Trembling in the Skies

Chapter 20: The Wax-Sealed Compartment

The ten-minute behind-the-scenes discussion flew by. Next, the onlookers gathered to watch Guo Zhipeng being wax-sealed. In reality, it wasn’t a wax-sealing process, but some kind of high-dimensional sealing ritual—the exact mechanics of which were beyond the current Li Teng’s comprehension. Under the protection of several bodyguards, a masked wax sculptor directed the staff as they pushed a wax-sealing chamber and a small changing room toward them. A wax-sealing chamber is different from a medical chamber; while a medical chamber lies horizontally on the ground, a wax-sealing chamber stands upright. Guo Zhipeng’s face instantly turned pale; this outcome was clearly not what he had expected. Previously, he had endured more than ten shoots as an extra, suffering constant humiliation on every set. By sheer luck and a series of serendipitous events, he had managed to survive and eventually worked his way up to a minor supporting role. In today’s shoot, only the woman in sunglasses was on the same level as him; the rest were all bottom-tier extras, and the script was essentially designed to let him have a field day. What made it even more satisfying was that among the targets his sports car could ram was none other than Li Teng, the man he hated most. According to the script, this was supposed to be a grand revenge drama! But he never could have imagined that while he was driving the sports car and Li Teng was just a pedestrian crossing the street, this car accident would ultimately end with him being the one who died! That’s just fucking against the rules, isn’t it? Two bodyguards approached from either side and pinned Guo Zhipeng down. Guo Zhipeng had originally intended to put on a show of noble sacrifice and heroic martyrdom in front of everyone, but the moment the two bodyguards grabbed him, his legs went weak. He was so terrified he turned into a limp heap of mud, unable to even take a single step. “Do you think he just peed himself?” Gao Fei sneered from the side. “Yeah, I can smell it,” Li Teng nodded. “At the film studio, does being a higher rank than us mean they have more supernatural abilities, higher cultivation levels, and can perform all sorts of sorcery—like flying through the skies and vanishing into thin air—just like in those online novels?” Li Teng asked Gao Fei. “No. A higher rank here just means they have an advantage when choosing which roles to play. For example, if there are eight roles to be cast on set and there’s a distinction between lead and supporting roles, they get first pick for the lead. If it’s a fair lottery-style selection, they get to draw a few extra times. But they’re still ordinary people, just like us—they don’t have any supernatural abilities,” Gao Fei shook his head. “That really sets young people on the wrong path,” the woman in sunglasses beside them remarked. The woman in sunglasses rarely spoke, so much so that people almost overlooked her presence. “Why?” Li Teng looked at the woman in sunglasses. “He’s probably only been in one or two productions, right? He has only a superficial understanding of this film studio, yet he’s so eager to play the teacher, feeding you all this misinformation. If you believe him, aren’t you as good as dead?” The woman in sunglasses spoke with a tone of utter contempt. “You’re absolutely right. Everything I know is just hearsay. As for what will actually happen, I’d appreciate your guidance, Senior.” Gao Fei gave an awkward smile. “I wouldn’t call it guidance. There’ll be a paid Q&A session later; you can ask me about this then.” The woman in sunglasses clearly wasn’t willing to offer a free answer. While they were talking, the wax-sealing master over there had already begun the wax-sealing procedure on Guo Zhipeng. First, Guo Zhipeng was asked to select a formal outfit on a device resembling a tablet, along with corresponding props—such as wine glasses and pastries. Of course, there was a time limit on the selection—he had to finish choosing within three minutes, or else he’d be randomly assigned a suit and a set of props. Guo Zhipeng glared sullenly in Li Teng’s direction, then, urged on by the wax sculptor, selected a tuxedo and a wine glass. Soon, staff members brought over the formal attire and the wine glass, then escorted Guo Zhipeng into a small changing room where he changed into his outfit. He looked quite festive. He now bore a resemblance to the wax figures Li Teng had seen earlier. These were Guo Zhipeng’s final minutes before becoming a wax figure. After the formal attire and props were selected, under the wax master’s instructions and escorted by staff, Guo Zhipeng was sealed inside a transparent wax-sealing chamber. The wax artist selected a pose for Guo Zhipeng on the control panel outside the chamber and chose a smiling expression for him. During the waxing process, the chamber would follow a predetermined program to forcibly alter the final pose Guo Zhipeng struck and force a smile onto his face. Guo Zhipeng was in a terrible mood at that moment; his face was dejected, and he felt like crying but had no tears. Yet, the wax-sealing machine forced him to smile, making the expression on his face appear extremely eerie. Once everything was ready, the wax-sealing specialist began the final wax-sealing procedure. Guo Zhipeng’s body gradually stiffened inside the wax-sealing chamber, then became completely still. There was no doubt that Guo Zhipeng did not have a balance of more than 1,000 points in his account; once his points went into the negative, he had no choice but to face the consequence of being turned into a wax figure. Unless a family member or friend was willing to save him, he would be permanently sealed inside the wax figure. And spending 1,000 points to save a loved one now seemed like a false dilemma. “By the way, how did you and he end up at odds?” Gao Fei asked Li Teng with some curiosity. “We used to work at the same company. I had just graduated from college, and he was my interviewer at the time—and later became the manager of the department I joined…” Li Teng gave everyone a rough account of the conflict that had arisen between him and Guo Zhipeng back then. “Using overtime as an excuse to coerce a college student! He really got what he deserved! I’ve long suspected there was something wrong with that guy!” After hearing Li Teng’s account, the elderly woman expressed her support for him. “He definitely deserves it. His character is appalling—he has absolutely no professional ethics!” the female office worker added. “No matter where you work, you’re bound to run into these kinds of scoundrels—the moment they have even the slightest bit of power, they’ll exploit it to the fullest for their own personal gain,” Gao Fei remarked with a sigh. “Although what you’re saying—using overtime shifts to take advantage of female college students, stealing and selling company property—sounds really infuriating, why didn’t you say any of this when he was still here? Now that he’s turned into a wax figure—and wax figures can’t talk—you can say whatever you want. Why should we believe your one-sided account?” The man in glasses expressed skepticism about everything Li Teng had said. “Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter—I wasn’t answering your questions in the first place.” Li Teng replied coolly to the man with glasses; he wasn’t about to get bogged down in an argument with such a self-righteous know-it-all.