In normal circumstances, actors are required to portray their roles based on the script that appears in their minds. However, in reality, this means sending actors to their deaths, as people truly die in such movies.

But there is a curse that offers actors hope and a chance to survive. It's called the Redemption Ticket. To become an actor in a real horror movie, one must continuously play the roles of various horror movies. However, if they can accumulate ten thousand Redemption Tickets, they can redeem their freedom and return to the real world.

Redemption Tickets are the remuneration actors receive based on their roles and the importance of their characters after each movie. The purpose of the Redemption Tickets is to allow actors to deviate from the script and avoid death by deducting the number of Redemption Tickets they possess. For example, if the original plot requires the character to enter a haunted room to be killed by a ghost, but you choose not to enter, a certain number of your Redemption Tickets will be deducted after the movie ends.

Of course, actors cannot act as they please. Some basic behaviors cannot be changed. First and foremost, they must act as characters in the movie. Even if you, as an actor, know something that your character doesn't, you have to pretend to be completely unaware. For example, if you know there's a ghost through the script, you cannot verbally remind everyone. This is the most basic rule. Additionally, actors cannot be called by their real names or discuss anything related to real horror movies. In short, you have to fully embody yourself as a character in a movie. At the same time, there are some red text parts in the script (clearly displayed in the mind), and these parts must be strictly followed. If they are not executed, the only outcome is death!

According to Ye Xiang's judgment, the actor playing the driver will definitely abandon the bus at the last moment. As a rookie actor, he doesn't have any Redemption Tickets, but the deduction of Redemption Tickets occurs during the period when remuneration is distributed after the movie ends. At that time, the deducted Redemption Tickets will be given to the actors. Of course, for senior actors with more accumulated Redemption Tickets, they have greater leeway to change the course of the plot.

Ye Xiang already knew that his remuneration was two hundred Redemption Tickets. This price was pitifully low, indicating that he would undoubtedly be a cannon fodder character and would die early. The thought tightened his heart.

Of course, before the bus broke down, no one could change the plot; they had to act according to the script.

During these ten minutes, Luo Haosheng and Kang Xueyan had a conversation, but he didn't have any lines. Without any lines, he could only stay silent, leaning his head against the window, observing the outside. Meanwhile, he pondered how to survive. It hadn't been ten minutes since he entered this strange world, but he had already stabilized his emotions, completely different from Zhang Nianzhou beside him. Zhang Nianzhou was sweating profusely, panting continuously, and his face was pale. If it weren't for the strict rule in the script prohibiting actions that went against the plot, he would undoubtedly ask the male and female leads in front of him about what was happening!

Ye Xiang, however, was completely different. He had already calmed down at this point, understanding that panic would only lead to death. He knew he had to use the rules to create advantageous conditions for himself in order to survive! Moreover, there was another rule: if a character found a way to survive, the subsequent scenes would change accordingly, and even some minor characters could become more important and potentially steal the spotlight! In this real horror movie, there was no absolute protagonist. If you had the ability, you could take the protagonist's position!

Ye Xiang had made up his mind. He had to make a plan in the first scene. First, he couldn't do anything before the breakdown incident happened. But after ten minutes, he would seize every opportunity to interact with everyone on the bus, try to find more people, and escape from the bus together! However, right now, he couldn't even say a single unnecessary line! It was a dead rule in the script, and he had no choice.

Of course, even if they managed to escape, it didn't mean they were safe. Ye Xiang wasn't so naive to think that it would be that easy to survive in this real horror movie! So, after escaping, he would definitely encounter eerie and terrifying things. By then, his first priority would be gathering information! First, he needed to find out if there were any strange legends or supernatural stories about this mountain! So, the first person he had to approach was the tour guide! If he could extract information from the guide, he might uncover some plot details in advance, giving him a chance to survive! However, he suddenly realized that the tour guide was also an actor! The guide probably had no knowledge of any information.

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Based on the rules appearing in his mind, actors would never participate in movies that had certain death as the only outcome, like the Japanese horror film "Ju-On." In other words, there must be a way to survive in the movie, but this method would gradually appear as the plot unfolded. As a background character like him, he had to explore the movie's plot himself to find a way to survive!

Ye Xiang clenched his fists. He definitely wouldn't die in this terrifying place! Since there was a way to survive, he would do his best to fight for it!

He looked around the bus and noticed that most people seemed calm, with no significant reaction. However, some had pale faces, lacking any color, likely the new actors. He calculated that there were a total of forty-three people on the bus, including the driver, and eleven of them were middle-aged or elderly.

He kept calculating the time in his mind...

Three minutes...

Two minutes...

Just when the time was running out, the two main characters, a man and a woman, were getting more and more excited as they spoke. Luo Haosheng chimed in, "Yes, you're absolutely right. I feel the same way, Xueyan. Graduation is coming so fast. I still remember clearly when we first met during freshman orientation at the university..."

Just as he finished that sentence, the car suddenly came to a screeching halt!

Here it begins!

Due to the inertia, Ye Xiang's body jerked forward, but he managed to steady himself. His character, Xia Yun, couldn't have anticipated the bus breaking down in advance, so he couldn't make any preemptive moves to prevent the inertia. Now, he could deviate from the script and take actions contrary to the character's logic! However, from the moment he uttered his first improvised line, it would start counting towards his fee, deducted from his own salary. In reality, if the lines weren't too far off, they wouldn't deduct any "death redemption coupons." For example, saying "give it my all" instead of "exert maximum effort" would be fine. But if the improvised lines affected the plot, they would definitely deduct "death redemption coupons."

"Why did the bus stop?"

"Driver, what's going on?"

The driver stood up, a middle-aged bald man. He rubbed his head and said, "Sorry, I'll check if there's a problem."

Ye Xiang admired his composure. He had initially thought the driver would abandon the bus and run away at all costs, further confirming that the driver must be a seasoned actor. Of course, doing so would be equivalent to suicide. Such a complete violation of the original character's behavior logic would never be allowed. According to the rules of the script, even if it wasn't explicitly marked in red letters, any such behavior would cause the scene to "ng"! In other words, everything would return to ten minutes ago, and the movie would start filming again!

"Ng" was a special rule. Ye Xiang carefully interpreted this rule during those ten minutes. Firstly, unlike real movie shoots, making a mistake with a line wouldn't lead to an "ng," and inadequate acting wouldn't cause an "ng" either. In fact, this horror movie didn't demand much in terms of acting skills. Otherwise, no one would be a professional actor, or even have any acting training, for that matter. The criteria for an "ng" were based on changes to the plot that crossed the line!

The so-called line was somewhat ambiguous and not clearly explained. However, Ye Xiang had some ideas about what it meant. First and foremost, if an actor started a movie shoot by shouting, "I don't want to make this movie," or referred to themselves by their real name, or outright denied the movie's content, they would undoubtedly be deemed an "ng"!

An "ng" occurred when the plot was changed, crossing the line. If even a single actor "nged," everyone had to return to the original position and reshoot the scene. However, there could be a maximum of three "ngs." If a fourth "ng" occurred, then all actors, without exception, would die! For Ye Xiang, at that point, he would once again be dismembered and torn apart, facing true death! There was no argument to be made; there would be no second chance!

Therefore, changing the plot had to be done very cautiously.

Ye Xiang knew that now was not the best time to escape. The actions of the actors had to align with their characters' logic, or else an "ng" might occur. One "ng" meant that all the previous acting would be in vain. He would never do something so foolish!

At the moment, the actors on the bus seemed relatively calm.

Naturally, the thoughts of the actors were clear. Everyone knew that panicking would lead to an increase in deducted death redemption coupons. These coupons meant breaking the curse of this real horror movie, and nobody wanted them deducted easily. Of course, Ye Xiang guessed that it was because most of the people were experienced actors.

Soon, with a grim expression, the driver announced that the bus had broken down.