S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 109

Screen Murderer 05 – Experiment

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Auntie Chen followed Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao to Wang Ping's house. Zhan Zhao, however, wasn’t in a hurry to enter, gesturing, "Let's wait a bit longer."

Auntie Chen was curious – Who were they waiting for?

Because Wang Ping's parents had been informed in advance, Wang Ping's father came down to greet them. The couple had taken time off to take care of Wang Ping at home, and they were eager to meet Auntie Chen, who had brought a top-notch psychologist along.

But Zhan Zhao remarked that someone else might be more effective than a psychologist.

Before long, a car drove into the residential area and parked beside them.

The car door opened and a stunning lady stepped out, taking off her sunglasses and waving to everyone, "Where's the little sweetheart scared by Wang Meiyun? I've come to see my fans!"

Auntie Chen and Father Wang were stunned for a moment, then gasped – Chen Jiayi had arrived.

Zhan Zhao had just sent a WeChat message to Jiayi for help. Since they weren't far from the Bai Group, Jiayi, who was very family-conscious, immediately rushed over.

In Zhan Zhao's words, when someone closes themselves off, it indicates a lack of trust in the people around them. At such times, to get them to speak, you need to find someone they trust. And when trust isn't effective, you switch to admiration. In short, if they won't speak even when their parents ask, it's futile for anyone else to try; the best solution is to bring in their idol.

Once inside the Wang household, Zhan Zhao observed the surroundings first.

The Wang family seemed like a very "normal" family. Judging from the arrangement of the environment, this small family should be quite warm. The parents seemed open-minded and caring, and the child likely didn't face significant mental pressure from the family. So, if Wang Ping had been silent all this time, perhaps she felt that something was threatening not only her but also her family.

Zhan Zhao quietly briefed Chen Jiayi on a few things, roughly teaching her how to communicate with Wang Ping.

Chen Jiayi was quick-witted and immediately understood.

Mother Wang knocked on the door of Wang Ping's room, but there was no answer from inside.

She gently pushed the door open and found the room brightly lit, with both the curtains and the lamp on. Wang Ping was wrapped in a blanket, huddled in the corner of the bed, with her left calf in a cast.

Zhan Zhao peeked through the crack in the door and observed that she looked like an ordinary high school girl, albeit quite worn-out, with large dark circles under her eyes indicating that she had not slept well.

Mother Wang exclaimed, "Ping Ping, look who's here to see you!"

Wang Ping glanced at the doorway, and Jiayi leaned in to peek into her room, waving to greet her, "Ping Ping!"

Indeed, Chen Jiayi's sudden appearance startled Wang Ping. Her facial expression changed; from being highly alert as if frightened, she seemed to relax upon seeing Chen Jiayi.

Following Zhan Zhao's instructions, Chen Jiayi acted as if she had reunited with a long-lost loved one, displaying sadness and concern, stirring up emotions to guide Wang Ping into opening up.

It wasn't difficult for her at all. Jiayi didn't need to rely on acting skills; after all, she had experienced extreme fear when targeted by bad people. With just a brief recollection, she immediately empathised, shedding tears herself. Seeing her idol cry, Wang Ping burst into tears too, and finally, the idol and fan hugged each other, crying in anguish...

Bai Yutang watched the strange turn of events in the room and glanced at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao nodded, making an "OK" gesture to him, indicating that things were progressing smoothly and Wang Ping should start talking after crying it out.

At the door, Mother Wang still felt a bit puzzled. She cried while glaring at her husband – Why was it that she hugged her idol to cry but not her?!

Father Wang, after holding back his emotions for these past few days, finally felt some hope. He gestured to his wife as if saying – Come here, let me hold you while we cry!

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang tactfully took seats on the sofa in the living room, while Auntie Chen helped by pouring tea to serve them...

About fifteen minutes later, after everyone had vented their emotions, they gradually calmed down.

With her parents' support, Wang Ping made her way to the living room and sat on the sofa.

After enduring prolonged suppression and a thorough emotional outburst, she finally let down her guard.

Chen Jiayi brought a chair and sat behind Wang Ping, encouraging her, "Come on, tell SCI everything! Whether it's real or fake ghosts, they can catch them all!"

Wang Ping then recounted the events to Zhan Zhao and the others. She had indeed experienced quite a severe fright and had been under significant pressure.

The incident started when they decided to watch a horror movie that evening.

Before the countdown began, Wang Ping was just enjoying the lively atmosphere with her best friend. They didn't find the movie particularly good, but the countdown to midnight created a good vibe.

When the countdown reached zero at midnight, as soon as Wang Ping opened her eyes, she saw a large human-shaped silhouette on the screen, a shadow. This silhouette wasn't a character portrayed in the movie; it suddenly appeared on the screen, completely unrelated to the movie's content.

After noticing this abnormal silhouette, Wang Ping took a closer look and the figure immediately became clear: it was a man's silhouette, with a rather elongated face. She didn't even manage to look at his nose or mouth because all her attention was drawn to the abnormal size of the ghost's eyes. What was even more eerie was that the eyes moved; they were originally staring straight ahead, but suddenly they glanced at her.

At that moment, Wang Ping's most intuitive feeling was the same as what she had repeatedly told her friend, "He saw me!"

At first, she thought she might have been mistaken, so she paid special attention to it. However, afterwards, Wang Ping would occasionally see that ghostly figure appearing on the screen, until the end of the movie. As she walked back with her best friend, she even saw the ghostly figure emerging from the crowd.

But there was a strange phenomenon: the ghostly figure only appeared in crowded places, and it was absent in less populated areas.

When Wang Ping separated from her friend and walked home alone, she encountered a bustling commercial street. She looked up and saw several ghostly figures in the crowd, so she got scared and turned to run, choosing a quieter route. As she passed through the park, she indeed didn't notice the ghostly figure following her. However, when she entered a narrow alley, she suddenly saw the ghostly face appearing on the wall, which frightened her into rushing across the road and getting hit by a taxi.

Even in the split second when the taxi hit her, she saw that the driver had the face of that ghost.

When she fell to the ground, many passersby came to check on her, and someone even called for an ambulance. At that moment, she saw the ghostly figure in the crowd and heard a terrifying voice saying, "Dare to talk about it, and you'll die, your family will die, die..."

After hearing this, Mother Wang couldn't believe what her daughter had been through these past few days and quickly hugged her.

Father Wang also asked Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang if there was any issue with the movie.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both nodded – It seemed that there was indeed a problem, and it wasn't a small one.

Zhan Zhao also recalled Fei Mu's blind date and what Zhou Yuanyuan mentioned about several audience members leaving the theatre early that day.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhan Zhao asked Wang Ping, "Is that ghostly figure you mentioned here right now?"

Father Wang and Mother Wang were startled, but Wang Ping shook her head, saying that the figure wasn't present when there were fewer people around, but it would hide in the crowd when it was crowded.

Auntie Chen finally understood, "So that's why you don't dare to go out and stay alone in your room?"

Wang Ping nodded.

Naturally, Wang Ping's parents were very anxious and asked Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang if there was any cure.

Zhan Zhao gestured for them not to worry and asked everyone, "Do you have any group photos?"

"Group photos?"

"Yes," Zhan Zhao nodded, "any group photos with lots of people are fine."

"I do." Both Auntie Chen and Chen Jiayi took out their phones and showed Zhan Zhao the photos.

Chen Jiayi had a photo from the wrap-up party of the drama production, showing roughly a hundred or so people.

Auntie Chen had many group photos saved on her phone from various activities with her students.

Zhan Zhao took both phones and first showed Wang Ping Chen Jiayi's photo, asking, "Can you see that ghostly figure among this group of people?"

Wang Ping glanced at it, then quickly hugged her mum in fear, nodding and saying, "Yes."

Zhan Zhao gestured to her, "Can you point it out to me?"

"Mhmm..." Wang Ping, summoning her courage, extended her finger. After pointing at one person, she shook her head in confusion, then pointed at another person... and shook her head again.

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly and asked her, "At first glance, it seems like it, but when you look closely, the face becomes normal again?"

"Mhmm!" Wang Ping nodded.

Zhan Zhao then showed her Auntie Chen's group photo.

Wang Ping shook her head, saying that the ghostly figure wasn't in that photo.

Bai Yutang also went to examine both photos, noticing a significant difference between them. In Chen Jiayi's photo, there were only adults, mostly males. Wang Ping pointed out two males wearing glasses and dark-coloured clothes.

Auntie Chen's group photos were quite interesting. They were pictures of the school choir, taken in two groups. They were taken during a rehearsal of the mixed choir, one with all the girls, and the other with all the boys, wearing white shirts and school pants or skirts.

Zhan Zhao showed Wang Ping the photo of the girls' choir. Among high school students, at least thirty per cent wore glasses, but Wang Ping said there was no ghostly figure in it.

Zhan Zhao then showed her the photo of the boys' choir.

Wang Meiyun also shook her head.

Zhan Zhao seemed to have a plan in mind. He returned the phones to Chen Jiayi and Auntie Chen.

Zhan Zhao noticed a picture frame on the shelf containing a family photo of the three. He asked if he could borrow it.

Father Wang hurried to get it and handed it to Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao asked for a marker, then blacked out Father Wang's clothing on the glass of the frame. He then drew two circles where the eyes were supposed to be. Suddenly, he presented it to Wang Ping.

"Wah!" Wang Ping exclaimed and quickly recoiled, but then seemed to realise something wasn't right. She furrowed her brow, widened her eyes, and leaned forward, scrutinising the photo carefully. After examining it, she looked puzzled and said, "How can this be? Just now, I also saw a ghostly figure."

Bai Yutang understood the pattern and asked, "Does this mean any adult man wearing black clothes and glasses will be seen as a ghostly figure?"

Zhan Zhao nodded while wiping the glass of the frame with a tissue. He then asked Bai Yutang and Auntie Chen, "Did you notice the graffiti on the walls in the alley just now?"

Both of them recalled and immediately remembered.

"Oh!" Auntie Chen clapped her hands. "There was a portrait of Steve Jobs in the graffiti! Wearing black clothes and glasses!"

Father Wang searched for a portrait of Steve Jobs on his phone and showed it to his daughter, frightening her even more.

Afterwards, Zhan Zhao conducted hypnotherapy on Wang Ping for about an hour.

After the therapy session, Wang Ping fully recovered and would no longer see things erroneously.

With Wang Ping back to normal, she felt hungry, thirsty, and wanted to sleep and go to school. Father Wang and Mother Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief and expressed their utmost gratitude to everyone.

However, Zhan Zhao seemed to have one more thing to clarify. He asked Wang Ping, "You said you heard someone talking to you after you were hit by the car?"

"Yes!" Wang Ping nodded. "That voice was particularly terrifying..."

As she said this, she suddenly paused, as if she remembered something, and reached out to touch her chin.

Zhan Zhao immediately asked, "Have you heard this voice before?"

"Yes!" Wang Ping nodded hurriedly. "I heard it on a phone call..."

Zhan Zhao glanced at Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang frowned as well, recalling the phone call that Fei Mu mentioned.

Wang Ping explained that a few days ago, she called to book tickets for a museum visit. However, during her first call, she was startled by a strange voice, saying something terrifying like "dead or not". She quickly hung up, but the second call went smoothly. Since these reservation calls were entirely AI-operated, she didn't think much of it at the time, assuming it was a technical glitch or crossed wires.

"Now that I think about it, it was that voice!" Wang Ping exclaimed, frustrated and confused about what had happened to her. She was terrified and nearly lost her life.

Bai Yutang also felt perplexed and asked Zhan Zhao, "If it's a problem with the movie, wouldn't there be many affected?"

However, Zhan Zhao shook his head and said, "Many people might be affected superficially, but it's not deep hypnosis. Fei Mu’s blind date and those who left midway were superficially affected. Their symptoms should be seeing a ghostly figure on the screen, feeling scared, and perceiving the figure in crowds... then the hallucinations disappear after a good night's sleep. Wang Ping is an exception; she self-induced deep hypnosis."

Bai Yutang looked surprised, and Wang Ping tilted her head, saying, "Is it my own issue?"

Zhan Zhao explained to her, "Firstly, you are quite courageous. After noticing the ghostly figure on the screen, instead of leaving, you wanted to examine it closely to see if it was a mistake or an illusion caused by stains on the screen. So you kept watching until the end of the movie, only feeling scared when you noticed the ghostly figure following you in the crowd, right?"

Wang Ping nodded. But now, thinking back, those ghostly figures in the crowd were nothing but men wearing glasses and black clothes – They were everywhere...

"Secondly, Zhou Yuanyuan said you like playing tennis?" Zhan Zhao continued.

"Yes." Wang Ping confirmed.

Bai Yutang also noticed the tennis racket in the room and the photo of her wearing a tennis uniform and holding a tennis racket on the shelf.

"Ball sports, especially those involving small balls, have a characteristic." Zhan Zhao said. "To judge the spin of the ball in a short time requires strong concentration. You often focus on judging the spin of the ball coming towards you, which trains your concentration. These suggestive images are sandwiched in the middle of the movie frames. In the blink of an eye, ten to twenty frames pass, so many people don't even notice them. Not only did you see them, but you also stared at them closely. It's similar to concentrating on a swinging pocket watch, which helps you enter a hypnotic state. In this high-concentration situation, you saw those suggestive images several times, which effectively deepened the hypnotic effect."

Wang Ping, her parents, Auntie Chen, and the onlooker Chen Jiayi all suddenly realized – So that's how it was.

"The third point is that you don't usually get frightened often. Apart from watching movies, the last time you were scared was that phone call." Zhan Zhao continued. "Although you thought you didn't mind, subconsciously, that phone call did scare you. Under the same stimulus of fear, this fear will be awakened. There's a saying, 'Once bitten, twice shy'. When you were scared, the memories of past fear were awakened. In the end, when you were on your way home and avoiding that ghostly figure, all you could think of was to hope it wouldn't follow you, because you were afraid it would harm your family if you brought it home. So, the words spoken by that ghostly figure carried a threat to your family. In conclusion, you weren't haunted at all; it was a hypnotic suggestion hidden in the movie, combined with your subconscious fear and a series of coincidences that triggered this incident."

Wang Ping finally understood everything, and once she did, she wasn't scared at all. In fact, she developed a strong interest in psychology.

With her inner demons dispelled, Wang Ping immediately became lively and energetic again.

Chen Jiayi provided a comprehensive service, including an autograph session and tickets to the film festival for Wang Ping and her friends to enjoy. Wang Ping was completely cured.

Bai Yutang gave Zhan Zhao a thumbs up – Awesome, Cat!

......

With the successful resolution of the incident, after leaving Wang Ping's house, Chen Jiayi arranged for the driver to take Auntie Chen back to school. She then joined Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao in their car to go to the SCI office and find Ma Han.

Although Wang Ping's problem was solved, the issue with the movie remained unresolved.

"If someone with conditions similar to Wang Ping's also watched that movie, does that mean they would be affected as well?" Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao nodded, "Mhmm! If someone with a constitution even more susceptible than Wang Ping's watched the movie, their situation might be even worse."

They both felt it was necessary to thoroughly research the movie.

As Bai Yutang drove, he asked Chen Jiayi if she knew anything about the movie.

"That movie stars Tang Xing and Wang Meiyun. The director's surname is Jin. I haven't heard of him before, so he might be a newcomer." Chen Jiayi said. "It's strange that Wang Meiyun would act in this movie. Judging by the theme, it wouldn't do well at the box office. Moreover, the promotion was just ridiculous. Luckily, it was taken down before any serious incidents occurred..."

"Speaking of promotion," Zhan Zhao's tone carried a hint of concern, "that promotion might not be simple!"

Bai Yutang asked, "More than just for publicity?"

"It might not be for publicity at all." Zhan Zhao said, almost to himself, "This movie might just be an experiment."

"Experiment?" Bai Yutang's tone turned uneasy. "You mean they're just trying it out to see how it works?"

Zhan Zhao frowned, "The ghostly figures in the movie only appear after the audience's countdown at midnight, after most of the movie has been shown. So, most people were just startled for a moment, nothing more. But if they started the hypnotic suggestions right from the beginning of the movie, more people like Wang Ping might have been affected, and the consequences could have been much worse."

Bai Yutang sighed, sensing trouble brewing after the calmness that had prevailed for so long...

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: April 5, 2024 by Angel

Edited: April 9, 2024 by Angel