[Plot progress has been updated. Employees are not allowed to leave the company building during work hours; otherwise, it will be considered a violation, resulting in a deduction of 100 points and immediate expulsion from this film.]

[Beginner Tip: If an actor has negative points at settlement, they will die. New actors start with 0 points, so please do not break the rules.]

Ethan Clark stuffed his phone back into his pocket, looking thoughtful. “Don’t you think, with this kind of arrangement, the company is trying to… send us to our deaths?”

“Huh?” Owen Grant, who was following beside him, didn’t catch on.

Ethan Clark said in a low voice, “A ferocious ghost sleeps in a pitch-black cage, awakening once a year at a fixed time, raging uncontrollably, vowing to kill the humans who imprisoned it. To appease its fury and gain a moment of peace, humans take advantage of its daytime slumber to shove their weak, greedy, and ignorant kind into the cage, then… lock it up.”

“The ghost comes out at night, feasts to its heart’s content, its resentment temporarily eased, then falls back into slumber, waiting for the next year’s offering…”

A terrifying scenario, yet Ethan Clark recounted it in a light, fairy-tale tone.

“Holy crap!” Owen Grant shuddered in fear, quickly lowering his voice. “The way you put it, aren’t we just scapegoats?! No wonder they all get a holiday during the Ghost Festival! And they’re offering a million per person to hire us…”

Owen Grant: “After all, this is a confirmed ghost film—the ghost’s appearance is right there in the title, ‘The Red-Clad Wraith.’ Red clothes, and judging by the illustration, probably red high heels too. The introduction even said that all the temps hired in previous years died in the building, so the ghost must be in the building, and now they’re locking us in here, damn it!”

Owen Grant grumbled, glancing at the secretary leading the way, then added, “Do you think this secretary NPC knows something? If we go up and threaten her, will she spill the truth? Like, how the ghost was created…”

“No,” Ethan Clark paused, then said nonchalantly, “But you can try. I won’t stop you. After all, failure is the mother of success.”

Owen Grant: “……”

As they spoke, a newcomer really did go up to try questioning the secretary, but came back looking embarrassed, clearly having failed.

The newcomer said, “She just kept repeating that she’s new and doesn’t know anything.”

Owen Grant also felt a bit stupid. If the truth was that easy to get, why would the filming period be set for seven days?

The group was led to a stop in front of the “President Zhang’s Office” on the first floor.

Ethan Clark was surprised. This company had at least fifteen floors, yet the boss’s office was on the first floor. The first floor was obviously the noisiest, with people coming and going, and it lacked any sense of prestige.

The secretary said, “Our boss is inside. You can go in.”

The app sent another notification—

[Plot progress has been updated. Please complete the contract signing (resistance is not allowed). Note: Do not attack the pregnant female boss. Punishment is the same as above.]

Because Owen Grant is visually impaired, all his messages are read out loud by voice, which is a bit comical.

After listening, Owen Grant said, “…So the secretary can be attacked? And anyone you can attack won’t give you any useful information, right?”

Ethan Clark lazily glanced at him. “Bingo.”

Owen Grant: “……”

A newcomer muttered, “It’s just signing a contract, why add that we can’t resist?”

Caleb Turner, annoyed by the newcomer’s chatter, turned back impatiently. “You’ll know once you go in.”

The secretary helped push open the door. When she saw the boss holding a black urn in her arms, her face instantly turned pale. She forced herself to say a few words to the boss, and after getting permission, she quickly scurried away.

The female boss’s voice came from inside the office, weak but sharp: “Stop dawdling, all of you come in.”

Ethan Clark entered. The woman sitting in the office chair looked to be in her early thirties, with striking features—at first glance, even prettier than some actresses—but her complexion was ashen and sallow. Judging by the size of her belly, she was about four or five months pregnant.

Behind him, Owen Grant stared at the black urn in the boss’s arms for a while, his face suddenly turning pale. He tugged at Ethan Clark and whispered, “There’s resentment in there. Whatever it is, it’s something really evil. Let’s keep our distance.”

Ethan Clark was a bit surprised that Owen Grant’s ability could be used like this.

The female boss said coldly, “The secretary should have explained the details to you, so I won’t waste words. There’s no one else in the company these days. I’ll come by every afternoon to check in.”

Caleb Turner took the lead in responding.

The female boss beckoned to them. “Come sign the contract.”

Everyone waited for her to produce the contract, but instead, she placed the black urn she’d been holding onto the table.

No one understood, but Owen Grant felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, the female boss opened the urn and said, “Put your hand in. If you get bitten and bleed, the contract is considered signed.”

Owen Grant muttered a quiet “Holy crap.” When everyone heard they’d have to get bitten by something unknown—and bleed—their faces turned even paler.

A newcomer whispered, “I-it’s not a snake or something, right?”

“Could it be a centipede or something? God, that would hurt so much…”

Ethan Clark thought a snake or centipede would be the least of their worries—what he really feared was… some kind of cursed insect or ghostly thing, especially since Owen Grant said it was very evil.

But the app had warned them not to resist, so they had no choice but to go through with it.

The female boss suddenly whispered softly into the urn, “Good little one, time to eat.”