a yellow question mark at the edge of the screen, it means there’s an extra mission available. This… seems to be entirely up to luck. Just now, when you walked over, I happened to open the terminal and picked up this mission.” “I see.” “All right, we’re at the film studio!” As they chatted, they found themselves near a café in the center of the street. On the way here, Li Teng had been carefully observing both sides of the street. There were signs in many places along the roadside pointing to the film studio. Next time, even without someone to guide him, he’d be able to find his way to the studio by following the signs. Outside the café where the set was located stood a large, round bar table, and several people were already seated on the bar stools around it. This time, they were all lively, living people—some were chatting animatedly, others looked bewildered, and still others appeared somewhat dejected. Seated in the two innermost seats were a man and a woman, both wearing large sunglasses; the woman also wore a wide-brimmed hat. Both were dressed in very fashionable clothes, giving off the vibe of big names in the entertainment industry. As for those who looked bewildered, at a loss, or dejected, most of them were newcomers like Li Teng. A steaming cup of coffee sat on the table in front of each person. The two empty seats by the street were unoccupied, so Gao Fei led Li Teng over to take them. It was now 11:59 a. m. , with just one minute left until filming began. Li Teng quickly counted them—just as he’d seen on the poster, there were eight people in total, including himself, seated around the round table. It appeared to be the entire cast for today’s scene. Life is like a play—Li Teng had never imagined that one day he would actually become an actor. “Coffee doesn’t cost any points, does it?” Li Teng whispered to Gao Fei beside him. “No, it doesn’t.” “Can I get a refill?” “Yes.” Gao Fei pointed to the coffee machine by the wall. Upon hearing that it didn’t cost any points and that he could get a refill, Li Teng quickly picked up the coffee in front of him. Might as well drink it while I can. Unfortunately, it was too hot to drink quickly. Li Teng could only blow on the coffee vigorously and take a look around. Next to the café was a wide street, and right in front of the café was a sidewalk. There were no pedestrians on the street, nor were there any vehicles passing down the middle of the road. Dozens of drones equipped with gimbal cameras hovered in the air around the crowd, filming everything at the scene from every angle. “Hello, everyone. I’m the on-set director for this scene of *Dead End Rush*. I’d like to briefly introduce the performance you’re about to carry out,” a woman’s voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Li Teng’s observations.