Director of a Suspense Film

Ch3 – You Have Been Arrested

　　It was 12:50 in the afternoon, just when the sun was shining. 

　　Flashing red and blue sirens pierced the sun, driving to the door of the deserted hospital.

　　The police in neat blue uniforms got down from the police car and quickly surrounded the hospital with police tapes.

　　Soon, the police finished investigating the whole scene.

　There were only two hollowed heads full of white wax nailed to the door. The rest of the limbs were cruelly divided into more than a dozen pieces, large and small, and were put into black garbage bags as if they were trash, abandoned in the corner. It bred countless corpse flies and maggots in the hot weather.

　　Everyone there realized just how vicious this homicide was.

　　There were several police officers who had just graduated from the police academy this year. To look at such a tragic scene when they just started out, their expressions were complicated.

　　The female officer in a ponytail’s face didn’t change, commanding the scene in an orderly manner.

　　The team leader this time was Gao Mu, the criminal police captain, a high ranked police officer who transferred from the National Security Bureau six months ago.

　　The National Security Bureau was a legend in every police’s heart. So even though Gao Mu shot directly up to the position of captain after being transferred, no one thought it was unfair.

　　To fall as low as to the working in rural areas from the National Security Bureau itself was a different kind of demotion. Although no one knew why Gao Mu was transferred here, her ability was evident. (t/n: rural areas = municipality, apparently thats what the word means)

　　It was only after the scene was under control and the forensic doctor had arrived did Gao Mu finally return to the police car. 

　　In the car, Zong qi obediently covered himself with a blanket and held a bottle of water as an assistant policeman stood beside him, trying to understand the situation while counselling him.

　　Gao Mu stood in close proximity and watched for a while. 

　　She was skilled in criminal profiling[1], noticing quickly that Zong qi not only answered questions smoothly, but his face also didn’t reveal anything strange. He had, at most, been frightened, but was nowhere near receiving psychological trauma. 

　　“We meet again.” Gao Mu strolled over. 

　　After seeing the captain, Zong qi felt oddly awkward. 

　　He blinked a few times, reaching his hand out of the blanket, waving his hand as if he were a fortune cat, “Hey… what a coincidence.” 

　　Isn’t it such a coincidence? 

　　Last time. Last last time. Last last last time… In the two months Zong qi was a supernatural streamer, he had met Gao Mu at least 5 times already. 

　　“I heard from the operator that you talked with the killer for a while?” (t/n: operator as in the person that answered his call to the police number :D)

　　Zong qi touched his nose, nodding. 

　　Gao Mu looked him up and down, “You’re really lucky.” (t/n: google translate told me you’re dying LMAO)

　　“If you’re still planning on catching ghosts, you should learn some self-defense techniques.” 

　　After looking at the fragile appearance of the black-haired youth in front of her, she retracted her gaze and pulled out a business card from her pocket. “We can’t always make it in time whenever things like this happen. I’ve met a lot of victims whose corpses are already cold by the time I arrive.”

　　”It also takes time for the 110 operators to get in touch with the team. This is my police number. Just call this number the next time you’re in danger.”

　　Zong qi was overwhelmed by this favour. He took the name card, “Thank you.” 

　　Caption Gao always wore a serious and business-like face. Although Zong qi had met her several times, their interactions were few and far between. He hadn’t expected her to help him voluntarily this time.

　　Zong qi immediately began reflecting on the stereotypes he shouldn’t have had before, he shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover. Good people wouldn’t write that they are good people on their faces after all. 

　　“Oh right.”

　　Speaking of this, Zong qi finally remembered what he had forgotten.

　　He smiled shyly and asked the auxiliary police[2], “Officer, could you pay for my phone credit?”

　　The two officers on the scene: …… 

　　After Zong qi reconnected to the Internet, entered the streaming platform and sent a message to his chat telling them that he was alive and well, the forensic doctor walked out of the abandoned iron door with his assistant.

　　“Looking at the time of death, this shouldn’t be the be the first crime scene.” (t/n: i know the chinese terms for these but somehow not in english pien)

　　After taking off his latex gloves and mask, the forensic doctor glanced at Zong qi who was standing in front of the police car and gave his conclusion.

　　 “Judging from the incision, the murderer is extremely skilled, there were also deviations in where the livor mortis began. We’re leaning towards the victim being divided after death, but we can’t exclude the possibility that they were given anaesthetics or sleeping pills while still alive. This requires further investigation at the autopsy table after drug testing.” (t/n: police terms man. Makes me wanna cry trying to translate it T^T)

　　The assistant put the scattered tissue into the body bag and carried it to the car in an orderly manner. Zong qi recalled the tracks he had seen on the ground when he was streaming. It was probably made by the black bag the murderer had dragged over.

　　As she listened to the doctor, Gao Mu’s face turned graver and graver.

　　Such a big case and cruel method. The murderer must be someone dramatic, seemingly fearless.

　　She nodded, “I’ve troubled you.” 

　　These few clues they had would become the key to closing the case quickly. But more details needed to be verified by the forensic doctor before they could come to a conclusion.

　　Gao Mu didn’t know why, but she had an ominous feeling. 

　　This case may be very difficult to close. 

　　……

　　The criminal policemen stayed at the scene to carry out reconnaissance work while Zong qi followed the group of auxiliary police back to the station to make a record.

　　“Oh, it’s you again.”

　　This handsome and clean youth visited their station frequently during this period of time and was familiar with the officers who rarely went out to the field. Especially after they found out that he used to depend on his grandmother and was left alone after she died of an illness last year. They couldn’t help sympathising with him after knowing that he was working hard to keep himself afloat.

　　Zong qi would often get free food from the canteen after making his record. 

　　He involuntarily smiled, greeting them one by one.

　　However, as he was giving his record, he found that he couldn’t disclose any information about “Horror Film Director”, so he gave up and spilt the beans on everything else he had encountered while ghost hunting.

　　Despite the danger in the middle, he had not met the murderer, so he wasn’t scared that he would be retaliated againsy. Of course, it would be a different story if the murderer found his livestream.

　　In order to get the murderer caught as quickly as possible, Zong qi racked his brains to recall all the clues and details of the previous incident.

　　“The murderer’s voice is special. His throat should have been burnt strangely. I’ll definitely recognize it if I can hear it again.” (t/n: not sure what the burnt strangely is its in the raws. How to burn your throat strangely ?w?)

　　After talking for a long time, Zong qi felt a little thirsty.

　　So he said hello to the recorder who was sorting out the clues and left the trail room to get some water.

　　“Huahuahua…” (t/n: sfx for running water)

　　Pure water flowed out, spiralling into the disposable water cup

　　As he watched the cup get filled, Zong qi shook his head, lamenting his strange constitution. He stood beside the wall and turned on his phone. (t/n: strange constitution?? I have no idea what the raws were talking about m(_ _)m)

　　“Who would’ve thought that I’d find a murderer this time, how odd.” 

　　Because he had been so busy this whole time, he never found the chance to study this mysterious system. 

　　Zong qi recalled that he had not only received 100 points, but also a major plot called ‘Desolate Village’ after completing his newbie quest. Thus he had gone straight to the point, clicking on the [Movie Plots] section in his profile. 

　　There were posters after posters of movies within it, separated by [Major Plot] and [Minor Plot]. (t/n: think ive used big plot before its major now cuz it sounds better)

　　The only poster that had lit up in [Major Plot] was ‘Desolate Village’, while ‘Mental Hospital’ had lit up in [Minor Plot], all the other posters were grey and couldn’t be opened. 

　　A Major Plot was one that informed the director in advance of the filming deadline and required a [Movie Clue] to activate it. It was a blockbuster movie that he needed to select actors for.

　　A Minor Plot could be completed by the director alone. It could be activated any time, just like when he had met a crazy murderer while ghost hunting. That was categorized as a [Minor Plot]. 

　　Zong qi clicked the [Majot Plot] section and browsed through the other posters displayed with great interest.

　　The first poster showed a road with a few tattered cars at the very end, almost as if they had gotten into an accident. Blood seeped out from beneath the car, dyeing the white deceleration slip scarlet red. Underneath the distant trees was a faint shadow, seeming to foretell the unusualness of this story.

　　[Major Plot, Interstate 44, locked] 

　　The second poster showed an abandoned school full of spider webs and debris. It was clearly in disrepair, deserted and uninhabited, yet the light on the seventh floor was on, shining onto overlapping shadows of people.

　　[Major Plot, Friendship Secondary School, locked] 

　　The only poster that was lit up was a remote village surrounded by tall, dense trees and endless mountains around it. In the middle of the village was a dry well covered by a bunch of wet hair.

　　[Major Plot, Desolate Village, unlocked] 

　　Zong qi skimmed through the whole thing once, noticing that– in accordance to the system’s name– all of them were horror films. Thus he slammed the exit button and entered the [Actors] section instead. 

　　This section was empty. 

　　On the side of the summary wrote: More specific functions will be opened after signing the first employee

　　Zong qi exited the section blankly and ‘strolled’ into the points section.

　　This section is somewhat similar to the interface of an online store, displaying a wide range of goods. But to say it was goods wasn’t really right, because everything on 　　For example, weird abilities like [Activate Third Eye] [Activate Chraka(3)] [Activate Sadhana(4)] [Cleanse Meridians] [Vision Enhancement]. There were also props with weird functions like [Hypnotism] [Corpse Talisman] [Black Magic(5)] [Acupuncture] [Senji Ryakketsu(6)] [Love Potion]. (t/n: i didnt expect this novel to have these lmao. Im really bad at these so i looked a bunch of these terms up. Do read them if you’re curious~) 

　　Interestingly, none of these items could be purchased directly, they could only be obtained through gacha. 

　　It even emphasised that the rarer the object obtained each time, the higher the number of points needed for the next pull, which was basically the essence of card games and gambling.

　　Zong qi scrolled along as he sighed. 

　　Next to that was the cash exchange he cared about the most.

　　It stated that director points could be converted to real money by a ratio of 1:10.

　　Zong qi: ……?

　　He suddenly felt like something wasn’t quite right. 

　　He remembered that the system had let him feel the 100-dollar bill before. He had thought that it was a bonus for after he finished his task. Now it seems that 100 points, which could have been converted into a thousand dollars, was his entire reward.

　　“It’s pretty stingy, huh.” 

　　Zong qi shook his head and left the section full of bait. He was trying to study the authority he had unlocked after the task got completed when his phone sent him a notification.

　　Jiang Zhou Tou Tiao News [7]: Dismemberment case in Jujube Mental Hospital?

　　“The news came out so fast?” Zong qi felt suspicious. 

　　The police didn’t usually reveal anything until the case was closed. 

　　The news report wasn’t long, it didn’t even write down the details, simply attaching a picture of a scene with officers around the middle, dealing with something. Even so, it was enough to cause mass distress.

　　In recent years, the crime rate in Jiang Zhou was high, the number of murder cases wasn’t little, but such cruel methods of killing were still rarely seen. What’s more, the police haven’t made a report yet, which meant that the murderer was still at large, making people panic more.

　　As he leaned against the wall to watch the news, officers passed him one after another.

　　“There’s too many reporters outside, there’s no way to leave through the main entrance.”

　　“It’s normal for such a big case to attract attention, but we haven’t caught the murderer yet, so how did the information leak?”

　　The leader sighed, “I don’t know. The police are still investigating. This case most likely isn’t simple. Someone probably spread the rumours. Media these days want attention, there’s nothing they wouldn’t do… Let’s talk about it after Captain Gao comes back.”

　　“Sigh. I hope they speed it up. We’ll have to work overtime for the next two days.” 

　　…… 

　　After listening to the police’s discussion and watching the news, Zong qi was lost in thought.

　　The recording on his pupil was still ongoing, showing him that there was still 21 hours remaining.

　　After dilly-dallying for so long in the middle, the numbers of surviving actors and scream value didn’t change while the plot exploration had increased by 5% and stopped at 35%. 

　　Zong qi remembered that after he completed the newbie quest, the system gave him a hint.

　　He could choose to end the recording at any time, his points would then be calculated at the end. In the same way, the higher the scream value and plot exploration, the more points he would get.

　　Thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t difficult to figure out that the essence of scream value was actually encouraging the director to die. So he had no choice but to find ways to increase his plot exploration instead.

　　So here’s the question, how do you increase plot exploration? 

　　The 5% had increased during the transcript, could it be that he had to help solve the case?

　　Thinking so, Zong qi threw his paper cup into the dustbin after he finished and returned to the trial room. 

　　The recorder was still there sketching on the desk, he wasn’t in a hurry, finding a random stool and sat on it. 

　　“How long has it been since the last case was solved, this is already the sixth time I’m taking records from you.” 

　　The recorder didn’t even lift his head, just kept on writing, “Little boy, how about you just quit your job as a supernatural streamer and come work in our police department, having you here makes our work so much easier.”  

　　”Ahahahahahaha.” 

　　Zong qi waved his hand with a dry laugh, “You have to take an exam to work here. I can’t do that, every time there’s an exam I end up messing up.”

　　“Actually you could just apply to be an auxiliary police… Sigh, you’re not really wrong though. It’s hard to climb ranks as an auxiliary police, in the end, you’ll still have to take an exam. It isn’t like being a streamer, no threshold, the high point is pretty high too, what if you made it big one day.” (t/n: high point: the limit of where one can reach in that profession) 

　　”Don’t say that, police has always been a great profession deep down in my heart. Not everyone has the courage to become a police, protecting the citizens.” 

　　They kept on chatting until a ringing interrupted them. 

　　The recorder put down his pen and took out his walkie talkie from his pocket.

　　“Captain? Ah… Yeah, he’s still here.”

　　He lifted his head and glanced over subconsciously, his face changing slightly, “… Alright, I understand.”

　　As the recorder was talking over the phone, Zong Qi had pricked his ear and secretly started paying attention to it. 

　　In these few seconds, the plot progress has increased by another 5%. Zong qi had a theory, he acted casually and asked, “What’s wrong? Is it Captain Gao?”  

　　The recorder lowered his head to an angle where Zong qi couldn’t see his expression, only hearing an unclear sound of agreement from him. 

　　Maybe there were new clues for the case. 

　　Zong qi didn’t put this small interruption in his heart.
　　He kept on chatting with the recorder, finding that the recorder had his lips sealed regarding the details of the case.

　　He’s not wrong, since the case hasn’t been solved yet, the police obviously wouldn’t reveal the details, which made progressing the plot much harder. 

　　Zong qi had run out of ideas, planning to give up. 

　　No matter, he’s already finished the newbie quest and got his points. With solving this case and the filming of the Director System, there’ll definitely be a certain danger lurking. Just to be safe, it’s better to retreat after getting his rewards. 

　　After knocking on the table a few times, the black-haired youth stood up. 

　　The recorder who had just buried his head to write lifted his head abruptly, “Where are you going?”

　　“It’s about time I went home.”

　　Zong qi shrugged, “I haven’t eaten yet, I’m a little hungry.” 

　　”I’ll get the kitchen to bring you some food.” 

　　“Thanks man.”

　　Zong qi struggled over his free lunch, “But I have something to deal with later…”

　　The recorder’s expression crumbled, he quickly opened his mouth. 

　　“We don’t have any big breaks in this case until now. Captain Gao has already collected all the evidence from the crime scene and is currently on the way back. There were some new clues discovered at the scene that we’ll need your help with as an eyewitness.” 

　　A new lead!

　　Zong qi quickly turned back, a sincere expression on his face, “You’re right man, cooperating with the police is the responsibility of us citizens, you have my absolute cooperation.” 

　　Although this matter today had taken too much of his time, Zong qi knew that human life is more important. Even though it’s true that the murderer almost knifed him, Zong qi should also cooperate wholeheartedly with the police’s reconnaissance work.  

　　He went back to his seat, listening to the recorder dialling the kitchen.

　　Silence enveloped the trial room once again. 

　　Except this time, Zong qi had a strange feeling in his heart. (t/n: feeling a sense of disbelong except thats not a word)

　　He was someone who had his records taken numerous times, he was very clear about the process, but this time there was something off, very obviously wrong. 

　　Especially when he saw the pen in the recorder’s hand not moving, the strange feeling increased. 

　　As soon as he figured that out, he stood up again.

　　The recorder also quickly put down his pen, “Where are you going?”

　　Even a fool would be able to figure there was something wrong. 

　　Zong qi didn’t answer, directly turning the knob of the trial room.

　　The knob wouldn’t twist, the door was locked.

　　“You locked me up? Why?”

　　The black-haired teenager turned back, looking at the recorder in front of him alertly. 

　　Remembering that he was still in the middle of filming, plus the perverted murderer from back then, Zong qi had already thought through all the possible consequences. 

　　The recorder made a bitter smile, though his hand reached for the police stick on his waist, “I’m sorry, I’m just following orders. You’ll have your questions answered when Captain Gao gets back.”  

　　As they faced each other, the sound of the door unlocking suddenly sounded. 

　　“Gazhi——” (t/n: sfx for door opening)

　　The trial room’s door opened. 

　　A captain wearing a police uniform stood outside the door, with a serious look on her face. 

　　Behind her were a number of criminal police, hands holding their guns, standing ready, looking alertly and vigilantly into the trial room.  

　　In the next second, the silver handcuffs fell, Zong qi’s hands precisely trapped.  

　　Gao Mu stared at him fixedly, “Crime suspect, Zong qi, you’re under arrest.” 

[1] Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is an investigative strategy used by law enforcement agencies to identify likely suspects and has been used by investigators to link cases that may have been committed by the same perpetrator. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offender_profiling 

[2] Auxiliary police, also called special police, are usually the part-time reserves of a regular police force. They may be armed or unarmed. They may be unpaid volunteers or paid members of the police service with which they are affiliated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_police 

[3] naruto moment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra 

[4] Sādhanā (Sanskrit: साधना; Tibetan: སྒྲུབ་ཐབས་, THL: druptap; Chinese: 修行; pinyin: xiūxíng) is a generic term coming from the yogic tradition that refers to any spiritual exercise that is aimed at progressing the sādhaka[1] towards the very ultimate expression of his or her life in this reality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C4%81dhan%C4%81 

[5] I think it’s some kind of black magic practised in South East Asia https://www.proz.com/kudoz/chinese-to-english/general-conversation-greetings-letters/1229859-%E9%99%8D%E5%A4%B4.html 

[6] The text contains six thousand forecast and thirty-six fortune-telling techniques based on divination through use of shikigami. Many of these divinations relate to normal daily lives such as determining the gender of an unborn child, finding lost or missing objects, and advice on how to lead one’s personal life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senji_Ryakketsu 

[7] Toutiao (literally “Headlines”) or Jinri Toutiao (literally “Today’s Headlines”) is a Chinese news and information content platform, a core product of the China-based company ByteDance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toutiao