northernbook Chapter 29 Death Story Chain
Chapter 29 Death Story Chain
The third one was the burly fitness instructor, whose face was flushed as he tried hard to appear creative:
"The person whose seat number is called has to check the body... and then they'll all find a boarding pass with their name on it in the body's pocket!"
Expectation level: 115!
The fitness instructor let out a sigh of relief.
The story seems to be developing in a promising direction as a horror-suspense thriller.
The next few people added some of the eerie characteristics of the broadcast sound ("the sound was like scratching a blackboard with fingernails"), and others described the strange way the boarding pass appeared ("it was like it was growing out of a corpse's skin").
Expectations have steadily increased, reaching around 125.
Panic persists, but a glimmer of hope sprouts in the hearts of the survivors—it seems not difficult to fabricate a story along this line of thought.
However, crises always strike when we are complacent.
It was the turn of a "chosen one" from a small country, a young man named Basong, who was sitting in the middle section.
He clearly lacks the talent and wit to tell a story.
Under immense pressure, his mind went blank, and all he wanted to do was quickly get through this.
"Then...then the captain said, 'Everyone, don't panic, we'll be landing soon!'"
As soon as those words were spoken, it was as if the entire cabin had been muted.
He not only completely shattered the eerie atmosphere he had painstakingly built up, but also attempted to introduce a "hopeful" ending, which clearly went against the dark direction expected by the "audience".
The scarlet numbers on the screen at the front of the cabin plummeted downwards like an elevator with its wires cut!
125… 100… 80… 60… 45!
Ultimately, the number remained firmly at 45, falling below the safety line of 50!
"No! I made a mistake! Give me another chance!" Basong screamed in terror, trying to stand up from his seat.
But it was too late.
An indescribable, intense heat, as if emanating from a steel furnace, instantly enveloped him.
Without even a flame, his entire skin and muscles were roasted to a crisp and tender texture in a fraction of a second.
The agonizing scream lasted only half a second before abruptly stopping.
A rich, smoky aroma of roasted meat quickly filled the cabin.
The combination of the smell and the horrific scene before them caused countless people to feel nauseous and vomit.
Basong transformed into a human-shaped roasted meat in a struggling posture, sitting in his seat.
Immediately afterwards, a viscous, wriggling sound came from the deep darkness at the rear of the cabin.
The scarlet tongue, as sharp as a lizard's, shot out with lightning speed, precisely wrapping around the lump of roasted meat and dragging it back into the darkness of the rear cabin with a "whoosh".
A faint, chilling chewing sound could be heard: "Crunch... crunch..."
........................
Studio:
"Holy crap! A person being roasted alive?! That special effects are amazing!"
"It smells so good! What if it makes me hungry?"
"What kind of rubbish did this idiot come up with? He deserves to be roasted! He ruined the whole horror vibe!"
"This expectation-building concept is brilliant! They can't afford to pad the plot!"
"Who's next? Hurry up and tell us! I want something even more exciting!"
........................
The cabin was deathly silent, save for the sounds of gagging and suppressed sobs.
After Basong was "cleaned up," the expectation value on the screen slowly rose back to 60, but the fluctuation curve became extremely unstable.
Next up was Lin Feng.
All eyes were on him, filled with fear and a hint of pleading.
His previous performance has already proven his extraordinary nature, and now he has become the key savior, and may also be the next martyr.
Lin Feng took a deep breath, glanced at the empty seat that still smelled of barbecue, and his eyes were cold.
He knew that he had to break with convention and use an extremely outrageous twist that could strongly stimulate the "audience's" nerves to bring back expectations.
He spoke in a clear and calm voice:
"However, when the eleventh person trembled as he pulled the boarding pass with his name on it from the body's pocket, he suddenly burst into maniacal laughter—"
Because he discovered that the skinned corpse slowly sat up and said in its own voice, "Congratulations, you've found... me."
Reverse?
Identity swap?
The corpse came back to life and mimicked the victim?
The number of expected values on the screen first paused abruptly, and then soared like a rocket!
60… 85… 110… 140!
The final score was 140!
Not only did they completely recover the lost territory, but they also set a new record!
A collective gasp of relief filled the cabin.
Her gaze toward Lin Feng was filled with gratitude.
Lin Feng merely frowned slightly. He knew that this was only a temporary safety measure, and if the subsequent relay could not maintain this high level of commitment, it could collapse again at any time.
The next passenger was a timid girl. She was so frightened by the grilling and Lin Feng's wild imagination that she was incoherent, but her survival instinct made her cling to the core concept of "imitation":
"The 'resurrected' corpse began to perfectly mimic the victim's appearance, even down to the scars from a childhood fall..."
Expectation level: 145.
Steady growth with some improvement.
Next, a meticulous programmer continued:
"Everyone realized that this wasn't just a simple monster, but an unknown entity capable of perfectly replicating its victims. We might already be among its 'clones'..."
Expectation level: 155!
The concept of a chain of suspicion is introduced, adding depth to the story.
However, the good times did not last long.
After several relatively smooth rounds of relay, a middle-aged woman, her mind in turmoil due to extreme fear, repeated a similar sequence of events:
"Then...then another person was called, and he also discovered the replica..."
Expectations: 148… 130… 95… 70… 55… 48!
It has fallen below the threshold again!
"No! No!" The woman's scream and the sizzling sound of the intense heat rang out almost simultaneously.
The familiar aroma of roasted meat filled the air once more, and a huge tongue swept across, sweeping away yet another charred and tender corpse.
........................
Death is like a game of musical chairs, occurring one after another in the next round.
Some people tried to follow Lin Feng's line of thought but failed to articulate it clearly, causing expectations to plummet.
Some people completely broke down and started talking nonsense.
Others tried to find alternative paths, but their attempts backfired...
Every time expectations drop below 50, it is accompanied by an invisible blaze and a cruel "cleansing".
The aroma of barbecue grew stronger, and the sounds of chewing from the back of the cabin were incessant.
Finally, the story concludes with a metaphorical question posed by an elderly man with a wrinkled face:
"But everyone has forgotten who... was the first to discover the body..."
The expectation value on the screen then froze at 103...