The next day, 8:00 AM.
Donghai Film and Television City, Studio 3.
By the time Jiang Yue arrived, the crew was already busy. The lighting crew was adjusting their angles, and the grip crew was laying down tracks for the camera positions.
Production assistants trotted around holding props, and a pre-shoot tension permeated the entire studio.
Assistant Director Old Wu spotted him immediately and jogged over holding two copies of a contract.
“Jiang Yue, come here. Take a look at the contract first.”
“Your pay is one hundred thousand yuan, with a deposit of thirty thousand, and the rest will be paid upon completion.”
Jiang Yue took the contract and looked it over.
The terms were clear without any hidden traps, and the breach of contract liabilities were explicitly stated.
He picked up a pen and signed his name directly.
Five minutes later, his phone vibrated.
Thirty thousand yuan had arrived.
Jiang Yue looked at the bank notification, feeling incredibly reassured.
For the time being, he didn't have to worry about rent or living expenses after graduation.
In the center of the studio, the set for an abandoned rooftop had already been constructed.
It featured grey concrete ground, rusted railings, and a city nightscape light box in the distance.
One look was enough to tell that today's scene was a major one.
The male lead, Lin Ze, was sitting next to Director Li Cheng, clutching his script with his brows tightly furrowed.
“Director Li, this scene is going to be tough to act.”
Lin Ze played the male lead, Fang Rui, a criminal investigator with a strong sense of justice and a stubborn temper.
“According to the script, Fang Rui has never met Ghost before.”
“By the time he was transferred over, Ghost had already slipped out of the police station by exploiting a software vulnerability.”
“Today's scene is his very first time meeting this man face-to-face.”
Lin Ze turned a page.
“His emotions are highly complex. There's the urgency of the chase, the anger on behalf of the deceased, and a touch of... regret for a genius who went astray.”
Li Cheng nodded.
Just then, he saw Jiang Yue walking over and pointed toward him.
“So today is all up to the two of you.”
“Jiang Yue's state in yesterday's interrogation scene was decent. Today's rooftop confrontation doesn't have many lines, but it's the core scene of this entire arc. You two need to build up the tension.”
Lin Ze looked up at Jiang Yue, a clear look of scrutiny in his eyes.
He was an actor who relied on his skills to make a living, and what he feared most was an unprepared partner, especially in a dialogue-heavy scene like this.
“Are you familiar with your lines?”
Lin Ze asked directly.
Jiang Yue stuffed his rolled-up script page into his pocket and nodded calmly.
“Don't worry, Teacher Lin. I've memorized them all.”
This wasn't an exaggeration.
Not only had he memorized them, but last night he had also broken down the logic, pauses, emphasis, and even punctuation of every single line.
If nothing else, the skills a computer science student used to dissect product requirement documents turned out to be surprisingly handy for dissecting a script.
The cameras were set up, and the lighting was in place.
Jiang Yue stood at the edge of the rooftop and closed his eyes.
The next second, he summoned the system in his mind.
“System, consume one hundred Prestige points to start a Mid-Tier Draw.”
【Consuming 100 Prestige points...】
【System scanning current dilemma: Need to display professional-grade vocal delivery and rhythm control.】
【Contextual adaptation activated...】
【Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Blue Trait: Vocal Control.】
【Trait Description: You possess extremely precise control over stress and phrasing intuition. Language is not just a tool for communication, but a weapon that can directly seize control of the other party's emotional dominance.】
Jiang Yue felt a wave of reassurance.
Just in time.
“Equip.”
“Along with 【Refined Scoundrel】 and 【Micro-Expression Master】.”
Three beams of light shone deep within his vision, quickly merging into his body.
When Jiang Yue opened his eyes again, his entire temperament had transformed.
“Action!”
The clapperboard snapped shut with a crisp sound.
Fang Rui, the criminal investigator, rushed out from behind the fire door. He held his gun with both hands, aiming straight at the silhouette standing by the edge of the rooftop.
His eyes were sharp, carrying the exhaustion and anger accumulated over days of pursuit.
“Shen Xu!”
“Turn around! Hands behind your head!”
Fang Rui's roar was so powerful that even the wind seemed to pause for a moment.
Yet, standing before the railing, Shen Xu acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.
With his back turned to everyone, he seemed to genuinely be admiring the scenery below.
He paused for a full two seconds.
In those two seconds, the momentum Fang Rui had just built up felt like a punch thrown into empty space.
Two seconds later, Shen Xu turned around unhurriedly.
The wind fluttered the hem of his coat. He raised a hand to push up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, a very faint smile playing on his lips.
“Officer Fang.”
Shen Xu spoke, his tempo half a beat slower than a normal person's.
“In order to breach the outer labyrinth I left behind, the Donghai City Cyber Security Center was paralyzed for three hours.”
“And that was with me leaving a backdoor open for you.”
Having said that, he took another step forward.
Fang Rui's gaze tightened, the gun in his hand not wavering even a fraction of an inch.
He knew he couldn't afford to lose the upper hand in terms of momentum.
“Save your breath!”
Fang Rui pressed forward, his gun locked onto him.
“The virus program you wrote cut off the city hospital's life support system. Three patients died because their medication was cut off and resuscitation failed!”
“You must pay the price today!”
Shen Xu took another step forward. The distance between them was now less than three meters.
He pulled back his faint smile, and his eyes darkened.
“The price?”
He repeated softly.
“Your so-called price is built upon a social code that is riddled with loopholes.”
“Meanwhile, I have established this city's digital code.”
“The ground beneath your feet, every power grid, and every fiber-optic cable operates within my rules.”
At this point, he tilted his head slightly. His gaze bypassed the muzzle of the gun and locked directly onto Fang Rui.
“Those three people were merely redundant data cleared during the system's self-optimization.”
“You, a primitive man living in a world I created, are pointing a ridiculous piece of iron at me.”
“And you want me to repent to you?”
Fang Rui felt as if his heart had been squeezed. He collided with Shen Xu's gaze.
There was no anger, no smugness, and not even madness within it. There was only a high-and-mighty indifference, much like how a human wouldn't feel guilt over a deleted line of code.
Completely enraged by his words, Fang Rui roared in a hoarse voice:
“Data?! That was the father of a five-year-old girl!”
“That was a mother who had just celebrated her son's birthday!”
“They are not data! They are living, breathing human beings!”
He took a step forward, the muzzle of his gun almost pressing against Shen Xu's chest.
“You hide behind a screen, typing a few lines of code, and destroy multiple families!”
“What right do you have to call yourself a god!”
But Shen Xu merely stared at him quietly, as if looking at an interesting exhibit, his gaze even carrying a trace of patience.
Off-set, Li Cheng stared at the monitor, his breathing turning shallow.
Initially, he had only hoped that Jiang Yue wouldn't hold Lin Ze back. Now, it seemed he wasn't just keeping up; this kid was actively elevating the scene.
On the rooftop, Fang Rui's rage had burned to its peak, yet Shen Xu hadn't even furrowed his brows.
One seemed like he had been burned to his limit by the fires of the mortal world.
While the other was like someone standing above the clouds, looking down at the dying embers.
Once this contrast emerged, the tension of the entire scene was instantly pushed to its maximum.
The scalps of several nearby crew members went numb as they watched. No one dared to make a sound.
Otherwise, they felt as though they would ruin the atmosphere.
Rate on N.U.
