Chapter 2: Entering the World
As a horror movie enthusiast, Marcus was very familiar with this film.
Besides the movie series, there were various comics, novels, and spin-offs. He had discussed the lore in detail with fellow forum members online, even arguing for hours about which Cenobite was the most powerful!
Marcus tried hard to recall the plot: An American man named Frank Cotton, while in Morocco, obtained a puzzle box resembling a Rubik's Cube.
This box was the Lament Configuration, also known as the LeMarchand Box, created by an 18th-century French toymaker. This box could open a gateway to another dimension—a realm of pleasure and pain beyond human comprehension.
Driven by hedonistic desire, Frank figured out how to solve the puzzle box and successfully opened it.
Then, a group of four extraterrestrial entities known as Cenobites, summoned by the box, tore his body apart with chained hooks, dragging his soul into their realm.
Afterward, his brother Larry moved into the house where Frank had died, accompanied by Larry's wife Julia, who had secretly had an affair with Frank.
When Larry was moving furniture, he cut his hand, and his blood dripped onto the spot where Frank had been torn apart: the attic room on the second floor.
The blood caused Frank to escape from the Cenobites' realm back to Earth as a barely-formed, skeletal figure.
To obtain more blood and regenerate his body, he found Julia and convinced her to lure victims to him. Eventually, he killed his brother and wore Larry's skin as a disguise.
Later, Kirsty, the protagonist who discovered the box, made a deal with the Cenobites, offering them Frank in exchange for her own life and a chance to avenge her father.
As Marcus was recalling the plot, the large man spoke up:
"Ha, the same old basic survival mission."
"But these story missions are seriously messed up."
"Is this Lament Configuration some kind of mechanical device? Whatever, I won't even touch that."
"But mission two actually requires us to enter their dimension?"
"What kind of place is that? It's the lair of those things! The hellish dimensions of story worlds—I've never heard of anyone daring to enter them, not even the veteran survivors!"
"And Pinhead—are they some powerful religious figure or something?"
"Killing him rewards 10,000 survival points, more than entering the dimension itself! That's insane!"
The large man was visibly upset about the story missions.
He wouldn't dare touch assignments like these; the three missions might as well read: Stay the hell away.
"Hey, lady, do you have any intel about this story world? Do you know what the Lament Configuration is? Come on, share with us."
The man patted his chest nervously, his bulk jiggling as he asked tentatively.
"I could tell you, but would you even believe me? You'd probably die without knowing what hit you."
The woman glared at him with a disgusted expression.
"Fine, don't tell me then!"
"It's all those damn veterans' fault, hoarding their storyline knowledge and refusing to share it with everyone."
"And they're spreading false information everywhere, sharing whatever's most likely to get people killed! Now nobody trusts anyone except their own crew."
The man complained bitterly.
Marcus listened quietly to their conversation, confirming his suspicion.
They really didn't know the plot of this world.
Of course—this world was vastly different from his previous life in terms of entertainment and media.
Marcus felt a surge of excitement followed immediately by a wave of cold reality.
In this kind of horror movie world, even knowing the plot wouldn't make things easy for an ordinary person.
After all, many protagonists in horror movies die; the protagonist's plot armor might only keep them alive until the very end.
As for the supporting characters, most of them are just there to pad the body count.
The woman, watching the man's grumbling, said calmly,
"You can complain to the veterans when you get back to the Lighthouse. What's the point of saying it here?"
"I was just venting, but..."
The man's bravado vanished instantly. He looked at the woman, then at Marcus.
"I'm not lying—I've got some solid intel about this world. Maybe I can teach you a trick or two to sense danger."
"As long as you two swear to give me all 500 survival points from this scenario when it's over, I'll take you with me. I wouldn't even offer this if I didn't need to refresh for the next scenario."
After he finished speaking, he had a look on his face that said, "You guys are really lucky."
"No thanks. I have my own agenda. Hiding is just prolonging the inevitable."
"Also, newbie, I suggest you make the most of this month. In this kind of difficult scenario, exploring the plot means death, but returning to reality means death too. That's all I'll say—I'm going in now."
The woman in the baseball cap finished speaking calmly and disappeared.
"Tch, prolonging the inevitable~"
The man spat in the direction the woman disappeared, making a mocking sound, then turned to Marcus:
"Bro, it's just the two of us now. What do you say? Maybe my intel can help you heal those injuries."
Marcus thought for a moment and said, "I agree, but how do I find you in the story world?"
"The code phrase is: Big Mac Special Delivery."
"Remember that phrase. Whether through social media, a newspaper ad, or a public message board, we can find each other."
"Okay, I understand."
Marcus nodded.
"Time's almost up. I'm heading in first. Trust me, you won't like the forced teleportation method after the countdown ends."
The man finished speaking and disappeared on the spot.
Marcus looked at the remaining one-minute countdown and selected "Enter Now" in his mind.
As Marcus teleported away, the spatial shield shattered and disappeared.
The darkness was torn apart, and warm sunlight reflected onto Marcus's face.
Everything around him instantly became vivid; the sounds of cars, footsteps, and voices all entered his ears.
Marcus opened his eyes. He was sitting in the back seat of a black luxury sedan.
The soft leather seats and the gentle hum of the engine made Marcus feel much more comfortable.
"Sir, what should we do?"
A respectful middle-aged voice came from the driver's seat.
Marcus stared ahead, his brows furrowing slightly.
Five or six gang members, wielding baseball bats and tire irons, surrounded the car, blocking it in place.
They were posturing aggressively, shouting threats and demands.
They kept yelling something that was hard to hear clearly through the car window.
Marcus hadn't had a good impression of street thugs in his previous life, and his impression was even worse now.
"Run them over!"
Marcus tightened his seatbelt and commanded.
The moment he opened his eyes, he understood his role in this story world.
The Blackwood family, a well-known local jewelry business.
And he was the sole heir of the Blackwood family: Dean Blackwood.
In short: wealthy.
Just a few street punks; after today's near-death experience, Marcus was seething with anger.
"Hold on tight, sir!"
The driver was clearly eager to comply.
He floored the accelerator, and the car surged forward with powerful momentum.
The thugs who had blocked the car jumped to either side, screaming like startled rats.
Behind the car, dust billowed as their curses echoed across the street.
The sound of something being hit came from the rear of the vehicle.
(End of Chapter)
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